1999- I was in the middle of a six-year stint living off the 3rd stop on the L train in Williamsburg, Brooklyn right before it completely blew up and became one of the main music hubs in the world in the new century. I was two years into my job at a record label and frantically acquiring all of the catalog cd’s I could get my hands on. In the mainstream music world, the promising alternative rock scene had basically fizzled out and been replaced by rap-rock by the likes of Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, catchy but sanitized pop-punk of Blink-182 & Third Eye Blind and the mostly godawful teen pop of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera along with boy bands like Backstreet Boys & N Sync, which would continue to dominate radio & sales as well as much of the culture into the new millennium. Looking back at all of my purchases from that year I probably have a greater shared of mediocrities than in any other year- partially because of where I was at in my life and partially because of the year in music itself. ’99 was several years before the iTunes store and the massive buying of individual tracks. Labels were still charging upwards of $20 per cd in mainstream record stores and many of them really did contain only 1 or 2 great tracks. This is also right after Napster broke. Tons of college kids and techies were scooping up all of the free music they could, but a conscience and a dial up internet connection kept me away. Even in a bleak year there were several standout albums by the likes of the Flaming Lips and Built to Spill, great rap releases by Eminem, Dr. Dre & the Roots and thanks to research & individual track downloads I caught up on a bunch of great stuff I missed the first go round over the next decade plus. Great one of rap tracks from the dirty south, a few fantastic one hit wonders like Len’s “Steal My Sunshine” and some absolutely killer club and house music from all over the place.

As stated above the modern rock scene had really changed by the late 90’s. Grunge was so dead that even post-grunge was on its last legs, though bands like Creed & Nickelback were just ..ahem…getting started. Legendary indie groups like Pavement and Guided By Voices put out solid albums that year, but they were far from their best. Garage-rock was still very underground. The White Stripes debut hit in ’99 but it was only regional at the time and is still considered a pretty minor release in their discography. The great Brooklyn band Les Savy Fav released a few great singles and was paving the way for so much of the “return to rock” and dance punk heard all over the borough a few years later. But again they were only welkl known within their own scene. Out in the Pacific Northwest the great Sleater-Kinney was still carrying the riot grrrl/punk mantle. “The Hot Rock”, their 4th album was very good but seen now as a bridge between their lo-fi roots and their great 21st century releases. The two big indie-rock releases for me were Built To Spill’s “Keep It Like a Secret”, which I still consider their best & Washington D.C.’s Dismemberment Plan “Emergency & I”, which I didn’t get into until later. A sad thing as the bassist went to my college and I actually saw them in ’94 play a friend’s basement. I clearly underrated them and slept on them while they were becoming one of the most important new forces in indie-rock of the late 90’s. Though more musically nuanced and less heavy than Les Savy Fav they would also prove a huge influence on bringing the dance back to rock in the early oughts.

There was some high quality mainstream rock released in ’99 as well- just not much of it. The Red Hot Chili Peppers dominated the radio with their album “Californication”- I still hear four or five of its tracks regularly to this day. The Foo Fighters managed three singles from their solid third album. Both bands would absolutely dominate rock radio for the next ten years and would often be the only tolerable music you could find in between all of the rest of the sludgy mook-rock. One of the purveyors of rap metal, Rage Against the Machine, released their excellent third album “The Battle Of Los Angeles”, kicking the ass of all of their awful peers. Another unfortunate late 90’s trend was Emo-rock, but like most genres- even the bad ones have their great bands. Texas groups At The Drive-In and And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead released the “Vaya” EP and the “Madonna” LP respectively. Both would have their best recordings early on in the new millennium but they were on their way. The dominate U.K. 90’s rock sub-genre Britpop was also casting its dying embers. Blur released the sophisticated “13”, miles away from their mid 90’s sound. Supergrass released a solid third album but it didn’t quite measure up to their first two. The rest of the groups ceded control to mellower U2-lite groups like Coldplay & Travis. Despite a few lights in the darkness alternative rock music was due for a swift kick in the ass. Most of the music didn’t sound good then and has worn even less well. Check out some concert footage from “Woodstock ‘99” for backup.

Some of the other great nineties were moving away from heavy rock sounds and toward a heavily orchestrated psychedelic pop sound highly influenced by “Pet Sounds”/”Smile” era Beach Boys. The Flaming Lips “The Soft Bulletin” was THE full masterpiece of 1999 and one of the best albums of the decade. It’s an album of tear-jerking beauty. In Atlanta the Elephant Recording Company, a collective of highly creative underground musicians featuring bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Beulah & Olivia Tremor Control was going strong. Olivia Tremor Control’s “Black Foliage: Volume One”, their 2nd full-length release, is a left of center gem though the band continues to live in the shadows of the great Neutral Milk Hotel. One of the biggest alt country bands, Wilco, who had already expanded their sound with their double album “Being There”, arguably bettered it with “Summer Teeth”- also one of the best albums of the year. It had more in common with the Beach Boys than Johnny Cash, emphasizing pop harmonies and noise-pop experiments over boogie and honky tonk. Though it went largely unheard until a year or two later Iceland’s Sigur Ros released their great debut “Agaetis Byrgun” in ’99. Its unintelligible lyrics were from a made up language and many of the “songs” went north of ten minutes but the album’s sheer beauty matched even that of the Lips.

Though none of these artists seem to fit together very well there were a handful of great singer songwriter albums in 1999. Tom Waits released the excellent “Mule Variations”, his first major release since 1992’s “Bone Machine”. Fiona Apple’s 2nd album “When the Pawn Strikes” didn’t sell like her 1996 debut, but it did announce her as a major artist as she remains today. “Pawn” still might be her best album. British singer Beth Orton had gained fame hitching her wagon to the Big Beat/Electronica scene. “Central Reservation” saw her pulling away a bit from that scene to very promising results. Unfortunately it remains by far her best album, as she was unable to follow up. Aimee Mann contributed a handful of fantastic tracks to the mind-blowing “Magnolia” motion picture. Bonnie “Prince” Billy, who had been recording under different guises throughout the 90’s released his true masterwork “I See a Darkness” in 1999 which was some strange hybrid between country, blues, Captain Beefheart and Appalachian Folk music. Prolific NYC musician Stephen Merritt under his moniker Magnetic Fields released his opus in ’99 as well- the 3 cd concept album of love songs called “69 Love Songs”. Though each cd did contain some filler, he is a master of the form. One of the most exciting nineties singer-songwriters Beck ended the decade and the millennium with his funk party “Midnight Vultures”- though it isn’t his best album it’s a worthy release.

The big techno story of the year was Moby’s “Play” album. The vegan DJ had been kicking around the scene since 1990 and was one of its stars but “Play” vaulted him into the stratosphere. It contained multiple radio hits and he licensed every single one of the tracks for various commercials- a practice that would become more and more commonplace in the ensuing years. It was unfortunately the last good album Moby would make. The Chemical Brothers third album “Surrender” saw them move away from the Big Beat scene they had helped start. Basement Jaxx released their debut album “Remedy” one of the better techno/club albums maybe ever- they would remain major players over the next half-decade or so. Other cool club music by the likes of Armand Van Helden and Cassius provided big hits to the club culture, which I am still catching up with today. Genius wizard Aphex Twin released one of his most memorable singles “Windowlicker”.

R&B had thankfully moved away from slow jams and boy bands to club bangers and girl groups. TLC and Destiny’s Child dominated the charts with smash singles. Timbaland and the Neptunes were the two hottest rap producers in the game in the late 90’s and their sound filtered down to much of the R&B. Even when it wasn’t produced by one of those two, it tended to sound like them. Above all rap was one of the dominant sounds of 1999 and it was really split into two factions- commercial rap and the underground backpacker rap. However the underground rap could be commercially successful as well. Groups like The Roots and artists like Mos Def had big crossover hits and sales. Def’s “Black On Both Sides” was his solo debut and The Roots “Things Fall Apart” still qualifies as the best record in their long, illustrious career. Other groups like Quannum MC’s and Blackalicious would lack sales but gained respect with hardcore hip hop heads and set the tone for big indie-rap labels in the coming years like NYC’s Def Jux. One of the biggest rap and music stories of the year was the emergence of Eminem. He was brought in as Dr. Dre’s protégé and Dre produced the album which quickly became a gargantuan hit. Em became one of the biggest commercial and artistic forces in rap over the next decade though his artistic fortunes, at least, have noticeable declined since the middle of last decade. Dr. Dre himself also released his long awaited follow up to “The Chronic” with “2001”. While not a true rap classic it’s a really good album. Both Eminem and Snoop Dogg appear on some of its best tracks. Jay-Z released “In My Lifetime Volume 3”, along with the immense single “Big Pimpin’” cementing his rising star status along rap’s elite. Guest stars on the track, Memphis’s UGK exemplified the increasing impact southern rappers had on the commercial landscape. Along with Atlanta’s Outkast & Goodie Mob (both idle in 1999), the New Orleans label No Limit was producing some of the highest selling music of the late 90’s. While a ton of it was total crap, at least to my ears, ’99 did see the release of Lil Wayne’s first album along with great singles like “Bling Bling” by BG and “We On Fire” by Hot Boy$. The Dirty South would continue to take away marketshare from New York & LA until it eventually became rap’s home base in the next decade.

 

WILCO- SUMMER TEETH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Summerteeth – Wilco
Buy SummerteethAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BECK- MIDNIGHT VULTURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Midnite Vultures – Beck
Buy Midnite VulturesAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLAMING LIPS- SOFT BULLETIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Soft Bulletin – The Flaming Lips
Buy The Soft Bulletin (U.S. Release)Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOBY- PLAY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Play & Play: B Sides – Moby
Buy 18 & 18 B-SidesAmazon
 

 

 

 

 

BUILT TO SPILL- KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Keep It Like a Secret – Built to Spill
Buy Keep It Like A SecretAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMINEM- THE SLIM SHADY LP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Slim Shady LP – Eminem
Buy The Slim Shady LPAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIONA APPLE- WHEN THE PAWN STRIKES…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King… – Fiona Apple
Buy When The Pawn…Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SLEATER-KINNEY- THE HOT ROCK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Hot Rock – Sleater-Kinney
Buy The Hot RockAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN- EMERGENCY AND I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Emergency & I – The Dismemberment Plan
Buy Emergency & IAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BASEMENT JAXX- REMEDY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Remedy – Basement Jaxx
*Not available via Amazon
 

 

 

 

 

 

MAGNETIC FIELDS- 69 LOVE SONGS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy 69 Love Songs (Box Set) – The Magnetic Fields
Buy 69 Love Songs Volume 1Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL- BLACK FOLIAGE: VOLUME ONE

 

 

 

Buy Black Foliage: Animation Music (Remastered) – The Olivia Tremor Control
Buy Black Foliage: Animation MusicAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ROOTS- THINGS FALL APART

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Things Fall Apart – The Roots
Buy Things Fall Apart [Explicit]Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BETH ORTON- CENTRAL RESERVATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Central Reservation – Beth Orton
Buy Central ReservationAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY- I SEE A DARKNESS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy I See a Darkness – Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Buy I See a DarknessAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MOS DEF- BLACK ON BOTH SIDES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Black On Both Sides – Mos Def
Buy Black On Both Sides [Explicit]Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SIGUR ROS- AGAETIS BYRGUN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Agaetis Byrjun – Sigur Rós
Buy Agaetis ByrjunAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JAY-Z-THE LIFE & TIMES OF SHAWN CARTER VOLUME 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter – JAY Z
Buy Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter [Explicit]Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE- THE BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Battle of Los Angeles – Rage Against the Machine
Buy The Battle Of Los AngelesAmazon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOM WAITS- MULE VARIATIONS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Mule Variations – Tom Waits
Buy Mule VariationsAmazon

Best of 1999 Volume 1 (3/25/03)

1.  Eminem- My Name Is

Buy My Name Is – The Slim Shady LP
Buy My Name Is [Explicit]Amazon

2.  Dr. Dre- Still D.R.E.

Buy Still D.R.E. (feat. Snoop Dogg) – The Chronic 2001
Buy Still D.R.E. [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Beck- Milk & Honey

Buy Milk & Honey – Midnite Vultures
Buy Milk & HoneyAmazon

4.  Basement Jaxx- Red Alert

Buy Red Alert – Remedy
Buy Red Alert (Jaxx Radio Mix)Amazon

5.  The Roots- Dynamite!

Buy Dynamite! – Things Fall Apart
Buy Dynamite! [Explicit]Amazon

6.  Rage Against The Machine- Sleep Now In the Fire

Buy Sleep Now In the Fire – The Battle of Los Angeles
Buy Sleep Now In The FireAmazon

7.  Sleater-Kinney- Banned From the End of the World

Buy Banned from the End of the World – The Hot Rock
Buy Banned From The End Of The WorldAmazon

8. Aimee Mann- Save Me

Buy Save Me – Magnolia (Music from the Motion Picture)
Buy Save MeAmazon

9.  Fiona Apple- Limp

Buy Limp – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King…
Buy Limp (Album Version)Amazon

10.  Supergrass- Moving‘

Buy Moving – Supergrass
Buy MovingAmazon

11.  The White Stripes- Stop Breaking Down

Buy Stop Breaking Down – The White Stripes
Buy Stop Breaking Down (Album Version)Amazon

12.  At The Drive-In- Rascuache

Buy Rascuache – Vaya – EP
Buy RascuacheAmazon

13.  Mos Def- Rock N’ Roll

Buy Rock N Roll – Black On Both Sides
Buy Rock N Roll [Explicit]Amazon

14.  Built To Spill- You Were Right

Buy You Were Right – Keep It Like a Secret
Buy You Were RightAmazon

15.  Moby- Porcelain

Buy Porcelain – Play & Play: B Sides
Buy PorcelainAmazon

16.  Wilco- Can’t Stand It

Buy Can’t Stand It – Summerteeth
Buy Can’t Stand ItAmazon

17.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers- Scar Tissue

Buy Scar Tissue – Californication
Buy Scar TissueAmazon

18.  Magnetic Fields- Washington D.C.

Buy Washington, D.C. – 69 Love Songs (Box Set)
Buy Washington, D.C.Amazon

19.  The Flaming Lips- Race For the Prize

Buy Race for the Prize – The Soft Bulletin
Buy Race For The Prize (From The Album The Soft Bulletin)Amazon

20.  Beth Orton- Central Reservation (Then Again Version)

BuyCentral Reservation (The Then Again Version) – Central Reservation
Buy Central Reservation (The Then Again Version)Amazon

Best of 1999 Volume 2 (3/26/03)

1.  Built To Spill- The Plan

Buy The Plan – Keep It Like a Secret
Buy The PlanAmazon

2.  Rage Against The Machine- Guerilla Radio

Buy Guerilla Radio – Body of War – Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Buy Guerrilla RadioAmazon

3.  Quannum MC’s- Bombonyall

Buy Bombonyall – Quannum Spectrum
Buy BombonyallAmazon

4.  The White Stripes- Jimmy the Exploder

Buy Jimmy the Exploder – The White Stripes
Buy Jimmy The Exploder (Album Version)Amazon

5.  Tom Waits- Big In Japan

Buy Big In Japan – Mule Variations
Buy Big In JapanAmazon

6.  Moby- Southside

Buy South Side – Play & Play: B Sides
Buy South SideAmazon

7.  Beck- Sexx Laws

Buy Sexx Laws – Midnite Vultures
Buy Sexx LawsAmazon

8.  Chemical Brothers- Let Forever Be

Buy Let Forever Be – Surrender
Buy Let Forever BeAmazon

9.  Blur- Coffee & TV

Buy Coffee & TV – 13
Buy Coffee & TVAmazon

10.  Eminem- Just Don’t Give a Fuck

Buy Just Don’t Give a F**k – The Slim Shady LP
Buy Just Don’t Give A Fuck [Explicit]Amazon

11.  Nine Inch Nails- Even Deeper

Buy Even Deeper – The Fragile
Buy Even DeeperAmazon

12.  The Flaming Lips- Spiderbite Song

Buy The Spiderbite Song – The Soft Bulletin
Buy The Spiderbite SongAmazon

13.  Wilco- A Shot in the Arm

Buy A Shot In the Arm – Summerteeth
Buy A Shot In The ArmAmazon

14.  Travis- Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

Buy Why Does It Always Rain On Me? – The Man Who
Buy Why Does It Always Rain On Me?Amazon

15.  The Roots (Feat. Erykah Bad)- You Got Me

Buy You Got Me – Things Fall Apart
Buy You Got Me [Explicit]Amazon

16.  Magnetic Fields- The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side

Buy The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side – 69 Love Songs (Box Set)
Buy The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East SideAmazon

17.  Sigur Ros- Sven-N-Englar

Buy Svefn – G – Englar – Agaetis Byrjun
Buy Svefn – G – EnglarAmazon

18.  Aimee Mann- One

BuyOne – Magnolia (Music from the Motion Picture)
BuyOneAmazon

Best of 1999 Volume 3 (8/6/05)

1.  Supergrass- Pumping On Your Stereo

Buy Pumping On Your Stereo – Supergrass
Buy Pumping On Your StereoAmazon

2.  DMX- Party (Up In Here)

Buy Party Up (Up in Here) – …And Then There Was X
Buy Party Up (Up In Here) [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Jay-Z- So Ghetto

Buy So Ghetto – Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter
Buy So Ghetto [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Basement Jaxx- Rendez-vous

Buy Rendez-Vu – Remedy
*Track not available via Amazon

5.  Built To Spill- Center Of the Universe

Buy Center of the Universe – Keep It Like a Secret
Buy Center Of The UniverseAmazon

6.  The Dismemberment Plan- what Do You Want Me To Say?

Buy What Do You Want Me to Say? – Emergency & I
Buy What Do You Want Me To Say?Amazon

7.  Destiny’s Child- Say My Name

Buy Say My Name – The Writing’s On the Wall
Buy Say My NameAmazon

8.  Mos Def- Ms. Fat Booty

Buy Ms. Fat Booty – Rawkus Records: Best of Decade I, 1995-2005 (Explicit Version)
Buy Ms. Fat Booty [Explicit]Amazon

9.  Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Feat. Kelis)- Got Your Money

Buy Got Your Money (feat. Kelis) – N***a Please
Buy Got Your Money (Featuring Kelis)Amazon

10.  Dr. Dre (Feat. Eminem)- Forgot About Dre

Buy Forgot About Dre (feat. Eminem) – The Chronic 2001
Buy Forgot About Dre [Explicit]Amazon

11.  Fiona Apple- Get Gone

Buy Get Gone – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King…
Buy Get Gone (Album Version)Amazon

12.  Guided By Voices- Things I Will Keep

Buy Things I Will Keep – Do The Collapse
Buy Things I Will KeepAmazon

13.  Beth Orton- Stolen Car

Buy Stolen Car – Central Reservation
Buy Stolen CarAmazon

14.  Magnetic Fields- Come Back From San Francisco

Buy Come Back from San Francisco – 69 Love Songs (Box Set)
Buy Come Back From San FranciscoAmazon

15.  Super Furry Animals- Northern Lites

Buy Northern Lites – Guerilla
Buy Northern LitesAmazon

16.  The Clientele- Reflections After Jane

Buy Reflections After Jane – Suburban Light
Buy Reflections After JaneAmazon

17.  Bonnie “Prince” Billy- I See a Darkness

Buy I See a Darkness – I See a Darkness
Buy I See a DarknessAmazon

18.  Wilco- She’s a Jar

Buy She’s a Jar – Summerteeth
Buy She’s A JarAmazon

19. The Flaming Lips- Waiting For a Superman

BuyWaitin’ for a Superman – The Soft Bulletin
Buy Waitin’ For A Superman (Album Version)Amazon

Best of 1999 Volume 4 (8/13/05)

1.  The Dismemberment Plan- You Are Invited

Buy You Are Invited – Emergency & I
Buy You Are InvitedAmazon

2.  Destiny’s Child- Jumpin’ Jumpin’

Buy Jumpin’, Jumpin’ – The Writing’s On the Wall
Buy Jumpin’, Jumpin’Amazon

3.  Jay-Z (Feart. UGK)- Big Pimpin’

Buy Big Pimpin’ (Featuring UGK) – Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter
Buy Big Pimpin’ [Explicit]Amazon

4.  TLC- No Scrubs

Buy No Scrubs – Fan Mail
Buy No ScrubsAmazon

5.  Guided By Voices- Surgical Focus

Buy Surgical Focus – Do The Collapse
Buy Surgical FocusAmazon

6.  Fiona Apple- Fast As You Can

Buy Fast As You Can – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King…
Buy Fast As You Can (Album Version)Amazon

7.  The Roots- Adrenalize

Buy Adrenaline! – Things Fall Apart
Buy Adrenaline! [Explicit]Amazon

8.  Eminem (Feat. Dr. Dre)- Guilty Conscience

Buy Guilty Conscience – The Slim Shady LP
Buy Guilty Conscience [Explicit]Amazon

9.  And You Will Know us By the Trail Of Dead- Mistakes & Regrets

*Track not available via iTunes
Buy Mistakes and RegretsAmazon

10.  Les Savy Fav- Bringing Us Down

Buy Bringing Us Down – Our Coastal Hymn b/w Bringing Us Down
Buy Bringing Us DownAmazon

11.  Beth Orton- The Sweetest Decline

Buy Sweetest Decline – Central Reservation
Buy Sweetest DeclineAmazon

12.  Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Another Day Full Of Dread

Buy Another Day Full of Dread – I See a Darkness
Buy Another Day Full of DreadAmazon

13.  Tom Waits- Hold On

Buy Hold On – Mule Variations
Buy Hold OnAmazon

14.  The Flaming Lips- A Spoonful Weighs a Ton

Buy A Spoonful Weighs a Ton – The Soft Bulletin
Buy A Spoonful Weighs A TonAmazon

15.  The White Stripes- Sugar Never Tasted So Good

Buy Sugar Never Tasted So Good – The White Stripes
Buy Sugar Never Tasted So Good (Album Version)Amazon

16.  Beta Band- It’s Not Too Beautiful

Buy It’s Not Too Beautiful – The Beta Band
Buy It’s Not Too BeautifulAmazon

17.  Wilco- Via Chicago

Buy Via Chicago – Summerteeth
Buy Via ChicagoAmazon

18.  Sleater-Kinney- The End Of You

BuyThe End of You – The Hot Rock
BuyThe End Of YouAmazon

Best of 1999 Volume 5 (10/29/08)

1.  Mos Def- Hip Hop

Buy Hip Hop – Black On Both Sides
Buy Hip Hop [Explicit]Amazon

2.  The Roots- Act Too (The Love Of My Life)

Buy Act Too (The Love of My Life) – Things Fall Apart
Buy Act Too (The Love Of My Life) [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Prince Paul (Feat. De La Soul)- More Than U Know

*Track not available via iTunes
Buy More Than U Know [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Destiny’s Child- Bills, Bills, Bills

Buy Bills, Bills, Bills – The Writing’s On the Wall
Buy Bills, Bills, BillsAmazon

5.  Missy Elliott (Feat. Big Boi & Nicole)- All In My Grill

Buy All N My Grill – Da Real World
Buy All N My Grill [Explicit]Amazon

6.  Beth Orton- Couldn’t Cause Me Harm

Buy Couldn’t Cause Me Harm – Central Reservation
Buy Couldn’t Cause Me HarmAmazon

7.  The Clientele- I Had To Say This

Buy I Had to Say This – Suburban Light
Buy I Had To Say ThisAmazon

8.  Magnetic Fields- Absolutely Cuckoo

Buy Absolutely Cuckoo – 69 Love Songs (Box Set)
Buy Absolutely CuckooAmazon

9.  The Dismemberment Plan- The City

Buy The City – Emergency & I
Buy The CityAmazon

10.  Super Furry Animals- Do Or Die

Buy Do or Die – Guerilla
Buy Do or DieAmazon

11.  Rage Against The Machine- Calm Like a Bomb

Buy Calm Like a Bomb – The Battle of Los Angeles
Buy Calm Like A BombAmazon

12.  Sleater-Kinney- Hot Rock

Buy Hot Rock – The Hot Rock
Buy Hot RockAmazon

13.  Le Tigre- Deceptacon

Buy Deceptacon – Le Tigre
*This version not available via Amazon

14.  And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead- Mark David Chapman

*Not available via iTunes or Amazon

15.  Pavement- Speak, See, Remember

Buy Speak, See, Remember – Terror Twilight
Buy Speak, See, RememberAmazon

16.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers- Other Side

Buy Otherside – Californication
Buy OthersideAmazon

17.  Olivia Tremor Control- A Sleepy Company

Buy A Sleepy Company – Black Foliage: Animation Music (Remastered)
Buy A Sleepy CompanyAmazon

18.  Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Minor Place

Buy A Minor Place – I See a Darkness
Buy A Minor PlaceAmazon

19.  Aphex Twin- Windowlicker

Buy Windowlicker – Windowlicker – EP
Buy Windowlicker [Chosen by fans on Warp20.net]Amazon

20.  Wilco- Summer Teeth

BuySummer Teeth – Summerteeth
BuySummerteethAmazon

Best of 1999 Volume 6 (10/31/08)

1.  Everything But The Girl- Five Fathoms

Buy Five Fathoms (LP Aka New Mix) – Tempermental
Buy Five Fathoms (LP aka New Mix)Amazon

2. The Dismemberment Plan- Gyroscope

Buy Gyroscope – Emergency & I
Buy GyroscopeAmazon

3.  The Flaming Lips- What Is the Light?

Buy What Is the Light? – The Soft Bulletin
Buy What Is The Light?Amazon

4.  Magnetic Fields- I Don’t Believe in the Sun

Buy I Don’t Believe in the Sun – 69 Love Songs (Box Set)
Buy I Don’t Believe In The SunAmazon

5.  Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Death to Everyone

Buy Death to Everyone – I See a Darkness
Buy Death to EveryoneAmazon

6.  Sigur Ros- Staralfur

Buy Staralfur – Agaetis Byrjun
Buy StaralfurAmazon

7.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers- Californication

Buy Californication – Californication
Buy CalifornicationAmazon

8.  The Foo Fighters- Breakout

Buy Breakout – There Is Nothing Left to Lose
Buy BreakoutAmazon

9.  Pavement- Spit On a Stranger

Buy Spit on a Stranger – Terror Twilight
Buy Spit On A StrangerAmazon

10.  The Fall- Touch Sensitive

Buy Touch Sensitive – The Marshall Suite
Buy Touch SensitiveAmazon

11.  Kelis- Caught Out There

Buy Caught Out There – Kaleidoscope
Buy Caught Out There [Explicit]Amazon

12.  Mos Def- Brooklyn

Buy Brooklyn – Black On Both Sides
Buy Brooklyn [Explicit]Amazon

13.  The Roots- The Next Movement

Buy The Next Movement – Home Grown! The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding the Roots, Vols. 1 & 2
Buy The Next Movement [Explicit]Amazon

14.  Beta Band- Round the Bend

Buy Round the Bend – The Beta Band
Buy Round The BendAmazon

15.  Olivia Tremor Control- I Have Been Floated

Buy I Have Been Floated – Black Foliage: Animation Music (Remastered)
Buy I Have Been FloatedAmazon

16.  David Gray- Babylon

Buy Babylon – Greatest Hits
Buy Babylon Amazon

17. Fiona Apple- The Way Things Are

Buy The Way Things Are – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King…
Buy The Way Things Are (Album Version)Amazon

18.  Le Tigre- Hot Topic

BuyHot Topic – Le Tigre
*This version not available via Amazon

Best of 1999 Volume 7 (4/21/13)

1.  Lil Wayne- Tha Block Is Hot

Buy Tha Block Is Hot – Tha Block Is Hot
Buy Tha Block Is Hot [Explicit]Amazon

2.  BG- Bling Bling

Buy Bling Bling – 10 Years of Bling, Vol. 1
Buy Bling Bling [Explicit]Amazon

3.  Missy Elliott- Hot Boyz

Buy Hot Boyz – Da Real World
Buy Hot Boyz [Explicit]Amazon

4.  Destiny’s Child- Bug a Boo

Buy Bug a Boo – The Writing’s On the Wall
Buy Bug A Boo (H-town Screwed Mix)Amazon

5.  Len- Steal My Sunshine

Buy Steal My Sunshine (Single Version) – You Can’t Stop the Bum Rush
Buy Steal My Sunshine (Single Version)Amazon

6.  Moby (Feat. Kelis)- Honey (Remix)

*This version not available via iTunes or Amazon

7.  Armand Van Helden (Feat. Duane Harden)- U Don’t Know Me

Buy U Don’t Know Me – AOL Music Dj Sessions Mixed By Armand Van Helden
Buy U Don’t Know MeAmazon

8.  Olivia Tremor Control- Hideaway

Buy Hideway – Black Foliage: Animation Music (Remastered)
Buy HideawayAmazon

9.  The Flaming Lips- Feeling Yourself Disintegrate

Buy Feeling Yourself Disintegrate – The Soft Bulletin
Buy Feeling Yourself DisintegrateAmazon

10.  The Dismemberment Plan- Memory Machine

BuyMemory Machine – Emergency & I
BuyMemory MachineAmazon

11.  Broadcast- Echo’s Answer

Buy Echo’s Answer – Echo’s Answer – Single
Buy Echo’s AnswerAmazon

12.  The Clientele- An Hour Before Light

Buy An Hour Before the Light – A Fading Summer – EP
Buy An Hour Before The LightAmazon

13.  Blur- Tender

Buy Tender – 13
Buy TenderAmazon

14.  Wilco- ELT

Buy Elt – Summerteeth
Buy ELTAmazon

15.  Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Madeleine-Mary

Buy Madeleine-Mary – I See a Darkness
Buy Madeleine-MaryAmazon

16.  Dixie Chicks- Sin Wagon

Buy Sin Wagon – Fly
Buy Sin WagonAmazon

17.  The Roots- Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New

Buy Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New – Things Fall Apart
Buy Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New [Explicit]Amazon

18.  Jay-Z- Snoopy Track (Feat. Juvenile)

BuySnoopy Track (Featuring Juvenile) – Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter
BuySnoopy Track [Explicit]Amazon

Best of 1999 Volume 8 (4/21/13)

1.  Sleater-Kinney- Start Together

Buy Start Together – The Hot Rock
Buy Start TogetherAmazon

2.  The Dismemberment Plan- A Life of Possibilities

Buy A Life of Possibilities – Emergency & I
Buy A Life of PossibilitiesAmazon

3.  Beck- Mixed Bizness

Buy Mixed Bizness – Midnite Vultures
Buy Mixed BiznessAmazon

4.  Basement Jaxx- Yo-Yo

Buy Yo Yo – Remedy
*track not available via Amazon

5.  Cassius- La Mouche

Buy La Mouche – 1999
Buy La MoucheAmazon

6.  Mariah Carey (Feat. Jay-Z)- Heartbreaker

Buy Heartbreaker (Album Version (Featuring Jay-Z)) – Rainbow
Buy Heartbreaker (Album Version (Featuring Jay-Z))Amazon

7.  Dr. Dre- The Next Episode

Buy onThe Next Episode (feat. Snoop Dogg) – The Chric 2001
Buy The Next Episode [Explicit]Amazon

8.  Eminem- Rock Bottom

Buy Rock Bottom – The Slim Shady LP
Buy Rock BottomAmazon

9.  Blackalicious- Deception (Don’t Let Money Change Ya)

Buy Deception – Nia
Buy DeceptionAmazon

10.  Mos Def (Feat. Talib Kweli)- Know That

Buy Know That – Black On Both Sides
Buy Know That [Explicit]Amazon

11.  Fiona Apple- A Mistake

Buy A Mistake – When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King…
Buy A Mistake (Album Version)Amazon

12.  The Flaming Lips- Suddenly Everything Has Changed

Buy Suddenly Everything Has Changed – The Soft Bulletin
Buy Suddenly Everything Has ChangedAmazon

13.  Olivia Tremor Control- A Peculiar Noise Called ‘Train Director’

Buy A Peculiar Noise Called ‘Train Director’ – Black Foliage: Animation Music (Remastered)
Buy A Peculiar Noise Called “Train Director”Amazon

14.  Shack- Comedy

Buy Comedy – Hms Fable
Buy ComedyAmazon

15.  Built To Spill- Sidewalk

Buy Sidewalk – Keep It Like a Secret
Buy SidewalkAmazon

16.  Pharaoahe Monch- Simon Says

Buy Simon Says (feat. Method Man & Redman) [remix] – Blunt Brothers
*Track not available via Amazon

17.  Nas- Nas Is Like

Buy Nas Is Like – I Am…
Buy Nas Is Like [Explicit]Amazon

18.  The Hot Boy$- We On Fire

*Track not available via iTunes or Amazon