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SPIN’s Year-End Lists, From 1990 to 2009

spin, album of the year, year-end lists

As 2014 begins to circle the drain, the impending onslaught of year-end coverage keeps getting closer. To help prepare ourselves, the editors at SPIN have decided to revisit best-of lists from years past. Below you’ll find links to retrospectives spanning from 1990 to 2009, a 20-year stretch that saw the SPIN staff praise AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, marvel at The Battle of Los Angeles, reward The College Dropout, and settle into Merriweather Post Pavilion

The 20 Best Albums of 1990
Featuring records by Ice Cube, the Breeders, LL Cool J, Prince, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1991
Featuring records by Nirvana, De La Soul, Massive Attack, Pixies, and more. 

The 20 Best Albums of 1992
Featuring records by Pavement, Prince (again), Beastie Boys, En Vogue, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1993
Featuring records by A Tribe Called Quest, PJ Harvey, Yo La Tengo, Pet Shop Boys, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1994
Featuring records by Superchunk, Guided By Voices, Veruca Salt, and more. (Including, uh, John Mellencamp.)

The 20 Best Albums of 1995
Featuring records by Moby, Pearl Jam, TLC, Tricky, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1996
Featuring records by Beck, the Fugees, Sleater-Kinney, Sublime, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1997
Featuring records by Bob Dylan, Radiohead, the Notorious B.I.G., Belle & Sebastian, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1998
Featuring records by OutKast, Elliott Smith, Marilyn Manson, Lucinda Williams, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 1999
Featuring records by Nine Inch Nails, the Flaming Lips, Eminem, the Promise Ring, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 2000
Featuring records by Radiohead, U2, Eminem, PJ Harvey, and more.

The 20 Best Albums of 2001
Featuring records by Jay Z, the Strokes, Weezer, System of a Down, Gorillaz, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2002
Featuring records by the Flaming Lips, Missy Elliott, Wilco, Spoon, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2003
Featuring records by the White Stripes, Coldplay, 50 Cent, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2004
Featuring records by Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, Kanye West, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2005
Featuring records by LCD Soundsystem, the Hold Steady, Sufjan Stevens, Fiona Apple, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2006
Featuring records by TV on the Radio, Ghostface Killah, Cat Power, Joanna Newsom, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2007
Featuring records by Against Me!, of Montreal, the National, M.I.A., Jay Z, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2008
Featuring records by Fucked Up, Deerhunter, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, No Age, Lil Wayne, and more.

The 40 Best Albums of 2009
Featuring records by Animal Collective, Raekwon, Bat for Lashes, Grizzly Bear, Phoenix, and more.