Best-selling Vs. Best-reviewed albums of 2008

I play lip service to populist ideals, and I believe in some of them, but at heart, I am an elitist. Most critics and music snobs are. We thrive on the obscure. We also have way, way better taste than the unwashed masses, as a comparison of the best-selling records and best-reviewed records reveals.

First, let's look at the albums that sold the most (in the U.S.), according to Neilson.

1 As I Am by Alicia Keys
2 Noel by Josh Groban
3 Tha Carter III by Lil Wayne
4 Long Road Out of Eden by the Eagles
5 Taylor Swift by Taylor Swift
6 Rock N Roll Jesus by Kid Rock
7 Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay
8 NOW 26 by Various Artists
9 Carnival Ride by Carrie Underwood
10 The Ultimate Hits by Garth Brooks

These albums all share one thing in common: I didn't buy or listen to any of them. In typical music snob fashion, I don't even know what a Josh Groban is, and all I know about Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood is is that they are blonde. I respect Alicia Keys, Coldplay, and Garth Brooks, so long as I don't actually have to listen to them, and Lil Wayne got so much hype this year that I can't be bothered to plunk down money for any version of his album. I actually have heard Kid Rock's big hit, both when he did it, and when Lynyrd Skynyrd did it, much better, thirty years ago. I've also heard some of Lil Wayne's stuff, and the song that Coldplay ripped off from Joe Satriani. Other than that, I haven't listened to anything on the top 10.

Let's look at Metacritic's list of highest-rated albums (Those numbers are the aggregate review scores):

1 Welcome To Mali by Amadou & Mariam 92
2 London Zoo by The Bug 90
3 Fed by Plush 89
4 Dear Science, by TV On The Radio 88
5 Exit by Shugo Tokumaru 88
6 For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver 88
7 Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes 87
8 Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds 87
9 Sugar Mountain: Live At Canterbury House 1968 by Neil Young 87
10 Robyn by Robyn 86
11 Hercules And Love Affair by Hercules And Love Affair 86
12 Black Sea by Fennesz 86
13 What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective by Steinski 86
14 Harps And Angels by Randy Newman 86
15 Fortress by Protest The Hero 86
16 Rook by Shearwater 85
17 Life...The Best Game In Town by Harvey Milk 85
18 In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish And Ate The Head Of His Enemy By Magic by Kasai Allstars 85
19 Third by Portishead 85
20 Stay Positive by The Hold Steady 85
21 Laulu Laakson Kukista by Paavoharju 85
22 Chemistry Of Common Life by Fucked Up 85
23 Music Tapes for Clouds & Tornadoes by The Music Tapes 84
24 Sycamore Meadows by Butch Walker 84
25 A Piece Of What You Need by Teddy Thompson 84
26 Don't Do Anything by Sam Phillips 84
27 One Kind Favor by B.B. King 83
28 Real Animal by Alejandro Escovedo 83
29 The Renaissance by Q-Tip 83
30 Brighter Than Creation's Dark by Drive-By Truckers 83

Notice that there is zero overlap with the best selling albums. Notice also that the highest rated album isn't even available in the US - it is a foreign import. It is ranked 47,865 in sales on Amazon (102 in sales by Amazon UK). To be fair, both Lil Wayne and Coldplay made some year-end lists.

How did the critics like the best-selling albums? Alica Keys got a middling 66, and many of the others didn't even warrant a Metacritic score. A search for the Eagles, for example, yields reviews of albums by Eagles of Death Metal and Department of Eagles, but not legendary, multi-platinum band.

I am sure the top-selling albums have been the soundtrack for some important moments in a lot of people's lives, from break-ups to first kisses, romantic dinners, groping in the back seat of a car, sweaty nights on the dance floor and quiet evenings alone. That's awesome. That's what music is for, and as long as it means something to you, go for it. Still, I'll stick with the best-reviewed albums any day of the week, even if we critics have no clue as to what moves the masses and makes them buy albums.

Check out Metacritic's year-end page here: http://www.metacritic.com/music/bests/2008.shtml