Cheikh Lô: Ne La Thiass (‘96 World Circuit).Oumou Sangare: Worotan (’96 World Circuit).Chico Science & Nação Zumbi: Afrociberdelia (’96 Columbia).Neurosis: Through Silver in Blood (‘96 Relapse).Ani DiFranco: Dilate (‘96 Righteous Babe).Steve Earle: I Feel Alright (‘96 Warner Bros.).Lil Kim: Hard Core (’96 Big Beat/UNDEAS).Tortoise: Millions Now Living Will Never Die (‘96 Thrill Jockey).Fiona Apple: Tidal (’96 Epic/Clean Slate).Stereolab: Emperor Tomato Ketchup (‘96 Elektra).Sleater-Kinney: Call the Doctor (’96 Chainsaw).Belle & Sebastian: If You’re Feeling Sinister (‘96 Jeepster).2Pac: All Eyez on Me (‘96 Interscope/Death Row).Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt (‘96 Roc-A-Fella/Freeze/Priority).Andrés Calamaro: Alta Suciedad (’97 Gasa).Buena Vista Social Club: Buena Vista Social Club (’97 Nonesuch).Lee “Scratch” Perry: Arkology (’97 Island Jamaica).Roni Size / Reprazent: New Forms (’97 Talkin’ Loud/Mercury).Shania Twain: Come on Over (’97 Mercury).Deftones: Around the Fur (’97 Maverick).Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: The Boatman’s Call (’97 Mute).Mariah Carey: Butterfly (’97 Columbia).Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope (’97 Virgin/JDJ).Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (’97 Matador).Cornershop: When I Was Born for the 7th Time (’97 Wiiija).The Notorious B.I.G.: Life After Death (’97 Bad Boy).Missy Misdemeanour Elliott: Supa Dupa Fly (’97 EastWest).The Verve: Urban Hymns (’97 Hut/Virgin).Elliott Smith: Either/Or (’97 Kill Rock Stars).Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out (’97 Kill Rock Stars).The Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole (’97 Freestyle Dust/Virgin).Spiritualized: Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space (’97 Dedicated).Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind (’97 Columbia).Björk: Homogenic (’97 One Little Indian).Radiohead: OK Computer (’97 Parlophone).Shakira: Dondé Están Los Ladrones? (Sony Latin).Billy Bragg, Wilco: Mermaid Avenue (Elektra).Dixie Chicks: Wide Open Spaces (Monument).Bob Dylan: Live 1966 (The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert) (Columbia).Gang Starr: Moment of Truth (Noo Trybe).DMX: It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot (Def Jam).Black Star: Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (Rawkus).Silver Jews: American Water (Drag City).Fatboy Slim: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (Skint).Madonna: Ray of Light (Maverick/Warner Bros.).Massive Attack: Mezzanine (Circa/Virgin).Boards of Canada: Music Has the Right to Children (Warp/Skam).Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge).Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Mercury).Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Ruffhouse).Toumani Diabaté / Ballake Sissoko: New Ancient Strings (Rykodisc).Fela Kuti: The Best of the Black President (Barclay/Universal).Louis Armstrong: Hot Fives and Sevens (JSP).Destiny’s Child: The Writing’s on the Wall (Columbia).Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (Nothing/Interscope).Bonnie “Prince” Billy: I See a Darkness (Palace).Beth Orton: Central Reservation (Arista).Fiona Apple: When the Pawn… (Clean Slate/Epic).Rage Against the Machine: The Battle of Los Angeles (Epic).Tom Waits: Mule Variations (Anti-/Epitaph).The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (Warner Bros.).They are the result of a selection process that privileged the notion of a canonization that pushes beyond the stigma of rockism, of predominantly English-language music, and which opened up the discussion to a variety of genres, including: blues, country, bluegrass, ragtime, bebop, salsa, bossa nova, jazz, free-jazz, hip-hop, EDM, French chanson, Brazilian tropicalia, African highlife, Algerian rai, Argentinian tango, Spanish flamenco, South Asian Qawwali, Indian ragas , and Chinese Mandopop. They are, however, in our estimation, important: worthy of time from any discerning listener who seeks to understand and appreciate music. A Note on Selection and Organization Criteria: The albums in our canon were categorized according to the year and label that granted them their earliest release anywhere in the world - except in certain cases where a later release may have been deemed more “canonical” (for instance choosing to list Public Image Ltd.’s Second Edition over Metal Box). We also chose to allow only one album per year per artist/band-except in cases where the album was credited to more than one artist (most common with jazz releases), in which case that combined credit was considered separately from whatever the individual artists has released that year. Generally, albums were selected for this canon based on their critical regard, their subject matter, their historical relevance, and/or popularity. As such, not all albums in our canon are great, or even necessarily good.