The A Lists: 1998 (87)

• Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Mercury)
• The Music in My Head (Stern's Africa)
• Sonic Youth: A Thousand Leaves (DGC)
• Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue (Elektra)
• American Pop: An Audio History (West Hill Audio Archives)
• Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador/Capitol)
• Miles Davis: Panthalassa: The Music of Miles Davis 1969-1974 (Columbia)
• The Plastic People of the Universe: 1997 (Globus International import)
• Public Enemy: He Got Game (Def Jam)
• Aretha Franklin: A Rose Is Still a Rose (Arista)
• Hard Rock Cafe: Party Rock (Hard Rock/Rhino)
• George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars: Dope Dogs (Dogone)
• The B-52's: Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation (Warner Bros.)
• The Coup: Steal This Album (Dogday)
• Gang of Four: 100 Flowers Bloom (Rhino)
• Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty (Grand Royal)
• Cadallaca: Introducing Cadallaca (K)
• Los Van Van: La Colección Cubana (Music Club)
• Canibus: Can-I-Bus (Universal)
• Bonnie Raitt: Fundamental (Capitol)
• James Carter: In Carterian Fashion (Atlantic)
• Local H: Pack Up the Cats (Island)
• Mary J. Blige: The Tour (MCA)
• Pulnoc: Live in New York (Globus International import)
• Grandaddy: Under the Western Freeway (V2)
• Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos (The Prosthetic Cubans): Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos (The Prosthetic Cubans) (Atlantic)
• Sarge: The Glass Intact (Mud)
• Kid Rock: Devil Without a Cause (Atlantic/Lava)
• P.M. Dawn: Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad (Gee Street/V2)
• PJ Harvey: Is This Desire? (Island)
• John Lennon: Wonsaponatime (Capitol)
• Alanis Morissette: Supposed Former Infatutation Junkie (Maverick/Reprise)
• Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here (Yazoo)
• Bang on a Can: Music for Airports: Brian Eno (Point Music)
• Rancid: Life Won't Wait (Epitaph)
• OutKast: Aquemini (LaFace)
• Butch Thompson: Thompson Plays Joplin (Daring)
• Air: Moon Safari (Source/Caroline)
• Tom Waits: Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years (Island)
• Chumbawamba: Uneasy Listening (EMI import)
• Fat Beats & Brastraps: Classics (Rhino)
• Tom Zé: Fabrication Defect/Com Defeito De Fabricao (Luaka Bop)
• Alvin Youngblood Hart: Territory (Rykodisc)
• Archers of Loaf: White Trash Heroes (Alias)
• Amy Rigby: Middlescence (Koch)
• Soul Coughing: El Oso (Slash/Warner Bros.)
• Beck: Mutations (DGC)
• James Brown: Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas 08.26.68 (Polydor)
• The King's Record Collection (Hip-O)
• Tricky: Angels With Dirty Faces (Island)
• Sunz of Man: (The Last Shall Be First) (Red Ant)
• New Radicals: Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too (MCA)
• Kate & Anna McGarrigle: The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
• Black Star: Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (Rawkus)
• Jon Langford: Skull Orchard (Sugar Free)
• United Kingdom of Punk: The Hardcore Years (Music Club)
• Redman: Doc's Da Name 2000 (Def Jam)
• Bran Van 3000: Glee (Capitol)
• The Andy Statman Quartet: The Hidden Light (Sony Classical)
• Belle and Sebastian: The Boy With the Arab Strap (Matador)
• Killah Priest: Heavy Mental (Geffen)
• Chris Knight: Chris Knight (Decca)
• Bikini Kill: The Singles (Kill Rock Stars)
• Fatboy Slim: On the Floor at the Boutique (Skint import)
• Badar Ali Khan: Lost in Qawwali II (Worldly/Triloka)
• King Sunny Ade: Odù (Atlantic/Mesa)
• John Lee Hooker: The Best of Friends (Pointblank)
• Ani DiFranco: Little Plastic Castle (Righteous Babe)
• Youssou N'Dour: Best of 80's (Celluloid import)
• Afro-Latino (Putumayo World Music)
• MTV's Amp 2 (MTV/Astralwerks)
• Buddy Guy and Junior Wells: Last Time Around (Silvertone)
• The Offspring: Americana (Columbia)
• Odyssey the Band: Reunion (Knitting Factory Works)
• Red Hot + Rhapsody (Antilles)
• Paolo Conte: The Best of Paolo Conte (Nonesuch)
• Hound Dog Taylor: A Tribute (Alligator)
• Rachid Taha: Diwan (Island)
• Pearl Jam: Yield (Epic)
• Mary Lou Lord: Got No Shadow (Work)
• Scrawl: Nature Film (Elektra)
• Henri Dikongué: C'Est La Vie (Tinder)
• Quasi: Featuring "Birds" (Up)
• Garbage: Version 2.0 (Almo Sounds)
• Cuba Now (Metro Blue)
• Ali: Crucial (Island Black Music)
• Victoria Williams: Musings of a Creekdipper (Atlantic)

Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s, 2000

The A Lists: 1997

The A Lists: 1999