Thread by @bestalbum95

Hey folks! It's time to announce the official seeds for the upcoming Best Album of the Nineties tournament!

To recap: 80 of these albums are from the top 8 of the years between 1990-1999; 36 were selected by voters from an 140-album list (the People's Hall of Fame list); 12 were selected by contest winners. (Pretty sure I have that right; correct me if wrong.)

All 128 albums were put on a Google form, and then I asked voters to select every album they wanted to have a high seed. Each selection was a vote, I tallied the votes, the album with the most was declared seed #1, the next most seed #2, etc.

There were many ties, so this was my tie breaker:
First, I compared the tied albums' final position in their original tournament. Higher placement wins, as so:
#1
#2
#3
#4
RU - Runner Up (#5-#8)
AR - Also Ran (#9-#16)
R3 - defeated in R3
R2 - defeated in R2
R1 - defeated in R1

If the albums were tied in their final position, then I compared their original seed numbers, higher winning.

After that, if they were still tied, then I went ahead and just put them in whatever order I liked, with the guiding principle being "interesting matchups."

There were four tied pairs, two of which if I hadn't changed, would've led to a woman artist vs woman artist & hiphop vs hiphop.

Finally, this afternoon I ran a contest, asking people to send in one ballot with their guesses for the top 3 seeds in order. Should I tell you if anyone won? I'll tell you.

Someone won.

Okay, without further ado, here are the 128 albums in the Best Album of the Nineties tournament, in order from seed #128 to seed #1. Please hold all gasps until the end of the announcement. 🧵

128. Hole, PRETTY ON THE INSIDE (19 votes) (1991, Seed #24, Final Position: RU)

127. Angelo Badalamenti, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (22 votes) (1992, Seed #37, Final Position: RU)

126. Ol' Dirty Bastard, RETURN TO THE 36 CHAMBERS: THE DIRTY VERSION (27 votes) (1995, Seed #25, Final Position: RU)

125. Ghostface Killah, IRONMAN (27 votes) (1996, Seed #9, Final Position: RU)

124. Built to Spill, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH LOVE (28 votes) (1994, Seed #15, AR)

123. Beck, MELLOW GOLD (29 votes) (1994, Seed #13, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R2)

122. Dinosaur Jr., WHERE YOU BEEN (29 votes) (1993, Seed #15, Final Position: RU)

121.Soundgarden, BADMOTORFINGER (33 votes) (1991, was mistakenly given Seed #55 when it should’ve been Seed #18, expected defeat based on real seed: R4, actual defeat with given seed: R2)

120. Sleater-Kinney, CALL THE DOCTOR (33 votes) (1996, Seed #19, Final Position: RU)

119. Beck, MIDNITE VULTURES (33 votes) (1999, Seed #4, Final Position: RU)

118. Faith No More, ANGEL DUST (34 votes) (1992, seed #22, expected defeat: R3, actual defeat: R2)

117. OutKast, ATLIENS (34 votes) (1996, Seed #15, AR)

116. Dr. Octagon, DR. OCTAGONECOLOGYST (34 votes) (1996, Seed #7, Final Position: RU)

115. Pavement, BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS (35 votes) (1997, Seed #8, Final Position: RU)

114. Beastie Boys, HELLO NASTY (35 votes) (1998, Seed #5, Final Position: RU)

113. The Smashing Pumpkins, MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS (36 votes) (1995, Seed #12, AR)

112. Neil Young, HARVEST MOON (37 votes) (1992, Seed #7, AR)

111. Pixies, TROMPE LE MONDE (37 votes) (1991, Seed #5, AR)

110. Soundgarden, SUPERUNKNOWN (38 votes) (1994, Seed #28, expected defeat: R3, actual defeat: R3)

109. Tom Waits, MULE VARIATIONS (38 votes) (1999, Seed #19, Final Position: RU)

108. Tom Waits, BONE MACHINE (39 votes) (1992, Seed #16, AR)

107. Sleater-Kinney, THE HOT ROCK (39 votes) (1999, Seed #5, Final Position: #3) Lowest seed for a #3 finisher

106. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, MURDER BALLADS (39 votes) (1996, Seed #27, Final Position: #2) Lowest seed for a #2 finisher

105. Fiona Apple, TIDAL (40 votes) (1996, Seed #37, expected defeat: R2, actual defeat: R3)

104. Garbage, GARBAGE (40 votes) (1995, Seed #7, AR)

103. R.E.M., MONSTER (41 votes) (1994, Seed #16, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R3)

102. Digable Planets, BLOWOUT COMB (41 votes) (1994, Seed #117, Final Position: RU)

101. The Pharcyde, BIZARRE RIDE II THE PHARCYDE (41 votes) (1992, Seed #23, Final Position: RU)

100. Wilco, BEING THERE (41 votes) (1996, Seed #23, Final Position: RU)

99. Guided by Voices, ALIEN LANES (41 votes) (1995, Seed #10, Final Position: RU)

98. Dinosaur Jr., GREEN MIND (41 votes) (1991, Seed #10, Final Position: RU)

97. Pavement, WOWEE ZOWEE (41 votes) (1995, Seed #6, Final Position: RU)

96. Green Day, DOOKIE (42 votes) (1994, Seed #12, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R1, defeated in R1 by underseeded Digable Planets, BLOWOUT COMB)

95. Guided by Voices, BEE THOUSAND (42 votes) (1994, Seed #8, Final Position: RU)

94.Portishead, PORTISHEAD (42 votes) (1997, Seed #6, Final Position: RU)

93. The Breeders, POD (43 votes) (1990, Seed #5, Final Position: RU)

92. The Notorious B.I.G., READY TO DIE (44 votes) (1994, Seed #23, expected defeat: R3, actual defeat: R3)

91. Jane's Addiction, RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL (44 votes) (1990, Seed #8, expected defeat: R5, actual defeat: R3)

90. A Tribe Called Quest, PEOPLE’S INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS AND THE PATHS OF RHYTHM (44 votes) (1990, Seed #4, Final Position: #3)

89. Weezer, PINKERTON (45 votes) (1996, Seed #3, AR)

88. Blur, PARKLIFE (45 votes) (1994, Seed #4, Final Position: RU)

87. Daft Punk, HOMEWORK (46 votes) (1997, Seed #13, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R3)

86. Matthew Sweet, GIRLFRIEND (46 votes) (1991, Seed #13, AR)

85. Belle and Sebastian, THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP (46 votes) (1998, Seed #3, AR)

84. Talk Talk, LAUGHING STOCK (46 votes) (1991, Seed #19, Final Position: RU)

83. Teenage Fanclub, BANDWAGONESQUE (46 votes) (1991, Seed #12, Final Position: RU)

82. Wilco, SUMMERTEETH (46 votes) (1999, Seed #2, Final Position: RU)

81. Oasis, (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (47 votes) (1995, Seed #8, expected defeat: R5, actual defeat: R3)

80. The Roots, THINGS FALL APART (49 votes) (1999, Seed #7, AR)

79. Slint, SPIDERLAND (49 votes) (1991, Seed #6, AR)

78. Sonic Youth, DIRTY (49 votes) (1992, Seed #4, AR)

77. Missy Elliott, SUPA DUPA FLY (49 votes) (1997, Seed #19, Final Position: RU)

76. MF DOOM, OPERATION DOOMSDAY (49 votes) (1999, Seed #27, Final Position: #4) Lowest seed for a #4 finisher

75.Depeche Mode, VIOLATOR (49 votes) (1990, Seed #6, Final Position: #4)

74. The Fugees, THE SCORE (50 votes) (1996, Seed #32, expected defeat: R3, actual defeat: R3)

73. Sugar, COPPER BLUE (50 votes) (1992, Seed #10, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R3)

72. The Sundays, READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC (50 votes) (1990, Seed #14, AR)

71. Modest Mouse, THE LONESOME CROWDED WEST (50 votes) (1997, Seed #9, AR)

70. U2, ACHTUNG BABY (51 votes) (1991, Seed #9, expected defeat: R4, actual defeat: R3)

69. A Tribe Called Quest, MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS (51 votes) (1993, Seed #4, Final Position: RU)

68. Elliott Smith, XO (51 votes) (1998, Seed #4, Final Position: #4)

67. Built to Spill, KEEP IT LIKE A SECRET (52 votes) (1999, Seed #6, expected defeat: R5, actual defeat: R3)

66. Elastica, ELASTICA (52 votes) (1995, Seed #5, Final Position: RU)

65. Elliott Smith, EITHER/OR (52 votes) (1997, Seed #4, Final Position: RU)

We are now at the halfway mark. Every album I've posted is expected to lose in Round 1. Will they, though? This could be a completely wrong metric, but it might be instructive to compare any two albums' vote totals, not seeds.

64. Alanis Morissette, JAGGED LITTLE PILL (53 votes) (1995, Seed #14, AR)

63. Jeff Buckley, GRACE (53 votes) (1994, Seed #14, AR)

62. Spiritualized, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE ARE FLOATING IN SPACE (53 votes) (1997, Seed #10, Final Position: RU)

61. Sigur Ros, ÁGÆTIS BYRJUN (53 votes) (1999, Seed #9, Final Position: RU)

60. Tori Amos, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES (53 votes) (1992, Seed #13, Final Position: #4)

59. OutKast, AQUEMINI (54 votes) (1998, Seed #8, Final Position: RU)

58. Stereolab, EMPEROR TOMATO KETCHUP (54 votes) (1996, Seed #5, Final Position: RU)

57. Björk, HOMOGENIC (54 votes) (1997, Seed #5, Final Position: #3)

56. Boards of Canada, MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN (55 votes) (1998, seed #13, expected defeat: R4, actual defeated: R3)

55. They Might Be Giants, FLOOD (55 votes) (1990, Seed #10, AR)

54.Massive Attack, BLUE LINES (55 votes) (1991, Seed #11, Final Position: RU)

53. Air, MOON SAFARI (55 votes) (1998, Seed #7, Final Position: RU)

52. Dr. Dre, THE CHRONIC (55 votes) (1992, Seed #6, Final Position: #2)

51. Pixies, BOSSANOVA (56 votes) (1990, Seed #3, Final Position: RU)

50. Lucinda Williams, CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD (57 votes) (1998, Seed #14, Final Position: RU)

49. Tricky, MAXINQUAYE (58 votes) (1995, Seed #11, Final Position: RU)

48. R.E.M., OUT OF TIME (58 votes) (1991, Seed #4, Final Position: #4)

47. Massive Attack, MEZZANINE (58 votes) (1998, Seed #6, Final Position: #3)

46. TLC, CRAZYSEXYCOOL (59 votes) (1994, Seed #29, expected defeat: R3, actual defeat: R2)

45. GZA, LIQUID SWORDS (59 votes) (1995, Seed #15, AR)

44. Nine Inch Nails, THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL (59 votes) (1994, Seed #11, AR)

43. Pearl Jam TEN (59 votes) (1991, Seed #7, AR)

42.PJ Harvey, DRY (60 votes) (1992, Seed #8, Final Position: #RU)

41. Björk, DEBUT (61 votes) (1993, Seed #2, expected defeat: R7, actual defeat: R2, The James Incident)

40. Rage Against the Machine, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE (61 votes) (1992, Seed #5, expected defeat: R5, actual defeat: R3) Highest seed for an R3 finisher

39. Beastie Boys, CHECK YOUR HEAD (61 votes) (1992, Seed #3, Final Position: RU)

38. Sonic Youth, GOO (61 votes) (1990, Seed #2, Final Position: RU)

37. Nirvana, MTV UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK (61 votes) (1994, Seed #2, Final Position: RU)

36. Sinéad O'Connor, I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT (63 votes) (1990, Seed #9, Final Position: RU)

35. Weezer, WEEZER (63 votes) (1994, Seed #3, Final Position: RU)

34.DJ Shadow, ENDTRODUCING..... (63 votes) (1996, Seed #2, Final Position: #4)

33. Fiona Apple, WHEN THE PAWN... (64 votes) (1999, Seed #10, Final Position: #1) Lowest postion for a #1 finisher

32. The Flaming Lips, THE SOFT BULLETIN (65 votes) (1999, Seed #3, Final Position: RU)

31. Nas, ILLMATIC (65 votes) (1994, Seed #10, Final Position: #1)

30. De La Soul, DE LA SOUL IS DEAD (66 votes) (1991, Seed #8, Final Position: RU)

29. Beastie Boys, ILL COMMUNICATION (66 votes) (1994, Seed #1, Final Position: #4)

28. Sleater-Kinney, DIG ME OUT (68 votes) (1997, Seed #2, Final Position: #2)

27. The Magnetic Fields, 69 LOVE SONGS (68 votes) (1999, Seed #1, Final Position: #2)

26. PJ Harvey, TO BRING YOU MY LOVE (69 votes) (1995, Seed #4, Final Position: #3)

25. Cocteau Twins, HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS (69 votes) (1990, Seed #7, Final Position: #2)

24. Smashing Pumpkins, SIAMESE DREAM (69 votes) (1993, Seed #3, Final Position: #2)

23. Björk, POST (69 votes) (1995, Seed #2, Final Position: #2)

22. Yo La Tengo, I CAN HEAR THE HEART BEATING AS ONE (71 votes) (1997, Seed #3, Final Position: #4)

21. Hole, LIVE THROUGH THIS (72 votes) (1994, Seed #7, AR) Highest seed for an AR

20. Pulp, DIFFERENT CLASS (72 votes) (1995, Seed #4, Final Position: #3)

19. Pavement, CROOKED RAIN, CROOKED RAIN (72 votes) (1994, Seed #5, Final Position: #2)

18. PJ Harvey, RID OF ME (73 votes) (1993, Seed #7, Final Position: #4) Highest seed for a #4 finisher

17. Belle & Sebastian, IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER (73 votes) (1996, Seed #4, Final Position: #3)

16. Pavement, SLANTED AND ENCHANTED (75 votes) (1992, Seed #2, Final Position: #3)

15. The Breeders, LAST SPLASH (76 votes) (1993, Seed #6, Final Position: RU)

14. Lauryn Hill, THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (76 votes) (1998, Seed #2, Final Position: #2)

13. Radiohead, THE BENDS (76 votes) (1995, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

12. Nirvana, IN UTERO (77 votes) (1993, Seed #1, Final Position: #3)

11. Beck, ODELAY (77 votes) (1996, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

10. Neutral Milk Hotel, IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA (79 votes) (1998, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

9. Wu-Tang Clan, ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) (83 votes) (1993, Seed #5, Final Position: #1) That's 2.3 votes per chamber

We now come to the Top 8. The way the bracket is organized, these 8 are the Kings/Queens of their respective mountains. Unless you've been keeping track of what's been announced, a few will likely surprise you.

8. Public Enemy, FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET (84 votes) (1990, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

7. Portishead, DUMMY (87 votes) (1994, Seed #6, Final Position: #3)

6. Liz Phair, EXILE IN GUYVILLE (88 votes) (1993, Seed #8, Final Position: RU) Highest seed for an RU

5. A Tribe Called Quest, THE LOW END THEORY (90 votes) (1991, Seed #3, Final Position: #3) Highest seed for a #3 finisher

4. R.E.M., AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (90 votes) (1992, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

Here we go: the Top 3. Most people have been eliminated from the contest; I believe there's 3, maybe 4 still in it. Until now.

3. Nirvana, NEVERMIND (91 votes) (1991, Seed #1, Final Position: #2) Highest seed for a #2 finisher

2. Radiohead, OK COMPUTER (97 votes) (1997, Seed #1, Final Position: #1)

And by the process of elimination, there can be only one left.

Folks, here is your number one seed for the Best Album of the Nineties:

1. Various Artists, JUDGMENT NIGHT Music from the Motion Picture (1993, Seed #80, expected defeat: R1, actual defeat: R1)

CORRECTION: This account previous reported that the #1 seed in the upcoming Best Album of the Nineties tournament was Various Artists, JUDGMENT NIGHT Music from the Motion Picture. This is incorrect. We regret the error.

My Bloody Valentine, LOVELESS (98 votes) (1991, Seed #2, Final Position: #1)

IN THIS HOUSE

And the winner of the contest, the first (and I believe only) person to guess the top 3 in correct order, is @JustinWCornell! Congratulations, Justin! Justin will be able to select an album to enter into the Best Album of 2000 tournament, when that happens

Tomorrow, I'll have the Prediction Bracket ready to go, and everyone will have a week to fill it out, then the tournament will begin! I highly encourage everyone to fill out a bracket -- this tourney could be quite volatile.

Here's a text list of the seeds for the Best Album of the Nineties tournament. Unfortunately, because of all the extra text, I needed 5 pics. Here are pages 1-4:

And here's the last page: