The Top 100 Columbus Albums of the Past 30 Years

The Top 100 Columbus Albums
of the Past 30 Years

By Chris DeVille

The assignment was daunting: Compile a list of Columbus' greatest records of the past three decades.

When it comes to Columbus music history, I fancy myself a student but not a scholar. Nonetheless, I set about making a preliminary list of records, Googling up a storm and contacting experts in the field.

The resulting list knocked me on my ass. Every city is fascinated by its own musical history, but after trying to pare down this inventory to a mere 100 albums, I'm thinking Columbus might be justified in its self-fetish.

Nonetheless, I had to narrow it down somehow. For one thing, we limited this list to one release per act, though that doesn't preclude musicians who are involved in various projects from popping up multiple times. From there, striking some awkward balance between quality, influence, popularity and my own personal preference, I came up with the following list.

ALBUMS 100 - 99 >>

Thanks to all who served as advisers, particularly: Derek DiCenzo, Wes Flexner, Brian Lindamood, Bela Koe-Krompecher, Chip Patzer, John Ross, Nick Schuld, Kyle Siegrist, Melissa Starker and Rebecca Zimmer.