Originally published 2007 | ||
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Similar The Top 100 Canadian, The History of Canadian, On a Cold Road, Have Not Been the Same, 1001 Albums You Must | ||
The Top 100 Canadian Albums is a book by Bob Mersereau, published in 2007 by Goose Lane Editions.
Mersereau acknowledged that the list will cause heated debate among music fans across the country. "The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it", he said. "I'd be shocked if there wasn't complaints and arguments and debates."
Mersereau surveyed 600 music journalists, retailers, musicians and disc jockeys of all ages, from all parts of Canada, who each submitted a list of 10 favourite Canadian albums released between 1957 and 2007.
Criticism
A review from the National Post by Mark Medley identifies regional and genre biases in the book. “While any list of "Top 100" anything is sure to ignite some controversy, there are definitely some glaring omissions from journalist Bob Mersereau's new book.” He lists 10 albums he considers to be amongst these glaring omissions. Four of these albums are from British Columbia artists. One of these was The New Pornographers’ Mass Romantic. “To completely leave off Carl Newman, Neko Case et al. is plain wrong. I'm grouping in Stars' 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire in with this.” Medley also noted the omission of BC band The Grapes of Wrath's album Now and Again. “This album cracked the top 50 in Chart Magazine's 1996 and 2000 top 50 Canadian albums polls.” He also notes the under representation of hip hop artists, and lists Maestro Fresh Wes’ Symphony in Effect and Dream Warriors' And Now the Legacy Begins as two of his omissions.
A review from the Montreal Gazette by Juan Rodriquez opines that there was a bias against Quebec artists, particularly francophone Quebec artists. He notes that only 8% of the artists on the list are from Quebec, a province with over 23% of the population of Canada, and he further notes that only 2% of the artists are francophone artists from Quebec, a group that comprises 80% of the population of Quebec and close to 19% of the population of Canada. Rodriquez analyzed Mersereau's list of experts, a group of journalists, artists, DJs, retailers, distributors, and record industry people, and found that only 10% of them were from Quebec, and only 5% were francophones from Quebec. Rodriquez also raises questions about the people who were excluded from Mersereau's list of experts. “Alain Brunet of La Presse – and dean of local French-language music critics – was not asked for his opinions. Indeed, La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal and The Gazette were shut out. Major observers of "la scène locale" like Patrick Baillargeon and Olivier Robillard Laveaux of Voir aren't there.” In his conclusion Rodriquez states, “Mersereau's inability to face all the music created in Canada in a cogent critical manner is disturbing.”