Rock Albums
Everyone has their favorite records. Spin just unleashed "The 90 Best Records of the '90s," and Rolling Stone trots out a list every year. The Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll is legendary. That said, who do you suppose is our favorite arbiter of album rock? Marc Fagel, that's who. It's not that Marc Fagel's 50 Greatest Rock & Roll Albums of All Time is necessarily the last word on rock music. Still, his treatment of his 50 favorites is so detailed and loving, that we can't help but applaud Marc's efforts. Browse, read up, and then get down to your local record store to fill out your collection.
Athletes
ESPN has gathered 48 journalists, historians, and observers in an attempt to determine the 50 greatest North American athletes of the past 100 years. The list is great fodder for debating at the sports bar. For instance, why is a horse on the list? Secretariat canters in at #35, ahead of Walter "Sweetness" Payton (#39), but behind Red "The Galloping Ghost" Grange (#28). ESPN SportsCentury crowns the greatest athlete at the end of the year, but we're guessing that our favorite, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, doesn't make the list.
Comics
Cobbled together by avid collector Mitchell Brown, The 50 Greatest Comics of the 20th Century is a carefully detailed list. But, you ask, what makes a comic "great"? The author uses different criteria to judge a comic's merits: a beloved character's debut, groundbreaking artwork, or becoming part of popular culture. We dig the list, but still, you've got to wonder, "Where's Archie?"
Books
If a classic is a book that everyone has heard about but no one reads, then Tim McCormick's Literary Critic has the biggest list of unread books on the Web. As McCormick explains, "This site presents various lists of best books, as defined by various juries, critics, and publishers." Looking for something entertaining as well as edifying? Browse this uber-index of ripping yarns as compiled by Penguin Classics, The Modern Library, the Nobel Prize Committee, and Yale Professor Harold Bloom. From The Iliad to Beloved, if it's a keeper, you'll find it here.
Wine
Why is drinking wine such a snooty affair? What's so cultivated about quaffing a bottle of fermented grape juice? If you're a newcomer to the sport, then don't let the snobs get you down. Head to the Epicurious List of Best Wine Producers for a few quick tips on quality bottles. Simply click on your favorite type of wine and this handy database will respond with a dozen or so safe bets. And you don't have to spend an arm and a leg -- Epicurious also has tips on discount-priced bottles. So click, drink, and be merry.
Movies
In the words of Roger Ebert: "One of the gifts one movie lover can give another is the title of a wonderful film they have not yet discovered." The Mighty Thumb himself has compiled this list of Great Movies, timeless classics that continue to blow minds and inspire careers. Some titles will be instantly recognizable (Casablanca, Taxi Driver, Dr. Strangelove), but you may dig up some unknown treasures (Mr. Hulot's Holiday, The Music Room, Floating Weeds). Print out this nifty list and bring it along to the video store. You won't regret it.
Everything
Bill Machrone doesn't claim to know everything about everything. Nonetheless, he does seem to have the inside line on lots of very cool stuff. On Bill's Best of Everything, you'll find Machrone rhapsodizing over a wide variety of people, places, and things--from the best pancake recipe to the best (and we suspect only) species of teeth-cleaning shrimp. The content of Bill's Best is uniformly intriguing and it reminds us that the Web has always been great for sharing things you find useful, entertaining, or fascinating. Bill's site is just more evidence that anybody's "Best of..." can be a great online destination.
Worst
Okay, now that we've covered the best of the best, how about we tackle the best of the worst? At The Worst of the Web your hosts Buzz, Melvin, and Chip critique and lambaste helpless web sites with razor-sharp verbal quips like "Mommy, that morphing dolphin scares me." Every weekday these arbiters of bad taste fire off a new volley of HTML-seeking vitriol. Be sure to check out the archive -- you'll be amazed and amused at the glorious disasters that populate the backstreets of the Web.