CRITICS’ TOP-10 ALBUM POLL: ACTIVISM AND AMERICANISM

In contrast to last year, when Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and Prince’s “Purple Rain” ran away from the field, the 1985 album poll of 18 Times pop-music contributors yielded a tighter and more diversified race. (See below; albums are awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, 9 points for second, etc.).

The top two positions reflect the year’s dominant trends: the upsurge of American rock, spearheaded by the Minneapolis-based Replacements, and pop’s return to social activism, represented most militantly by the anti-apartheid “Sun City” project.

The Replacements (whose previous LP “Let It Be” finished sixth last year) are joined by other card-carrying members of the American roots-rock movement: R.E.M., Lone Justice (the only true debut album on the list), Husker Du, John Fogerty and the Meat Puppets.

L.A. heroes X fell from grace with a thud: The group’s first four albums finished first three times and second once, but the more commercially oriented “Ain’t Love Grand” appeared on only two ballots, for a not-so-grand total of two points. Similarly, the usually high-ranking Prince got the cold shoulder for his more experimental exercise “Around the World in a Day”--three ballots, 13 points.

TERRY ATKINSON: 1--”Hounds of Love,” Kate Bush (EMI-America).

2--”The Pink Opaque,” Cocteau Twins (Relativity).

3--”It’ll End in Tears,” This Mortal Coil (4AD/Atco).

4--”Low-life,” New Order (Qwest).

5--”Be Yourself Tonight,” Eurythmics (RCA).

6--”Seven Days in Sammystown,” Wall of Voodoo (I.R.S.).

7--”Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill,” various artists (A&M;).

8--”Charm World,” Yo (Deadbeat).

9--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid (Manhattan).

10--”Afterburner,” ZZ Top (Warner Bros.).

RICHARD CROMELIN: 1--”Tim,” the Replacements (Sire).

2--”Flip Your Wig,” Husker Du (SST).

3--”Meat Is Murder,” the Smiths (Sire).

4--”Lost Weekend,” Danny & Dusty (A&M;).

5--”Go-Go Crankin’,” various artists (T.T.E.D.).

6--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits (Island).

7--”Various Positions,” Leonard Cohen (Passport).

8--”What Is This,” What Is This (MCA).

9--”Up on the Sun,” Meat Puppets (SST).

10--”Hard Line,” the Blasters (Slash).

PATRICK GOLDSTEIN: 1--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid.

2--”Scarecrow,” John Cougar Mellencamp (Riva).

3--”Tim,” the Replacements.

4--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits.

5--”Little Creatures,” Talking Heads (Sire).

6--”Warming Up to the Ice Age,” John Hiatt (Geffen).

7--”Meat Is Murder,” the Smiths.

8--”The Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Sting (A&M;).

9--”Flip Your Wig,” Husker Du.

10--”Lost Weekend,” Danny & Dusty.

PAUL GREIN: 1--”The Broadway Album,” Barbra Streisand (Columbia).

2--”Whitney Houston,” Whitney Houston (Arista).

3--”Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha Franklin (Arista).

4--”Brothers in Arms,” Dire Straits (Warner Bros.).

5--”Emergency,” Kool & the Gang (De-Lite).

6--”Nightshift,” Commodores (Motown).

7--”Hunting High and Low,” A-Ha (Warner Bros.).

8--”Rhythm and Romance,” Rosanne Cash (Columbia).

9--”Skin Dive,” Michael Franks (Warner Bros.).

10--”Television’s Greatest Hits,” various artists (Tee Vee Toons).

ROBERT HILBURN: 1--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid.

2--”Centerfield,” John Fogerty (Warner Bros.).

3--”Lone Justice,” Lone Justice (Geffen).

4--”Tim,” the Replacements.

5--”Fables of the Reconstruction,” R.E.M. (I.R.S.).

6--”Hard Line,” the Blasters.

7--”The Wishing Chair,” 10,000 Maniacs (Elektra).

8--”The Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Sting.

9--”Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha Franklin.

10--”Hounds of Love,” Kate Bush.

STEVE HOCHMAN: 1--”Across a Crowded Room,” Richard Thompson (PolyGram).

2--”Little Creatures,” Talking Heads.

3--”Up on the Sun,” Meat Puppets.

4--”The Struggle,” Sheila Chandra (Indipop import).

5--”Warming Up to the Ice Age,” John Hiatt.

6--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid.

7--”Hounds of Love,” Kate Bush.

8--”Tim,” the Replacements.

9--”The Wishing Chair,” 10,000 Maniacs.

10--”Fegmania!” Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians (Slash).

DENNIS HUNT: 1--”Diamond Life,” Sade (Portrait).

2--”Be Yourself Tonight,” Eurythmics.

3--”Heart,” Heart (Capitol).

4--”Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha Franklin.

5--”Whitney Houston,” Whitney Houston.

6--”Alf,” Alison Moyet (Columbia).

7--”So Many Rivers,” Bobby Womack (MCA).

8--”The Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Sting.

9--”Beverly Hills Cop” sound track, various artists (MCA).

10--”Glow,” Rick James (Gordy).

CONNIE JOHNSON: 1--”We Are the World,” various artists (Columbia).

2--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid.

3--”Diamond Life,” Sade.

4--”Promise,” Sade (Portrait).

5--”Dream of the Blue Turtles,” Sting.

6--”He Is the Light,” Al Green (A&M;).

7--”Be Yourself Tonight,” Eurythmics.

8--”Full Force,” Full Force (Columbia).

9--”King of Rock,” Run-D.M.C. (Profile).

10--”Ain’t Love Grand,” X (Elektra).

CRAIG LEE: 1--”Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid.

2--”Fables of the Reconstruction,” R.E.M.

3--”Around the World in a Day,” Prince & the Revolution (Warner Bros.).

4--”Flip Your Wig,” Husker Du.

5--”Go-Go Crankin’,” various.

6--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits.

7--”The First Born Is Dead,” Nick Cave (Mute).

8--”Meat Is Murder,” the Smiths.

9--”False Accusations,” Robert Cray Band (Hightone).

10--”Silvertone,” Chris Isaak (Warner Bros.).

RANDY LEWIS: 1--”Centerfield,” John Fogerty.

2--”Aimless Love,” John Prine (Oh Boy).

3--”Cal” sound track, Mark Knopfler (PolyGram).

4--”The Wishing Chair,” 10,000 Maniacs.

5--”Lone Justice,” Lone Justice.

6--”Dream of Blue Turtles,” Sting.

7--”Warming Up to the Ice Age,” John Hiatt.

8--”Hard Line,” the Blasters.

9--”Little Creatures,” Talking Heads.

10--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits.

JON MATSUMOTO: 1--”Flip Your Wig,” Husker Du.

2--”Tim,” the Replacements.

3--”Fables of the Reconstruction,” R.E.M.

4--”Low-life,” New Order.

5--”Meat Is Murder,” the Smiths.

6--”Hounds of Love,” Kate Bush.

7--”Go-Go Crankin’,” various.

8--”Around the World in a Day,” Prince & the Revolution.

9--”Steady Nerves,” Graham Parker & the Shot (Elektra).

10 “Escenas,” Ruben Blades (Elektra).

KRISTINE McKENNA: 1--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits.

2--”Poor Little Critter in the Road,” the Knitters (Slash).

3--”The First Born Is Dead,” Nick Cave.

4--”Tim,” the Replacements.

5--”Another World,” the Roches (Warner Bros.).

6--”Up on the Sun,” Meat Puppets.

7--”Our Nation’s Saving Grace,” the Fall (Beggar’s Banquet).

8--”Feudalist Tarts,” Alex Chilton (Big Time).

9--”She Sings, They Play,” Skeeter Davis & NRBQ (Rounder).

10--”Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha Franklin.

THE CONSENSUS TOP 16 ALBUMS

Albums are awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, 9 for second, etc. Column two shows the number of times the LP was named on one of the 18 reviewers’ lists.

Total No. of Points Lists

1--”Tim,” the Replacements (Sire) 65 9 2--”Sun City,” Artists United Against 56 7 Apartheid (Manhattan) 3--”Rain Dogs,” Tom Waits (Island) 48 9 4--”Fables of the Reconstruction,” R.E.M. 38 5 (I.R.S.) 5--”Little Creatures,” Talking Heads (Sire) 36 5 6--”Lone Justice,” Lone Justice (Geffen) 32 4 7--(tie) “Warming Up to the Ice Age,” 28 5 John Hiatt (Geffen) “Flip Your Wig,” Husker Du (SST) 28 4 9--”Centerfield,” John Fogerty (Warner Bros.) 24 4 10--”Up on the Sun,” Meat Puppets (SST) 23 4 11--(Tie) “Be Yourself Tonight,” Eurythmics 22 4 (RCA) “Go-Go Crankin’,” various artists 22 4 (T.T.E.D.) 13--”Meat Is Murder,” the Smiths (Sire) 21 4 14--(tie) “The Dream of the Blue Turtles,” 20 5 Sting (A&M;) “Hounds of Love,” Kate Bush (EMI-America) 20 4 “Across a Crowded Room,” Richard 20 3 Thompson (PolyGram)