Rewind (The Wire)

Across its history, critics' polls in The Wire have tended to reflect the magazine's eclectic, avant-garde sensibility and coverage of experimental music across a broad variety of genres.

[1] The magazine published an all-genre poll for the first time in 1991, a so-called "open vote 'beyond' category" that was still subordinate to the "main" list of jazz and improvised releases.

The blurb accompanying that year's poll announced that the "main chart takes the form of an all-inclusive, open-ended category—contributors were asked to vote for their favourite records across all genres, from jazz to Techno, opera to Africa, metal to Minimalism.

The change meant that critics could cast votes for "any self-contained audio entity, be it a vinyl LP, 12" EP, cassette, CD, download, mixtape, etc.

The project was cited in the 2019 book The Fundamentals of Graphic Design as "an immersive and dynamic experience perfectly reflecting the publication's long-running championing of experimental approaches to making and performing music.

A magazine cover with simple rectangular shapes in grey, black, orange and blue. The words "Wire Rewind 2005" are prominent in all-caps, along with a smaller list of musicians covered in this issue.
The Wire no. 263: the "2005 Rewind" issue
The American avant-garde jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman topped The Wire ' s poll in two consecutive years.
American jazz pianist Cecil Taylor ( pictured at right ) placed first in the 1988 poll and, in 1990, received a "special accolade" for a box set that would have otherwise topped the poll.
American hip-hop group Arrested Development topped the critics' poll in 1992, the first year that the magazine placed an all-genre list ahead of its jazz list.
With three albums named Record of the Year, English musician Robert Wyatt has topped The Wire ' s poll more than any other artist.
Two-time poll-topper Björk ( pictured ), an Icelandic musician, is one of only four artists from outside the Anglosphere to place first in the poll.
American rock band Sonic Youth topped the magazine's poll twice.
American musician James Ferraro 's Far Side Virtual was the first winner of the expanded "Release of the Year" poll.