A YEAR OF UNFORGETTABLE - AND UNFORGIVABLE - SOUR NOTES.

Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer

While Eminem spent most of 2000 duking it out with his mom, previous years' champions were fighting to stay on their feet.

Some weren't so lucky.

Lack of creativity on the part of pop artists and a number of disillusioned ``rock'' anthems pulverized a number of performers, and left others staggering.

Some were lucky enough to walk away unscathed - at least, for now.

Here are the worst albums of 2000.

--Limp Bizkit, ``Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water'' (Flip/Interscope): Whiny, foul-mouthed, Christina Aguilera-hating prima donna Fred Durst cops major attitude, gets redundant and then attempts to sing a pretty rock ballad.

--Marilyn Manson, ``Holy Wood (In the Valley of the Shadow of Death)'' (Nothing/Interscope): The ordained Church of Satan revels in sonic fire and brimstone by rallying against his usual foes: God, government and the beautiful people. Boring.

--Ricky Martin, ``Sound Loaded'' (Columbia): How an international star of his magnitude could stoop so low as to release an album full of chaotic rhythms, unintelligible lyrics and over-the-top production baffles the mind. It's like the song ``Livin' La Vida Loca'' times 10 - yikes!

--Spice Girls, ``Forever'' (Virgin): Overall a listless, trite and trivial album that makes one long for the days when ``Spice'' really meant something.

--Kid Rock, ``The History of Rock'' (Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic): They don't call him Detroit's bad boy for nothing, and this album proves it. His songs are primitive and stilted and, oh yeah, bad. Really, really bad.

--Godsmack, ``Awake'' (Republic): Same old Gothic imagery and borrowed tunes as its debut, except this time the Alice in Chains wanna-bes mash it together in an hour's worth of noise that wears on the ears.

--98 Degrees, ``Revelation'' (Universal): Yes, these four jocks have great chops and are known for writing their own material. But the collection of songs they've penned for this album is simply mindless radio fodder.

--OPM, ``Menace to Sobriety'' (Atlantic): A band of California boys whose pop-laden hip-hop songs pay tribute to a life of intoxication and the pursuit of illegal substances. A laughable novelty, if anything.

--Cherry Poppin' Daddies, ``Soul Caddy'' (Mojo): Maybe it was an attempt to distance itself from the neo-swing movement of the '90s that made the band think it could get away with an album of recycled psychedelic pop, punk and Stevie Wonder-esque grooves. Now the damage is irreversible.

--Amen, ``We Have Come for Your Parents'' (Virgin): Incensed lyrics, gut-wrenching screams and fast-and-furious guitar riffs are drowned out by a sloppy dose of bass and drums on an album that makes even the Sex Pistols sound tame.