Rolling Stone's 500 Geatest Albums Ever Made

Rolling Stone magazine has released its list of the top 500 albums of all time.

It seems pretty much slanted to boomer music, especially the top quartile or so, and only one black artist - Marvin Gaye - is in the top ten. Still, imo, it’s interesting. (of course, CD sales worldwide are in the tank, and have been for years, so make what you will of this list…and its likely much-wished-for impact on sales). From the website:

THE TOP TEN ALBUMS ARE:
(drumroll please…)

#1.
SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
The Beatles

Radio hits as high art. Relieved of touring, The Beatles brought conceptual ambition and revolutionary studio techniques to perfect pop songs. They did it first. They did it best.

#2.
PET SOUNDS
The Beach Boys

The gauntlet had been thrown down by The Beatles with Rubber Soul. It was then up to Brian Wilson and the rest of The Beach Boys to create a work of singular vision and true beauty. Check.

#3.
REVOLVER
The Beatles

Many discerning listeners would put this one at the very top of the heap. The greatest-ever variety of Beatlesongs couched in unimprovable arrangements.

#4.
HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED
Bob Dylan

Dylan’s first full embrace of electric rock produced his sole Top 10 single (“Like A Rolling Stone”) back in the days when good records could still become hits.

#5.
RUBBER SOUL
The Beatles

Already reigning pop kings, The Beatles changed the rules with Rubber Soul. Incorporating exotic instruments and mature lyrics, the Fabs put the world on notice that there was more to rock

#10 “The Beatles” means the album commonly referred to as The White Album, right?

I know the Rolling Stones have been going a long time, but I don’t think they’ve made 500 albums.

I really don’t know, the Beatles are not one of my favorites, for at least two reasons. One, I associate their sound with childhood, and two, I’ve simply heard their stuff too much.

If it is the White Album, then it’s a travesty, imo. That’s got to be my least favorite Beatles album (on a list that, as I said, is fairly low to begin with).

:laughing:

Actually, I think Mick and Keith are coming up on their respective 500th birthdays.

[quote=“flike”]
If it is the White Album, then it’s a travesty, imo. That’s got to be my least favorite Beatles album (on a list that, as I said, is fairly low to begin with).[/quote]

Wow! That’s one of my all time faves.

I liked the clash but i don’t see that belonging there.

“Blonde on Blonde”…the Stones…yeah!!!

“Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel”

“Visions of Johanna” - Bob Dylan
bobdylan.com/songs/visions.html

I couldn’t find

:laughing:

Yeah, seriously, dudes, where’s

[quote=“blueface666”]“Blonde on Blonde”…the Stones…yeah!!!

“Oh, jewels and binoculars hang from the head of the mule
But these visions of Johanna, they make it all seem so cruel”

“Visions of Johanna” - Bob Dylan
bobdylan.com/songs/visions.html

[/quote]

[color=red]Oh yeah
[/color]

“…Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there’s nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind…”

I heard a version of this on the Love and Theft tour, with Dylan in a white flannel suit (Texas cut, with white satin piping), that you would not believe. Christ, Dylan looked like he was trying to pimp Leon Redbone if Leon had lost the raybans, the hat, and accidentally stuck his finger into a wall outlet and further frizzed out his hair. This version of Visions of Johanna was nearly unrecognizable (you had/have to really know your Dylan lyrics to “get” the cover): totally loud, complete and utter kickass, 4x4 rock n’ roll. Wall to wall chaos, hands down.

But that’s why Dylan’s discography, imo, tops even that of the Beatles. Really, I would die to buy it at Dylan’s price and sell it even 5 years later. I would get rich, I have no friggin doubt. If Dylan ever pulls a Bowie and goes public IPO-wise, buy ASAP. Really, imo, he’s the most underappreciated musical artist in recent history. Absolutely no doubt.

I’ve seen Dylan play live more than 10 times since Biograph came out in 1985. I always go see him play, live, if he’s within reasonable commuting distance. Nothing better than one of his shows, imo. That’s because Dylan covers his own tunes better than anybody, period. There will always be at least one song that has been completely altered, totally rearranged, at least one that literally shakes the roof, brings the roof down, and that only 15% of even a Dylan audience will “get.” During the Love and Theft tour, in 2001, there were two: Visions of Johanna and Just Like a Woman. Plus the Love and Theft stuff, which ain’t too shabby, and his acoustic set. And at the first encore he did All Along the Watchtower all electric, straight up, and loud and proud. Completely unforgettable.

Also, nearly every age group was represented: I was next to a 60-ish long-hair (who lit up and passed to me, what a guy - I quit that stuff years ago when I discovered that if I smoked, then in effect I just became so much corded wood that could more profitably be stacked in the corner of most any given room) while on both sides of the stage 18-year-olds mixed with so many teens and pre-teens - sons and daughters of Dylan fans present, I think - and danced like freakin’ wiccan high priests at the full moon. Somebody even threw a leopard pillbox hat on stage at just the right time.

Oh yeah, Dylan rules, ain’t no doubt.

Personally, I though Revolver was the best Beatles album. I do agree that the three that made the top list deserve to be there. The so-called White album has music that may not have gotten radio play, but play into some deep emotions and some favorite tracks such as Rocky Raccoon, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Revolution #9, and the ever amazing, uplifting song Blackbird. Simple, yet exquisite.

Let It Be was easily the worst Beatles album - it’s the sound of a band falling apart. They were saving all their best songs for their solo albums at that point.

The best is probably Rubber Soul, IMAO. “In My Life” may be my favorite Beatles tune.

Music magazines love to make these kinds of lists. Here’s a Top 200 from Stylus that came out last week:

stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=898

[quote]200 The Wedding Present - Seamonsters
199 Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
198 Built to Spill - There Nothing Wrong With Love
197 Dusty Springfield ?Dusty In Memphis
196 Zombies - Odessey & Oracle
195 Galaxie 500 - On Fire
194 Low ?Secret Name
193 Otis Redding - Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
192 Arab Strap - Philophobia
191 Red House Painters - Red House Painters
190 Slint - Spiderland
189 Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
188 The Strokes - Is This It
187 Van Morrison - Moondance
186 The Stooges - Raw Power
185 Outkast ?Aquemini
184 Prefuse 73 - Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives
183 Eurythmics ?Be Yourself Tonight
182 The Congos - Heart of the Congos
181 Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
180 The Fall - This Nation’s Saving Grace
179 Ghostface Killah ?Supreme Clientele
178 Wilco ?Being There
177 Weezer eezer (Blue)
176 Violent Femmes ?Violent Femmes
175 The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
174 Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
173 Orbital ?Orbital II (Brown)
172 Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
171 Bonnie Prince Billy - I See a Darkness
170 Elliott Smith - Either-Or
169 Fleetwood Mac ?Rumours
168 The Pop Group - Y
167 Modest Mouse ?The Moon and Antarctica
166 Guns and Roses - Appetite For Destruction
165 The Clash ?Sandinista!
164 The Allman Brothers ?Live at the Fillmore East
163 Blondie - Parallel Lines
162 The Breeders ?Last Splash
161 The Jesus and Mary Chain ?Psychocandy
160 Can ?Future Days
159 Miles Davis ?Kind Of Blue
158 Michael Jackson ?Thriller
157 Yo La Tengo ?Electr-O-Pura
156 Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension
155 Neil Young - Harvest
154 Led Zeppelin - III
153 Echo and the Bunnymen ?Ocean Rain
152 The Kinks- Village Green Preservation Society
151 Elvis Costello ?This Year Model
150 Led Zeppelin ?Houses of the Holy
149 Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
148 Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
147 The Clash ?The Clash
146 Tortoise ?Millions Now Living Will Never Die
145 Ride ?Nowhere
144 Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
143 Nas ?Illmatic
142 Dr Dre - The Chronic
141 Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
140 Missy Elliott ?Miss E… So Addictive
139 Spiritualized ?Ladies & Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space
138 James Brown - Live at the Apollo
137 GZA - Liquid Swords
136 The Velvet Underground ?Loaded
135 Elvis Costello and the Attractions - “Get Happy!!”
134 Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
133 Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
132 Prince - Sign ?the Times
131 Radiohead- The Bends
130 Gang Of Four - Entertainment!
129 Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
128 Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace of Sin
127 Jane’s Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
126 Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
125 Leonard Cohen- Songs of Love and Hate
124 Manic Street Preachers- The Holy Bible
123 Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
122 Aphex Twin ?Selected Ambient Works 85-92
121 Autechre - Tri-Repeatae
120 Lilys ?Eccsame The Photon Band
119 Ramones - Ramones
118 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
117 The Replacements ?Let It Be
116 PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
115 Snoop Doggy Dogg ?Doggystyle
114 Public Image Ltd. ?Second Edition / Metal Box
113 Can ?Ege Bamyasi
112 Talking Heads ?Stop Making Sense
111 Bob Dylan ?Bringing It All Back Home
110 My Bloody Valentine ?Isn Anything
109 Joni Mitchell - Blue
108 The Who ?Who Next
107 Boards Of Canada ?Music Has The Right To Children
106 The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps
105 The Dismemberment Plan ?Emergency & I
104 Wire - Pink Flag
103 Hole - Live Through This
102 The Kinks - Something Else
101 The Stooges ?Fun House[/quote]

Not bad, but what’s up with #103?! Yeah, right! Like Courtney Love is better than Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home, Who’s Next, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, the Replacements, the Ramones, the Zombies, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (!) (yeah, Hole is way better than that tosser… :unamused: ), Led Zeppelin, Gang of Four, Flying Burrito Bros., Elvis Costello, Prince’s Sign O’the Times, the VU’s Loaded, James Brown Live at the Apollo, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, the Clash’s debut, the Kinks’s VGPS, Neil Young’s Harvest, Blondie, …err, Grasshopper’s avatar…, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Aretha Franklin (puh-leese - Courtney’s not even in the same league as Aretha, gimme a break!), the Byrds, the Fall, My Bloody Valentine, the Minutemen, Van Morrison, Otis Redding…

…actually, it’s not a bad list, but that #103 really shoots a big hole in their credibility. There are some things that are nearly universally agreed upon and one of them is that Mrs. Love is…well…an embarrassment. I sort of feel sorry for her, in a fucked-up drug-addict celebrity kind of way.

For you hosers (and we all know there are many, many infesting this fair isle):

Canada’s Top 25 Albums of All Time

Eh. I gotta disagree with #1. I never cared for that man. He doesn’t do music, he does spoken word poetry over music - big difference. Not my kind of thing. Neil shoulda been at the top spot - the greatest Canadian musician ever, easily.

Is Minor Threat on the Rolling Stone list? Probably not. Oh well.

So, what are the best 500 albums ever made in Taiwan? Are there 500? How about 5? Personally, I love those career-spanning anthologies like “Best of So-and-So, 2002-2004.” I also recall one local artist saying that he considered Air Supply to be his greatest formative musical influence. Don’t get me wrong, I do like some local music. I especially like that “hockey rink” music I hear in taxis and in the background of late-night televised softcore porn VCD promotions. Always makes me wanna grab a beer from the concession stand.

Seriously, though, are there contenders? Who do you think is worth a listen? Are there Taiwan “classic” albums?

[quote=“mod lang”]…Canada’s Top 25 Albums of All Time…

Eh. I gotta disagree with #1. I never cared for that man. He doesn’t do music, he does spoken word poetry over music - big difference. Not my kind of thing. Neil shoulda been at the top spot - the greatest Canadian musician ever, easily.[/quote]

Yeah, Neil Young is the best, I agree. Hands down, imo. Nobody does pissed off like Neil.

But…you know, a certain type of woman, or some women, find Leonard Cohen’s music hot, way hot. Namely, some university liberal arts types, perhaps of a certain age. I’ve found that if you listen often enough, his music does/did grow on me quite a bit. You might check out Ten New Songs, released in 2001. “In My Secret Life” is very, very good, imo, if also very subdued; the CD is co-written by Sharon Robinson, who also sings and, I believe, plays nearly all musical instruments used on the CD (Leonard does writing/singing duties only). All of Cohen’s material, imo, gets better with repeated listenings. I like Songs of Love and Hate quite a bit, but I also like The Songs of Leonard Cohen a lot (“Suzanne”, “So Long Marianne”).

An old girifriend played Joni Mitchell’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns, like, daily. I like it, er, liked it.

On the Canadian top #25 they should have pushed “Clayton Park” by Thrush Hermit up higher. It’s an outstanding piece of music. Thank god there’s no Nickleback, Avril or Shania. But where’s the tragically hip? I mean one in four Canadians owns at least one of their albums.

What a crap list. Definitely a bunch of boomers going ‘let’s make a list of all our favourites formt he sixties. We’d better sprinkle in a few ‘cool’ things fromt he 80s and 90s to keep the kids happy’. What a lot of boring shite on the top 50 there. More like 50 albums most likely to be found in the collection of an aging hippy who never really liked music that much, but bought the same CDs as everyone else.

Brian

where the hells radiohead…ok computer?

How can the possibly put “Ready to Die” from Notorious BIG before “Straight outta Compton” and Wu-Tang’s “Enter the 36 Chambers”

Nope, no Minor Threat…Black Flag is on there though, and they did waste an entry with the Sex Pistols and Green Day. I guess non-corporate rock need not apply for this contest.

“OK Computer” is #162

And, wow…with all the crap that’s on there (No Doubt!?!..Emminem!?!) they dare not to put Jimmy Rogers on the list…thta’s a damn insult to musc.