Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
1. The Beatles – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
3. The Beatles – Revolver
4. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
5. The Beatles – Rubber Soul
6. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
7. The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street
8. The Clash – London Calling
9. Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
10. The Beatles – The Beatles (White Album) 
Rolling Stone is fairly predictable, so there’s no real surprises here. It’s hard to argue against any of these albums being in the top 10 though I don’t know that Exile on Main Street belongs there. I’m not familiar enough with London Calling to make a sound judgement; I guess I need to give it a closer listen.
11. Elvis Presley – The Sun Sessions
12. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
13. The Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground and Nico
14. The Beatles – Abbey Road
15. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
16. Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
17. Nirvana – Nevermind
18. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
19. Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
20. Michael Jackson – Thriller
There are only two albums in the top 20 that I do not own, nor do I plan on owning- Nirvana’s Nevermind and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I understand their influence, but I’ve heard them many many times and honestly hope to never hear either of them again, especially Michael Jackson.
21. Chuck Berry – The Great 28
22. John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
23. Stevie Wonder – Innvervisions
24. James Brown – Live at the Apollo ‘63
25. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
26. U2 – The Joshua Tree
27. Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues
28. The Who – Who’s Next
29. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
30. Joni Mitchell – Blue
I like Rumours, but #25 is way to generous, otherwise a solid 10.
31. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
32. The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
33. Ramones – Ramones
34. The Band – Music From Big Pink
35. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
36. Carole King – Tapestry
37. The Eagles – Hotel California
38. Muddy Waters – Anthology
39. The Beatles – Please Please Me
40. Love – Forever Changes
Ok, the list is beginning to splinter a bit here… Let It Bleed should be way higher and I could do without Hotel California or Tapestry. Nice to see Muddy get a little respect.
41. The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
42. The Doors – The Doors
43. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
44. Patti Smith – Horses
45. The Band – The Band
46. Bob Marley and the Wailers – Legend
47. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
48. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
49. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East
50. Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard
The Sex Pistols used to be at the top of any list, now they’re down to 41. Funny how time takes its toll.
Overall anyone could do well to own the top 50, though there are a few dogs and a few albums that, while influential in their time, seem dated. What stands out to me is the quality of the top ten. They are not only highly influential on musicians that came after, they all blazed trails previously unknown and are still relevant, listenable and enjoyable today.
Of note- there are only five albums in the top 50 recorded after 1980: Nirvana’s Nevermind, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, U2’s Joshua Tree, Public Enemy’s Nation of Millions and Patti Smith’s Horses.
There are also only 4 artists with multiple listings in the top 50:
The Beatles: 6
Bob Dylan: 4
The Rolling Stones: 2
The Band: 2
Artists with the dreaded best of/compilations in the top 50:
Robert Johnson
Chuck Berry
Muddy Waters
Bob Marley
Little Richard
Influential early blues and rock artists didn’t record albums per se, so it’s understandable that they’d be honored with compilations, but Bob Marley doesn’t need to be eulogized by a greatest hits album, even though it’s probably owned by more people than all his ‘real’ albums combined.
Just for fun:
#100 Frank Sinatra – In The Wee Small Hours
#200 Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
#300 Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
#400 Nas – Illmatic
#500 Eurythmics – Touch
Link: [Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time]
Hat Tip: [CP]
January 3rd, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Wow !! Good post.
I thought you said bloging would be light.
Mrs. PI must be under the weather or out for the night.
January 3rd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Concerning Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” comment. Maybe not a significant influential album, but isn’t it the 3rd or 4th highest selling album of all time? I guess it all depends on what “Greatest” means. Personally, even though not a huge “Floyd” fan, think Dark Side should have been higher.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:23 am
“…but Bob Marley doesn’t need to be eulogized by a greatest hits album, even though it’s probably owned by more people than all his ‘real’ albums combined.”
Well that’s partly the point of Legend being listed. Although the list is not a popularity contest in terms of units sold, the impact of this album in the United States and internationally dramatically increased Reggae’s footprint in the music world. The album continues to introduce people (and not just frat boys binge drinkin to Jammin)to an incredible performer and musical genre. This is particularly important since with rare exception, Bob Marley does not get radio airplay. That’s why the impact of this record is more robust than say, Beatles 1. While I won’t say that this collection of singles isn’t great, the impact is not there since most people will be introduced to the Beatles and their music by the radio.
Hey – by the way. Marley also has the following albums on the top 500
#123 Catch A Fire
#169 Exodus
#182 Natty Fread
#319 Burnin’
January 4th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
CP, my disdain for ‘best of’ albums shrouded my vision- you’re absolutely right.
Kevin, Rolling Stone says Rumours is the 6th best selling album of all time with 19 Million sold and “ruled Billboard’s album chart for thirty-one weeks”
I’ve grown tired of Dark Side, but once in a while XM Radio will play an entire side (like the ‘real’ radio stations used to do), and it’s a real treat to listen to. It should be higher.
I was a little disappointed that The Who’s Tommy ended way down at 96.
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:35 pm
How come rush is not on the list?
They influenced several bands that made the list.
2112 is god
October 30th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
I thought that the door’s greatest hits would have been on top 10. Unfortunately not
December 23rd, 2007 at 5:47 am
I found an error: Patti Smith’s Horses was released in 1975 but you said it was one of the albums released after 1980. Just thought you should know.
December 23rd, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Duly noted. Thanks.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Alright, it’s official. Rolling Stone’s has a huge prejudice against Pink Floyd. Here they put Darkside of The Moon at number 50? It should be number one, or at least in the top 10. I hate it when people do these surveys and have no intelligent explanations justifying their top 10 albums. “Oh, they have some lovely tunes in them.” That’s kindergarden reviews, that’s what it is. Also, I see nobody at my high school (yes I’m 16 years old) wearing Sgt. Pepper’s or Beach Boys shirts. Everyday I see someone wearing a Pink Floyd shirt. Clearly this shows just how influential they are. F*%$in teenagers have better taste in music than the Rolling Stones editors, who seem to pride themselves on the constant disappointment of their surveys. Good music is the balance between the music and the lyrics. Darkside has this. As do all their albums. My apologies if I seem to be ranting, but I feel very strongly that this Rolling Stones survey was wrong to not put Darkside of the Moon into their top 10.