entertainment

What are the 500 best albums? Rolling Stone has an answer

26 Comments
By MARK KENNEDY

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

26 Comments
Login to comment

Anyway the ranks of that magazine order are, i myself would rank number one of my preference the album Tattoo You of Rolling Stones.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Moonmaker, i think number one album is Paul McCartney solo , he was from the Beatles group. I mean this just because he is number one by wealth measures too.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Taeko Ohnuki's "Copine" is absolutely sublime and obviously will never be on a Rolling Stone list. Everyone's got different tastes and musical exposures. It is what it is.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What's Going On (Marvin Gay)

Pet Sounds (Beach Boys)

Blue (Joni Mitchell)

Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder)

Abbey Road (Beatles)

Nevermind (Nirvana)

Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)

Purple Rain (Prince)

Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Lauryn Hill)

Revolver (Beatles)

Thriller (Michael Jackson)

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Aretha Franklin)

Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones)

It Would Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy

Plenty of gems on there. Been listening to ‘What’s Going On’ recently. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone sing as beautifully as that. Stunning album.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So what number was SMAP 01?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think you will find most of Caravanserai to be home-grown by the band. But I am talking about the whole world of colossuses who inhabited that world. Many were not inspired by simple personal issues but social and spiritual ones. Yes, there was even spiritual motivation behind them like, "What's Going On" and like Santana in the band behind Caravanserai. Now we think of such motivations as ridiculous or unrealistic or stupidly idealistic. Our popular music homes in on our cynicism. But listen and hear the difference when joy and love are what inspire the music. Quick before you get desensitised to it all by the modern triviality-driven dross.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

This might sound a bit controversial but I am currently listening to Caravanserai by Santana and I don't think there have been many better albums produced since, and certainly nothing in the past 25 years. These people from that time could not only play their instruments, they were virtuosos, and some even pushed the boundaries of their instrument, they wrote cracking songs about the huge matters in life, as well as the small ones, they wrote great music compositions, and were real characters, not PR versions of themselves. They were artists not mercenaries. And if they became mercenaries we would mercilessly run them down. Now, not so much.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Aretha Franklin, Motown,and most 60's music

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

The coffee table book is new, but the list is from 2020. These are the top 15. There's something for everyone to disagree about. In my opinion, Kind of Blue should be here, as should Dark Side of the Moon--but that's me!

What's Going On (Marvin Gay)

Pet Sounds (Beach Boys)

Blue (Joni Mitchell)

Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder)

Abbey Road (Beatles)

Nevermind (Nirvana)

Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)

Purple Rain (Prince)

Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Lauryn Hill)

Revolver (Beatles)

Thriller (Michael Jackson)

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Aretha Franklin)

Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones)

It Would Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Public Enemy)
1 ( +1 / -0 )

TokyoLivingToday  10:39 am JST

All English. Should be titled as 500 Best English Language Album.

They just want to recreate their fairy and decadent little western world..

BackpackingNepalToday  08:12 am JST

All English. Should be titled as 500 Best English Language Album.

Few album of Masayoshi Takanaka.

Lot's of envy and jealousy. LOL!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Beatles then Dylan have the highest numbers of albums, 9 then 8

I’d agree with that. Some regard ‘Let it Be’ as the weakest Beatles album but if a band released just one album in their career featuring Get back, Across the universe, The long and winding road, Let it be, Don’t let me down ( on some versions of the album ), they’d be immortalized.

Just something subjective to debate.

Yes. I can’t see how ‘Abbey Road’ is regarded as better than ‘Revolver’. I’ve never got the fuss over Springsteen, the Doors first album or ‘The miseducation of Lauryn Hill’. Each to their own.

They should put William Shatner’s spoken word album in for a bit of fun.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Just something subjective to debate.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

These kinds of lists will always stir debate but from a purely musical point of view their scope is so narrow as to render them useless.

A Rolling Stone magazine top 500 is the equivalent of a list of best toppings from Pizza Hut.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

All English. Should be titled as 500 Best English Language Album.

They just want to recreate their fairy and decadent little western world..

-11 ( +2 / -13 )

Beatles then Dylan have the highest numbers of albums, 9 then 8

1 ( +1 / -0 )

More recent albums are probably disadvantaged in that they can’t prove they can pass the test of time including sales over decades, influence etc. ‘Revolver’ was recently reissued 56 years after it was released.

As for the genre bias, it is similar to lists I’ve seen of best guitarists which have a rock and blues bias - Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, BB King, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen etc. I’d have more folk players in there but that’s my bias.

I think those deserving having lots of there albums included would include the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder. Some might complain about over representation, but the albums are that good.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Oh, my apologies, BackpackingNepal, now I see it says there are no entries from non-Western artists.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Few album of Masayoshi Takanaka.

It may be true but I am frankly amazed that you could discern this from this article. If you have more extensive knowledge perhaps you could let me know the latest top ten.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The book is $75.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

All English. Should be titled as 500 Best English Language Album.

Few album of Masayoshi Takanaka.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

Confusing article.

“Abbey Road” became their top album in the book,

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What are the 500 best albums? Rolling Stone has an answer

Rolling Stone has an opinion.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Can someone help me out? I've read this three times and still have no idea what is number one.

There are dozens of albums that sold barely anything that in another universe would be classics.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites