JCC Amph Let's discuss Rolling Stone's new top 500 albums of all time

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/

Or rather, the garbage that is this list.

Mostly because there's only one Johnny Cash album on there, At Folsom Prison, and instead of being in the top ten like that album deserves, it's number 164.

This list is heavily influenced by pop. It is brutal to country music especially. Know who has an album on this list? Harry Styles. Know who doesn't? The number-one selling artist of all time, Garth Brooks. What you couldn't make room for Fences in a list of 500 albums?!

Also American IV should have at least been on this list. I would argue for Unchained and American III as well. Really Johnny Cash having ONE album at 164 is a travesty.


What other travesties can you find now in this stupid list?

 

That there's a Johnny Cash album on it!

 

GET OFF OF MY PLANET.

 

tbh I think any ranking of all pop and rock music is nonsensical. Just like the grammys.

 

I am surprised. Rolling Stone has never written anything dumb or controversial before.

There are at least two Greatest Hits compilations on the list. Those aren't real albums!

 

The Beach Boys and Marvin Gayle have the two albums of all time. That must be a parody. Seriously Rolling Stone just bleeping fold at this point and give whatever money left you have to Sports Illustrated can stay around. At least they still are relevant.

 

After just a quick look:

'Funeral' should be higher than 500.
'Ride the Lightning' is better than 'The Black Album' and arguably better than 'Master of Puppets' but isn't even on the list.
'The Dark Side of the Moon' not being in the top 50 is baffling.
No Queens of the Stone Age.

 

I honestly think they are trying to be more "relevant" as the list from 2008 was heavily tilted towards music from the sixties and seventies but honestly that was the golden era of music therefore it should be heavily tilted that way. I mean I love Nirvana and respect Lauryn Hill but the idea their big albums was better then Revolver is actually funny it's so redonkicilous.

 

I just enjoy seeing John Mayer and Black Flag in adjacent spots on a list, any list.

 

That's always the thing with these sorts of lists though. With how subjective music is if you're going to do it then you have to balance out the eras somewhat. You say the 60's and the 70's were the golden era of music, but to whom? A rap fan may well say the golden era was the 90's or 00's. A fan of classical music would probably say the 60's and 70's, but from a completely different century.

Ultimately these lists are only ever made to sell copies or generate clicks. Unless you're comparing music of a similar nature it's impossible to say "this album is better than this one" and even then it's down to personal taste. Hell I don't like the top two at all and the 60's and 70's are my favourite musical decades.

 

I am honestly not familiar with Marvin Gaye's work beyond a couple hits... but I will argue that Pet Sounds absolutely belongs in the top ten albums of all time though. That was like the only thing on this list I agreed with.

I would have put Thriller as the #1 album though.

 

Back when I bought full albums in the form of CDs, I would determine if spending the $$ was justified by seeing if there was a minimum of three songs on the entire album that I liked. There was a place in my town called "Main Street Jukebox" where you could listen to a used CD before deciding to buy it. I remember LIVE's Throwing Cooper passed this test so I bought it and then it was one of the few albums that I actually remember loving from beginning to end, after listening to it. I later remember DMB's Brefore These Crowded Streets passed this as well as Panic!'s first album. But I didn't love all the songs at first or equally. If definitely took multiple listens for some song to grow on me.

With that said, (1) I don't see how to search Rolling Stones website to see if these albums mentioned above are even on their top 500. (2) I see The Beatles in the top 5 and while their influence has been huge on the music industry and most would classify them as universally loved, I'm not a huge fan, I don't crave their music, and I think they're overrated.

Almost all of MJ's albums should probably be in the top 500, but he's definitively hard to listen to after watching that HBO doc about him.

 

I get that there are outside reasons not to name Thriller #1. Absolutely. Jackson was terrible. But if we're just talking about the music itself, nothing matches that album cover to cover.

 

I know that music inside out and I know everything about it, but I will never play it again.

 

I think even music wise I would not rank Thriller number #1 though I think it's ridiculous it is not in the Top 10 while again albums by the Beach Boys and Lauryn Hill are.

And @TiniTinyTony Live's Throwing Copper? That is just so durty pool! I read that and literally step into junior year of high school!

 

Beach Boys are awesome

 

everybody knows Elvis is the biggest selling artist of all time. they aren't counting singles, which also leaves out Bing Crosby

 

He's not though. Garth Brooks is the top selling solo artist of all time.

Edit: recent business insider source about this.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bu...-selling-music-artists-of-all-time-2016-9?amp

 

I'm more shocked when albums I actually own are on there.

But they included Coldplay, so the list is automatically discredited.

 

nope. they're only counting albums not singles, and singles were much bigger in the old days.. For instance Elvis' 1960 single "It's Now or Never " sold 20 million copies worldwide. I'm 100% certain Brooks never had a single sell anywhere near that.

 

Glad to hear the King is still #1

 

I'm obviously being thick because I can't see a list, only an article, some comments, and more ads than are healthy.

The Beatles have sold way more albums than Elvis.

 

I don't have six hours to wait for each hundred title section to load on my phone. Is there just a plain list somewhere? I've searched but I don't care quite enough to keep looking.