Let's poll... RYM's Top 50 Albums of All Time

Message Bookmarked
Bookmark Removed

Since everyone is bored to tears by the Rolling Stone list aka the boomer canon, what do you make of its algorithmic, totally-not-p4k-and/or-Fantano-inspired would-be democratic millennial competitor?

Poll Results

OptionVotes
33. Wu-Tang Clan, 'Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)' 9
38. The Cure, 'Disintegration' 8
17. Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light' 7
43. Mingus, 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' 6
7. My Bloody Valentine, 'Loveless' 4
42. Television, 'Marquee Moon' 4
48. Metallica, 'Master of Puppets' 4
26. John Coltrane, 'A Love Supreme' 3
29. Nick Drake, 'Pink Moon' 3
30. David Bowie, 'Low' 3
16. Miles Davis, 'Kind of Blue' 3
6. The Velvet Underground & Nico, 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' 3
34. The Doors, 'The Doors' 3
8. Kendrick Lamar, 'To Pimp a Butterfly' 3
10. The Beach Boys, 'Pet Sounds' 3
37. King Crimson, 'Red' 2
25. The Beatles, 'Revolver' 2
44. The Beatles, 'The Beatles [White Album]' 2
45. Joy Division, 'Closer' 2
49. Sonic Youth, 'Daydream Nation' 2
39. Bob Dylan, 'Highway 61 Revisited' 2
47. DJ Shadow, 'Endtroducing.....' 2
24. Pixies, 'Doolittle' 2
11. Neutral Milk Hotel, 'In the Aeroplane Over the Sea' 2
1. Radiohead, 'OK Computer' 2
18. Black Sabbath, 'Paranoid' 2
23. Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin IV' 1
12. Kanye West, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' 1
41. Godspeed You Black Emperor!, 'F♯A♯∞' 1
9. Radiohead, 'In Rainbows' 1
32. Slint, 'Spiderland' 1
5. King Crimson, 'In the Court of the Crimson King' 1
3. Pink Floyd, 'The Dark Side of the Moon' 1
13. Godspeed You Black Emperor!, 'Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven' 1
50. Metallica, 'Ride the Lightning' 1
22. David Bowie, 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' 1
21. Pink Floyd, 'Animals' 1
27. The Smiths, 'The Queen Is Dead' 1
28. Nas, 'Illmatic' 1
14. Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d. city' 1
15. The Beatles, 'Abbey Road' 1
2. Radiohead, 'Kid A' 0
36. Arcade Fire, 'Funeral' 0
4. Pink Floyd, 'Wish You Were Here' 0
46. Sigur Rós, 'Ágætis byrjun' 0
40. Radiohead, 'The Bends' 0
20. Joy Division, 'Unknown Pleasures' 0
19. Madvillain, 'Madvillainy' 0
31. Nirvana, 'Nevermind' 0
35. The Beatles, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' 0


hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:24 (four years ago) link

Is this the men-only list or something

scampo italiano (gyac), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:28 (four years ago) link

Geez, it's still so godawful boring. I guess I'd have to go MBV by default?

Don't be such an idot. (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:30 (four years ago) link

Nico is at #6, what more do you want?!?!? Sheesh.

xp

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:31 (four years ago) link

oh you don't wanna know what i really think.

voting disintegration, but fuck this list.

hey it's kind of like this year! "voting biden, but fuck this system."

Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:31 (four years ago) link

It's simultaneously better and worse than its RS counterpart.

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:32 (four years ago) link

It is just as boring, just in a slightly different way!

Torn between Low and The Queen is Dead (not even my favourite Smiths album ffs); ended up voting for Ziggy because I remember the first evening I played it - I went and immediately listened to it all over again.

scampo italiano (gyac), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:33 (four years ago) link

xxxp let's not forget the hurdy-gurdy lady in Arcade Fire!

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:33 (four years ago) link

There are loads of good albums here, just sort of tiring and sad to read them all stuck together like this

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:35 (four years ago) link

Yeah, this is like exhibit A in the argument that a band's most popular album is rarely a band's best album.

Don't be such an idot. (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:35 (four years ago) link

let's not forget the hurdy-gurdy lady in Arcade Fire!

And Kim Gordon and Bilinda Butcher and Kim Deal! And that woman who sings on 'The Great Gig in the Sky'!

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 19:47 (four years ago) link

Top 50 Gold CDs the Dude at the Stereo Store Throws On to Demo the Dynamic Range of This Year's Models

Don't be such an idot. (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:02 (four years ago) link

this is a more conservative list than Q magazine would produce

rascal clobber (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:03 (four years ago) link

most of these were locked in 10+ years ago when the site was heavy on prog/metal nerds and its taken the likes of kendrick lamar to displace them. wonder what it'd look like if you only counted active accounts

ciderpress, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:20 (four years ago) link

voted for kanye

i got a homogenic björk wine farmer permabanned (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:25 (four years ago) link

just kidding

i got a homogenic björk wine farmer permabanned (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:25 (four years ago) link

This has a higher proportion of albums I listen to than the other lists. I'm glad there's a list like this.

The nexus of the crisis and the origin of storms (Sund4r), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:29 (four years ago) link

Literal lol at that top 4

rob, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:29 (four years ago) link

This is fucking awful but the contemporary RYM yearly charts are really not bad, cider press otm

imago, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:32 (four years ago) link

That GYBE album at 13 is maybe the weirdest entry?

I gave up on making a “so literally all music made by a solo female artist is inferior to album X” post as there were too many options

rob, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:33 (four years ago) link

rym yearly charts are like

20s - good
30s - good
40s - good
50s - good, bit conservative
60s - good, if predictable
70s - fairly good, but even more predictable
80s - weird
90s - more predictable than good
00s - just predictable
10s - a few cliques fighting to get their stuff on top, to nobody's benefit.

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:36 (four years ago) link

the weird thing about gybe at #13 is that that isn't their best album

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:37 (four years ago) link

Very few albums I count on to bring me joy in the next years
Weirdest has to be Neutral Milk Hotel or maybe In Rainbows
It was between King Crimson, Wu-Tang, Talking Heads, Pixies, Sonic Youth, The Smiths. Went with Wu-tang.
I expect a Bowie (boring) win

Nabozo, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:37 (four years ago) link

but one of those cliques is weird art-pop, and another is weird art-metal, and I'm in those cliques

imago, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:37 (four years ago) link

Yeah, that's a fair assessment.

3xp

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:38 (four years ago) link

the weird thing about gybe at #13 is that that isn't their best album


Agreed!

rob, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:44 (four years ago) link

Agree with that but GYBE themselves appearing on a list like this is one of the least surprising things I can imagine.xp

The nexus of the crisis and the origin of storms (Sund4r), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:46 (four years ago) link

The albums I'd consider voting for:

14. Kendrick Lamar, 'good kid, m.A.A.d. city'
15. The Beatles, 'Abbey Road'
16. Miles Davis, 'Kind of Blue'
17. Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'
19. Madvillain, 'Madvillainy'
26. John Coltrane, 'A Love Supreme'
46. Sigur Rós, 'Ágætis byrjun'
47. DJ Shadow, 'Endtroducing.....'

Get the point? Good, let's dance with nunchaku. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:46 (four years ago) link

I loved Ágætis byrjun when it came out, but haven't listened to it in at least 15 years now, and doubt I will again.

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:50 (four years ago) link

51-100 has a lot more interesting records. Homogenic, Hounds of Love, Tago Mago, Close to the Edge, SAW 85-92, Hot Rats, Long Season (!!!!), Future Days, Music Has the Right to Children

frogbs, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:53 (four years ago) link

Yeah tbc I don’t think Godspeed are an outlier here, it’s exactly what Cam said plus it’s very high on the list. Is anything an outlier? Endtroducing maybe the only one I was at all surprised to see

rob, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:54 (four years ago) link

voted In the Court because that's the only one here that makes my own personal list. Remain in Light was on there too but I probably tossed it for some shitty vaporwave album

I loved Ágætis byrjun when it came out, but haven't listened to it in at least 15 years now, and doubt I will again.

same, though I did listen to it once recently and remember thinking "lol are you fucking kidding me" a lot
feel like that entire album is an attempt to recreate "Leb Wohl" on Neu! 75

frogbs, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:55 (four years ago) link

80s RYM Charts are really very odd, a few of the expected canon albums, then loads of thrash metal, classical recordings and post-punk from around the world. Which I suppose is good? Not sure.

I am surprised by the lack of LCD Soundsystem, do RYM hate them like they love Death Grips?

这是我的显示名称 (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:56 (four years ago) link

Surprised Charlie Mingus made the list with the word "lady" in the title

how do i shot moon? (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:58 (four years ago) link

51-100 has a lot more interesting records. Homogenic, Hounds of Love, Tago Mago, Close to the Edge, SAW 85-92, Hot Rats, Long Season (!!!!), Future Days, Music Has the Right to Children

Agreed. I'll poll that one next.

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 20:59 (four years ago) link

first 3 LCD Soundsystem albums are bolded (though I'm sure the 'bonus disc' factors into the first one), SoS is in the Top 250

frogbs, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:00 (four years ago) link

I just knew Radiohead would be number one before I clicked but I didn't expect quite so much Radiohead.

*votes Radiohead, probably*

Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:00 (four years ago) link

51-100 has a lot more interesting records. Homogenic, Hounds of Love, Tago Mago, Close to the Edge, SAW 85-92, Hot Rats, Long Season (!!!!), Future Days, Music Has the Right to Children

― frogbs

I do really like the Fishmans obsession on RYM. Long Season will be in the top 10 one day.

kitchen person, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:01 (four years ago) link

Full disclosure: I already voted for OK Computer.

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:01 (four years ago) link

for every album on this list, there's a related or adjacent one I prefer more

Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:02 (four years ago) link

went for Black Saint and The Sinner Lady cos I'm sick of most of the others

Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:02 (four years ago) link

wasn't RYM literally Geir Hongro: The Site

Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:05 (four years ago) link

lol, RYM is typically not into hypermelodic Europop.

hey, trust the fungus! (pomenitul), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:07 (four years ago) link

I see no five albums of Genesis in the top 10 so.

Get the point? Good, let's dance with nunchaku. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:08 (four years ago) link

don't remember Geir being into Euro pop tbh

Specific Ocean Blue (dog latin), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:10 (four years ago) link

Think I'll vote for Joni Mitchell or Aretha Franklin...oh, wait...

banjoboy, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:14 (four years ago) link

Geir would hate most of these.

The nexus of the crisis and the origin of storms (Sund4r), Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:18 (four years ago) link

yeah 51-100 has several of my favorite records on it whereas 1-50 doesn't really have any

ciderpress, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:20 (four years ago) link

I do really like the Fishmans obsession on RYM. Long Season will be in the top 10 one day.

its one of the most endearing parts of that site. amusingly I've been seeing something similar happen with Kyuusai no Gihou, it had like 15 ratings when I 5-starred it and now it's bold with over 800

frogbs, Tuesday, 15 September 2020 21:31 (four years ago) link

They're inderectly responsible for a whole lot of generic "cresndocore" post-rock but Lift Your Skinny Fists holds up for me, beautiful album

ultros ultros-ghali, Wednesday, 16 September 2020 16:31 (four years ago) link

more xs and ps

but, more significantly: _The Queen Is Dead_

see, this kind of disjointed post is why I should stay out of this so-not-for-me thread. now people might think I voted for The Smiths. no, I didn’t and wouldn’t. #iabstain

No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 16 September 2020 16:33 (four years ago) link

voting for the album that features the most ODB verses

turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Monday, 21 September 2020 13:54 (four years ago) link

every album on this list that I like, I like a little less because of it appearing on this list

assert (MatthewK), Monday, 21 September 2020 14:05 (four years ago) link

lol is it because it's RYM or because seeing them all huddled so close together is too normative for comfort?

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:10 (four years ago) link

Four Beatles albums sounds ok but four Radiohead albums? That is ridiculous. And there isn't even their by far best album - Amnesiac - there!

walking towards the sun since 2007 (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 21 September 2020 14:14 (four years ago) link

It's my second fave but its omission is indeed unforgivable.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:14 (four years ago) link

This list looks like it was made by the Radiohead forum I used to post on in 2000/2001 (GYBE, Sigur Ros, Boards of Canada etc.)

cajunsunday, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:28 (four years ago) link

Whatever happened to Melissa btw? She was the ultimate RH stan back in ILM's early days, fighting the good fight.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:31 (four years ago) link

It's sort of what I like about it? There's no real pretence of objectivity. It just looks like someone's favourite albums from their collection. If you really like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and King Crimson, there's a good chance you'll like the whole list. Not everything has to be Pitchfork.xp

The nexus of the crisis and the origin of storms (Sund4r), Monday, 21 September 2020 14:33 (four years ago) link

This list looks like it was made by the Radiohead forum I used to post on in 2000/2001 (GYBE, Sigur Ros, Boards of Canada etc.)

yeah the "music guys" I used to hang out with in college (circa 2006 or so) would've made pretty much this exact same list back then, mins Kanye and Kendrick. so many of these albums I heard for the first time through the same people. at the time the RYM list was pretty much all 60s and 70s classic rock + Radiohead.

in high school a lot of my classmates were big into classic rock stuff like Floyd, Zep, and the Beatles...music our parents and teachers liked. I guess for the current generation of teenagers that would be Radiohead? maybe why they got 3 albums in the top 10

frogbs, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:43 (four years ago) link

There's maybe like 3-4 albums on this list I don't really care for so clearly it's doing a good job of catering to my demographic.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:53 (four years ago) link

It's still astonishingly boring, though.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 14:53 (four years ago) link

It's almost as if their star-rating methodology has nothing to do with designing a fun listicle that can logically compare to ones compiled by journalists.

billstevejim, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:41 (four years ago) link

Master Of Puppets and Red are the ones I listen to most lately.

billstevejim, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:43 (four years ago) link

Is there an updated Rolling Stone albums canon that I missed?

billstevejim, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:49 (four years ago) link

The 2003 list was revised in 2012 and a brand new one is apparently imminent.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:54 (four years ago) link

We'll be polling it as soon as it drops, of course.

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:54 (four years ago) link

Before it drops as ILM is that hip

Oor Neechy, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:55 (four years ago) link

:)

pomenitul, Monday, 21 September 2020 15:56 (four years ago) link

pro tip just poll this one again

how do i shot moon? (Noodle Vague), Monday, 21 September 2020 15:58 (four years ago) link

remember NME used to produce a list but deliberately out in a troll entry like Andrew WK to annoy readers/clickbait

Oor Neechy, Monday, 21 September 2020 16:01 (four years ago) link

um Andrew WK has 3 albums better than the majority of this list

frogbs, Monday, 21 September 2020 16:02 (four years ago) link

Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets are about equally good and I'm happy the results reflect this.

billstevejim, Monday, 21 September 2020 16:04 (four years ago) link

three weeks pass...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 00:01 (four years ago) link

From this list, I've heard 44 albums and enjoy some tracks from each of them except Neutral Milk Hotel. I'm voting for Animals over Red.

Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 00:17 (four years ago) link

if amnesiac had been released first and then kid a eight months later, would their reputations be different?

mookieproof, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 02:52 (four years ago) link

Wu-Tang

LaRusso Auto (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 03:42 (four years ago) link

xpost I never really liked Amnesiac, one of the few Radioheads that never grabbed me

LaRusso Auto (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 03:42 (four years ago) link

I surprised myself and went with the first Doors album. Don't @ me.

Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Wednesday, 14 October 2020 09:43 (four years ago) link

No nuclear war option no vote.

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 14 October 2020 09:48 (four years ago) link

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Thursday, 15 October 2020 00:01 (four years ago) link

Not the result I was expecting, but I approve.

pomenitul, Thursday, 15 October 2020 00:10 (four years ago) link

Ha, I was one of the two votes for Daydream Nation.

I guess I'd be lonesome (Sund4r), Thursday, 15 October 2020 00:11 (four years ago) link

I listened to the first Doors album last night, still rules

brimstead, Thursday, 15 October 2020 00:14 (four years ago) link

Wasn't expecting Kid A and Unknown Pleasures to get 0 votes.

pomenitul, Thursday, 15 October 2020 01:05 (four years ago) link

baaahahaha, awesome results!

Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 15 October 2020 02:10 (four years ago) link

who voted for dark side of the moon???? let's be friends.

Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 15 October 2020 02:11 (four years ago) link

Me, I think? I could easily have gone with several others (Kind of Blue or Loveless maybe), but DSOTM is speaking to me these days, I dunno.

I did vote Wu-Tang in the Rolling Stone revamp poll.

jmm, Thursday, 15 October 2020 02:25 (four years ago) link

cool, now let's figure out who voted animals and start a pink floyd power trio cover band.

also, i'm down to do a mashup cover of "money" and "c.r.e.a.m." if you are.

Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 15 October 2020 02:36 (four years ago) link

ok so who voted for neutral milk hotel i'm not mad i just wanna know

Deflatormouse, Thursday, 15 October 2020 03:24 (four years ago) link

clearly ned

mookieproof, Thursday, 15 October 2020 03:42 (four years ago) link

ok so who voted for neutral milk hotel i'm not mad i just wanna know

― Deflatormouse, Thursday, October 15, 2020 5:24 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://i.imgur.com/3M8Db5t.gif

Ilxor in the streets, Scampo in the sheets (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 15 October 2020 07:25 (four years ago) link

4 votes for Master of Puppets ?

Nabozo, Thursday, 15 October 2020 10:56 (four years ago) link

On reflection, Mingus is the correct answer. I know there's a significant cadre of Cure people on here but the number of votes for Disintegration still surprises me.

Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Thursday, 15 October 2020 11:25 (four years ago) link

also, i'm down to do a mashup cover of "money" and "c.r.e.a.m." if you are.

Man, every good idea's been taken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYCk6Zq6wds

jmm, Thursday, 15 October 2020 14:58 (four years ago) link

WEAK!! WE CAN DO BETTER.

Totally different head. Totally. (Austin), Thursday, 15 October 2020 15:52 (four years ago) link

That's the spirit!

pomenitul, Thursday, 15 October 2020 16:05 (four years ago) link

At least In the 36 Chambers Over the Sea is still available.

jmm, Thursday, 15 October 2020 16:08 (four years ago) link


You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.