Rolling Stone made an 'expert panel' work out the best albums of all time, and the top 10 is:

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1.'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (The Beatles, 1967).
2.'Pet Sounds' (The Beach Boys, 1966).
3.'Revolver' (The Beatles, 1966).
4.'Highway 61 Revisited' (Bob Dylan, 1965).
5.'Rubber Soul' (The Beatles, 1965).
6.'What's Going On' (Marvin Gaye, 1971).
7.'Exile On Main Street' (The Rolling Stones, 1972).
8.'London Calling' (The Clash, 1980).
9.'Blonde On Blonde' (Bob Dylan, 1966).
10.'The Beatles' ('The White Album') (The Beatles, 1968).

Comments?
(sorry, no link)

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

They needed an "expert panel" for this? Not that these aren't all fine records, but geez.

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

12 Angry Geirs

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Just burn my fucking face off and stamp on my fucking brain, OK? WE ALL PREFERED LIFE SO MCUH MORE WHEN WE WERE FUCKING DEAD, DIDN'T WE?!

Nick hates Rolling Stone.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:46 (twenty-one years ago)

1.'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (The Beatles, 1967).

I have to assume people who list this at #1 have never actually heard it.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Was this an expert pannel of focus group organizers?

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

It is true, I saw the mag, but I dunno if they've got it on the net. So rockist and predictable. Rockictable, you might say. Except that it sounds a little too much like Huxtable ....

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

It was a load of dead donkeys who once read Mojo.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I hope this panel each got a free holiday in iraq for their trouble.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

It was a load of dead donkeys who once read Mojo.

Ok, I'm a bit tired of reading shitty lists (hell, I'd be more curious when someone posts a list they love here these days), but that line made this thread more than worthwhile.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I am working on a list, but I have to write a sentence about each record first, otherwise the list is redundant. A shopping list alone is worthless - a shopping list and a recipe book together are GREAT.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, the Pitchfork list was pretty inspiring, if also irritating.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"(hell, I'd be more curious when someone posts a list they love here these days)"

The only round-up list I've EVER liked is Ned's 136 best albums of the 1990s, and even that had Pulp in it. Lists are masturbation, and I dislike them when they purport to be anything more than pointless posing just as I hate wanky guitar solos.

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 3 January 2004 20:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I fucking hate lists, but I've gotta do one for something, so I figured I'd make it worthwhile by fleshing it out a bit. I've not got Ned's patience (or knowledge, wisdom, vision, hair, etcetera) so it'll end up being short and probably completely shit, but there you go.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

My lists are always short and shit, and that's the best way to have them. In that respect, lists are like trips to the toilet when you have company.

― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

There's like 490 albums after these, right? Yeah, seen it.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:04 (twenty-one years ago)

You don't really like music if you don't agree, Nate.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

And what's more you're probably not a real human being with ears.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

loook at meeeeeeeeeeeee i can levitate!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i am puuuuuuurple!!!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:06 (twenty-one years ago)

#6 in the list ta represent ya'llz...

Ugh, i'll never understand why they foist that so high. It's allright and all, but rotate it or something, Prince, or give some love to Curtis' There's No Place Like America Today or something...geeze!

― Phil Dokes (sunny), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i went through that whole list of 500 and was very, er, not happy by the end.
the best fucking 500 of all time and no mention of kraftwerk or numan. while every 3rd entry was a fucking beatles album¡¡¡
i mean, fuck.

― dyson (dyson), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

really? i didn't notice that. that's just plain out ridiculous. forget i started this thread.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

What the fucking fuck? Is every magazine just going to re-group every 10 days from here to eternity to make the same damned list over and over?

It seems the only thinking goes into finding new ways to title the damn thing.

― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 3 January 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

No Gary Numan? Well f*** that. I bet Diamanda Galas wasn't there either.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Can we please not have this conversation again? OK, thx.

― jaymc (jaymc), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

hey, remember that time when rolling stone was totally OTM?

― Ian Johnson (orion), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

There's like 490 albums after these, right? Yeah, seen it.

rolling stone's 500 greatest albums of all time

― tod (tod), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry to have to do that

― tod (tod), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

At least everyone agrees that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the greatest rock'n'roll album ever recorded (or that ever will be recorded.)

― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 3 January 2004 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

The perennial underdog finally getting the respect is deserves.

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 3 January 2004 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

haha! otm, gear!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Sunday, 4 January 2004 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

What do you reckon is 11th? I'm gonna go with theaudience's debut album.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 4 January 2004 00:54 (twenty-one years ago)

No way, no. 11 has to be These Animal Men

― pete s, Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I dont know why people get so upset by stuff like this. surely these are the best albums of all time, because people say they are. isnt that enuogh. i mean, are we all wanting alan braxe and lil jon and legowelt records at number one? why? rolling stone magazine is a magazine for rolling stone readers. look at rolling stone readers. no, just look at them, drop the ire for one second, and look at them. do they deserve anything else? no. let them be. leave them with this, these are just albums targeted at a demographic. thats all. nothing else.

― gareth (gareth), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a Rolling Stone reader when I'm bored and stuck in small American airports.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Unless they have The Source.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Or maybe Wired.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

or Kriss-Kross

― pete s, Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

These are very brave choices.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I kinda think they DO deserve better! The RS list says "The sixties are the be-all and end-all of rock music; the rest is just footnotes at best." The implicit flipside of this is "It's over. Just like everything else you once believed in." Or, if you don't remember the sixties, it's "Why bother?" How fucking dispiriting is that? I don't wish that boomer triumphalism/defeatism on anyone, including the RS readership, the majority of whom always have and always will have pretty damned different musical priorities than mine.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, if music is "over" why doesn't RS just close up shop and instead publish a magazine about...oh, i dunno...macrame or knitting or something. The world *always* needs more Macrame magazines.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Sunday, 4 January 2004 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

But Rolling Stone hasn't been known for its music coverage since the late '60s. Every great writer since then has covered news or politics (other rock critics like Bangs stopped through but didn't stay long), and now that it's emulating Maxim it's known for news, politics, and skin photos. But musically, the Stone has missed every trend since the hippie era. This is actually THE perfect RS Top 10 list.

― Chris Dahlen (Chris Dahlen), Sunday, 4 January 2004 02:10 (twenty-one years ago)

This is actually THE perfect RS Top 10 list
with the possible exception of those "rap" albums the kids these days are listening to.

― dyson (dyson), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

jesus f christ, 4 beatles albums in the list? i think not. looks more like the baby boomer's list to me.

― jack cole (jackcole), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

6 out of 10 in that list are limeys. That's why it sucks.
Rolling Stone, have you NO self-respect?

― pleb, Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

The perfect RS albums list would be composed entirely of Jann Wenner's friends and no-one else.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:55 (twenty-one years ago)

daddino wins with the perfect answer

― jack cole (jackcole), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)

All ten Mick Jagger solo albums! (Including remix collections, singles compilations, homemade CDRs with razor cuts on the case from the various cocaine binges...)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Number one album of all time: "Goddess In the Doorway"

― Gear! (Gear!), Sunday, 4 January 2004 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Honestly, has anyone ever made it through all of Blonde on Blonde in one sitting?

― may pang (maypang), Sunday, 4 January 2004 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

F all these double albums on this list in general.

― may pang (maypang), Sunday, 4 January 2004 04:01 (twenty-one years ago)

i just surprised the boss doesnt have an album on the list.

― jack cole (jackcole), Sunday, 4 January 2004 04:12 (twenty-one years ago)

The Boss hasn't allowed Wenner to fellate him just yet.

― Gear! (Gear!), Sunday, 4 January 2004 04:16 (twenty-one years ago)

pet sounds i have no problem with but i really dont get why everyone rates Revolver so highly. it sounds like Crispian Mills could have made it

― Flotsam of the Fishfolk (Flotsam of the Fishfolk), Sunday, 4 January 2004 23:01 (twenty-one years ago)

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