The New Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums List • Page 10

my eyes are bleeding wow congrats

 

I also wonder just how many votes people got. Like 100% Rob Sheffield got the damn Harry Styles record on the list. But, like, did he say it was one of the TEN best records ever?

 

Also this list sorta makes me want to do the first Chorus installment of that User-Picked 100 Albums You Have to Hear thing we did thrice on AP.

 

I like Rob. But I do not understand the Harry Styles infatuation.

 

It would be pretty fascinating to see what people would pick out now that most people’s tastes have broadened considerably.

If you’ve read his books, it’s clear that Rob is just very fascinated with superstardom and fandom, sometimes as much as he is with the music itself. I think it informs a lot of what he ranks or rates highly, and it definitely benefits Harry. Still don’t know how that album would have gotten to the final list, though.

 

I would honestly hope that, like before, it was a heterogenous mix of predictable and weird. That mixture drove everyone nuts back then ("Why would you include The Starting Line?!?!") but it was honestly my goal from the very beginning.

One of my favorite writers, period. In particular because of how much he's a fan as well as a critic. But yeah that album, while very good, is not an all-time classic.

 

Yeah, they were very cool lists. Enough familiar stuff to scroll through and say “I like a bunch of these!” but also enough under-the-radar stuff to fuel discovery. Definitely found a few new favorites through that. Do you still have those lists somewhere?

Anyway, I’d be game to participate if you want to spearhead it!

 

I'm all for our own GOAT lists thread/project - would be cool to see where everyone stands

 

im down if i am welcome

 

Gorillaz - Demon Days should be on here

Surprised to see three Pavement albums included.

 

Yeah I have all three saved. I should ask Jason if he wants to resurrect them.

 

I also wonder if anyone has the list we did in like 2015 where the general forum voted on their all-time favorite albums and we made a cumulative top 50 (I think?) that then got posted on the website, blurbs and all. Only issue with that one is that Brand New took the number 1 slot.

 

Oh I vaaaaaguely remember it.

 

I think you did an Everything in Transit blurb? And I did one for Futures?

 

Oh yeah! I hope that list exists. I now am remembering being very happy with that write-up.

 

Lol did someone steal my joke and change the Hotelier album????

 

Upon really going through, the cuts that bum me out the most:

Blood, Sweat and Tears - Child Is Father to the Man
Cheap Trick - At Budokan
Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Bob Dylan - Desire
Stan Getz and Joao Gilbert - Getz/Jilberto
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Billy Joel - 52nd Street
Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
The Meters - Rejuvenation
Willie Nelson - Stardust
Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
The O'Jays - Back Stabbers
Graham Parker and The Rumour - Squeezing Out Sparks
The Pogues - Rum Sodomy and the Lash
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
Various Artists - The Anthology of American Folk Music
Tom Waits -The Heart of Saturday Night
Muddy Waters - Folk Singer
Barry White - Can't Get Enough

Coolest inclusions:

Neil Young - On the Beach
Bill Withers - Still Bill
Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
Taylor Swift - Red
Rufus - Ask Rufus
Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
Charles Mingus - Miingus Ah Um
John Mayer - Continuum
The Isley Brothers - 3 + 3
Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen
Chic - Risque
2pac - All Eyez on Me

 

Some interesting insights into the list-making process from Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide here.

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums: Say Goodnight to the Rock & Roll Era

He confirmed a few of the assumptions/suspicions I had about the list, including:

-Ballots were 50 albums
-He and many other voters left off a lot of the "usual suspects" (Beatles, Stones, Dylan, etc.) figuring they'd get plenty of support elsewhere.
-He kept a "one album per artist" rule; would not be surprised if many other folks with ballots did the same.
-He saw his ballot as a form of "advocacy" -- a way to boost albums that might not get as much attention on other ballots --rather than as his opinion on which albums were most "important" or "influential."

Anyway, an interesting read that sheds some light on how this list came to be and why it looks like it does.

 

This seems like a dumb way to compile a list that claims to be the 500 greatest albums of all time.

 

Will absolutely be going through his ballot and listening to things I haven’t heard. Love STE

 

His thought process makes sense, but I definitely don't disagree with you. It's very clear that this list exists at least partially as a reaction to the last one, hence the "I don't need to vote for this; someone else will."

Same. I hope other folks who voted for this (the critics at least) also publish their ballots. I'd love to compile those together and work through them for listening.

 

I've heard 33 out of his 50 (and 12 of his 18 shortlisted). Honestly expected to do worse.

I wonder if Hyden voted. I'd love to see his.

 

It looks like Hyden did, indeed, have a ballot.

Who Voted for the 500 Greatest Albums?

 

I really wish theyd release the individual ones