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Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time (Again)

South Austin

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South Austin

South Austin 53220

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Because we need another thread to discuss why my favorite albums rock and your favorite albums suck.

Every decade or so Rolling Stones revises its top album list.  They like to throw some crap records in there to stay hip and relevant, but a lot of no-brainers consistently are listed pretty high.  The Top 10 are:

1.  Marvin Gaye, What's Going On

2.  The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

3.  Joni Mitchell, Blue

4.  Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life

5.  The Beatles, Abbey Road

6.  Nirvana, Nevermind

7.  Fleetwood Mac, Rumours

8.  Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain

9.  Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks

10.  Lauryn Hill, The Miseduation of Lauryn Hill

I think the consensus would agree (except for contrarian assholes on this site) that the albums in the Top 10 are all-time classic great albums.  Do they all belong in the Top 10?  Maybe not.  But they're fantastic, timeless, and influential.  I could kick Joni Mitchell way down the list, but that ranking doesn't upset me, and I recognize the album's importance.

But there's a lot of beer throwing in the Top 50 and Top 100. 

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Ignatius

Ignatius 4138

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2 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Oh "Pet Sounds".  The amazing, super-terrific album that everybody thinks is great, but nobody ever listens to.  

 

Lulz, yeah Pet Sounds is like a lifetime achievement award for Brian Wilson but there’s probably not 100 people in the country who can tell you the lyrics to half the songs. I can fucking karaoke London Calling after a sheet of acid and huffing a 55-gallon drum of gasoline.

 

Not saying it isn’t brilliant, but IMO being a “great album” has a lot to do with in the moment how it impacted people hearing it for the first time....

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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6 hours ago, South Austin said:

Because we need another thread to discuss why my favorite albums rock and your favorite albums suck.

Every decade or so Rolling Stones revises its top album list.  They like to throw some crap records in there to stay hip and relevant, but a lot of no-brainers consistently are listed pretty high.  The Top 10 are:

1.  Marvin Gaye, What's Going On

2.  The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

3.  Joni Mitchell, Blue

4.  Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life

5.  The Beatles, Abbey Road

6.  Nirvana, Nevermind

7.  Fleetwood Mac, Rumours

8.  Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain

9.  Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks

10.  Lauryn Hill, The Miseduation of Lauryn Hill

I think the consensus would agree (except for contrarian assholes on this site) that the albums in the Top 10 are all-time classic great albums.  Do they all belong in the Top 10?  Maybe not.  But they're fantastic, timeless, and influential.  I could kick Joni Mitchell way down the list, but that ranking doesn't upset me, and I recognize the album's importance.

But there's a lot of beer throwing in the Top 50 and Top 100. 

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Oh good so this is the "woke" version. Was wondering when they would publish this. 

I'm not sure I've ever listened to Blue. I'll check it out. Miseducation is the only one of those I have to roll my eyes at that should be nowhere near an all-time top 10 list. Maybe top 10 rap albums of 1998. I mean they're basically saying that that's the greatest rap album of all time which I can't imagine anyone trying to argue with a straight face. 

SoTT is a better album than Purple Rain. I would never put Nevermind on a 10 best albums list, but they do phrase it as "greatest" which might take into account things like influence and legacy.

The others? Eh. Nothing much to complain about. 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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After 100 full listens, I am still amazed that Dark Side of the Moon clocks in at just 43 minutes.  That's not just short for a Pink Floyd album, that's not just short for a concept album, that's just short for a great 1970's record overall.  

Anyway, this debate bleeds into other threads on here.....there are albums on that list that were absolutely groundbreaking with the heat of 1000 suns but a bunch of the tracks on those records were crap.  Likewise, there were albums that didn't necessarily move the earth but damn if you can't put them on start to finish with a few drinks and lose yourself.  But the Rolling Stone list does try to encapsulate myriad genres and eras, and that's important.  That's something I just don't have the patience nor the ear for, but it's needed.  

That is one thing our children will never know.  They'll read one-sided album reviews on lists like this or the comments section on Spotify or Apple Music, but the record store debate or sales job.  To emotionally connect with someone else over music as the tacit, or even ontological, representation of what you're really trying to connect over.  That is now lost to time.  I enjoy talking music with the folks on here, but it's just not the same.  Get off my lawn, he yelled.  I don't mind how we digest music, but it's a shame how we connect through it now. 

Physical Graffiti, if broken up, would be two of the greatest ten albums ever made.  Fight me. 

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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13 minutes ago, Lobo said:

That is one thing our children will never know.  They'll read one-sided album reviews on lists like this or the comments section on Spotify or Apple Music, but the record store debate or sales job.  To emotionally connect with someone else over music as the tacit, or even ontological, representation of what you're really trying to connect over.  That is now lost to time.  I enjoy talking music with the folks on here, but it's just not the same.  Get off my lawn, he yelled.  I don't mind how we digest music, but it's a shame how we connect through it now. 

What the hell are you talking about?

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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The death of talking about music in person because of the end of record stores.  It's a thread about older albums man, people are gonna wax nostalgic.  Forget it.  

I wonder how live music will comeback as well.  Ah well, I'm old.  

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

The death of talking about music in person because of the end of record stores.

So record stores are the only place where people talked about music? Maybe the burnout working at the record store had some shitty opinions and sold some records that people didn't like. 

It is easier to discuss music than ever before with people of all demographics living all around the globe. Don't you think that's pretty fucking amazing? And now, we can pull up almost every notable song ever recorded instantly to share with each other. And we can share things that we recorded instantly with anyone on the planet that has internet access. 

There's a lot of things we don't do as much "in person" but that's just how society has progressed in general. So sure, maybe 12 year olds in 2020 aren't having debates with people at a record store, but they are absolutely spoiled with the access they have to music and the discourse surrounding it. 

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Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

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3 minutes ago, ztejas said:

So record stores are the only place where people talked about music? Maybe the burnout working at the record store had some shitty opinions and sold some records that people didn't like. 

It is easier to discuss music than ever before with people of all demographics living all around the globe. Don't you think that's pretty fucking amazing? And now, we can pull up almost every notable song ever recorded instantly to share with each other. And we can share things that we recorded instantly with anyone on the planet that has internet access. 

There's a lot of things we don't do as much "in person" but that's just how society has progressed in general. So sure, maybe 12 year olds in 2020 aren't having debates with people at a record store, but they are absolutely spoiled with the access they have to music and the discourse surrounding it. 

Yeah, you are right about that.  We are spoiled that we can call on any song at any time from anywhere in the world.  And as Norm Peterson would say, we always come back to the ones we love.  

I stumbled upon this cool platform called the Preservation Project.  They'd go to "unclaimed" archives and master tapes from old recording studios and collections where literally nobody knew who the recording artist was because it was just lost to time or deaths or whatever.  And they'd remaster it and press it to vinyl for limited distribution.  And there is some kickass soul and funk on there that would blow your mind.  Really great shit and they put it out there for people to claim and if so, they share a huge chunk of royalties (much moreso than a usual label agreement).  If not, they use the proceeds to fund the next "hunt" for master tapes.  Check it out when you can, really cool shit.  Even in this digital age, there's still old-school reel/tapes/etc. to be found all around the world from way on way back when.  

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D_Goose

D_Goose 497

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For comparison, this was the top 10 from the 2003 list:

10. Beatles - White Album

9. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

8. The Clash - London Calling

7. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

5. The Beatles - Rubber Soul

4. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

3. The Beatles - Revolver

2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

1.  The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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34 minutes ago, D_Goose said:

For comparison, this was the top 10 from the 2003 list:

10. Beatles - White Album

9. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

8. The Clash - London Calling

7. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

5. The Beatles - Rubber Soul

4. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

3. The Beatles - Revolver

2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

1.  The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers

Well that's a shitty list for a completely different reason. At least it was a somewhat honest list.

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deadshank

deadshank 24654

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16 hours ago, South Austin said:

I think the consensus would agree (except for contrarian assholes on this site) that the albums in the Top 10 are all-time classic great albums.  Do they all belong in the Top 10?  Maybe not.  But they're fantastic, timeless, and influential.  I could kick Joni Mitchell way down the list, but that ranking doesn't upset me, and I recognize the album's importance.

But there's a lot of beer throwing in the Top 50 and Top 100. 

Link

Not picking at you but anytime someone fool says "importance"  or "important" about an album, song or band I shake my head.  Influential, ground-breaking, timeless, etc. are all OK with me.  "Important" as a descriptor is silly and used by silly critics.

Let's fight.

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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9 hours ago, D_Goose said:

For comparison, this was the top 10 from the 2003 list:

10. Beatles - White Album

9. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

8. The Clash - London Calling

7. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

5. The Beatles - Rubber Soul

4. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

3. The Beatles - Revolver

2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

1.  The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers

This is a better list.

Not having the Stones in the Top 10 but Lauryn fucking Hill is insane.  I mean, that's a great hip hop album, and certainly worthy of the Top 500, but that's a 100% "we need to put in a black woman" pick.

Pet Sounds has two great songs.  The rest is a fucking snoozefest.

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Pet Sounds has two great songs.  The rest is a fucking snoozefest.

Couldn't disagree more, but I'm not sure I want to get into a full on Pet Sounds debate. 

I Know There's An Answer is one of the most brilliant songs I've ever heard. 

 

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12623

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Couldn't disagree more, but I'm not sure I want to get into a full on Pet Sounds debate. 
I Know There's An Answer is one of the most brilliant songs I've ever heard. 
 

It just doesn’t trip my trigger.

You can’t argue with “God Only Knows” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?”, but I just don’t think the entire thing is some staggering masterpiece
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Deej

Deej 77807

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1 hour ago, ztejas said:

Couldn't disagree more, but I'm not sure I want to get into a full on Pet Sounds debate. 

I Know There's An Answer is one of the most brilliant songs I've ever heard. 

 

I never realized the cover photo was taken in College Station. 

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trza-hawk

trza-hawk 269

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Decades after the fact, some of the friends of session players from the Lauryn Hill album came out with some stories about how the players contributed musically, like they thought they deserved writing credits on the album. The stuff after the fact only added to the craziness, like signing other session musicians to non disclosure deals where they can only vaguely talk about the sessions for the follow up album that never came out.

 

Anyway, the number one solo jazz pianist went on a crazy rant about her in 2018

 

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Queen Bitch

Queen Bitch 1692

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I got the '03 issue in the mail at Jester my freshman year, and it's one of the most important / influential things I've ever scoured over. It opened my eyes to so many new artists, thanks to the UGL and Fine Arts libraries. So many thoughts on this new edition:

The idea that Amy Winehouse made a better album than every single David Bowie record is... a choice.

Thrilled Sonic Youth got a second record this time around. Would've taken 5 guesses to get to Goo. And I like Goo!

Is every single Kanye record on the list? Siiiiigh.

Glad they (mostly) kicked off Greatest Hits and soundtracks. There were far, far too many on the original list.

Harry Styles? No. John Mayer? No. Lorde? No. Billie Eilish? No. My Chemical Romance? No. Lana Del Rey? No. TAYLOR SWIFT IN THE TOP 100?!?!?! GO HOME RS, YOU'RE DRUNK. These'll all age terribly and be quietly removed next go-round.

Live Through This at #106 is absurdly high, and I'm not complaining. Don't @ me.

Far, far, far, far, FAR too many records from the past 5 years.

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Cheeseweasel

Cheeseweasel 26439

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2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

The fact that they have The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill above every record the Stones made is really all you need to know about this list.

I’m repeating myself here, but holy shit is that indefensible

I'm going to repeat what  you said because it sums up this entire "shit" list. Anyone who thinks RS doesn't put these out just to stir up controversy and get people talking doesn't understand how Media works.

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ztejas

ztejas 44223

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7 hours ago, Queen Bitch said:

The idea that Amy Winehouse made a better album than every single David Bowie record is... a choice.

I didn't actually read the rest of the list because the top 10 told me what I needed to know, but, wow. I will take up an argument with anyone anytime of the day that Ziggy deserves to be in any conversation of flat out greatest album ever made.

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Cheeseweasel

Cheeseweasel 26439

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5 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I didn't actually read the rest of the list because the top 10 told me what I needed to know, but, wow. I will take up an argument with anyone anytime of the day that Ziggy deserves to be in any conversation of flat out greatest album ever made.

If Taylor Swift made it, RS would agree with you.

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usmc0331horn

usmc0331horn 995

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7 hours ago, Queen Bitch said:

I got the '03 issue in the mail at Jester my freshman year, and it's one of the most important / influential things I've ever scoured over. It opened my eyes to so many new artists, thanks to the UGL and Fine Arts libraries. So many thoughts on this new edition:

The idea that Amy Winehouse made a better album than every single David Bowie record is... a choice.

Thrilled Sonic Youth got a second record this time around. Would've taken 5 guesses to get to Goo. And I like Goo!

Is every single Kanye record on the list? Siiiiigh.

Glad they (mostly) kicked off Greatest Hits and soundtracks. There were far, far too many on the original list.

Harry Styles? No. John Mayer? No. Lorde? No. Billie Eilish? No. My Chemical Romance? No. Lana Del Rey? No. TAYLOR SWIFT IN THE TOP 100?!?!?! GO HOME RS, YOU'RE DRUNK. These'll all age terribly and be quietly removed next go-round.

Live Through This at #106 is absurdly high, and I'm not complaining. Don't @ me.

Far, far, far, far, FAR too many records from the past 5 years.

I actually would totally agree that Amy Winehouse could have. Back to Black is the best album since 2000 imo.

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usmc0331horn

usmc0331horn 995

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46 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I didn't actually read the rest of the list because the top 10 told me what I needed to know, but, wow. I will take up an argument with anyone anytime of the day that Ziggy deserves to be in any conversation of flat out greatest album ever made.

You could make that argument for Back to Black as well.

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usmc0331horn

usmc0331horn 995

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3 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

The fact that they have The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill above every record the Stones made is really all you need to know about this list.

 

I’m repeating myself here, but holy shit is that indefensible

I do think it's a classic album but wouldn't one put albums like Nas or Tupac or Biggie ahead of it?

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