Greatest albums of all time.
Noting, on Pandagon, one of my favorite blogs, a meme based on an absolutely idiotic list of the "greatest albums ever" (which can be found here), here is the official list of the Greatest Albums of All Time:
Limiting myself to "Rock" made after 1955 or so: (thus omitting blues, reggae, jazz, etc., and limiting each "Rock" band to one album in the top 20)
1. The White Album- The Beatles
2. Beggars' Banquet- Rolling Stones
3. Fun House- The Stooges
4. Electric Ladyland- Jimi Hendrix
5. The Velvet Underground and Nico - Velvet Underground
6. Blonde on Blonde- Dylan
7. Doolittle- The Pixies
8. Paranoid- Black Sabbath
9. Yeti- Amon Duul II
10. Who's Next- The Who
11. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols- Sex Pistols
12. Red- King Crimson
13. ZOSO- Led Zeppelin
14. Maggot Brain- Funkadelic
15. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- David Bowie
16. Nothing's Shocking- Jane's Addiction
17. Siamese Dream- Smashing Pumpkins
18. Hot Rats- Frank Zappa
19. Future Days- CAN
20. Here Come the Warm Jets- Brian Eno
Making this list, I note six things:
1. Most great rock music was made between 1966 and 1974.
2. Only two of the above even came out in the last 20 years.
3. As much as I like Nirvana, NIN, the Police, and The Doors, they are among the least played of the music in my iTunes library. In fact, I think the Doors may just be the most overrated band ever. I mean, I've played Iron Butterfly's Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida more times in the last year than any Doors song.
4. A lot of my favorite bands recorded great songs, but not great albums (e.g., most of my favorite Sabbath is on Sabotage, but there are enough stinkers to make Paranoid better. I can only think of one or two Blue Oyster Cult albums that I ever listen to as albums. The sum total of the Cream on my iPod is a greatest-hits album+ two individual tracks I got at the iTunes music store.)
5. One album on the above top 20 I find so emotionally upsetting that I haven't listened to it in nearly 15 years. (I won't say which)
6. Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd, is number 21. Piper at the Gates of Dawn, if you consider it to be by the same band that turned into Roger Waters' Masturbatory Ego Ravings less than 15 years later, would be just behind. Dark Side of the Moon wouldn't make my top 50. The Wall wouldn't make my top 100.
You may commence arguing.
Rock is Dead. Long Live Rock.
Limiting myself to "Rock" made after 1955 or so: (thus omitting blues, reggae, jazz, etc., and limiting each "Rock" band to one album in the top 20)
1. The White Album- The Beatles
2. Beggars' Banquet- Rolling Stones
3. Fun House- The Stooges
4. Electric Ladyland- Jimi Hendrix
5. The Velvet Underground and Nico - Velvet Underground
6. Blonde on Blonde- Dylan
7. Doolittle- The Pixies
8. Paranoid- Black Sabbath
9. Yeti- Amon Duul II
10. Who's Next- The Who
11. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols- Sex Pistols
12. Red- King Crimson
13. ZOSO- Led Zeppelin
14. Maggot Brain- Funkadelic
15. Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars- David Bowie
16. Nothing's Shocking- Jane's Addiction
17. Siamese Dream- Smashing Pumpkins
18. Hot Rats- Frank Zappa
19. Future Days- CAN
20. Here Come the Warm Jets- Brian Eno
Making this list, I note six things:
1. Most great rock music was made between 1966 and 1974.
2. Only two of the above even came out in the last 20 years.
3. As much as I like Nirvana, NIN, the Police, and The Doors, they are among the least played of the music in my iTunes library. In fact, I think the Doors may just be the most overrated band ever. I mean, I've played Iron Butterfly's Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida more times in the last year than any Doors song.
4. A lot of my favorite bands recorded great songs, but not great albums (e.g., most of my favorite Sabbath is on Sabotage, but there are enough stinkers to make Paranoid better. I can only think of one or two Blue Oyster Cult albums that I ever listen to as albums. The sum total of the Cream on my iPod is a greatest-hits album+ two individual tracks I got at the iTunes music store.)
5. One album on the above top 20 I find so emotionally upsetting that I haven't listened to it in nearly 15 years. (I won't say which)
6. Wish You Were Here, by Pink Floyd, is number 21. Piper at the Gates of Dawn, if you consider it to be by the same band that turned into Roger Waters' Masturbatory Ego Ravings less than 15 years later, would be just behind. Dark Side of the Moon wouldn't make my top 50. The Wall wouldn't make my top 100.
You may commence arguing.
Rock is Dead. Long Live Rock.