Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020 update)

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I didn't even know this was being done but the original list from 2003 was pretty often cited and referred to, but I feel like a lot of classic rock 'elitist' and music snobs won't look too kindly at the Beatles no longer being #1...

www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/remaking-500-greatest-albums-1061229/

Am about to look through this myself and will probably get the issue whenever it hits newsstands. I still have the issue of the 500 Greatest Songs of all time.

(also, Kurt Albie Kanenrá:ke I wasn't sure if this was the best forum for this thread. It's a chart, yes, but it's not a chart in the same vain as Billboard, and it's News & Entertainment but it's still music focused so...)

[iHype.]

"Take Care" making the top 100, love that hehe. "BEYONCE" making it too is great.

Overall pretty nice list with the expected. The only shock I'd say is Justin Timberlake not getting any albums on it... FutureSex & 20/20 Experience not making it in particular. His image decline since 2018 is something else.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I counted 35 albums from 2010-onward included on the list, which I think is actually great! All Time lists always leaned toward the 60s and 70s and were often rock-heavy and male-dominated. I'm sure this list is still male dominated but I think there's been an increase in albums by women that have been influential, even if many men still fail to acknowledge them. I think it's great that now conversations about "all time" music by the 'elite' can include more modern music and music that sounds modern and is made with present-day relevancy. Also nice to see some more pop music representation too, altho Carly was still absent

http://instagram.com/p/CFcpLumpoAw

[kierz7]

Rihanna’s “ANTI” is at #230.

A CLASSIC! 🔥 🔥 🔥

Overall, the list is still very much Male-oriented but it is a vast improvement from the previous list and I am delighted that their are a plethora of Soul/R&B albums scattered throughout.

Interesting Highlights:

1) Beyonce and Taylor Swift have two albums on the list, as do Madonna and Mariah Carey.

2) Janet Jackson and Joni Mitchell have three albums on the list.

3) Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation...” is in the top ten and is one of two ‘Hip-Hop’ albums on the list by a Female act; Missy Elliot’s debut album is also there and is in the top 100.

4) The Beatles no longer occupy the pole position. (Thank goodness).

[Edith Puthie]

Sept 22, 2020 14:52:47 GMT -5 kierz7 said:

Rihanna’s “ANTI” is at #230.

A CLASSIC! 🔥 🔥 🔥

Overall, the list is still very much Male-oriented but it is a vast improvement from the previous list and I am delighted that their are a plethora of Soul/R&B albums scattered throughout.

Interesting Highlights:

1) Beyonce and Taylor Swift have two albums on the list, as do Madonna and Mariah Carey.

2) Janet Jackson and Joni Mitchell have three albums on the list.

3) Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation...” is in the top ten and is one of two ‘Hip-Hop’ albums on the list by a Female act; Missy Elliot’s debut album is also there and is in the top 100.

4) The Beatles no longer occupy the pole position. (Thank goodness).

Madonna has 3, Mariah has 1.  Joni Mitchell has 4.

[HolidayGuy]

The Beatles, unsurprisingly, has the most entries (nine); Bob Dylan follows with eight.

Most among female acts are Aretha Franklin and Joni M. (four each).

[Edith Puthie]

Kanye West's first six albums all made the list (all inside the top 300, too) giving him the most love among hip hop acts.

[jodakyellow]

A huge, huge improvement over the last list. Good on them for putting in the work!

[renfield75]

Nice to see Purple Rain advance to the top ten.

[jodakyellow]

Does anyone have a good way to read the list without dealing with the slow image load time on Rolling Stone?

[Edith Puthie]

Artists with Multiple entries via Wikipedia. (I haven't verified all of these, and already had to add Janet to the list, so I'm not vouching for its accuracy.)  

9
The Beatles (one in the top 10 at the No. 5 spot)

8
Bob Dylan (one credited to Bob Dylan and the Band; one in the top 10 at the No. 9 spot)

6
Kanye West
The Rolling Stones
Neil Young

5
Led Zeppelin
Bruce Springsteen
David Bowie

4 
Aretha Franklin
Radiohead
The Who
Joni Mitchell (one in the top 10 at the No. 3 spot)
Pink Floyd
Prince
Sly and the Family Stone
Stevie Wonder
The Velvet Underground (one album credited with Nico)

3
The Band (one credited to Bob Dylan and The Band)
Outkast
Kendrick Lamar
The Beach Boys (one in the top 10 at the No. 2 spot)
Al Green
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Big Star
Beastie Boys
Tom Petty (two with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
Black Sabbath
The Clash
James Brown
George Clinton (two with Funkadelic, one with Parliament)
Marvin Gaye (one in the top 10 at the No. 1 spot)
Al Green
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Michael Jackson
Madonna
Nirvana
Elvis Presley
Jay-Z
Janet Jackson
Fiona Apple

[garrettlen]

Eh. It's just another list. Don't agree with "Pet Sounds" being ahead of "Abbey Road" or "Sgt. Pepper's" but at the end of the day it's just another list among many.

At least the Beatles got the most overall albums on the new list; critics/voters still seem to recognize that they have one of the most consistent discographies of any artist.

[felipe]

Wish Pet Sounds was #1.

[owenlovesmusic]

Kanye with 6 😍

[when the pawn...]

Albums by Women (hopefully I didn't miss any, made quick cuts)
3 | Joni Mitchell | Blue | 1971
7 | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours | 1977
10 | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998
13 | Aretha Franklin | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You | 1967
23 | The Velvet Underground & Nico | The Velvet Underground & Nico | 1967
25 | Carole King | Tapestry | 1971
26 | Patti Smith | Horses | 1975
32 | Beyoncé | Lemonade | 2016
33 | Amy Winehouse | Back to Black | 2006
39 | Talking Heads | Remain in Light | 1980
56 | Liz Phair | Exile in Guyville | 1993
68 | Kate Bush | Hounds of Love | 1985
69 | Alanis Morrissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1995
75 | Aretha Franklin | Lady Soul | 1968
81 | Beyoncé | Beyoncé | 2013
83 | Dusty Springfield | Dusty in Memphis | 1969
89 | Erykah Badu | Baduizm | 1997
93 | Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott | Supa Dupa Fly | 1997
98 | Lucinda Williams | Car Wheels on a Gravel Road | 1998
99 | Taylor Swift | Red | 2012
106 | Hole | Live Through This | 1994
108 | Fiona Apple | When the Pawn... | 1999
110 | Joni Mitchell | Court and Spark | 1974
111 | Janet Jackson | Control | 1986
119 | Sly and the Family Stone | Stand! | 1969
126 | Mary J. Blige | My Life | 1994
131 | Portishead | Dummy | 1994
133 | Joni Mitchell | Hejira | 1976
134 | Fugees | The Score | 1996
137 | Adele | 21 | 2011
138 | Madonna | The Immaculate Collection | 1990
146 | Blondie | Parallel Lines | 1978
152 | The Pretenders | Pretenders | 1980
153 | PJ Harvey | Rid of Me | 1993
154 | Aretha Franklin | Amazing Grace | 1972
158 | Erykah Badu | Mama's Gun | 2000
171 | Sonic Youth | Daydream Nation | 1988
184 | Cyndi Lauper | She's So Unusual | 1983
189 | Sleater-Kinney | Dig Me Out | 1997
191 | Etta James | At Last! | 1961
196 | Robyn | Body Talk | 2010
198 | The B-52's | The B-52's | 1979
200 | Sade | Diamond Life | 1984
202 | Björk | Homogenic | 1997
212 | Nina Simone | Wild Is the Wind | 1966
213 | Fiona Apple | The Idler Wheel... | 2012
218 | TLC | CrazySexyCool | 1994
222 | Madonna | Ray of Light | 1998
224 | Dixie Chicks | Fly | 1999
229 | Patsy Cline | The Ultimate Collection | 2000
230 | Rihanna | Anti | 2016
233 | Tori Amos | Little Earthquakes | 1992
245 | Cocteau Twins | Heaven or Las Vegas | 1990
247 | Sade | Love Deluxe | 1992
249 | Whitney Houston | Whitney Houston | 1985
256 | Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | 1988
257 | Dolly Parton | Coat of Many Colors | 1971
258 | Joni Mitchell | The Hissing of Summer Lawns | 1975
259 | Janis Joplin | Pearl | 1971
260 | The Slits | Cut | 1979
270 | Kacey Musgraves | Golden Hour | 2018
271 | Mary J. Blige | What's the 411? | 1992
277 | Alicia Keys | The Diary of Alicia Keys | 2003
283 | Donna Summer | Bad Girls | 1975
289 | Björk | Post | 1995
291 | Destiny's Child | The Writing's on the Wall | 1999
300 | Shania Twain | Come On Over | 1997
303 | ABBA | The Definitive Collection | 2001
312 | Solange | A Seat at the Table | 2016
313 | PJ Harvey | Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea | 2000
314 | Aaliyah | One in a Million | 1996
315 | Rosalía | El Mal Querer | 2018
317 | Billie Holiday | Lady in Satin | 1958
318 | Janet Jackson | The Velvet Rope | 1997
321 | Lana Del Rey | Norman f**king Rockwell! | 2019
331 | Madonna | Like a Prayer | 1989
339 | Janet Jackson | Rhythm Nation 1814 | 1989
343 | Sly & the Family Stone | Greatest Hits | 1970
348 | Gillian Welch | Time (The Revelator) | 2001
354 | X-Ray Spex | Germfree Adolescents | 1978
358 | Sonic Youth | Goo | 1990
364 | Talking Heads | More Songs About Buildings and Foods | 1978
377 | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Fever to Tell | 2003
388 | Aretha Franklin | Young, Gifted and Black | 1972
389 | Mariah Carey | The Emancipation of Mimi | 2005
391 | Kelis | Kaleidoscope | 1999
392 | Ike & Tina Turner | Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner | 1991
393 | Taylor Swift | 1989 | 2014
394 | Diana Ross | Diana | 1980
397 | Billie Eilish | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | 2019
400 | The Go-Go's | Beauty and the Beat | 1981
401 | Blondie | Blondie | 1977
404 | Anita Baker | Rapture | 1986
414 | Chic | Risqué | 1979
421 | M.I.A. | Arular | 2005
426 | Lucinda Williams | Lucinda Williams | 1988
440 | Loretta Lynn | Coal Miner's Daughter | 1971
441 | Britney Spears | Blackout | 2007
444 | Fiona Apple | Extraordinary Machine | 2005
450 | Paul & Linda McCartney | Ram | 1971
451 | Roberta Flack | First Take | 1969
452 | Diana Ross & The Supremes | Anthology | 1974
457 | Sinéad O'Connor | I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got | 1990
460 | Lorde | Melodrama | 2017
463 | Laura Nyro | Eli and the Thirteenth Confession | 1968
472 | SZA | Ctrl | 2017
475 | Sheryl Crow | Sheryl Crow | 1996
479 | Selena | Amor Prohibido | 1994
480 | Miranda Lambert | Weight of These Wings | 2016
481 | Belle and Sebastian | If You're Feeling Sinister | 1996
484 | Lady Gaga | Born This Way | 2011
485 | Richard and Linda Thompson | I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight | 1974
490 | Linda Ronstadt | Heart Like a Wheel | 1975
492 | Bonnie Raitt | Nick of Time | 1989
494 | The Ronettes | Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes | 1964
496 | Shakira | Dónde Están los Ladrones | 1998
499 | Rufus & Chaka Khan | Ask Rufus | 1977
500 | Arcade Fire | Funeral | 2004

[willapted33]

this list is a big improvement

glad pet sounds is above all the beatles albums, and sgt peppers isn't their highest anymore
great number 1
kanye & kendrick representation in the top 20 is nice
blonde in the top 100 too
also nice to see some of the underground hip-hop classics like madvillainy/donuts/entroducing getting recognised 
there's still some terrible takes like appetite for destruction over hounds of love, but overall its solid

[Wave.]

Rihanna, Solange and Cudi YES. I play those 3 all the time.

[kalmanta]

Rhythm Nation and especially Velvet Rope deserved more recognition. I‘m happy for the Bey love, and I didn’t expect Thriller to shoot up 8 places. Out of all the Abel albums the choose BBTM -.-

[WolfSpear]

Oh, this is definitely not a list without fault though...
Let's be fair, but Joni Mitchell shouldn't be that far up. I understand how Marvin went to #1, but a 30-3 jump for her?

Yes, it's a good thing that there's plenty from the 2010's. Gives the list some credibility...

[HolidayGuy]

^The voting pool (300-plus) isn't the same as the initial list, hence some of the notable differences.

[imbondz]

Super weird Marvin Gaye album is #1. It’s a great album but best of all time. Eh. Pet Sounds is a great album but not better than Sgt Pepper or Abbey Road. And I disagree with Purple Rain being above Thriller. Not a Rolling Stones fan so don’t care what they think.

[HolidayGuy]

^The band didn't make the list.

See above- it's not just Rolling Stone, per se- many participated in this feature. There haven't been many big list features as of late, so this came out at a good time.

[jodakyellow]

I really hope they're working on a re-do of the Songs list as well

[jodakyellow]

Sept 22, 2020 18:27:04 GMT -5 Edith Puthie said:

Artists with Multiple entries via Wikipedia. (I haven't verified all of these, and already had to add Janet to the list, so I'm not vouching for its accuracy.)  

Do you mind adding Fiona Apple (to your post, not to wikipedia haha)? She has 3 albums on the list.




Unrelated: I don't love that they included Greatest Hits albums, especially in a case like The Immaculate Collection where we're really talking about massive, massive hits that are already represented on commercially successful albums.

[Edith Puthie]

Sept 23, 2020 20:25:28 GMT -5 jodakyellow said:

Sept 22, 2020 18:27:04 GMT -5 Edith Puthie said:

Artists with Multiple entries via Wikipedia. (I haven't verified all of these, and already had to add Janet to the list, so I'm not vouching for its accuracy.)  

Do you mind adding Fiona Apple (to your post, not to wikipedia haha)? She has 3 albums on the list.

Unrelated: I don't love that they included Greatest Hits albums, especially in a case like The Immaculate Collection where we're really talking about massive, massive hits that are already represented on commercially successful albums.

Added.  Good catch!

As for the greatest hits inclusion, I thought it was interesting too, but I also feel like it's not the first time.  I guess I look at it like this: if 300+ people are writing in their own 50 best albums, and some collections make the cut, then so be it.  Any are eligible, so any could make the list.  "TIC", "Abba Gold", and Marley's "Legend" are some of those that people felt super strongly about, and so they scored well. Also, not all the songs are available on other albums in Madonna's case, "Into the Groove," "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me" (each are acclaimed songs) were all first available (on an album) via TIC.  But I do get the point about the majority being from successful albums. I just don't think commercial success is the determining factor in "best", either, so it's debatable.

It would be interesting to see if collections weren't allowed, if any of Madonna's other 80s albums would have made it in. Personally, I think her debut probably scored the best, despite being the least commercially successful of the remaining three.

[Edith Puthie]

Sept 23, 2020 17:31:44 GMT -5 imbondz said:

Super weird Marvin Gaye album is #1. It’s a great album but best of all time. Eh. Pet Sounds is a great album but not better than Sgt Pepper or Abbey Road. And I disagree with Purple Rain being above Thriller. Not a Rolling Stones fan so don’t care what they think.

"What's Goin On" was #6 on the previous list, so I don't think it's all that weird that it wound up at #1 this time, especially given the boost many soul/r&b/hip-hop albums received from the new voting pool. It's also one of the most acclaimed albums ever, and is frequently in the upper tier of lists like this. 

Just a reminder: Rolling Stone didn't rank these albums. They compiled the top 500 based on top 50 lists submitted by over 300 industry people who don't work for the magazine, including artists, producers, critics, label execs, etc.  

[kierz7]

The Weeknd has two albums on the list:

“BBTM” + “Take Care”.

We truly love to see it! 👏🏿

Also, it warms my heart to see Mary J Blige with two albums on the list. She is a BONAFIDE LEGEND in the field R&B/Hip-Hop and her first five albums + “The Breakthrough” are absolute staples in the Urban arena.

I’m happy that they’ve acknowledged Alicia Keys also.

[nickd]

when the pawn... - not sure how you're defining albums by women, but "X" has a female lead vocalist (Exene Cervenka) and 3/4 of the members of The Breeders are female, most notably Kim Deal of the Pixies (so she has an impressive 3 albums on the list with her two bands) with only their drummer being a man. Big Brother And The Holding Company also had Janis Joplin as their lead singer for Cheap Thrills. The Raincoats are a female rock duo, they're missing too. IDK if you would count Yo La Tengo, George Hubley is female and one of the co-founders so I think you could. You're also missing Alice Coltrane. I think Jefferson Airplay can also be included since Grace Slick was a pretty important member of the band in contributing to Surrealistic Pillow's success.

[thegreatdivine]

Sept 24, 2020 6:05:47 GMT -5 kierz7 said:

The Weeknd has two albums on the list:

“BBTM” + “Take Care”.

We truly love to see it! 👏🏿

Also, it warms my heart to see Mary J Blige with two albums on the list. She is a BONAFIDE LEGEND in the field R&B/Hip-Hop and her first five albums + “The Breakthrough” are absolute staples in the Urban arena.

I’m happy that they’ve acknowledged Alicia Keys also.

Yeah... no.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Sept 24, 2020 9:34:46 GMT -5 thegreatdivine said:

Sept 24, 2020 6:05:47 GMT -5 kierz7 said:

The Weeknd has two albums on the list:

“BBTM” + “Take Care”.

We truly love to see it! 👏🏿

Also, it warms my heart to see Mary J Blige with two albums on the list. She is a BONAFIDE LEGEND in the field R&B/Hip-Hop and her first five albums + “The Breakthrough” are absolute staples in the Urban arena.

I’m happy that they’ve acknowledged Alicia Keys also.

Yeah... no.

Your tingling drakey-sense is second-to-none!! 🤩