Even if that list is something of a composite, I still think it's pretty good. Now, all you have to do is spend another coupla years makin' it your own! Especially with some left-field and personal additions.

I.E., The Meadowlands, by The Wrens...

Oh, and there isn't an album on that list that I don't love.

quote:

Originally posted by BContrat:
I.E., The Meadowlands, by The Wrens...

Oh, and there isn't an album on that list that I don't love.

I think what Mark is trying to say is that it's nice to see some surprises (pleasant or unpleasant) on lists like these, instead of just a list of albums that are generally accepted as being good. I don't doubt you like all those albums, but I'm guessing that since you're only 16, you possibly haven't heard a lot of lesser known & less critically acclaimed albums that you might enjoy even more than some of these.

I think that the above stated top 25 list is excellent because it shows that music recorded in the last 20 years is relevant. I think Rollingstone has had it's time and is now slowly drifting into irrelevence.

Also if you you want some jazz I would throw on Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" and Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunter" two great jazz records.

Eric: I'm sure your very much right. In my search for good music from 1980s/1970s and even 1960s, I went straight to the critics' picks and lists. Lists are actually a great facilitator to my search, but I'm sure some great albums - that might not have been necessarily groundbreaking or original - would be even more enjoyable to me.

I'm always open to recommendations.

quote:

Originally posted by BContrat:
Eric: I'm sure your very much right. In my search for good music from 1980s/1970s and even 1960s, I went straight to the critics' picks and lists. Lists are actually a great facilitator to my search, but I'm sure some great albums - that might not have been necessarily groundbreaking or original - would be even more enjoyable to me.

I'm always open to recommendations.

Good. It's nice to see somebody your age with an open mind about music (especially music that was created before they were born).

Since you're apparently a Beatles fan, have you tried any Harry Nilsson? He was a friend of the Beatles, and recorded a similar style of eclectic pop. His '71 album Nilsson Schmilsson is generally considered his best. Incredible singer too.

I was gonna say that Harold and Maude is a wonderful movie, so after you watch it, decide if you wanna check Cat Stevens out!

This is a lot like the BCS.

BContrat, I very much like that you are enthralled with music. Pls continue to listen and study and form your own list and tastes no matter what other folks say. Music - who could live without it?

quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
I was gonna say that Harold and Maude is a wonderful movie, so after you watch it, decide if you wanna check Cat Stevens out!

It is indeed a wonderful movie, though sometimes Cat Stevens would just suddenly blare out of nowhere without any warning. Great soundtrack, though.

nice to see Love on the list. Sinatra? Tony Bennett could sing the pants off of Frank. The list is a great place for folks to listen to some great music history. I got pumped up looking at the first 200. There are a few I would drop way lower and some such as Santana that I would bump way up. But it is just a list and I wish I had the time and some really good equipment to listen to every tune on every album on the list. Perhaps that would be heaven.

The top 10 shouldn't be so Beatles-heavy.
Sgt. Pepper and Revolver should make the top 10 but not Rubber Soul or the White Album.
And where is Radiohead?

A few minor but important adjustments:
1. Blonde on Blonde
2. OK Computer
3. Sgt. Pepper
4. London Calling
5. Kid A
6. Pet Sounds
7. Kind of Blue
8. Revolver
9. Hwy. 61 Revisted
10. Zeppelin 4

SPrawl, personally I think Rubber soul is the best beatles album. It's the last one that they made4 pure pop music on. Even though it's less of a revolution than later albums it's got so many of their best songs.

One amazon.com writer known as "janitor-x" points out that Rolling Stone is in fact a magazine purely about pop music.

In his opinion their list is good for a laugh and he says it ignores many important facets like creativity and originality in favour of popularity and impact upon popular culture. He says that if they were honest Rolling Stone would simply list the 500 top-selling albums.

Personally, although I am not of the same character as "janitor-x" I cannot take the list seriously, owing to two lists of 100 albums published before this one, by Joe S. Harrington of Blastitude and David Keenan of the Scottish Sunday Herald, amply demonstrate that Rolling Stone overlook a great deal. In both of these lists only a third of the albums are on Rolling Stone's list

If we exclude:
a) non-rock albums (mainly jazz)
b) albums by artists who have other albums on the Rolling Stone list
we still have the following list of artists on Harrington's and Keenan's lists who have no album on the Rolling Stone Top 500:

-On both Harrington's and Keenan's lists

The Dictators with The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!

• Thirteenth Floor Elevators with Easter Everywhere
  
• Incredible String Band with [/B]The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter[/B]

-On both Harrington’s and Keenan’s lists, but with different albums

• Half Japanese with Charmed Life (Harrington) and Greatest Hits (Keenan)
  
• Tim Buckley with Greetings From L.A. (Harrington) and Starsailor (Keenan)
  
• Can with Ege Bamyasi (Harrington) and Delay 1968 (Keenan)
  
• Blue Öyster Cult with [B]Tyranny & Mutation (Harrington) and Agents of Fortune (Keenan)

-On Harrington’s list only, but with two albums

• The Saints with I'm Stranded and Eternally Yours
  
• Game Theory with Lolita Nation and Two Steps From the Middle Ages
  
• The Dead Boys with Young, Loud & Snotty and its lead singer Stiv Bators with Disconnected

-On Harrington’s list only

• Red Krayola with The Parable of Arable Land
  
• Essra Mohawk with Primordial Lovers
  
• The Flaming Groovies with Teenage Head
  
• Deep Purple with Machine Head
  
• Sparks with Kimono My House
  
• The Sweet with Desolation Boulevard
  
• Hawkwind with Quark, Strangeness & Charm
  
• Richard Hell & the Voidoids with Blank Generation
  
• Stiff Little Fingers with Inflammable Material
  
• The Germs with G.I.
  
• Joy Division with Closer
  
• Circle Jerks with Group Sex
  
• Minor Threat with Minor Threat
  
• Motörhead with Ace of Spades
  
• Bad Religion with How Could Hell Be Any Worse?
  
• The Angry Samoans with Back From Samoa
  
• Barbara Manning with Lately I Keep Scissors

-On Keenan’s list only

• The Sonics with Here Are The Sonics
  
• Monks with Black Monk Time
  
• Dion with The Road I’m On
  
• Tiny Tim with God Bless Tiny Tim
  
• Lee Dorsey with Ride Your Pony
  
• Blue Cheer with Vincebus Eruptum
  
• The Shaggs with The Shaggs
  
• Alexander "Skip" Spence with Oar
  
• Tangerine Dream with Alpha Centuari
  
• Faust with So Far
  
• King Crimson with Red
  
• Neu! with Neu! 75
  
• Pere Ubu with Terminal Tower
  
• The Real Kids with Grown Up Wrong
  
• Cramps with Songs The Lord Taught Us
  
• Throbbing Gristle with Heathen Earth
  
• Kate Bush with Hounds Of Love
  
• John Fahey with Return Of The Repressed
  
• Spacemen 3 with Perfect Prescription
  
• Maher Shalal Hash Baz with From A Summer To Another Summer
  
• The Pastels with Mobile Safari
  
• Current 93 with All the Pretty Little Horses
  
• Scott Walker with Tilt
  
• Belle and Sebastian with If You’re Feeling Sinister
  
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds with The Boatman’s Call
  
• Royal Trux with Accelerator