Rolling Stone Top 500 All Time Albums

The issue, I believe, is not with Abba being present (it would hardly be a list of the Greatest Albums of All Time if Abba were not present), but rather because they are represented by a compilation album. This is, indeed, a strange thing to do. I could understand the inclusion of a compilation if it were something like Queen’s “Greatest Hits”, as that is a rather special case. But very few bands have just one compilation that is associated with them, such as that. Abba don’t, really, and if they did I would think it would be the more recent Abba Gold, rather than the album featured in the list.

I have very few issues overall with the list. I think it is far more diverse and inclusive than most lists of this type, covering huge ground in terms of both era and genre. It doesn’t have a huge percentage of albums from bands and artists outside the UK and US, but as it seems (to me) to be covering the most impactful and influential albums, rather than the best albums, then it doesn’t seem to be unduly ignoring music from outside the UK and US.

Unfortunately, it is “minor” details like the inclusion of a nondescript Abba compilation that do bring into question the overall list.

 

Well I suspect you are right, it kind of misses the point of being a list of the Greatest Albums. If you follow this line of view, then the list is sorely lacking in classical music. My feelings are that when it comes to classical music, the compositions generally regarded as the most influential and/or the greatest, existed in days before the album existed. There’s some discussion earlier on this post, regarding this and I definitely follow the view that if this were a list of the Greatest Compositions, then those classical composers would feature, but as it is a list of the Greatest Albums, they do not. By that same reasoning, if a band or artist were known more for their singles than their albums, and they had no album deemed good enough to appear in the list, then they should not appear in the list. The Abba compilation just feels out of place compared to the rest of the list.

Again, compare it with Queen’s Greatest Hits. The band had plenty of solid albums, but that one compilation is one the greatest selling complications ever. If someone says the words Queen Greatest Hits, most people can immediately envisage the cover. I bet even my mum and dad (who have no great interest in, or knowledge of, popular music) would recognise the cover of that album. Even though I would still not be convinced by its inclusion in any list of the Greatest Albums of All Time, I could understand how the compilers had come to that conclusion. The Abba compilation just seems lazy.

Read my initial post.....CAN is on the list at #454, Yes #445 and Rush #379, all non US bands. And as I stated Kanye did sample "Sing Swan Song" on one of his albums, CAN is very influential to many.

Good post.....I mentioned hip-hop/rap being on the list a lot because that has become a major genre that is massively popular. That genre is mainly about the lyrics and not the music, heck its all sampled, click tracks and electronic with little use of analog instruments. The early rap had actual music but it is always about the lyrics and the message......Those messages can get over played/hyped and you become desensitized with all of it, that's my big problem with rap.

I grew up with Funk and R&B, I've said that 100s of times here on PA and that music led me to progressive rock, so its easy for me to understand why so much music we here listen to is not represented as well understand why it has musical value from a "All Time" view. But my subjective mind will always ask why not more diverse and include more CAN, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores, Isley Bros, Classical music as well Country.

EW&F has one, ONE album listed and its not even their most influential, That's The Way Of the World is a soundtrack to a failed movie in the late 70s, it spawned 2 massive hits in the title track which has become EW&F anthem as well Shinning Star. But I promise you pretty much every R&B, Hip Hop/Rap artist will give huge credit to EW&F music as inspiration and influence to what they do now. The album All n All is a more fitting one as well list should include 2-3 others.

We as progressive rock music fans have the most open mind of all fans, yes?? So I would hope the list would open your minds to some of this music, which is not foreign unlike prog, and do some exploration to see what is up, there is a lot of non rap/hip hop stuff that I am sure many here have not heard or know. Vanilla pop music, plain jane rock music and such.

Like I said I don't have much if any issue with the list, me personally I would love to see what the voters chose.

ANY music list is predictable, we can't argue that..........

BTW, I am and have been a huge jazz fan for most of my musical life. Keep in mind, once someone tells you they grew up on Funk and R&B, there is very good chance they are also a jazz fan. My record collection speaks volumes on jazz for me.....Clearly you have not been over to the Vinyl thread and seen my posts.

I don't know how old you are but I mentioned I am a fan of old school/the original rap from the late 70's......I was fully onboard with rap by Grandmaster Flash/Furious 5/Sugarhill Gang and others. 

I grew up in So Cal, so my friend....I WAS THERE!! East LA, Watts we hung out in a lot of those places and listened to all that which was new coming out, I'm not white I'm Hispanic. Still dangerous times but was easier for me to blend, I lived in a very ethnic neighborhood, kids got shot walking to school by rival gangs, let alone jumped (if u know what that means). 

Back then all those lyrics spoke volumes and the music was great that accompanied the rap style. I had 2 white friends, the balance were Hispanic, Asian and Black we all grew up together playing baseball and football.......Please don't try to school me, your being pretentious (which I can ignore and will).

Carry on....

Happy New Year!

Catcher10 wrote: Good post.....I mentioned hip-hop/rap being on the list a lot because that has become a major genre that is massively popular. That genre is mainly about the lyrics and not the music, heck its all sampled, click tracks and electronic with little use of analog instruments. The early rap had actual music but it is always about the lyrics and the message......Those messages can get over played/hyped and you become desensitized with all of it, that's my big problem with rap.

I think it depends. Most of the music in rap is of course electronic, but so is a lot of other music. I personally enjoy a lot of fully electronic music, especially within the more experimental corners. And after all many rap artists have been inspired by Kraftwerk and things like that.

I wouldn't say rap is all about the lyrics. They clearly have more a prominent place in rap than in most rock music, but there is also a lot of musicality in the way the words are delivered: there's rhythm, vocal phrasing, interplay with the music and so on. I mean, otherwise they might as well just narrate the whole text (then it would be spoken word).

If you take the track below - which is by one of the rap groups I actually enjoy listening to, the Danish band Malk de Koijn - I think it is clear that there is a lot of thought about the vocal delivery, the phrasings, the way the rapping counterpoints the beat. The vocal rhythm is clearly very elaborate. The music is very simple of course, but it takes a musical talent to create the right simplicity that actually works. And yet, despite the simplicity, you have small details in the music that make a difference, such as small unexpected breaks at crucial points - "drum" notes that don't come on the usual beat and so on.

Catcher10 wrote: ^ Your not gonna get much feedback on this site with posting a rap song.

Maybe I will get more feedback posting a song like this? http://youtube.com/watch?v=fwvGrSvk0zs

 

On the subject of Rap, I think Pigmeat Markham's "Here Comes the Judge" (1968) was the first Rap song, but who cares anyway. I'll spare you all by not posting the video.

No, that would be this song from 1965. Complete with beat poet Alan Ginsberg loitering in the background...