The local public radio music station just counted down the top 885 albums of all time. Naturally, the list was soley designed to provoke argument – but I’ve gotta say, five Beatles albums in the top ten? That’s just bullshit.
Well, I can’t believe American Beauty isn’t in the top ten…that’s just wrong.
You know, I could almost live with 5 Beatles albums in the Top 10. Well, no, as much as I love the Beatles, they’re a bit overrepresented to say to least. (Besides Abbey Road isn’t even their best album. I’ll take Rubber Soul or Revolver over that any day.)
That’s a rather, um, odd list. Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue in a rock album list? Born to Run as number 4?
Counting Friggin Crows at number 25? (?!?!?!) Pet Sounds all the way down at number 21. Say what? The Grateful Dead at 12? Yipes!
This truly is one of the worst “Best of…” lists I have ever seen.
Why isn’t London Calling on there?
It’s #8. I was just listening to it this weekend. I forget how good it is until I listen to it again. Just blown away each time I listen.
I’d say it is way too heavy on the Grateful Dead. The Dead were NOT known for their albums.
It is, at No. 8.
The Stones do no better than #17? And Joni Mitchell’s Blue outscores it? I’ve been listening to the latter recently – and, no, it’s not a better album than Exile.
D’oh, ignore my know-it-all post. :smack:
For me, it’s hard to argue with a lot of the albums they put on there - not all by any means, but a lot - but the placement is what bothers me.
Personally with all the top X lists that have been published in recent years, I’m inclined to think it’s much harder to rank albums, and with a less enjoyable (and more disputable) outcome, than just listing them.
But if you’re going to rank them, well, there are tons of just unforgivable sins. Few as bad as including Kurt Cobain and Jack White on a list of the top 100 guitarists (thank you, Rolling Stone), but still…
Well, perhaps I wouldn’t put Kurt Cobain on a list of top guitarists (though I do like his work), but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Jack White. He’s the most exciting popular rock guitarist playing today, hand down. I’m kind of philosophically opposed to the extended guitar solo, but damn me if I don’t get a chill up my spine watching him perform live. And despite the pyrotechnics, his phrasing and attack is fluid and soulful. He’s far more musical and interesting than guitar gods like Joe Satriani (although I’ll give you Surfing With the Alien) and Yngwie Malmsteen.
To give you an idea of what perspective I come from, my favorite “flashy solo” rock guitarists would include Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie van Halen, as well as Jack White.
I’m a firm believer that you can’t judge someone until you’ve heard them, but I haven’t been very impressed by Jack White thus far. Then again, I might have said the same thing about John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Jeremy Hora (Default), among others, until I saw them live.