Rolling Stone's highly opinionated drivel

HolySwissCheese · Post by **HolySwissCheese** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:35 pm

I got bored of doing nothing while not studying for finals, and I heard about Rolling Stone's top 500 albums ever and decided to give it a look.

http://www.rollingstone.com/features/co ... p?pid=2164 - 500 albums, and I own 12. I must rock. (In my defense, I didn't count this wierd CD my mum picked up for me in Britain that has every Beatles album until right before One as owning every Beatles album before One. And a lot of these albums are from bands I really love and I own most of the albums by that band except the ones listed. And... And... Rolling Stone sucks.)
I own 4 of these

Post by **miftah** » Thu Dec 11, 2003 10:22 pm

From the list, these are the ones that I own - I'm too lazy to count them:

6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
8. London Calling, The Clash
13. Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
17. Nevermind, Nirvana
25. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
26. The Joshua Tree, U2
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
41. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sex Pistols
43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
48. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
52. Greatest Hits, Al Green
56. Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder
60. Greatest Hits, Sly and the Family Stone
61. Appetite for Destruction, Guns n' Roses
62. Achtung Baby, U2
72. Purple Rain, Prince
87. The Wall, Pink Floyd
93. Sign 'o' the Times, Prince
107. Hunky Dory, David Bowie
109. Loaded, The Velvet Underground
110. The Bends, Radiohead
128. Marquee Moon, Television
139. All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2
156. Paul's Boutique, Beastie Boys
157. Closer, Joy Division
162. OK Computer, Radiohead
163. 1999, Prince
165. Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye
187. So, Peter Gabriel
194. Transformer, Lou Reed
197. Murmur, R.E.M.
200. The Downward Spiral, Nine Inch Nails
207. Ten, Pearl Jam
209. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
211. Tattoo You, The Rolling Stones
216. The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
217. Licensed to Ill, Beastie Boys
219. Loveless, My Bloody Valentine
221. War, U2
226. Doolittle, Pixies
230. A Night at the Opera, Queen
247. Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
249. Low, David Bowie
269. Some Girls, The Rolling Stones
273. The Slim Shady LP, Eminem
277. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
292. White Light / White Heat, The Velvet Underground
295. Meat Is Murder, The Smiths
300. Fear of a Black Planet, Public Enemy
303. Grace, Jeff Buckley
305. Odelay, Beck
307. Avalon, Roxy Music
309. Nothing's Shocking, Jane's Addiction
310. BloodSugarSexMagik, Red Hot Chili Peppers
311. MTV Unplugged in New York, Nirvana
314. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
315. Surfer Rosa, Pixies
323. Station to Station, David Bowie
326. Disintegration, The Cure
336. Superunknown, Soundgarden
341. Play, Moby
342. Violator, Depeche Mode
347. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd
360. Siamese Dream, The Smashing Pumpkins
361. Substance, New Order
364. American Recordings, Johnny Cash
365. Louder Than Bombs, The Smiths
371. Siren, Roxy Music
373. Post, Bjork
386. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, Wu-Tang Clan
387. Country Life, Roxy Music
390. Elephant, The White Stripes
394. For Your Pleasure, Roxy Music
395. Blue Lines, Massive Attack
399. Californication, Red Hot Chili Peppers
405. Rid of Me, PJ Harvey
406. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, Sinead O' Connor
412. Mezzanine, Massive Attack
417. Boy, U2
419. Dummy, Portishead
425. Changesone, David Bowie
428. Kid A, Radiohead
433. Another Green World, Brian Eno
435. To Bring You My Love, PJ Harvey
436. Here Come the Warm Jets, Brian Eno
439. In Utero, Nirvana
441. Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt
442. Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
453. Ritual de lo Habitual, Jane's Addiction
455. Synchronicity, The Police
470. Document, R.E.M.
480. Faith, George Michael
481. The Smiths, The Smiths
487. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, The Smashing Pumpkins
492. Vitalogy, Pearl Jam

AsaJay · Post by **AsaJay** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 11:46 am

I am pathetic

I managed a measly 20+ from the entire 500. But then again, this was Rolling Stone. I have a massive collection of music, ranging from high-brow classical, through big band, contemporary, to classic rock.

<hmmm, the band emotican seems to be missing>

jc · Post by jc » Fri Dec 12, 2003 12:24 pm

wow miftah we have similar tastes I have most of what you listed above. a little miffed about the massive attack one as i believe Mezzanine is THE definative M.A. album, and Blue Lines was well, weak.

oh also as far as the Smiths go,

I rank Louder than Bombs above the rest, although the point is moot since so many of the songs are repeated on multiple albums.

Eve · Post by **Eve** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 2:25 pm

Only 28 for me, but looking at that list there's a whole heap I wish I owned!!

25. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac
29. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie
37. Hotel California, The Eagles
43. The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
65. Moondance, Van Morrison
66. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin
70. Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin
75. Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin
87. The Wall, Pink Floyd
91. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John
107. Hunky Dory, David Bowie
145. Aja, Steely Dan
149. Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin
150. Santana, Santana
152. The B-52's, The B-52's
209. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
211. Tattoo You, The Rolling Stones
230. A Night at the Opera, Queen
277. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
307. Avalon, Roxy Music
323. Station to Station, David Bowie
343. Bat Out of Hell, Meat Loaf
345. Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads
351. Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits
396. Eliminator, ZZ Top
409. 461 Ocean Boulevard, Eric Clapton
425. Changesone, David Bowie

HolySwissCheese · Post by **HolySwissCheese** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 5:37 pm

Because I'm ashamed of my measly 12, I'm going to list any album that I have ever owned on any medium.

* - own currently on a CD that was bought from a store.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles*
3. Revolver, The Beatles
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
8. London Calling, The Clash*
10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles*
14. Abbey Road, The Beatles*
17. Nevermind, Nirvana*
39. Please Please Me, The Beatles
59. Meet the Beatles, The Beatles
77. The Clash, The Clash*
86. Let It Be, The Beatles
110. The Bends, Radiohead
130. Paranoid, Black Sabbath (I have all of the tracks here on a Best Of except the last 2, and I downloaded those to see if it was worth buying the album)
162. OK Computer, Radiohead
207. Ten, Pearl Jam*
297. Weezer (Blue Album), Weezer*
302. The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem*
311. MTV Unplugged in New York, Nirvana*
332. Help!, The Beatles
420. With the Beatles, The Beatles
426. The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine*
428. Kid A, Radiohead
336. Superunknown, Soundgarden*
439. In Utero, Nirvana*
455. Synchronicity, The Police
466. Live Through This, Hole*

A lot of the ones on the list by The Ramones and The Who and Led Zeppelin and Cream and all CDs I seriously considered buying, but I just don't have the kind of budget to get them all. A CD collection that good happens over time.

Post by **miftah** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:17 pm

jc wrote:wow miftah we have similar tastes I have most of what you listed above. a little miffed about the massive attack one as i believe Mezzanine is THE definative M.A. album, and Blue Lines was well, weak.

oh also as far as the Smiths go, I rank Louder than Bombs above the rest, although the point is moot since so many of the songs are repeated on multiple albums.

Yeah Mezzanine deserves to be a lot higher than it ended up and Blue Lines, while good, is sort of a mess. I certainly would have rated Protection above it as well. The second half of that album alone is better than Blue Lines. It's just like Radiohead. How in the hell do you rank The Bends over OK Computer? It's a great album, true, but it doesn't come close to what was accomplished with OKC. That album simply was *the* album of 1997 while the Bends only really got noticed after OKC by most.

And I'm very confused how Louder Than Bombs even gets counted as an album, when its a b-sides collection, but I think most people experienced it as an album first so it gets lumped in there. And I think Strangeways should be where Meat Is Murder is, but people tend to put a heavier emphasis on it because of the album title. I can't stand most of that album except "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore."

And I mean no offense to the billions who love and adore the Beatles, but I've never been able to sit through any of their albums in one listen. I don't get it. Obviously they're the gold standard for most, but I've never really been very affected by them.

Its all so personal and subjective there's really no point in placing much faith in these lists. In the end, its a consensus of opinion. They're a fun pastime at best, but mean nothing really. Much like Rolling Stone itself.

HolySwissCheese · Post by **HolySwissCheese** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:58 pm

I can't sit through an entire album from anything before '67's Sgt Peppers. It's not just you.

As for Radiohead, I just can't do it. My sister burned 4 Radiohead CD's for me last time I was in Toronto, and I really, really tried to like them, but I failed miserably. I can't stand Coldplay either. I understand that they're super-mega cool creative whatsit geniuses, but it's all of the manic depressive, self-absorbed angst of grunge without the catchy hooks.

If there's no hook in the first 30 seconds, this cave man doesn't have the attention span.

PS - You guys seem to have good taste. Recommend something.

Post by **miftah** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:04 am

Where Radiohead hooked me wasn't through their singles, but through some of their album tracks. I liked "Creep" plenty when it came out in what... 93? I forget. But I didn't like the rest of the album at all.

The rest of their material really fell on deaf ears until I heard a song from the bends called "Just." It really fit where I was at the time ("You do it to yourself, you do and that's what really hurts") and the video was brilliant. So I bought a used copy of the Bends and found another song on that album called "Street Spirit {fade out]" that found its way into my all-time top favourite songs.

I sort of filed it away, appreciating what it was but still not considering myself a fan. What finally did it was OK Computer. It was this almost-concept album of all these paranoid, anxious, melodramatic songs that I managed to seem to be able to fit somewhere into my life then. They still resonate quite a bit, but it was the perfect fit at the time. In a lot of ways that album says a lot of the same things that would later end up as big themes in Fight Club. Being a desk monkey at the time who couldn't figure out what was going wrong with his life, it made a lot of sense. And "Exit Music (for a film)" is still one of the most bittersweet songs ever written.

After we leave OK Computer, I tend to get a little choosy. There are bits of Kid A I like ("Motion Picture Soundtrack" and "How To Disappear Completely"), and I love most of Amnesiac ("You and Whose Army?" especially). I love about two thirds of "Hail To The Thief." But the thing to remember about Radiohead is that they're fully trying to undermine their own success by completely ignoring it. They follow their bliss sometimes which is exciting for them, but sometimes rather dull for most everyone else.

And as for Coldplay, I'd rather drag an unrosined violin bow across my exposed veins than listen to their albums. That "Yellow" song nearly had me running for the clocktower by way of the ammunition shop.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 3:09 pm

Bah

Coldplay affects me in the same way as classical music. But with a decidedly shoegazer slant. I've found that the sound- the droning quality- is something that tends to either make people feel like killing or touches a part of them that they lack the words to express. I am not even close to being gothic, and I don't get off on manic-depression. But I DO have very real, serious mental "issues" (that should probably be looked into someday) and those parts of me that I keep hidden away are comforted by knowing that it's not just me. After all, we know Chris Martin is crazy, too- he married Gwyneth Paltrow.

Anyway, perhaps, like the Beatles, you just "don't get it" (oh god, please don't take that the wrong way). Maybe it's not meant for you. Modern country music is not meant for me. I think it all sucks ass. But that doesn't mean it's bad song-writing. I can appreciate and listen to anything because my mind is happy to disect it and experience all the aspects of each sound. My music fandom trancends boundries of genre.

And maybe I'm just a dumb girl with a crush.

Post by **miftah** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 6:52 pm

Well, like I said, music's all very personal and subjective. No offense taken and none meant. When I'm working in the graphic design lab on campus, I'll usually have something playing and the kids, with their TRL sensabilities, will frequently be snots about what I'll have playing (admittedly Godspeed You! Black Emporer is a bit hard for the PDiddy generation to take - 22 minute instrumentals and all), so I've learned that its not really fair to be snobbish about one's music tastes.

Good thing I feel that way too because my girlfriend happens to like a lot of pop country... She's just not allowed to play it in my house.

As for Coldplay, well, I'm just glad you have some sort of music that does that for you. My dislike for them could also have something to do with that song having been on the radio every five minutes when it was released.

HolySwissCheese · Post by **HolySwissCheese** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 9:01 pm

Is it so wrong that Hot Rats gives me a woody? I mean, Frank Zappa, if you were alive, just one night, baby. Please.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » Sun Dec 14, 2003 1:48 pm

Did JC tell you I went out and bought a poster of Frank Zappa sitting on the can for our bathroom? I'm sure you know the image...

I love him
It's always good to have something beautiful to stare at when you're taking a crap

jc · Post by jc » Wed Dec 17, 2003 12:13 pm

yeah i gotta thanks my pops for the zappa.

as for radiohead, although I like OKC personally I do like The Bends better, maybe it's a bit of a more coherent album than OKC or Kid-A (which I cannot stand).

as for the beatles, I can listen to them all day long. although peppers is the only album that i ever owned. i love sgt. p because it's like a big story.

gotta agree with mox on coldplay, they certainly move me. had the same opinion as miftah about "yellow" when it came out, but listened to the whole album and the follow up which was almost better (a feat in and of itself!) and was hooked.

though there's a bit of a music snob in me, I enjoy knowing that much of the music I listen to is unrecognized or under apreciated. bands like Tomahawk, Boss Hog, etc. though i dont turn on bands once they become popular or hugely recognized, like modest mouse or the yeah yeah yeahs.