The results of Rolling Stone's latest poll as selected by the readers Revolver by the Beatles tops the list
Almost in tandem with their first new web design in like 25 years, Rolling Stone magazine has unveiled the results of its latest readers poll survey. This one is certainly among the more ambitious: a compilation of the 100 greatest records of all time. A few years back, the magazine had released its own selections according to the editors, and recent features have included the "coolest" and "un-coolest" records, but now the gauntlet has been passed to the readers.
Lists like these often run the risk of allowing too much commercially popular, newer fare to spill through the cracks. Luckily, only a handful of questionable new inclusions have made the cut, and for the most part a wide variety of tastes and styles are represented. Two albums from 2002 make the cut. They are Weezer's Maladroit (#91), and Eminem's The Eminem Show, which finished at the ridiculously high position of #24. Other albums from this decade include U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) at #15, 2001's System of a Down by Toxicity (#72), Madonna's Music (2000) at #52, Radiohead's Kid A (2000) at #26, 2000's Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park (#58), Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) at #37, 2001's Is This It by the Strokes (#57), and Weezer's Green Album from last year at #21.
The oldest album to make the list is also probably one of the least expected: Miles Davis's 1959 classic A Kind of Blue charts in at #61. The most questionable inclusion is likely Mariah Carey's album Daydream, which ended up, unsurprisingly, in the #69 position. The 1995 release was a commercial hit, but I prefer her debut record more. Given the amount of female solo singers that have broken through in the 1990s and beyond though, perhaps the inclusion of Carey is inevitable. The Dave Matthews Band has two albums in the top 100 (Under the Table and Dreaming at #71, Crash at #54), although ravenous underground fan support undoubtedly played a hand in getting the overrated jammers onto the list.
The top 10 is comprised exclusively of rock and roll bands who have spanned several generations. Leading the pack with four entries in the top 6 alone are the Beatles, who took home the coveted #1 spot with the influential 1965 album Revolver. Abbey Road, The White Album, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band also charted very high. The #2 album was awarded to Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough release Nevermind, and U2's The Joshua Tree came in at #4. The Irish band's Achtung Baby squeaked into the #10 spot over Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, which is a curious result. Led Zeppelin's IV was #9, Radiohead's phenomenal OK Computer was #8, and Guns n' Roses showed they may be gone but are certainly not forgotten with 1987's Appetite for Destruction coming in at #7.
It would appear that greatest hits compilations were eligible, but only a couple of them made the cut. The Immaculate Collection by Madonna (#99) and Legend by Bob Marley (#93) were the lone "best of" works included. I was particularly pleased to see 1995's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins place at #18. I'd always regarded it as a hidden gem, but I had no idea so many other North Americans felt the same way about the fantastic double album. Equally satisfying is the inclusion of one of my favourite albums, Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys (#20). Its position isn't really equivalent to its place in rock lore, but that it cracked the top 20 is still a consolation.
In favour of including more heavy metal and punk acts, many of the influential soft rock albums seem to have slipped through the cracks. Among them, I would argue Carole King's Tapestry, Paul Simon's Graceland, and at least one album from Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, James Brown, the Grateful Dead, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, or the Bee Gees. Rap is under-represented too, with artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and LL Cool J all absent. Only one R.E.M. album was included (Automatic for the People at #25), which unfortunately may be a reflection on the diminishing popularity of the band.
Overall, the list is relatively balanced. Limiting the greatest records of all time to 100 slots is enough to make me want to see the follow-up 100. With the way Rolling Stone has been going lately, maybe they'll publish that list someday, too.
