Rolling Stone has selected 500 best albums of all time, with a panel of more than 300 famous artists, journalists, and music producers.
The list was announced by the magazine on September 22, the first place belonged to the album What’s Going On (1971) of soul prince Marvin Gaye. “The masterpiece originated as a protest against police violence in America. It was one of the first theme albums of the soul music genre and one of the most influential works of all time. After What’s Going On, black artists around the world feel a new freedom of using music that reflects politics”, commented Rolling Stone’s writers.
This judging panel includes many famous artists such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish. The rest include music producers, famous people in the industry, prestigious journalists and critics by Rolling Stone. Each person submits a list of the 50 most favorite albums. The top work is given 300 points, the lowest will be given 44 points. More than 3,000 albums have been nominated for the list.
As a result, the chart has 154 new albums appeared compared to the old version in 2003. Of which, 84 works were produced in the 21st century. According to USA Today, many experts consider the new list to be more diverse in terms of body type. type of music, not as inclined to rock as before. The number of rap albums contributed three times higher than the old chart.
Top 10 are still music products classics like Pet Sound (1966) by The Beach Boys, Blue (1971) by Joni Mitchell or Songs in the Key of Life (1976) by Stevie Wonder. The Beatles is the artist with the most albums on the list with nine works, followed by Bob Dylan (eight albums).
“Grammy Phenomenon” Billie Eilish, whose debut album is at No. 397, is the youngest artist to appear on the list. Judges Beyonce and Taylor Swift also have products on the chart.
Jon Dolan, critic of Rolling Stone, commented: “I think this result is more true of the current taste of music. Many genres are completely new, from latin to krautrock … You can listen to these This album a hundred times and still finds a new one. Like the way I heard The Velvet Underground & Nico and thought it will last forever.
Rolling Stone held a vote of the 500 best music albums in 2003, well received by many music lovers. Last year alone, this old list attracted 63 million visitors from all over the world. The editorial board felt the rankings needed to be updated as there were many new works in the past two decades. Album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) topped the charts in 2003.
Albums in the top 10:
10. Lauryn Hill – “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
9. Bob Dylan – “Blood on the Tracks”
8. Prince and the Revolution – “Purple Rain”
7. Fleetwood Mac – “Rumors”
6. Nirvana – “Nevermind”
5. The Beatles – “Abbey Road”
4. Stevie Wonder – “Songs in the Key of Life”
3. Joni Mitchell – “Blue”
2. The Beach Boys – “Pet Sounds”
1. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”