In September 2020, Rolling Stone magazine released their most recent list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which includes a greater variety of artists and genres than previous lists. Looking through the list, there were many albums I’d never listened to before and a few I’d never even heard of. In fact, counting it up, I found that I’d only listened to 140 of the albums, although I’d heard songs from many more. So I’ve decided my project for 2021 is to listen to 10 albums each week and write up some thoughts about each one.
Previous Posts:
Artist: Jimi Hendrix Experience
Album: Are You Experienced
Year: 1967
Label: Track
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Purple Haze”
- “Hey Joe”
- “I Don’t Live Today”
- “Fire”
- “Third Stone From the Sun”
- “Red House”
Thoughts: It’s a bit of a surprise that this is Jimi Hendrix’s highest ranked album on this list since I think he improved and matured over time. But he started off at such a high level that this debut album definitely deserves a spot in this list regardless. I listened to this album for the first time in the late 80s and it was still a mindboggling sound.
Artist: The Beatles
Album: The Beatles
Year: 1968
Label: Apple
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
- “Happiness is a Warm Gun”
- “I’m So Tired”
- “Blackbird”
- “Don’t Pass Me By”
- “Helter Skelter”
- “Long, Long, Long”
- “Revolution 9”
Thoughts: The Beatles weirdest album, nicknamed “The White Album” for it’s unadorned cover, is a sprawling collection of 30 tracks on two LPs. The Beatles play with musical genres such as reggae, country, proto-metal, music hall, and avant garde sound. And a lot of the tracks don’t feature all four members of the bands as their splintering interests find them working in smaller groups or alone and with support from outside artists. Despite all this it is a wonderful, wild collection. I can’t imagine what people in 1968 thought when they heard this. Yes, there is the stereotype that everyone was using psychedelic drugs while listening to the White Album but I’m sure there were plenty of “normies” who found listening to the new sounds of their beloved moptops trippy enough while sober.
I reviewed The Beatles “White Album” Super Deluxe Edition back in 2018
Artist: D’Angelo
Album: Voodoo
Year: 2000
Label: EMI
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: No
Favorite Tracks:
- “Devil’s Pie”
- “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”
Thoughts: D’Angelo drew up 60s & 70s soul, jazz fusion, and a touch of Prince mixed with a hip-hop sensibility to create this album. I have only recently learned of the neo-soul movement of the late Nineties/Early Oughts of which this album is the apotheosis. As typical of these albums I appreciate the artistry while not being moved by the often downbeat tunes.
Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
Album: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
Year: 1993
Label: Loud
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: No
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Shame On A N—-“
- “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber”
- “C.R.E.A.M.”
- “Protect Ya Neck”
Thoughts: I’ve been looking forward to listening this album because I’ve heard a lot in recent years how legendary it is. Curiously, at the time this was released I was listening to Fu-Schnickens, a hip-hop act of significantly less regard who also incorporated the aesthetic of martial arts movies into their music. I’m often on the wrong side of history, but Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was worth the wait.
Artist: Patti Smith
Album: Horses
Year: 1975
Label: Arista
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Gloria: In Excelsis Deo”
- “Break It Up”
- “Land: Horses/Land of a Thousand Dances/La Mer”
Thoughts: Patti Smith’s minimalist/punk rock/poetry debut is the stuff of legend. I’m not sure what to make of it, and was originally considering filing it under Not My Thing, but I think it deserves further contemplation when I have more time. So my opinion on this album is still forming.
Artist: Carole King
Album: Tapestry
Year: 1971
Label: Sony
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “I Feel the Earth Move”
- “It’s Too Late”
- “Way Over Yonder”
- “You’ve Got a Friend”
Thoughts: Carole King’s presence in popular music is so big that you know her music even if you don’t know who she is. After writing hit songs for over a decade, King recorded herself singing a collection of her originals as well as some “covers” of songs that she wrote that were big hits for other artists. I generally don’t like the singer/songwriter sound of the early 70s, but this album is really good.
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Year: 1967
Label: Capitol
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “With a Little Help From My Friends”
- “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
- “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
- “When I’m Sixty-Four”
- “Lovely Rita”
- “A Day in the Life”
Thoughts: For so many years Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was the perennial Number One on lists of Greatest Albums of All Time. The Beatles ambition in creating this album which reshaped the possibilities of rock music and cemented the album as the main way to release popular music for decades, cannot be denied. But musically, it hasn’t held up as well as a lot of The Beatles other work. Which is to say, it’s still pretty darn good.
Artist: The Velvet Underground and Nico
Album: The Velvet Underground and Nico
Year: 1967
Label: Verve
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Sunday Morning”
- “I’m Waiting For the Man”
- “Run, Run, Run”
- “Heroin”
Thoughts: I’ve always liked The Velvet Underground better without Nico, because I find her precise diction kind of pretentious. But it turns out that she doesn’t have the lead vocal an all that many tracks. This is another album that must’ve been mind-blowing to people hearing it when it was first released, although that was a small group. The rest of us had to catch up.
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
Album: Ready To Die
Year: 1994
Label: Bad Boy
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: No
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Things Done Changed”
- “One More Chance”
- “Juicy”
- “Big Poppa”
- “Suicidal Thoughts”
Thoughts: Biggie sounds really good on his debut album. Lyrically, I really love how appreciative he sounds of his fame and fortune as well as his honesty about his past. It’s also something to consider that he’s among the first generation to grow up with rap, and he pays tribute to his forebears. I liked the misogyny and celebration of crime and violence a whole lot less.
Artist: Bruce Springsteen
Album: Born to Run
Year: 1975
Label: Columbia
Have I Listened to This Album Before?: Yes
Am I Familiar With This Artist/Songs from This Album?: Yes
Would I Listen to this Album Again?: Yes
Favorite Tracks:
- “Thunder Road”
- “Tenth Avenue Freezeout”
- “Born To Run”
Thoughts: Bruce Springsteen has gone through a lot of musical styles and images through his long career, but the Born to Run era is the one that stands out as iconic Springsteen. I don’t like this album as much as some of the other Springsteen albums we’ve discussed but it is undeniably a good one.
Running List of Albums I’d Listen to Again
- 500. Arcade Fire, Funeral
- 498. Suicide, Suicide
- 497. Various Artists, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto
- 494. The Ronettes, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes
- 489. A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector from Phil Spector and Various Artists, Back to Mono (1958-1969)
- 487. Black Flag, Damaged
- 485. Richard and Linda Thompson, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
- 483. Muddy Waters, The Anthology
- 482. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
- 481. Belle and Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
- 478. The Kinks, Something Else by the Kinks
- 477. Howlin’ Wolf, Moanin’ in the Moonlight
- 469.Manu Chao, Clandestino
- 465. King Sunny Adé, The Best of the Classic Years
- 464. The Isley Brothers, 3 + 3
- 462. The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace of Sin
- 459. Kid Cudi, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day
- 457. Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
- 456. Al Green, Greatest Hits
- 455. Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley
- 453. Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine
- 452. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Anthology
- 451. Roberta Flack, First Take
- 448. Otis Redding, Dictionary of Soul
- 446. Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidanada
- 444. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
- 443. David Bowie, Scary Monsters
- 440. Loretta Lynn, Coal Miner’s Daughter
- 439. James Brown, Sex Machine
- 438. Blur, Parklife
- 437. Primal Scream, Screamadelica
- 435. Pet Shop Boys, Actually
- 433. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
- 431. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?
- 430. Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
- 429. The Four Tops, Reach Out
- 428. Hüsker Dü, New Day Rising
- 427. Al Green, Call Me
- 426. Lucinda Williams, Lucinda Williams
- 425. Paul Simon, Paul Simon
- 424. Beck, Odelay
- 423. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
- 422. Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On
- 421. M.I.A., Arular
- 417. Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come
- 416. The Roots, Things Fall Apart
- 415. The Meters, Looka Py Py
- 414. Chic, Risqué
- 413. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo’s Factory
- 412. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Going to a Go Go
- 409. Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead
- 408. Motörhead, Ace of Spades
- 406. Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
- 405. Various, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
- 403. Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele
- 402. Fela Kuti and Africa 70, Expensive Shit
- 401. Blondie, Blondie
- 400. The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
- 398. The Raincoats, The Raincoats
- 397. Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
- 395. D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah
- 392. Ike and Tina Turner, Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner
- 390. Pixies, Surfer Rosa
- 388. Aretha Franklin, Young, Gifted and Black
- 387. Radiohead, In Rainbows
- 386. J Dilla, Donuts
- 385. Ramones, Rocket to Russia
- 384. The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
- 380. Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um
- 378. Run-DMC, Run-D.M.C.
- 377. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
- 375. Green Day, Dookie
- 374. Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers
- 373. Isaac Hayes, Hot Buttered Soul
- 371. The Temptations, Anthology
- 369. Mobb Deep, The Infamous
- 368. George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
- 365. Madvillain, Madvillainy
- 364. Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food
- 363. Parliament, The Mothership Connection
- 360. Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove
- 358. Sonic Youth, Goo
- 357. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs
- 356. Dr. John, Gris-Gris
- 354. X-Ray Spex, Germfree Adolescents
- 351. Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure
- 350. Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind
- 349. MC5, Kick Out the Jams
- 348. Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
- 347. GZA, Liquid Swords
- 346. Arctic Monkeys, AM
- 345. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle
- 344. Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston
- 343. Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits
- 342. The Beatles, Let It Be
- 341. The Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
- 338. Brian Eno, Another Green World
- 337. Bob Dylan, John Wesley Harding
- 335. Bob Dylan and the Band, The Basement Tapes
- 334. Santana, Abraxas
- 333. Bill Withers, Still Bill
- 332. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
- 330. The Rolling Stones, Aftermath
- 329. DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…
- 328. Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City
- 326. Prince, Dirty Mind
- 323.The Clash, Sandinista!
- 320. X, Los Angeles
- 319. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
- 317. Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin
- 316. The Who, The Who Sell Out
- 310. Wire, Pink Flag
- 309. Joy Division, Closer
- 308. Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets
- 307. Sam Cooke, Portrait of a Legend
- 306. Al Green, I’m Still In Love With You
- 304. Bill Withers, Just As I Am
- 301. New York Dolls, New York Dolls
- 299. B.B. King, Live at the Regal
- 297. Peter Gabriel, So
- 294. Weezer, Weezer
- 293. The Breeders, Last Splash
- 292. Van Halen, Van Halen
- 289. Björk, Post
- 288. The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
- 287. The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man
- 283. Donna Summer, Bad Girls
- 282. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours
- 279. Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York
- 278. Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
- 276. Radiohead, The Bends
- 275. Curtis Mayfield, Curtis
- 274. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo
- 273. Gang of Four, Entertainment!
- 272. The Velvet Underground, White Light/White Heat
- 267. Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime
- 266. The Beatles, Help!
- 263. The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night
- 262. New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies
- 261. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head
- 260. The Slits, Cut
- 259. Janis Joplin, Pearl
- 257. Dolly Parton, Coat of Many Colors
- 256. Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
- 254. Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters
- 252. Devo, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
- 250. Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady
- 246. LL Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out
- 245. Cocteau Twins, Heaven of Las Vegas
- 242. The Velvet Underground, Loaded
- 240. Sam Cooke, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963
- 239. Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded
- 238. Kraftwerk, Trans Europe Express
- 237. Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger
- 236. Daft Punk, Discovery
- 232. John Coltrane, Giant Steps
- 229. Patsy Cline, The Ultimate Collection
- 228. De La Soul, De La Soul Is Dead
- 227. Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard
- 226. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
- 223. John Lennon, Imagine
- 221. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
- 220. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Déjà Vu
- 215. Grateful Dead, American Beauty
- 213. Fiona Apple, The Idler Wheel…
- 212. Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind
- 211. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures
- 210. Ray Charles, The Birth of Soul
- 209. Run-DMC, Raising Hell
- 206. David Bowie, Low
- 205. Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman
- 202. Björk, Homogenic
- 201. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders
- 198. The B-52’s, The B-52’s
- 197. The Beatles, Meet the Beatles!
- 195. Leonard Cohen, Songs of Leonard Cohen
- 193. Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willy and the Poor Boys
- 192. Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
- 191. Etta James, At Last!
- 190. The Who, Tommy
- 189. Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
- 185. The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
- 184. Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual
- 181. Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home
- 178. Otis Redding, Otis Blue
- 177. Rod Stewart, Every Picture Tells a Story
- 176. Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
- 175. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
- 174. Jimmy Cliff and Various Artists, The Harder They Come: Original Soundtrack
- 173. Nirvana, In Utero
- 172. Simon and Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water
- 171. Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
- 170. Cream, Disraeli Gears
- 169. Billy Joel, The Stranger
- 167. Depeche Mode, Violator
- 166. Buddy Holly, 20 Golden Greats
- 165. R.E.M., Murmur
- 164. Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison
- 162. Pulp, Different Class
- 161. Crosby, Stills & Nash, Crosby, Stills, & Nash
- 156. The Replacements, Let it Be
- 155. Jay-Z, The Black Album
- 154. Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace
- 153. PJ Harvey, Rid of Me
- 150. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
- 149. John Prine, John Prine
- 148. Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
- 146. Blondie, Parallel Lines
- 144. Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
- 143. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground
- 142. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.
- 141. Pixies, Doolittle
- 140. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire
- 139. Black Sabbath, Paranoid‘
- 138. Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
- 137. Adele, 21
- 136. Funkadelic, Maggot Brain
- 135. U2, The Joshua Tree
- 134. Fugees, ‘he Score
- 132. Hank Williams, 40 Greatest Hits
- 131. Portishead, Dummy
- 130. Prince, 1999
- 127. Ray Charles, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
- 125. Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique
- 124. U2, Achtung Baby
- 123. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
- 122. Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral
- 121. Elvis Costello, This Year’s Model
- 120. Van Morrison, Moondance
- 119. Sly and the Family Stone, Stand!
- 116. The Cure, Disintegration
- 114. The Strokes, Is This It
- 113. The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead
- 111. Janet Jackson, Control
- 109. Lou Reed, Transformer
- 108. Fiona Apple, When the Pawn …
- 107. Television, Marquee Moon
- 104. The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
- 103. De La Soul, Three Feet High And Rising
- 102. The Clash, The Clash
- 101. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
- 99. Taylor Swift, Red
- 98. Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
- 94. The Stooges, Fun House
- 92. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Axis: Bold as Love
- 88. David Bowie, Hunky Dory
- 87. Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
- 86. The Doors, The Doors
- 85. John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band
- 84. AC/DC, Back in Black
- 83. Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis
- 82. Sly and the Family Stone, There’s a Riot Goin’ On
- 81. Beyoncé, Beyoncé
- 80. The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols
- 78. Elvis Presley, The Sun Sessions
- 77. The Who, Who’s Next
- 76. Curtis Mayfield, Superfly
- 75. Aretha Franklin, Lady Soul
- 73. My Bloody Valentine, Loveless
- 71. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Exodus
- 68. Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
- 66. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme
- 65. James Brown, Live at the Apollo
- 64. OutKast, Stankonia
- 61. Eric B. and Rakim, Paid in Full
- 60. Van Morrison, Astral Weeks
- 59. Stevie Wonder, Talking Book
- 58. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV
- 56. Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
- 54. James Brown, Star Time
- 53. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland
- 52. David Bowie, Station to Station
- 51. Chuck Berry, The Great Twenty-Eight
- 50. Jay-Z, The Blueprint
- 49. OutKast, Aquemini
- 48. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Legend
- 47. Ramones, Ramones
- 46. Paul Simon, Graceland
- 45. Prince, Sign O’ the Times
- 44. Nas, Illmatic
- 43. A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
- 42. Radiohead, OK Computer
- 41. The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed
- 40. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
- 39. Talking Heads, Remain in Light
- 35. The Beatles, Rubber Soul
- 34. Stevie Wonder, ‘nnervisions
- 33. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
- 32. Beyoncé, Lemonade
- 31. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
- 30. Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced
- 29. The Beatles, White Album
- 27. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang(36 Chambers)
- 26. Patti Smith, Horses
- 25. Carole King, Tapestry
- 24. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
- 23. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground and Nico
- 22. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die
- 21. Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
Panorama of the Mountains 