Last month, Towson Univeristy's radio station ran a countdown of the greatest 897 albums of all time, as voted on by listeners. The full list is pretty impressive. Here are the top 10:
- Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Beatles- The Beatles (White)
- Pink Floyd- Dark Side Of The Moon
- The Beatles- Abbey Road
- The Clash- London Calling
- Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
- U2 - The Joshua Tree
- Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
- The Who - Who's Next
- The Beatles- Revolver
The station plays mostly indie-ish rock, which explains why Dr. Dre is at #308, further down the list than the Indigo Girls (#285).
On a personal note, it's absurd that the top-rated Phish album is Billy Breathes (#467). Junta (#508), A Live One (#686), and Rift (which didn't even make the list) are far better.
Definitely check out the whole list, though, it's fun to read all the way though. And if you live near Baltimore, give WTMD a listen.
The greatest 897 albums of all time (WTMD)
13 Responses:
So how did people vote, like just that they like the album or like the significance that it's had on music? Like I love Wilco but I wouldn't put their album at number 33, because even if you mix those two categories together to make that decision they wouldn't be number 33 out of albums of all time.
I would give WTMD a listen, except every time I do they've decided to showcase Irish folk dance.
Phish doesn't belong anywhere on the list.
People voted for their top 10, which means that someone thinks that every album on there is one of the 10 greatest ever.
I'm sure some people voted based on what they like and others voted based on historical significance. The list definitely isn't definitive, but it's a fun starting point for arguments.
Country music got the shaft.
126. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
No way that should not be in the top 100, probably top 50.
288. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
The only Willie album to make the list? There aren't 287 albums better
NR. Garth Brooks - No Fences
I might be biased here but you can't tell me there are 897 albums better. And this is just the one that is regarded as his best album. No Garth Brooks made the list.
tuna, I agree. Pretty much any genre other than rock was underrated. I was still surprised at how low Johnny Cash was rated, though.
The Beatles are great and all, but 4 of the top 10? And Exile on Main Street is only 14? It's like people were just listing their 10 favorite Beatles albums. And personally, I'd have Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs (or as they call it, Laya And Other Assorted Love Songs) in the top 10
Really, I can't imagine a more absurd idea for a list. Were there no parameters? No guidelines other than it must be classified as a musical album?
How can people compare something as incredibly subjective as taste in music spread across all genres?
As someone who would have entered a Top 10 list of all Beatles, I understand the significance of Sgt. Peppers, but I do not think it's actually better music top-to-bottom than many of the Beatle albums, especially the others listed in the Top 10.
Of course, the White Album is kind of like the Big East. There are so many songs, it has an unfair advantage. There's a lot of good stuff, but the bad stuff is really bad.
I'm insulted that my early 90's bands got the shaft. My top 10 would be (in no particular order)
1) Pearl Jam - Ten
2) Stone Temple Pilots - Core
3) Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
4) Counting Crows - August and Everything After
5) Van Morrison - St. Dominic's Preview
6) The Beatles - Revolver
7) Johnny Cash - Live at Folsom
8) Led Zeppelin - IV (Zoso)
9) Jeff Buckley - Grace
10) Radiohead - The Bends
And that pretty much shows you why you can't make a list by giving people ten votes. I left off David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, etc. etc. etc.
I don't care that it's in the 890's. Any list that says Bush's "Sixteen Stone" is an album worth remembering loses credibility instantly.
Glad that one barely didn't make my cut then...
What age groups were included in this vote? because I think that has alot to do with which album comes out on top. We all have times in our lives where different music plays a major role in our lives depending on our emotional, financial, geographical....when I was in my youth, clubbing and disco were in a full blown rage. Punk was alive and well and the Bee Gees were all the rage...now that I am old and tried I want to listen to music calms my nerves and soothes my spirit after a hard day at work. I no longer want a rush from music. Back to my original thought...time period is everything. Young people think today as the beatles as paul going through a nasty divorce and by the way who is pink flloyd?
Did I or did I not say I would have had a Top 10 list of Beatle albums? I know far less about McCartney's marriages than I know about his music with the Fab Four.
And I assume the people who voted are the people who knew about it and cared enough to vote. If it were a country station, it would have been all country albums.
It's less about timing than it is about the base audience of the station, which is Towson's station playing indie-rock. I think you can draw your own conclusions from that.
I had a good time here but will return to google now.
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