July 30th, 2010
I’ve recently been looking through Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. I’ve always been hesitant to pick my own favorite albums, so I’m instantly skeptical that the list means anything more than a list of albums the panel thinks are good. And really, how can you quantify the greatest album of all time? You can argue the technical merits of song writing and production, but there’s an indefinable quality that comes from the music itself and that is personal to the listener.
For example, I hate the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.” There’s nothing wrong with the song, but I do not buy Mick Jagger singing those words. Every single time he sings, “Wild horses couldn’t drag me away,” I think to myself, “Unless they happen to be underage models.” The first time I heard a cover version of it, I couldn’t believe it was the same song. What I’m trying to say is that these lists say more about the person or people making them than the music.
Mostly, I’m afraid of ranking my favorites. If I go on record saying that The Beatles’ Revolver is my favorite album of all time, it’s not always true. Sometimes The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds is my favorite. And it isn’t fair to newer albums because part of my criteria for “Greatest All Time” status is longevity. I don’t know if I’m going to still like Neko Case in ten years.
Here’s my list, unranked, because that would take a week…at least. And yeah, there are only nine, but the tenth spot was a four way tie, so I left it alone.
Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
Revolver – The Beatles
Rumors – Fleetwood Mac
King of the Delta Blues Singers – Robert Johnson
Who’s Next – The Who
Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
Graceland – Paul Simon
Pearl – Janis Joplin