Albums considered the greatest ever

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For albums that had the highest sales, see List of best-selling albums worldwide.

Many publications and organizations have tried to determine the album considered the greatest ever. The ten albums listed in this article have all have been frequently cited as among the greatest albums of all time by several publications and notable surveys, be it a popular poll or critics' poll.

None of these citations should be viewed as scientific. Many of these sources focus on American albums or were polls of English-speaking listeners. Most implicitly consider only currently popular genres, with classical music, opera, jazz, and other categories given short shrift. USA Today noted that Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "is weighted toward testosterone-fueled vintage rock", with only a "smattering of country (Johnny Cash), jazz (Miles Davis) and seminal blues (Howlin' Wolf)."^[1] There are often problems with vote stacking or skewed demographics; Internet-based surveys have a self-selecting audience. The methodology of some surveys may be questionable. Sometimes voters were asked to select albums from a limited list of entries.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) by The Beatles is the canonical example of what is typically cited as the best album of all time. It was ranked number one by Rolling Stone,^[2] The Definitive 200 by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers,^[3] and others.

Contents

1 Greatest overall
2 References
- 2.1 Sources
- 2.2 Notes

Greatest overall

Album	Accolades	Notes
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Artist: The Beatles Year: 1967 Producer: George Martin	#1 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #7 Channel 4's 100 Greatest Music Albums (2005) #5 ABC's Top 100 Albums (2006) #1 The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Definitive 200 (2007) #1 All Time Top 1000 Albums (1994)	Widely regarded as one of the most important albums in the history of popular music, it includes songs such as "Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds" and "A Day In the Life". Lavish production and varied genres such as music hall, jazz, and traditional Indian music led to universal acclaim from critics. Kenneth Tynan of The Times described the record as "a decisive moment in the history of Western Civilisation."
The Dark Side of the Moon Artist: Pink Floyd Year: 1973 Producer: Pink Floyd	#5 Channel 4's 100 Greatest Music Albums (2005) #1 ABC's Top 100 Albums (2006) #2 The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Definitive 200 (2007)	A progressive rock album that is among the highest selling ever, The Dark Side of The Moon is an experimental concept album that explores themes of conflict, greed, the passage of time and mental illness. It has had a significant influence on modern music and is widely seen as a pivotal point in the history of rock music.
What's Going On Artist: Marvin Gaye Year: 1971 Producer: Marvin Gaye	#6 Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (1995) #1 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #6 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)	Marvin Gaye's seminal album, What's Going On is a unified concept album that features introspective lyrics and self-conscious themes about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War. A landmark of early 1970s soul music, it has been praised for its ambition and for Gaye's three-octave spanning voice.
Pet Sounds Artist: The Beach Boys Year: 1966 Producer: Brian Wilson	#6 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #2 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #3 NME’s 100 Best Albums of All Time (2003) #1 The New Musical Express 100 Best Albums of All Time (2007)	One of the most influential albums in the history of popular music, Brian Wilson's 'masterpiece' Pet Sounds was pivotal in heralding the emerging genre of psychedelic rock and has been universally championed for its dramatic and revolutionary baroque instrumentation."God Only Knows" was ranked as the greatest song of the 1960s by Pitchfork.
Revolver Artist: The Beatles Year: 1966 Producer: George Martin	#2 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #1 VH1's 100 Greatest Music Albums (2001) #3 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #1 L'Osservatore Romano’s 100 Best Albums of All Time (2003) #1 Q’s 100 Greatest Albums Ever (2000)	The first album released by The Beatles as a studio band only, Revolver has been frequently cited as being one of the very first pyschedelic LP's. Songs such as "Tomorrow Never Knows" had a dramatic influence on psychedelic rock in the years to follow. Beatles historian Ian Macdonald described it as the "initiation of a second pop revolution".
The Stone Roses Artist: The Stone Roses Year: 1989 Producer: John Leckie	#5 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #2 Melody Maker’s 100 Greatest Music Albums (2000) #1 NME’s 100 Best Albums of All Time (2003) #1 The Observer’s Greatest British Albums of All Time (2004) #6 Q’s 100 Greatest Albums Ever (2006)	The seminal record of the late 1980s Madchester movement, The Stone Roses has been canonized as one of the most accomplished British albums ever recorded. The album has been prasied for its fusion of dance rhythms and psychedelia, and for its "insanely catchy, emotinally nuanced, lyrically astute songs about love, lust, youth, and raging ambition."^[4]
Highway 61 Revisited Artist: Bob Dylan Year: 1965 Producer: Bob Johnston	#5 Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (1995) #11 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #4 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #8 The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Definitive 200 (2007)	Critics have frequently noted how Dylan's ability to combine driving, complex, blues-based rock music with the power of poetry has made Highway 61 Revisited one of the most influential albums ever recorded. It features many acclaimed classic songs such as "Desolation Row", and "Like a Rolling Stone", the latter of which was ranked the greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004.
The Beatles Artist: The Beatles Year: 1968 Producer: George Martin	#9 The Guardian 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997) #4 Melody Maker’s 100 Greatest Music Albums (2000) #10 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #12 Channel 4's 100 Greatest Music Albums (2005) #8 The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Definitive 200 (2007)	Commonly known as "The White Album", The Beatles is a double-album that has a diverse collection of songs known for their eclectic nature, something that has divided critics in evaluating its legacy. Pitchfork commented in 2009; "It's a glorious and flawed mess, and its failings are as essential to its character as its triumphs."
OK Computer Artist: Radiohead Year: 1997 Producer: Nigel Godrich	#1 Q’s 100 Greatest Albums Ever (1997)-(2006) #16 NME’s 100 Best Albums of All Time (2003) #1 Channel 4's 100 Greatest Music Albums (2005) #3 ABC's Top 100 Albums (2006) #126 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003)	OK Computer received universal acclaim upon its release, and is regarded as a landmark record of the nineties. The album has been praised for the underlying themes found in the lyrics, emphasizing views on rampant consumerism, social disconnection, political stagnation and malaise. Its impact extended to both musical and culutural contexts.
Exile On Main Street Artist: The Rolling Stones Year: 1972 Producer: Jimmy Miller	#4 Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums of All Time (1995) #7 Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003) #6 The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Definitive 200 (2007)	A double album that draws on many genres such as rock and roll, blues, soul, gospel and country, Exile On Main Street has frequently been cited as The Rolling Stones' masterwork. Although described as "impenetrable" and "ragged" at the time of its release, it has now become recognized as one of the greatest rock and roll albums ever.

References

Sources

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone, 2003.
The Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 2007.
ABC's Top 100 Albums. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006.
Channel 4's 100 Greatest Albums. Channel 4, 2005.
Mojo's 100 Greatest Albums of All Time. Mojo Magazine, 1995.
The Guardian's 100 Best Albums Ever. The Guardian, 1997.
NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time. NME, 2003.
Melody Maker's 100 Greatest Music Albums. Melody Maker, 2000.
Q's 100 Greatest Albums Ever. Q, 2006.
The Observer's 100 Greatest British Albums of All Time. The Observer, 2004.

Notes

^ Edna Gundersen (November 17, 2003). "It's certainly a thrill: 'Sgt. Pepper' is best album". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2003-11-16-rolling-stone-list_x.htm.
^ "News". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/print. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
^ "Definitive 200". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070608144112/http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/definitive-200/.
^ The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses | Album Reviews | Pitchfork

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