December 16, 2003
Rules! There Should Be Rules for These Things!
Posted by nerdling | December 16, 2003 02:54 PM
Not that I have much respect for the psuedo-journalism that goes on at Rolling Stone, but they do still have some people on staff who know what they are talking about. They lived through a lot of what is today considered "classic" rock, and pretty much everything that has come since. So why, then, when compiling a list of the top 500 albums of all time, would they make so many bloody stupid choices?
Anyone who knows anything about anything, but more particularly, anyone who knows anything about rock 'n' roll knows that—since it is a given that the Beatles will always take the top slot—the white album is far superior to Sgt. Pepper's. That is merely a small complaint, however, compared to the shameful transgressions of the RS staff. They did include Pet Sounds at number two, though, which is a step up from their number one.
However, it is a well known and well respected fact that you do not (nay, cannot), on a list of this nature, include a greatest hits album! That is the worst kind of cowardice. These are albums being ranked, not songs, and songs are all you get on a greatest hits package. When you are ranking great albums, you are ranking the entire thing—good, bad, brilliant and pitiful. Besides that, however, I find it rather sneaky (and I would say it's cheating) to include a compilation of Robert Johnson's songs when he himself never actually recorded an album. There's some sort of dishonesty in that, because much like the greatest hits record, he didn't set out or intend to release it as we have it now. Not to say he doesn't deserve to be on the list, but it seems like there is some manipulation of the rules going on, and that I just don't agree with.
Speaking of which, it's almost time for the top ten of 2003 lists to come out. Who has one ready?
