Posted on 11/17/2003 2:21:38 PM PST by steppenwolffe
To everyone's complete lack of surprise, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been anointed the best album ever in a new Rolling Stone poll.
The Beatles' consecrated 1967 classic tops ''The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,'' a collector's issue on stands Friday. Though typically the odds-on favorite for such rankings, Sgt. Pepper wasn't a slam-dunk.
''There was a horse race,'' says Rolling Stone music editor Joe Levy. ''Early on, any number of albums in the top 10 were in the lead. The final result is no shock, but there's a reason for that. The Beatles, after all, were the most important and innovative rock group in the world. And Sgt. Pepper arguably set the tone for what an album could be.''
The Beatles have four albums in the top 10. Predictably, the list is weighted toward testosterone-fueled vintage rock. The top solo female is Joni Mitchell, whose 1971 Blue is No. 30.
The newest entry is this year's Elephant by the White Stripes, landing at No. 390. The most current disc in the top 20 is Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough, Nevermind. Recent albums by Coldplay and The Strokes also made the cut, as did all three Eminem releases and a wide range of hip-hop.
''A classic record proves itself over time,'' Levy says, ''so it's gratifying and surprising to see so many newer records on the list, considering they're competing against such beloved and titanic records as Rubber Soul and Dusty in Memphis.''
Rolling Stone asked musicians, critics, historians and key industry figures to rank their 50 favorites. The 273 participants included Beck, U2's The Edge, Jackson Browne, Art Garfunkel, Missy Elliott and members of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Linkin Park and The Doors. The Ernst & Young accounting firm devised a point system to weight votes for 1,600 submitted titles.
Voters were invited to identify favorites from any period or genre, allowing a smattering of country (Johnny Cash), jazz (Miles Davis) and seminal blues (Howlin' Wolf). The list also accommodates greatest hits collections and live recordings; four James Brown picks include two sets of hits and Live at the Apollo (1963). Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, The Drifters and Loretta Lynn, who flourished during the era of 45s, are represented only by hits compilations.
''Artists whose best works were singles are not going to be well represented,'' Levy notes. For example, he adds, ''Disco is under-represented because it's a singles-driven genre.''
It was also the first albumn to contain songs that could not be performed live when at the time performing live was the money maker and singles were used as promos for the performances. Oh, and albumns were thought of as simply collections of previously released singles. It simply changed the direction of popular music towards a more studio-based sound. Everything that came after owed something to them.
I thought he died a broken and dispirited man because he was always haunted by the fact that he married Yoko Ono.
The Stones came into their own with Beggars' Banquet (1968). Their previous release (Her Satanic Majesty's Request) was an attempt to copy the feel and style of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper, but failed miserably ...and embarrassingly. But Beggars' was pure Stones, and set off a run of incredible albums that were the essence of R&R --- Let it Bleed, Get Your Ya Ya's Out, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main St. They've never come close to re-capturing the magic from that ('68 - '72) era.
Yes....and I wasn't a bit surprised.
In fact, they should have phrased the question..... "Other than "Satisfaction", what's the greatest Rock and Roll song?"
I find Rubber Soul pretty revolutionary as well, but SPLHCB is probably the album that personally brings me the fondest memories of the era, and i still love to listen to it, while the songs on Dark Side of the Moon just get me depressed reminding me about how another 10 years have slipped away...(but i still really dig the songs and the group! particularly UmmaGumma!!)
Musically, i tend to prefer Zep and Pink Floyd over the Beatles but not everyone out there liked these groups folks, everybody liked/likes the Beatles...
just for the record my choice of the best album ever is Blind Faith
The Mick Taylor era. What a great guitar player.
Just wanted to bring up "Disraeli Gears"...another great one.
I was at his concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta in 1980! Best concert I have ever been to as well. I even went to the record signing he had at the Turtle Records store in Hapeville the night before. I remember he was much shorter than I had imagined. He was laughing and carrying someone's baby on his shoulders as I came in. I was too broke to buy an album, and therefore I didn't get his autograph, but it was delightful just being there with him.
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