Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Album List” Revised to My Tastes

Rolling Stone magazine put out a list of the 500 Best Albums of all-time back in 2003. Then in 2012, they updated their list and this week the music magazine released their 2020 version of the list and once again, I struggle with it.

If this was a list that truly studied album releases and selected THE absolute best in quality based on criteria that made sense, I could accept it. But it isn't.

"...we received and tabulated Top 50 Albums lists from more than 300 artists, producers, critics, and music-industry figures (from radio programmers to label heads, like Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman). The electorate includes Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish; rising artists like H.E.R., Tierra Whack, and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail; as well as veteran musicians, such as Adam Clayton and the Edge of U2, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Gene Simmons, and Stevie Nicks." -Rolling Stone

The big problem I have with the list is that it's totally subjective and it mixes tastes and genre. It's really a mish-mash of different people and their very different tastes. That's "what made rebooting the RS 500 fascinating and fun," according to the magazine's writers. Again, I disagree because I think it just makes the list frustrating.

So, I decided to pull a "Thomas Jefferson" and stick with Rolling Stone's Top 50, but remove the ones I disagree with. I also did a little rearranging.

So, here's my Top 10 Albums, with some assistance from Rolling Stone magazine.

10.   Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan

9.     London Calling - The Clash

8.     Thriller Michel Jackson

7.     Revolver - The Beatles

6.     Prin ce and the Revolution - Purple Rain

5.     Nirvana - Nevermind

4.     Abbey Road - The Beatles

3.     Rumors - Fleetwood Mac

2.     Tapestry - Carole King

1.     Sgt. Peppers - Beatles