The 100 greatest albums of all time

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the greatest album of all time. This is according to the poll conducted by Rolling Stone among its editors, critics and staff to pick out the 500 greatest albums ever. The high quality of the music writing in the magazine makes their choices quite easy to accept. I do not know if there is anybody who will question Sgt. Pepper’s getting the No. 1 slot. But if you do, please try to remember that humans made the list and they are therefore subject to personal tastes, influences, memories and all those other intangible things that make a person. Take note too that these titles are the "best," which does not necessarily mean "bestseller." Sgt. Pepper has sold 11.7 million units. Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys at No. 2 has sold only 1.6 million. Michael Jackson’s Thriller at No. 20 has already done 26 million.

I have chosen to list down the top 100 albums in the list. If you want to find out the rest or if Britney Spears made the 400, you will have to buy the Rolling Stone special issue. All of the Beatles albums made the list, except of course, the later-released compilations. Bob Dylan has five. The Rolling Stones have four. The highest ranking R&B album is What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, jazz album is Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, rap album is It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy. The newest on the list is Nirvana’s Nevermind, which came out in 1991 while the oldest is The Anthology, which has recordings made by Muddy Waters in 1947. And I am sad to say, the highest ranking female is only at No. 30, Joni Mitchell with her album Blue.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles; Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys; Revolver, the Beatles; Highway 16 Revisited, Bob Dylan; Rubber Soul, the Beatles; What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye; Exile on Main Street, the Rolling Stones; London Calling, The Clash; Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan; White Album, the Beatles; Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley; Kind of Blue, Miles Davis; Velvet Underground, Velvet Underground; Abbey Road, the Beatles; Are You Experienced, the Jimi Hendrix Experience; Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan; Nevermind, Nirvana; Born to Run Bruce Springsteen; Astral Weeks, Van Morrison; Thriller, Michael Jackson.

The Great Twenty Eight, Chuck Berry; Plastic Ono Band by Plastic Ono Band; Innervisions, Stevie Wonder; Live at the Apollo, James Brown; Rumors, Fleetwood Mac; Joshua Tree, U2; King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 1, Robert Johnson; Who’s Next, Who; Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin; Blue, Joni Mitchell; Bringing It All Back Home, Bob Dylan; Let It Bleed, the Rolling Stones; Ramones, Ramones; Music from Big Pink, The Band; The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars David Bowie; Tapestry, Carole King; Hotel California, The Eagles; The Anthology, 1947-1972, Muddy Waters; Please, Please Me, the Beatles; Forever Changes Love.

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols the Sex Pistols; The Doors, The Doors; The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd; Horses, Patti Smith; The Band, The Band; Legend, Bob Marley & the Wailers; A Love Supreme, John Coltrane; It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy; At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers Band; Here’s Little Richard, Little Richard; Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Simon & Garfunkel; Greatest Hits, Al Green; The Birth of Soul - the Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings - 1952-1959, Ray Charles; Electric Ladyland, the Jimi Hendrix Experience; Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley; Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder; Beggars Banquet, the Rolling Stones; Trout Mask Replica, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band; Meet the Beatles, the Beatles; Greatest Hits, Sly and the Family Stone.

Appetite for Destruction, Guns ‘n’ Roses; Achtung Baby, U2; Sticky Fingers, the Rolling Stones; Phil Spector- Back to Mono- 1958-1969, Various Artists; Moondance, Van Morrison; Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin; The Stranger, Billy Joel; Off the Wall, Michael Jackson; Superfly, Curtis Mayfield; Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin; After the Gold Rush, Neil Young; Purple Rain, Prince; Back in Black, AC/DC; Otis Blue, Otis Redding; Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin; Imagine, John Lennon; The Clash, The Clash; Harvest, Neil Young; Star Time, James Brown; Odessey and Oracle, the Zombies.

Graceland, Paul Simon; Axis: Bold as Love, the Jimi Hendrix Experience; I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Franklin; Lady Soul, Aretha Franklin; Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen; Let It Be, the Beatles; Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd; At Folsom Prison, Johnny Cash; Dusty in Memphis Dusty Springfield; Talking Book Stevie Wonder; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John; 20 Golden Greats, Buddy Holly; Sign of the Times, Prince; Witches Brew, Miles Davis; Green River, Creedence Clearwater Revival; Tommy, the Who; The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan; This Year’s Model, Elvis Costello; There’s a Riot Going On, Sly and the Family Stone; and In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Frank Sinatra.