Mini Reviews of Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums: 380-371
Back in September of 2020, Rolling Stone did something rather audacious and released out to the world a ranking of, in their estimation, the Top 500 albums ever made. By any musician, any band, anywhere.
It's a mammoth undertaking, of course, and one that is never going to be without controversy, dispute, and backlash. But Rolling Stone has to have known that by now, as this is actually their third go-round with this; the original "Greatest 500" was released to much furor in 2003, and then an updated list came in 2012. What sets this ranking apart is it's not just Rolling Stone contributors; this time, they sought input from some of the biggest artists and producers on the scene, to essentially make this ranking more of an aggregation of what are generally considered the greatest albums, than just a compilation ranking by the staff of one entertainment outlet, I suppose.
Anyways! I was always aware of this list, but at the outset of 2022, being ever the musichead, ever the listophile, I made a plan to complete what some might argue is just as audacious an undertaking: I want to listen to all 500, regardless of my familiarity (or lack thereof) with a particular album, regardless of my feelings towards its artist. I'm going to listen to all 500, in order. And I'm going to share my thoughts on them, but because there are literally hundreds of albums to get through, I pledge to keep said thoughts to a sentence or two.
I recognize this is going to take me ages. It's a marathon, not a sprint! In fact, as I imagined might be the case, there's already been a revision to the"500 Greatest Albums" before I even finished this edition. But regardless of whether you will take this epic journey with me, I hope you will check in on me from time-to-time, to gauge how I feel about what Rolling Stone deemed the 491st-best album of all time.
In case you need the link to reference the source material:
And in case you missed my previous entries, here were my rundowns on:
Here are my thoughts on numbers 390-381:
Rating: 5.5/10
I'm not someone who thinks all jazz sounds the same, but I do think it can be categorized easily within just a couple subcategories. This album definitely falls under the "pleasant but completely forgettable background music" heading.
Rating: 7.5/10
My favorite part of this album is the fact that its first track plays a not-insignificant role in one of my favorite comedies, I Love You, Man. Okay but in all seriousness, this was a fun one! Not too many memorable songs, but as a whole project, it flows together really nicely; 40 solid minutes of rock n' roll.
Rating: 8.5/10
Yeah, there's a fair bit of Run-DMC's style that brings to mind Hannibal Burress's hilarious take on old hip-hop. But the iconic rap group's debut is also just an absolute riot from start to finish; I dare you to try listening without nodding your head along to every song.
Rating: 6/10
This album picks up in the latter half, which includes the timeless classic, "Maps." But, as energetic as this is from the jump, I can't say the yell-stomp indie rock that was emblematic of the early 2000s did a lot for me.
Rating: 8/10
Even having never before listened to it, I'll admit I was shocked to see this album so low, given the number of people (largely Gen X/millennial people) I have seen refer to it as one of the greatest ever. This was my introduction to Neutral Milk Hotel, and my first reaction is that it's cool to see the way they clearly led to groups like Arcade Fire and The Decemberists. As for the album itself? Wildly original and complex musicality, a lot of energy, to be sure... not sure how often I'll return to it but I can respect the artistry.
Rating: 8.5/10
Listen- yes, the nostalgia angle is strong here. Green Day, and this album in particular, were on heavy rotation in my middle school days. But even putting that bias aside, unless this music just 100% isn't for you-- and fair enough-- I don't know how you can't see this as a great album. It basically plays like a Greatest Hits of pre-American Idiot Green Day (just maybe forget the last track).
Rating: 6/10
I feel similarly to Blues as I do to Jazz, despite the genres' differences, and thus, feel similarly about this record as I did about Charles Mingus's. Namely, perfectly fine music to be playing around the house while you work on something, but I probably wouldn't feel the need to attend a full performance of it.
Rating: 9/10
Right off the bat, I was floored to realize that the opening track is sampled in Beyoncé's "Six Inch" (an underrated song)! Anyways, man, this was good. I was familiar with Isaac Hayes' larger-than-life status in the world of Soul, but this was my musical introduction to him, and what an introduction it was; just 45 delicious minutes of...well, hot buttery soul music.
Rating: 6/10
Janis Joplin is obviously a legend, and I think if any one of these songs (especially "Piece of my Heart") was playing individually, I would rock out to it. But altogether, the wailing guitars and screeching vocals get tiresome upon a continuous listen.
Rating: 6.5/10
I've said it numerous times in this series, and will continue to say it whenever it's pertinent: I think it's kinda cheap to include Greatest Hits/compilation albums in this ranking. Standard disclaimer aside, my opinion on the music alone is that while it's all pleasant, and obviously includes some classics ("My Girl"!! "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"!!), 2+ hours of The Temptations doesn't really move the needle for me.
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