Mini Reviews of Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums: 390-381
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: 5/10
"Where Is My Mind" is one of those rare songs that sounds like it could have been written in just about any decade in the last 60 years, and stands out as both a highlight and change of pace in this record. Apart from their most famous single ever, however, this album doesn't offer a whole lot other than standard emo-grunge. Not bad, but not memorable apart from one notable exception.
Rating: 7/10
Mariah's zenith came when I was a little too young; Beyoncé has always been my Beyoncé, in other words. But I knew enough of her hits and her undeniable talent to be excited to listen to this record, and it didn't disappoint. There's a not-insignificant amount of filler, to be sure, but the floor of the album is still solid, and the ceiling very high.
Rating: 8/10
At the risk of disappointing my mother, I don't know that I'd actually ever listened to an album by Aretha start to finish. Young, Gifted and Black speaks to why she's known as the Queen of Soul; it's a rousing display of her soulful vocal prowess, which includes one of the better Beatles covers I've ever heard.
Rating: 8.5/10
This was actually the first Radiohead album I ever heard; I was aware of them growing up, but they were enough before my time that it wasn't until I saw Thom Yorke's electric performance of album opener of "15 Step" at the Grammys with the USC Marching Band that I felt truly compelled to check out more of their music. Man, what a funky, eerie, trippy record this is. Its replay value is great, less in terms of number of bangers, but more so in terms of "you've never really heard anything like this."
Rating: 8.5/10
I’ll admit my ignorance here: I had heard of this album, but always assumed it was another great record by a late 90s/early 00s rapper I just kinda missed the boat on in my (very white) youth. I was wrong- J Dilla was a pioneering instrumental hip-hop producer, and this, his magnum opus, was released just 3 days before his tragic early death. With that in mind, Donuts doesn’t just play like a smooth, funky journey through instrumental trip-hop but an unexpectedly poignant farewell to a life gone too soon.
Rating: 6.5/10
Fun, uptempo, “hey! ho! let’s go!”-type stuff from Ramones (no, “Blitzkrieg Bop” isn’t on this record, but it’s the same energy). It’s enjoyable, and emblematic of its time, but I can’t say I see myself returning to it frequently.
Rating: 8/10
A highly enjoyable and often silly concept album, this plays like both late-stage Beatles and The Byrds. Very good listen from start to finish, even if the number of standout individual songs is few.
Rating: 9/10
I randomly stumbled upon this album late last summer, and am so glad I did; I've truly heard nothing like it. Music that was practically made to feature in a dystopian action thriller (or, more accurately, in a climactic kidnapping scene in The West Wing).
Rating: 8.5/10
I was late to Tame Impala, having only actually started listening to his (did you know it's JUST ONE GUY?!?!) stuff a few years ago, but I quickly joined the throng of white guys who lose their minds about how good Tame Impala is. Currents remains Kevin Parker and co.'s most sonically cohesive and replayable album by far.
Rating: 8/10
Most of this album isn't particularly standout, but is just good old-fashioned "drivin' with the windows down" music. But when an album closes with one of the greatest rock songs of all time, I mean...hard to go out on a higher note.
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