Mini Reviews of Rolling Stone's Top 500 Albums: 430-421
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! Hell, maybe the next edition of the "500 Greatest Albums" will be out before I finish this one. 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 430-4211:
Rating: 6/10
Elvis Costello is one of those names I've heard virtually my whole life, and yet I couldn't name a single song by him if asked, so it may not be a surprise for you to learn that this was the first album I've ever heard by him. My first reaction is that this was a fun listen, but nothing particularly memorable or original; just straight-up bluesy rock n' roll.
Rating: 8.5/10
I'll admit some bias here: my mom loves The Four Tops, and I grew up listening to them a fair bit, so nostalgia left me prone to enjoying this record. But it's undeniably great: a pretty simple Motown sound, sure, but this particular album from the quartet could essentially function as a Greatest Hits. Banger after banger.
Rating: 5/10
I am sad I had never heard of the band named "Hüsker Dü," because, well, what a great name. But at least upon first listen, that's the most memorable part about the grunge rock band. New Day Rising was lot of high-energy fun, to be sure, but the 'garage rock' feel wears thin about halfway through the approximately 45-minute record.
Rating: 7.5/10
Similar to The Four Tops above, Call Me is nothing revolutionary, just a simple, pleasing R&B listen from one of the best to ever do it. I rate this one slightly lower as it contains less standout tracks.
Rating: 7/10
The eponymous album from the Louisiana singer and guitarist Lucinda Williams was her most-acclaimed in her career. It's a solid Blues-Country album, punchy from start to finish. While free of deadweight, however, no individual song stands out as particularly memorable.
Rating: 8/10
Another eponymous Americana album, but this artist I was no stranger to. Paul Simon's second solo album doesn't have many of the songs you have likely heard by him, either from his solo career or in tandem with Art Garfunkel, but in true Paul Simon fashion, consistently pairs pleasant folk-rock with vivid storytelling.
Rating: 6.5/10
Beck was ever-so-slightly before my time, but I've been aware of him most of my life (and even saw him open for U2 a few years back!). This album felt very in line with the Beck I'm familiar with: alternative, experimental, extremely 90s-era edgy grunge. It results in some fun, high-energy stuff, but I find the style a little tiresome, and on a couple occasions, even almost unlistenable.
Rating: 7.5/10
Just like Beck, this was another one that absolutely epitomized 90s alternative rock. I slightly preferred YLT's record to Beck's; though I didn't experience too many songs that stuck with me on this album either, it was a smooth, consistent listen. Very "Radiohead meets Modest Mouse."
Rating: 9/10
This album opens with the iconic opening chords of the title track, and doesn't let up from there. A silky smooth, cheekily sexy listen from start to finish, and at just half an hour, doesn't require too much of you.
Rating: 8/10
I was of course familiar with M.I.A., whose hits featured heavily in the soundtrack of my late middle school/early high school years, but this was my first listen through of an album of hers. None of the aforementioned big hits appear on this 2005 record, but it's still an electric, thumping ride through hip-hop/dancehall bangers. Not every track is an automatic re-listen, but many are, and you can hear early inspiration for the likes of Rosalía and Little Simz.
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