"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finestalbums in history, compiled by the American magazineRolling Stone. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in a special issue of the magazine in 2003 and a related book in 2005.[1]
Critics have accused the lists of lending disproportionate weight to artists of particular races and genders. In the original list, most of the selections were albums by white male rock musicians, with the top position held bythe Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). In 2012,Rolling Stone published a revised edition, drawing on the original and a later survey of albums released up until the early 2000s.[2]
Another updated edition of the list was published in 2020, with 269 new entries replacing albums from the two previous editions. It was based on a new survey and did not consider the surveys conducted for the 2003 and 2012 lists. The 2020 list featured more artists of color and female artists, topped byMarvin Gaye'sWhat's Going On (1971).[2] It received similar criticisms as the previous lists.[3] Another revision was published in 2023.[4]
Since 2020Rolling Stone has also produced a weekly podcast calledRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums, which, according to magazine, is based on an "updated version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list".[5] The podcast is hosted by Brittany Spanos, a staff writer at the magazine.[6][7]
The first version of the list, published as a magazine in November 2003, was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics, and industry figures, each of whom submitted a ranked list of 50 albums. The accounting firmErnst & Young devised a point system to weigh votes for 1,600 submitted titles.[8]The Beatles' 1967 albumSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the list, withRolling Stone's editors describing it as "the most important rock 'n' roll album ever made".[9]The Beach Boys'Pet Sounds (1966) was ranked second in recognition of its influence onSgt. Pepper.[10] The list also included compilations and "greatest hits" collections.[8]
An amended list was released as a book in 2005, with an introduction by guitaristSteven Van Zandt. Some compilation albums were removed, andRobert Johnson'sThe Complete Recordings was substituted for both of hisKing of the Delta Blues Singers volumes, making room for a total of eight new entries on the list.[full citation needed][nb 1]
On May 31, 2012,Rolling Stone published a revised list, drawing on the original and a later survey of albums up until the early 2000s.[11] It was made available in "bookazine" format on newsstands in the US from April 27 to July 25. The new list contained 38 albums not present in the previous one, 16 of them released after 2003. The top listings remained unchanged.[citation needed]
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On September 22, 2020, another revision of the list was published. It drew upon a new survey conducted with "more than 300 artists, producers, critics, and music-industry figures", including:[12]
Each voter was asked to submit a ranked list of 50 favorite albums.[13] This time, the list included more musicians who were female and people of color, with many such artists represented at higher rankings than on the previous lists.[2] Eighty-six of the entries were 21st-century releases; 154 new entries were not on either of the two previous editions, and rap albums figured three times as much.[14]Marvin Gaye'sWhat's Going On (1971) was featured at the number one spot.[12]
A revision to the 2020 list was created in 2023, replacing some older albums with newer releases from the 2020s.[4]
The originalRolling Stone 500 was criticized for being male-dominated, outmoded and almost entirely Anglo-American in focus.[15][16] Writing inUSA Today,Edna Gundersen described the list as predictable and "weighted toward testosterone-fueled vintage rock".[8] Following the publicity surrounding the list, rock criticJim DeRogatis, a formerRolling Stone editor, publishedKill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics in 2004. The book featured a number of critics arguing against the high evaluation of various "great" albums, many of which had been included in the list.[17]
Jonny Sharp, a contributor toNME's own 500 greatest albums list, described the 2012Rolling Stone list as a "soulless, canon-centric [list] of the same tired old titles", adding: "looking at their 500, when the only album in their top 10 less than 40 years old isLondon Calling, I think I prefer theNME's less critically-correct approach."[18]
Responding to the 2020 revision,Consequence of Sound's Alex Young wrote that the lesser representation of white male rock musicians was "the biggest takeaway".[2] According toCNN's Leah Asmelash, "The change represents a massive shift for the magazine, moving to recognize more contemporary albums and a wider range of tastes."[19] Conversely, Jonathan McNamara ofThe Japan Times criticized the list for underrepresenting Asian and non-Anglophone artists, stating that "It seems a shame then thatRolling Stone's musical brain trust of writers and industry contributors [...] didn't take the opportunity to hold up albums from the world's non-English-speaking artists and bands."[20]
| Decade | Number of albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11 | 2.2% |
| 1960s | 126 | 25.2% |
| 1970s | 183 | 36.6% |
| 1980s | 88 | 17.6% |
| 1990s | 61 | 12.2% |
| 2000s | 13 | 2.6% |
| Decade | Number of albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10 | 2.0% |
| 1960s | 105 | 21.0% |
| 1970s | 186 | 37.2% |
| 1980s | 84 | 16.8% |
| 1990s | 73 | 14.6% |
| 2000s | 40 | 8.0% |
| 2010s | 2 | 0.4% |
| Decade | Number of albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9 | 1.8% |
| 1960s | 74 | 14.8% |
| 1970s | 157 | 31.4% |
| 1980s | 71 | 14.2% |
| 1990s | 103 | 20.6% |
| 2000s | 50 | 10.0% |
| 2010s | 36 | 7.2% |
| Decade | Number of albums | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9 | 1.8% |
| 1960s | 71 | 14.2% |
| 1970s | 155 | 31.0% |
| 1980s | 71 | 14.2% |
| 1990s | 101 | 20.2% |
| 2000s | 51 | 10.2% |
| 2010s | 36 | 7.2% |
| 2020s | 6 | 1.2% |
The following table lists the artists who had at least three albums included on at least one edition of the list (71 artists in total).
| Artist | Total number of albums by artist | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2020 | 2012 | 2003 | ||
| The Beatles | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
|
| Bob Dylan | 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 |
|
| Neil Young | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Counts include one album credited toCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young and two credited to Neil Young &Crazy Horse. |
| The Rolling Stones | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 2003: One album in the top 10 at no. 7. |
| Kanye West | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |
| David Bowie | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |
| Led Zeppelin | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Aretha Franklin | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| Beyoncé | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2020/2023: Count includes one album as a member ofDestiny's Child. |
| Joni Mitchell | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 3. |
| Pink Floyd | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| Prince | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
|
| Radiohead | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | |
| Stevie Wonder | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 4. |
| The Velvet Underground | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Count includes one album credited to the Velvet Underground &Nico. |
| The Who | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | |
| Al Green | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Beastie Boys | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Big Star | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Black Sabbath | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| D'Angelo | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2020: Counts include one album asD'Angelo and the Vanguard. |
| Elvis Presley | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Fiona Apple | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| George Clinton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020: Counts include two albums as a member ofFunkadelic, one withParliament. |
| James Brown | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Janet Jackson | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Jay-Z | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Kendrick Lamar | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| Marvin Gaye | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
|
| Michael Jackson | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Madonna | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
|
| Outkast | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Pavement | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Sly and the Family Stone | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Taylor Swift | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| The Band | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Count includes one album credited toBob Dylan & the Band. |
| The Clash | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012: One album in the top 10, at no. 8. |
| The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Tom Petty | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Each count include one album asTom Petty and the Heartbreakers. |
| Bob Marley andthe Wailers | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Creedence Clearwater Revival | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Miles Davis | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Eminem | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Grateful Dead | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Elton John | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| Ray Charles | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| The Byrds | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |
| The Kinks | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Public Enemy | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| R.E.M. | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Otis Redding | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Steely Dan | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| The Stooges | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| Talking Heads | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| The Beach Boys | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 2. |
| U2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| Elvis Costello | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2003/2012: Counts include one album as Elvis Costello &the Attractions. |
| The Doors | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Nick Drake | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Randy Newman | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Roxy Music | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| The Police | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| Simon & Garfunkel | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| The Smiths | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| Tom Waits | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Muddy Waters | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Cream | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Jackson Browne | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
