What Are the 500 Best Albums? Rolling Stone Has an Answer

This image released by Abrams Books shows cover art for Rolling Stone magazine 's “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” (Abrams Books via AP)
This image released by Abrams Books shows cover art for Rolling Stone magazine 's “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” (Abrams Books via AP)
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What Are the 500 Best Albums? Rolling Stone Has an Answer

This image released by Abrams Books shows cover art for Rolling Stone magazine 's “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” (Abrams Books via AP)
This image released by Abrams Books shows cover art for Rolling Stone magazine 's “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” (Abrams Books via AP)

Is Fleetwood Mac's landmark album "Rumours" better than "To Pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar? Should "Tapestry" by Carole King be ranked higher or lower than "Thriller" by Michael Jackson?

Rolling Stone magazine has some answers in a new book that's sure to spark conversations — "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time." It's where you'll find that Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" fittingly sits just ahead of "Ready to Die" by The Notorious B.I.G., at No. 21 and No. 22, respectively.

"Every record on here is in some ways on for different reasons," said Jon Dolan, the reviews editor at Rolling Stone who helped create the book. "We are really happy, to be honest, about the whole list."

But if you disagree with the rankings, don't blame the folks at Rolling Stone. Blame Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Iggy Pop, Nile Rodgers, Questlove, Billie Eilish, Herbie Hancock, Saweetie, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lin-Manuel Miranda and members of Metallica and U2, among dozens of other artists. They were among the judges.

The book's editors reached out to about 500 voters from the world of music — artists, journalists, record label figures and Rolling Stone staffers — and asked for their top 50 albums (Stevie Nicks kindly offered 80). They got some 4,000 albums and created a spreadsheet with weighed points.

On every page, the artists make a fascinating musical tapestry. Take a section in the lower Top 100 — at No. 86 is The Doors' self-titled debut, followed by "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis, "Hunky Dory" by David Bowie and, at No. 89, is "Baduizm" by Erykah Badu, connecting gems of classic rock, jazz, prog-rock and R&B.

"Is there a person who loves all those things equally? Probably not. But we hope there’s people who could definitely want to try them all out and see what they think," Dolan said. "That’s the goal: making connections and being introduced to new things."

Dolan was impressed by some established artists embracing modern music, like John Cale of the Velvet Underground championing FKA Twigs and Nicks ranking Harry Styles' "Fine Line" quite high.

"It’s sweet when these people who have been around are not just pooh-poohing the younger generation," he said. "It’s neat when people are voting for things outside of their genre and what you’d expect."

The book's origins started in 2003 when the magazine published its first 500 list, putting The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" at No. 1. It was a pretty Beatles-heavy list, with three more Fab Four albums making the top 10.

"It had kind of the perspective of a 45-year-old male rock fan who was open minded, who liked rap a little bit, but kind of patting it on the head, and liked R&B, but was kind of dismissive of the more recent stuff," he said.

"We really wanted to break away from that perspective and think the list could actually have many perspectives converging."

Joni Mitchell's "Blue" shot up on the new list, going from No. 30 in 2003 to the top 10 now, and Prince and the Revolution's "Purple Rain" went from No. 76 to No. 8. Another big gainer was Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," which zoomed up from the 300s in 2003 to Top 10 now.

"Certain albums become kind of new classics," said Dolan. "It is something that’s kind of evolving and up for grabs. And we wanted to kind of at least imply that in doing this one."

The new list is more inclusive of genres other than rock and so pushed some iconic albums down, like AC/DC’s "Back in Black" which went from No. 77 to No. 84, now nestled between "Dusty in Memphis" by Dusty Springfield and John Lennon’s "Plastic Ono Band." ("I’m pretty sure they would accept that company," Dolan said.)

Some artists' catalogues have also shifted. Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" leapfrogged his "Blonde on Blonde" and "Highway 61 Revisited" this time, and the Beatles' "Abbey Road" became their top album in the book, over "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver."

"The warmth and the beauty and the sweetness of ‘Abbey Road’ maybe in a way wins out over this sort of landmark sonic inventiveness of ‘Revolver’ because people love to listen to it."

There's been some online griping about the list, like that only "The Stranger" from Billy Joel made the list and no entries from non-Western artists. Fans of U2 might be mad that "The Joshua Tree" dropped out of the Top 100 and fans of electronic music might bemoan that there are only eight electronic albums.

But Rolling Stone says the list is a snapshot as music marches onward. While the albums were being tabulated this time, Taylor Swift’s "folklore" and Bob Dylan’s "Rough and Rowdy Ways" came out, and Dolan suspects both might have made the book if they’d only come out earlier.

"Because the list is so stylistically diverse and open-ended, I think we’re kind of implying that it’s always a work in progress," he said. "In 20 years, Rolling Stone, whatever entity it is, will do this again at some point."



Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
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Oasis Fans Converge as Mega-tour Kicks Off in UK

Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP
Oasis are performing together for the first time since 2009. MIKE CLARKE / AFP

Tens of thousands of ecstatic Oasis fans descend Friday on Cardiff as the legendary Britpop band kicks off a highly anticipated reunion tour nearly 16 years after last performing together.

The concert at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital will be the first of a 41-date run of gigs spanning the world, including in the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil, AFP said.

Once-warring brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, their bandmates and UK support acts will play in Cardiff on Friday and Saturday before five hometown gigs in Manchester starting on July 11.

Further sold-out British and Irish concerts will follow at London's Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin's Croke Park, before the international leg of their Oasis Live '25 tour.

"All that matters is how the people in that stadium feel," Liam Gallagher, 52, said on social media last week, as months of anticipation reach a climax.

Fans have been sharing their excitement at the first chance to see Oasis play live since 2009 -- or ever -- after it was long seen as a remote prospect following one of music's most acrimonious break-ups.

The band's 1990s gigs are the stuff of legend.

"The feeling is biblical!" fuel tanker driver Sean Campbell, 35, told AFP before attending Friday's gig.

"I've been waiting years for their return. I missed out on going years ago, so this is my first time seeing them live."

Ticket controversy

Oasis, famous for 1990s hits like "Live Forever" and "Wonderwall", announced its comeback tour last August, days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, "Definitely Maybe".

The Manchester rockers split in 2009, with Noel saying he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".

The Gallagher brothers had maintained a war of words about each other for more than a decade, performing individually over those years but never together.

The surprise announcement that they had finally put aside their feud to reunite sparked an online frenzy for tickets but outrage over sudden price hikes that saw Britain's competition watchdog threaten legal action.

Resale tickets costing thousands of pounds have surfaced, while fans have also been targeted by online scams.

Britain's Lloyds Bank estimated in April that victims had collectively lost more than £2 million ($2.7 million).

The tour is expected to be a boon for the struggling UK economy.

Fans could spend more than £1 billion combined on tickets and outgoings such as transportation and accommodation, Barclays bank estimated in May.

'Rough and ready'

Oasis will be supported in the UK by Richard Ashcroft, frontman of British rock band The Verve, as well as the Liverpool-formed band Cast.

The band has not released the setlist for their opening and other shows, with rampant speculation online over which classic tracks will feature and whether any new material will be performed.

There are also many rumors over the potential for special guests appearances.

Illuminated drones displayed Oasis's classic logo above the Cardiff stadium late Wednesday, in a one-night display adding to the buzz around the tour's kick-off.

Gates open Friday at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), with the band due on stage just over three hours later after both support acts have played.

The performance will wrap up by 10:30 pm, organizers said.

The stadium, which has a capacity of 74,500 for concerts, is set to have its retractable roof closed for both nights, with an incredible atmosphere expected.

Oasis reportedly began jamming together months ago, before starting rehearsals in London more recently.

The band has reportedly welcomed several new members for the tour, including a keyboard player and drummer.

Writing in the tour program, Noel, 58, reflected on the band's enduring popularity, saying "a new generation recognizes how Oasis wasn't manufactured".

"It was chaotic, and flawed, and not technically brilliant. We were rough and ready guys from a rehearsal room, and people recognized it."