Rolling Stone has unveiled an updated edition of its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” which the magazine last published in 2012. The new tally, which was compiled by considering lists of 50 top albums chosen by more than 300 artists, producers, critics and music-industry figures, includes 154 albums that were not on the 2012 edition.
At #1 is Marvin Gaye‘s classic 1971 concept album What’s Going On, which features such topical tunes as the classic title track, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” songs that reflected on the Vietnam War, the environment and the racial divide.
The highest-ranking rock album on the tally is The Beach Boys‘ pop-rock masterpiece Pet Sounds, which landed in second place.
Other albums in the tally’s top 20 include Joni Mitchell‘s Blue at #3, The Beatles‘ Abbey Road at #5, Nirvana‘s Nevermind at #6, Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours at #7, Bob Dylan‘s Blood on the Tracks at #9, The Beatles’ Revolver at #11, The Rolling Stones‘ Exile on Main Street at #14, The Clash‘s London Calling at #16,and Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited at #18.
Artists who took part in the voting included many Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, including The Animals‘ Eric Burdon, Beastie Boys‘ Adam Horovitz, Buffalo Springfield‘s Richie Furay, The Byrds‘ Roger McGuinn, The Cars‘ Elliot Easton, Alice Cooper, The Cure‘s Robert Smith, The Grateful Dead‘s Mickey Hart, Journey‘s Steve Perry, The Kinks‘ Mick Avory, KISS‘ Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, Graham Nash, Stevie Nicks, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, U2‘s Adam Clayton and The Edge, The Velvet Underground‘s John Cale, Yes‘ Rick Wakeman and ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons.
Check out the full list at RollingStone.com.
By Matt Friedlander
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