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Top 10 best albums of all time (updated Rolling Stone list)

On landmark albums in music history...

Updated Top 10 best albums in history according to Rolling Stone

"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is Rolling Stone's legendary list, which has been viewed more than 63 million times in 2019 alone! It has been slightly updated since its first publication, and at the end of 2020, a brand new version was unveiled based on the results of the voting: everyone from music lovers and musicians to producers and critics took part! As a result, the iconic The Beatles were displaced from the leading position... In addition, the list included many albums released in our XXI century. As a matter of fact... let's not procrastinate! Here are the top ten best albums in history according to the updated Rolling Stone ranking! Let's start with the leading record...

Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On" (1971)

Marvin Gaye - "what's Going On" (1971)
Marvin Gaye - "what's Going On" (1971)

What's Going On", the 11th studio album by American musician Marvin Gaye, opens the top ten. It was recorded in the summer of 1970, but was not released until May 1971. This release was the first time in Marvin Gaye's career that he produced an album on his own... In terms of style, What's Going On is conceptual, consisting of nine tracks. Many of them are connected to each other, which becomes obvious while listening: the songs seem to transition into each other, creating a single powerful work... The lyrics are a narrative on behalf of a Vietnam War veteran: after returning home from the war, he sings about how he sees nothing good that he fought for. Only injustice, suffering, bitterness... Marvin Gaye also touches on themes such as the decline of humanity, poverty, and the fallenness of society.

The album "What's Going On" expresses well the new trends in soul music. Not surprisingly, the record enjoyed great popularity and commercial success far beyond the borders of their native States! Having passed the test of time, today it is considered a golden classic of the 70's era!

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" (1966)

The Beach Boys - "pet Sounds" (1966)
The Beach Boys - "pet Sounds" (1966)

The second place was awarded to the legendary band The Beach Boys and their album "Pet Sounds". For the American band, this album was groundbreaking: the usual motifs of rock 'n' roll and surf rock were replaced by shades of baroque pop... The lyrics, which are introspective in nature, are also surprising. It should be emphasised that "Pet Sounds" was literally a solo project for leader Brian Wilson! At the time of recording the album the musician did not take part in the live performances of the band anymore, and fully concentrated on the studio work. So... practically all tracks and arrangements from this release are his merit. And for this very reason "Favourite Sounds" is full of brass and strings, as well as many other no less unique sounds (even bicycle bells can be heard here!).

https://youtu.be/hONnenV2lZg

Such experiments gave birth to a truly unique sound that was quite different from anything other bands were doing at the time! "Pet Sounds" made a huge contribution to the development of pop and rock music, and Wilson's boldness inspired a lot of musicians to experiment with sound! And even though the real success came to the album only with the advent of the 90s, "Pet Sounds" repeatedly topped the top ratings of influential publications...

Joni Mitchell - "Blue" (1971)

Joni Mitchell - "blue" (1971)
Joni Mitchell - "blue" (1971)

The album "Blue" by Joni Mitchell is a legendary classic of the 70s, which has not lost its relevance and influence to this day, after so many decades... It was recorded in a difficult period for the singer, when she broke up with Graham Nash and fell in love with James Taylor. Because of this, the lyrics are full of romanticism, tenderness and slight tragedy... Mitchell masterfully expressed all the bitterness of the breakup and her personal feelings about the new relationship in music... For this reason, the album "Blue" is often called "the pinnacle of confessional songwriting".

https://youtu.be/cVBSizMeT1I

A solid part of the material was recorded by the singer during her journey along the "hippie trail". Before releasing the album, the devastated Joni Mitchell had time to visit the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Greece... Few people know, but the song "Carey" was addressed to a chef from Matala (a hippie village on the island of Crete), who jumped out of the window of his cafe from the explosion of a gas cooker. Thus, he met the star of his era!

Stevie Wonder - "Songs in the Key of Life" (1976)

Stevie Wonder - "songs In The Key Of Life" (1976)
Stevie Wonder - "songs In The Key Of Life" (1976)

Almost all the songs from the album Songs in the Key of Life were written by Stevie Wonder himself, the great American soul singer. The record became the musician's most commercially successful album to date: it won him a Grammy Award, as well as three other nominations! In America, Songs in the Key of Life achieved colossal sales of over 10 million copies!

Today, Songs in the Key of Life (as its title translates) is not only a top ten album according to Rolling Stone, but is also the first double album and the last in a series of five classic Wonder albums.

The Beatles - "Abbey Road" (1969)

The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)

"Abbey Road" is a cult album by an equally cult band, which in its time gathered countless halls and stadiums... The title of the record is a reference to the London street where the recording studio was located. The Beatles worked on this album for more than half a year! Thus, "Abbey Road" became the last project for the band... As for "Let It Be", released in the early 70s, most of the material for it was recorded back in 1969.

At the time of recording Abbey Road, the band was already in disarray. At that time, at Abbey Road Studios, it is unlikely that anyone could have imagined that these were the last sessions for The Beatles... However, George Harrison later remarked:

"At the time, I felt we were close to the finals..."

Nirvana - "Nevermind" (1991)

Nirvana "Nevermind" (1991)
Nirvana "Nevermind" (1991)

"Nevermind" is the title of the most successful album in the history of Nirvana! During the recording of this record Kurt Cobain wanted to free the band's music from the standards and frameworks set by the Seattle grunge scene... In addition, a new drummer, Dave Grohl, was involved, which also played a role. The most interesting thing is that the band and the label didn't believe in the success of "Nevermind" at first, predicting modest commercial achievements... However, by the end of the year the album had already announced itself to the whole world, largely with the help of the timeless single "Smells Like Teen Spirit"! It remains the band's anthem to this day...

In the winter of 1992, "Nevermind" topped Billboard, surpassing Michael Jackson and his "Dangerous"! This event was a landmark for underground music: from that very moment "grunge" shifted the accents of popularity in the rock music industry! Subsequently, the world's music critics recognised "Nevermind" as the best record of its genre in history....

Fleetwood Mac - "Rumours" (1977)

Album cover of "Rumours" (1977)
Album cover of "Rumours" (1977)

"Rumours" is the most successful album in the history of the band Fleetwood Mac! It sold a staggering 40+ copies worldwide! Such a high figure set a record in the history of recording! The lead singles from the album were: "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", "Don't Stop" and "You Make Loving Fun".

The album got its name "Rumours" for a reason: even before the recording started, the band was on the verge of breaking up... The atmosphere in the studio was difficult: the Fleetwood Mac members, who were also married, were fighting with each other... Of course, all this left its mark on the lyrics of "Rumours"... Nevertheless, the album was warmly received by critics and listeners! It also had a huge influence on different musicians and their work. Today, "Rumours" is considered an exemplary recording of the late 70's.

Prince and the Revolution - "Purple Rain" (1984)

Prince And The Revolution - "purple rain" (1984)
Prince And The Revolution - "purple rain" (1984)

The album "Purple Rain" brought Prince two Grammy Awards and an Oscar for Best Film Music! In general, the record was a huge success: the number of its sales exceeded 13 million copies! And this is only on the territory of the USA... At the same time, it has not lost its relevance over time: according to official data, in 2016 alone, after the death of the musician, about 500 thousand copies of "Purple Rain" were sold.

Curiously, the explicit lyrics of "Darling Nikki" prompted the creation of special stickers (from the Parents Music Resource Centre). Their presence on the record made it clear that the lyrics contained foul or overly explicit language.

Bob Dylan - "Blood on the Tracks" (1975)

Bob Dylan - "Blood On The Tracks" (1975)
Bob Dylan - "Blood On The Tracks" (1975)

The album "Blood on the Tracks", released in January 1975, marked Bob Dylan's return to Columbia Records (several of the musician's albums had previously been released on the Asylum label). Unlike his previous works, Blood on the Tracks received rave reviews from critics! It has been called Dylan's best album of his career... As for the content, the lyrics deal with themes such as anger, loneliness,...

"Blood on the Tracks" went platinum twice! And to this day it remains quite successful and relevant among music lovers....

Lauryn Hill - "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" (1998)

Lauryn Hill - "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" (1998)
Lauryn Hill - "The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill" (1998)

"The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" was the debut LP for singer Lauryn Hill. The album was released in August 1998. It quickly became popular: in the first week its sales exceeded 420 thousand copies! Thus Lauryn Hill set a record for the number of copies sold among women of that time. The main hit singles were: "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor" and "Everything Is Everything".

In terms of musical content, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a neo-soul record that touched on genres such as rhythm and blues, hip-hop, soul and reggae... Curiously, the record's title serves as a reference to the film The Education of Sonny Carson and the book The Miseducation of Negroes.

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