51 Albums

Oh Jesus no, I'm not going to do this, am I?

This whole blog began in early 2009 with an attempt to consider, subjectively, what might be the best 101 Songs of All Time (ie the rock era and just before), in terms of some nebulous idea of accumulated praise and place in our culture etc It was a fun task, inevitably polluted (now I look back on it) more than I could realise by personal taste. But the thing was - it was  a task just about possible to carry out, considering I had probably heard at some stage a pretty large proprtion of what might have been deemed contenders to the throne.

I mean, we all hear a lot of songs. There are lots of songs we don't hear too, but I think I've heard a pretty large number of songs widely within Western pop music considered to be great songs, even if they're not in genres I'm that well acquainted with.

Albums, that's a different matter. How many albums do we actually listen to properly? More, I suppose, if you've got Spotify, but in general you have to own something and listen to it several times to have a full perspective on it.

Like, I own Stevie Wonder's 'Fulfilingness' First Finale' and sure I've probably listened to it all the way through, but hardly ever and not for several years, whereas, say, 'Talking Book' by the same artist, I happened to own and listen to a lot for a while. It's an unfair comparison. Of course I'm going to rate Talking Book higher.

Likewise, albums aren't always how we come to an artist - like The Jam and Blondie, I came to via tremendous Greatest Hits compilations, and though i've bought their albums since, I can't really pay proper heed to All Mod Cons and Parallel Lines, because that's not really how I've listened to these bands primarily.

Hmm, obstacles, unfairnesses, still, I'm going to go ahead. I'm going to try and provide a list of the Best ... Albums Ever (with the proviso that, of course, that just means Albums I've given a really good listen to, which is more than most people, but you know, there are probably around 500,000 I'm not considering and only about 1000, if that, that I can, so it's utterly daft!)

And I am going to try to be subjective, to the extent that that's possible. I'm actually going to use criteria and a tally system. Perhaps the results will surprise me.

What will the criteria be?

Impact/ Capturing its time 10
Popularity 10
Critical Acclaim10
Consistency/ No weakspots 10
Extent to which it reflects/encapsulates artists 5
Packaging (eg Name, Cover etc) 5
How it makes me feel 10
Unity 10
Artistic Achievement10
Timelessness/Longevity 10
Breadth/Range including range of talent 10

I know, I know, utterly daft - I'm going to give 10 for all those and so each album will get a score out of 100 and I'll list them. And what albums will I pick? Will I veer towards personal favourites when they have no real critical mass behind them eg 'The World Won't End' by the Pernice Brothers. Well, I'll try not to. Oh, this is going to useless. Anyway, here we go ...

... right, I've done it. I'll tell you how it went down.

I began to take the task seriously and try to be as fair as possible, so I poured through various lists and books to make sure I handn't missed much. I went through the Rolling Stone Greatest 500 Albums of All Time (jesus, it's a great magazine but their lists are fogeyish), the Q Top 100, all the NME Albums of the Year, Uncut Albums of the Year, the Mercury Winners, Grammy Winners, I asked one or two other people for their thoughts.

But of course there were problems. I had to have listened to the album properly - so there is quite a lack of representation in pop, dance, hip-hop, Krafwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Jay-Z, Underworld, whoever you like. If it were songs/singles, it would be different, I know plenty of  these artists' songs, but i just haven't listened to their albums. Sorry.

And personal taste did come into it. U2 aren't on the list, or Never Mind the Bollocks, for example. But, generally, my points system rather weighted against personal taste. Only 10% was actually how it made me feel, which, actually, actually, when it all comes down to it, is the only thing that really matters.

If that had been the only criterion, the winner would probably have been Gold Against the Soul by the Manic Street Preachers, and you know, that is NOT one of the best albums of all time, but, gosh, it made me feel something when i used to listen to it.

So I went through 140 albums, a few personal favourites included but generally "consensus" classics. Scores have ranged from 94 to 64 - the one that got 64, Surf's Up by The Beach Boys, probably shouldn't have been on the list, but as an example of how "fair" I think I've been, one of the lowest scores ended up being 'The World Won't End' by the Pernice Brothers (mentioned above) which happens to be one of my own personal five favourites in the world ever.

This was not a list where the alt-country middleweights have flourished.

The list may well be accused of being a little bland, but so be it. Remember the criteria.

Impact/ Capturing its time 10
Popularity 10
Critical Acclaim10
Consistency/ No weakspots 10
Extent to which it reflects/encapsulates artists 5
Packaging (eg Name, Cover etc) 5
How it makes me feel 10
Unity 10
Artistic Achievement10
Timelessness/Longevity 10
Breadth/Range including range of talent 10
There were a lot of ties, and where there were ties, I will use personal taste to rank the artists, if that's ok.

I'll stop short of 101, so my list will be

THE GREATEST 51 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (hohum)

Revolver - The Beatles		1
Automatic for the people - REM		2
Blue - Joni Mitchell		3
OK Computer - Radiohead		4
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie		5
Grace - Jeff Buckley		6
Come on Feel the Illinoise - Sufjan Stevens		7
The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground		8
Tapestry - Carole King		9
Rubber Soul - The Beatles		10
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels - Dexys Midnight Runners		11
Have one on Me - Joanna Newsom		12
Is This It - The Strokes		13
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison		14
London Calling - The Clash		15
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco		16
The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae		17
Songs in the Key of life - Stevie Wonder		18
Ys - Joanna Newsom		19
If You're feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian		20
Talking Book - Stevie Wonder		21
Times they are a Changin - Bob Dylan		22
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys		23
Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan		24
Hour of the Bewilderbeast - Badly Drawn Boy		25
Definitely Maybe - Oasis		26
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses		27
Forever Changes - Love		28
Freewheelin Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan		29
Fuzzy Logic - Super Furry Animals		30
It takes a nation of millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy		31
Nevermind - Nirvana		32
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes		33
Let England Shake - PJ Harvey		34
The White Album - The Beatles		35
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem		36
Parklife - Blur		37
Songs of Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen		38
The Boatman's Call - Nick Cave		39
Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers		40
A Ghost is Born - Wilco		41
22 Dreams - Paul Weller		42
Moondance - Van Morrison		43
What's the Story, Morning Glory? - Oasis		44
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan		45
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space - Spiritualized		46
Funeral - Arcade Fire		47
Thriller - Michael Jackson		48
Bringing it all Back home - Bob Dylan		49
Abbey Road - The Beatles		50
Blur - Blur		51=
Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons		51=
The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips		51=

Pretty safe, eh? A few ties at the end. I'm not surprised by the Top 2 - I'm not even, as such, a massive REM fan, but i do think that album is an extraordinary unifying achievement without a fault, and I think it's ok to have "the greatest band" at their most fruitful, tuneful and imaginative at Number 1.

If anyone's interested in the full working and full scores, get in touch, and please tell me what i've missed. There are some notable omissions, like 'Sgt Pepper's', which i think a lot of people share my view of being hit-and-miss (it finished 63rd). Also, no Rolling Stones, another band i've mainly enjoyed through songs, not albums, though I do actually like Exile on Main Street a lot.

It really has veered quite a long way from personal preference, which is quite fun really.
If you're interested, my Favourite 10 would be something like (not in order)

Blue - Joni Mitchell
The World Won't End - The Pernice Brothers
Have One on Me - Joanna Newsom
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
Grace - Jeff Buckley
No More Shall We Part - Nick Cave
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels - Dexys
Van Occupanther - Midlake
London Calling - The Clash

though five of those could be different on any given night.

This has been fun. I'll do one more post, and then I'll get back to the Songs ...