"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine Rolling 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 by the 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.
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 by Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971). It received similar criticisms as the previous lists.[2] Another revision was published in 2023.[3]
Since 2020 Rolling Stone has also produced a weekly podcast called Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums, which, according to magazine, is based on an "updated version of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums list".[4] The podcast is hosted by Brittany Spanos, a staff writer at the magazine.[5] [6]
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 firm Ernst & Young devised a point system to weigh votes for 1,600 submitted titles. The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the list, with Rolling Stones editors describing it as "the most important rock 'n' roll album ever made".[7] The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (1966) was ranked second in recognition of its influence on Sgt. Pepper.[8] The list also included compilations and "greatest hits" collections.[9]
An amended list was released as a book in 2005, with an introduction by guitarist Steven Van Zandt. Some compilation albums were removed, and Robert Johnson's The Complete Recordings was substituted for both of his King of the Delta Blues Singers volumes, making room for a total of eight new entries on the list.
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.[10] 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.
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:[11]
Each voter was asked to submit a ranked list of 50 favorite albums.[12] 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.[13] 86 of the entries were 21st-century releases. One hundred fifty-four new entries were not on either of the two previous editions, and rap albums figured three times as much.[14] Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971) was featured at the number one spot.[11]
The 2023 revision was created using the same method as the 2020 list.[3]
The original Rolling Stone 500 was criticized for being male-dominated, outmoded and almost entirely Anglo-American in focus.[15] [16] Writing in USA Today, Edna Gundersen described the list as predictable and "weighted toward testosterone-fueled vintage rock". Following the publicity surrounding the list, rock critic Jim DeRogatis, a former Rolling Stone editor, published Kill 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 to NMEs own 500 greatest albums list, described the 2012 Rolling 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 is London Calling, I think I prefer the NMEs less critically-correct approach."[18]
Responding to the 2020 revision, Consequence of Sounds Alex Young wrote that the lesser representation of white male rock musicians was "the biggest takeaway".[13] According to CNN'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 of The Japan Times criticized the list for underrepresenting Asian and non-Anglophone artists, stating that "It seems a shame then that Rolling Stone 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 | |||||
| 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |||
| 8 | 8 | 11 | 11 | |||
| 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Counts include one album credited to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and two credited to Neil Young & Crazy Horse. | ||
| 6 | 6 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | |||
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 2003: One album in the top 10 at no. 7. | ||
| 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2020/2023: Count includes one album as a member of Destiny's Child. | ||
| 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 3. | ||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 4. | ||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2003/2012/2020: Count includes one album credited to the Velvet Underground & Nico. | ||
| 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2020: Counts include one album as D'Angelo and the Vanguard. | ||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020: Counts include two albums as a member of Funkadelic, one with Parliament. | ||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Count includes one album credited to Bob Dylan & the Band. | ||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012: One album in the top 10, at no. 8. | ||
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: Each count include one album as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. | ||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2003/2012/2020/2023: One album in the top 10, at no. 2. | ||
| 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |||
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2003/2012: Counts include one album as Elvis Costello & the Attractions. | ||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |||