prince has climbed a few more places in the greatest rock and pop albums of all time list chosen by music critics. sign o the times has moved up to 19th place while purple rain is sitting at 47th. here is the current top 100, im sure some of your favourites will be there
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1 The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds

2 The Beatles
Revolver
1966


3 Nirvana
Nevermind
1991


4 The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground & Nico
1967


5 The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1967


6 The Rolling Stones
Exile on Main St
1972


7 Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde
1966


8 Marvin Gaye
What's Going On
1971


9 Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bollocks - Here's the Sex Pistols
1977


10 The Clash
London Calling
1979


11 Van Morrison
Astral Weeks
1968


12 Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
1965


13 The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Are You Experienced?
1967


14 The Beatles
The Beatles ("The White Album")
1968


15 Radiohead
OK Computer
1997


16 David Bowie
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
1972


17 Bruce Springsteen
Born to Run
1975


18 Public Enemy
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
1988


19 Prince
Sign 'O' the Times
1987


20 The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Electric Ladyland
1968


21 Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon
1973


22 The Doors
The Doors
1967


23 Patti Smith
Horses
1975


24 The Beatles
Abbey Road
1969


25 The Beatles
Rubber Soul
1965


26 Television
Marquee Moon
1977


27 Bob Dylan
Blood on the Tracks
1975


28 The Rolling Stones
Beggars Banquet
1968


29 The Rolling Stones
Let It Bleed
1969


30 Massive Attack
Blue Lines
1991


31 The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead
1986


32 Michael Jackson
Thriller
1982


33 Led Zeppelin
IV
1971


34 Stevie Wonder
Innervisions
1973


35 Joni Mitchell
Blue
1971


36 The Band
The Band
1969


37 Talking Heads
Remain in Light
1980


38 U2
The Joshua Tree
1987


39 The Who
Who's Next
1971


40 Ramones
Ramones
1976


41 R.E.M.
Automatic for the People
1992


42 The Rolling Stones
Sticky Fingers
1971


43 Stevie Wonder
Songs in the Key of Life
1976


44 Joy Division
Closer
1980


45 Neil Young
After the Goldrush
1970


46 Love
Forever Changes
1967


47 Prince and The Revolution
Purple Rain
1984


48 James Brown
Live at the Apollo
1963


49 The Clash
The Clash
1977


50 Fleetwood Mac
Rumours
1977


51 Beck
Odelay
1996


52 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
1970


53 Sly and the Family Stone
There's a Riot Goin' On
1971


54 David Bowie
Hunky Dory
1971


55 Otis Redding
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
1965


56 Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
Trout Mask Replica
1969


57 Carole King
Tapestry
1971


58 R.E.M.
Murmur
1983


59 The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
1989


60 The Strokes
Is This It
2001


61 Derek and The Dominos
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
1970


62 Led Zeppelin
II
1969


63 Guns 'n' Roses
Appetite for Destruction
1987


64 Paul Simon
Graceland
1986


65 Bob Dylan
Bringing It All Back Home
1965


66 De La Soul
3 Feet High and Rising
1989


67 Primal Scream
Screamadelica
1991


68 The Jesus and Mary Chain
Psychocandy
1985


69 Elvis Costello
This Year's Model
1978


70 Van Morrison
Moondance
1970


71 Lou Reed
Transformer
1972


72 Portishead
Dummy
1994


73 The Band
Music from Big Pink
1968


74 Elvis Costello
My Aim Is True
1977


75 John Lennon
Imagine
1971


76 U2
Achtung, Baby
1991


77 Tricky
Maxinquaye
1995


78 Pixies
Doolittle
1989


79 Blondie
Parallel Lines
1978


80 David Bowie
Low
1977


81 Roxy Music
For Your Pleasure
1973


82 Simon and Garfunkel
Bridge Over Troubled Water
1970


83 Dusty Springfield
Dusty in Memphis
1969


84 The Stooges
Fun House
1970


85 The Eagles
Hotel California
1976


86 Led Zeppelin
Physical Graffiti
1975


87 Kraftwerk
Trans-Europa Express
1977


88 The Original Soundtrack
Saturday Night Fever
1977


89 Bruce Springsteen
Darkness on the Edge of Town
1978


90 Sonic Youth
Daydream Nation
1988


91 Joy Division
Unknown Pleasures
1979


92 Stevie Wonder
Talking Book
1972


93 My Bloody Valentine
Loveless
1991


94 The Who
Tommy
1969


95 The Allman Brothers Band
At Fillmore East
1971


96 Public Enemy
Fear of a Black Planet
1990


97 Pixies
Surfer Rosa
1988


98 Oasis
Definitely Maybe
1994


99 Michael Jackson
Off the Wall
1979


100 P J Harvey
To Bring You My Love
1995

http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/

i dnt understand how a list compiled by ppl who know about music can leave out The Stranger by Billy Joel - as someone said on here before... its pretty much perfect

Cool beans!


and Prince and the Revolution at 47 (although it should be higher. That album is perfect).

Some of these are picked because you are "supposed" to love them, not that they are great.

The list seems to confuse what is classic, with what was "big at the time".

SquirrelMeat said:

Lots of the albums on that list weren't "big at the time", starting with Pet Sounds. The usual suspects are all present. I don't know why I even bothered looking.

my 2 fave albums at nr 9! and nr 10! , i think that 0 at london calling must be a mistake surely the beach boys were ment to be 10 and the clash nr 1!!!

31 The Smiths
The Queen Is Dead
1986

This really should have been in the top 10 or 15.

It's sad the obsurity hurts this band.

THRILLER SHOULD BE NO# 1 (and Purple Rain no# 2 )

PurpleKnight said:

Co-sign.

Purple Rain was too successful for the trend-setters to acknowledge its brilliance. It was a short, marvelous album. No filler. And unlike it's predecessors, I've figured out why Prince seemed like a slept-on genius when this album came out.

Before this, he almost exclusively was known in the popular press as a soul-singer known for catch Europop, synth-driven songs on the salacious side.

When Purple Rain, the album, hit, the world saw how multi-dimensional Prince is, and it also, I would argue, showcased his guitar skills.

Before Purple Rain, the general public didn't know he even played guitar.

He had me at "Dearly Beloved..."

This list comes from the very best website there is: www.acclaimedmusic.net
[Edited 4/9/05 1:01am]

SOTT is far better than Purple Rain, PR isn't even in my own top ten Prince albums. and i'm always disappointed to see Thriller placed higher than Off The Wall.

I think those lists are way too Rock-dominated. Especially the upper region.

Hey Prince is beating U2 (Bono) I friggin' hate that guy. He think he can save the earth. I've seen a ton of polls were U2 beats Prince??

SexualSuicide said:

...
...yeh but this list is made up of all the best of the year list from around the world so it is the best guide there is of what is considered classic albums.

1 The Beach Boys
Pet Sounds

I couldn't get past #1

ElectricBlue said:

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why?....there is no doubt it is one of the finest albums ever made....brian wilson was a musicial genius....it would certainly be in my top ten albums.

Where's Queen, dammit.

calldapplwondery83 said:

TRIPLE CO-SIGN!!!!

Marrk said:

I agree with both your claims (although PR is on my top 10 Prince list). I think SOTT is a better album than Purple Rain because its so experimental and VERY ecclectic. And Off The Wall was miles ahead of Thriller, its MJ's best album IMHO. I just wish MJ had stayed on the course he was on in the late 1970s.
[Edited 4/9/05 11:41am]

blackboab said:

That's just it-- YOUR top ten. It's all opinion. What you call genius I call tolerable. The Beach Boys, Nirvana and even the Beatles and Marvin Gaye for that matter are way overrated in my book. If Dylan, Hendrix, or Stevie topped the list I wouldn't have a problem with it, but c'mon-- there's nothing lyrically or musically spectacular going on in most of these albums. Enjoyable sure. I don't want to hear anything about context-- either it holds up now or it doesn't.
If I had the resources and nothing better to do I could publish my list and I bet you maybe 10 of those albums would make it-- MAYBE.
For the record, I think they overrated Sign O the Times too. Slightly

26 Television
Marquee Moon
1977


Blehh. I still don't get why this is so highly regarded.

Pbg said:

Hey I was wondering the same thing!

I think this is one of the better of these lists I have seen. I think Sign belongs where it is or maybe should be a little higher. Pet Sounds is THE best ever. Belongs at #1.

GangstaFam said:

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disagree....great album.....my favourite punk album ever.

I'm so sick of Nirvana being in the top 5.

WHERE'S GANG OF FOUR????!!!!!

blackboab said:

One of my favourite albums, and certainly some of the best guitar soloing ever captured on tape. I've actually worn out two vinyl copies of this record.

NWF said:

Entertainment is at number 150 and Solid Gold is at number 1971.

The Strokes. GMAFB.

damosuzuki said:

I'll give that to 'em. The guitars are wonderful. But it just doesn't come together for me.