Spin Magazine's 15 Most Influential Albums Of All Time
by 
covecove 
Found It Online and actually enjoyed their take on these albums. All notes come from the article at spin.com
- Chart updated: 12/17/2013 19:18
- (Created: 12/17/2013 19:18).
- Chart size: 15 albums.
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If your band aspires to be "difficult," seeks to force people to "confront" something, or features an attractive-in-a-weird-way female vocalist who can't really sing (and therefore sings perfectly), this is why. The Velvet Underground were the first rock band to be artfully abstruse on purpose: Defined as much by John Cale's sonic abrasion as Lou Reed's gutter-junk poetry, this album bridged the gap between high and low culture, and it's a bridge countless bookishly sexy rock bands walk to this day. INFLUENCED: David Bowie, Television, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Galaxie 500/Luna, Pavement, Mazzy Star, Yo La Tengo, the Strokes.
Year of Release:
1967
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,462
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The Stooges didn't play fast enough to have invented punk rock, but their blooze-steeped second album is as powerful a whiteriot as rock'n'roll has ever produced. Bassist Dave Alexander and drummer Scott Asheton swung harder than fellow Michiganproto-punker Ty Cobb, while brother Ron Asheton's guitar bled all over everything. And then, of course, there was singer/lunaticIggy Stooge (later Pop), aching to stick it deep inside on the incomparable "Loose" but patient enough to ride theseven-minute slow groove of "Dirt." Before Fun House, every acne-ridden garage band wanted to be the Yardbirds. Three decadeslater, garage rock is still the house that Ig built. INFLUENCED: Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, theWhite Stripes, the Vines
Year of Release:
1970
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Rank Score:
7,431
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Everybody knows about Black Sab's imprint on metal. There are only eight or nine truly heavy riffs in the entire universe,and Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi came up with at least three of them. But the influence of Black Sabbath stretches farbeyond the brutal simplicity of its power chords--it's essentially the first stoner-rock record (just listen to the wall ofdistortion on "N.I.B.") and definitely the first goth record (just stare at the creepy cover the next time you're high).INFLUENCED: Van Halen, Ministry, the Sisters of Mercy, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Queens of theStone Age, Cypress Hill, Spinal Tap
Year of Release:
1970
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Rank Score:
6,300
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By the dawn of the '70s, Marvin Gaye had already notched countless hits for Motown, including 1968's "I Heard It Throughthe Grapevine." But he still butted heads with label boss Berry Gordy over this record, a song cycle that ruminated on theturmoil of the Vietnam era while riding on a cloud of classical orchestration. Gordy blinked, and Gaye's bid for creativecontrol set a precedent that would allow other artists, notably Stevie Wonder, to emerge from the shadows of Motown. Massivelyambitious in both form and content, What's Going On remains a touchstone for hip-hop and R&B artists willing to fight for theirright to get deep. INFLUENCED: Earth Wind & Fire, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, OutKast, Common
Year of Release:
1971
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Rank Score:
18,971
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Nattily dressed, classically trained Germans, Kraftwerk couldn't actually become robots, but their sleek, synthetic "robot pop"changed everything. Before Kraftwerk, rock prized the idea of soul above all else; Autobahn was proudly inorganic music thatnonetheless dealt with deeply human issues, reflecting technology's capacity to simultaneously liberate and alienate. Everytime a contemporary musician makes his laptop cry synthetic tears, you can hear the echo of this album's bleeps. INFLUENCED:Devo, the Cars, the Human League, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Afrika Bambaataa, 2 Live Crew, all Detroit techno, theChemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Radiohead
Year of Release:
1974
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,822
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Listening to "Blitzkrieg Bop," the first song on the Ramones' first album, is like watching the atom split. With onelightning-bolt riff, these New York outer-borough goofballs saved rock from itself and punk rock from art-gallery pretension,bless their pointy little heads. But what really makes this record great is that the Ramones really believed they were writingpop songs, filtered through their own outsider-geek ethos but modeled on the AM-radio hits they sincerely loved. Ramones isproof that bubblegum doesn't lose its flavor on the sidewalk overnight. INFLUENCED: the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, BlackFlag, Green Day, Eddie Vedder, Sum 41, the Donnas, anyone who lacked the patience to learn more than three chords
Year of Release:
1976
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Rank Score:
6,890
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You can find better albums than Queens of Noise (in fact, you might be able to find ten better albums at most garage sales).But the Runaways' influence transcends their rudimentary riffing; they weren't the first female rock band, but they were thefirst female rawk band. Sure, they started out as a construct dreamed up by producer/songwriter Kim Fowley, but they definedthemselves by getting out from under his thumb, and two Runaways went on to become the premier independent women of punk (JoanJett) and metal (Lita Ford). INFLUENCED: the Go-Go's, Pat Benatar, Bangles, L7, Bikini Kill, Hole, Veruca Salt, Sleater-Kinney,the Donnas, Kittie
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The postpunk implosion started here--and never really stopped. Inspired by the industrial rhythms of their blighted factoryhometown of Manchester, England, Joy Division freed your ass while shackling your mind. Bassist Peter Hook pounded out furiousdispatches from the upper register, soon-to-be-late singer Ian Curtis hung out in the abyss, and producer Martin Hannett madethe music sound so icy and crystalline that you just knew it would fade in the dawn's early light. INFLUENCED: the Smiths,the Cure, R.E.M., Interpol
Year of Release:
1979
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Rank Score:
21,545
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These Hermosa Beach, California, bums helped birth the U.S. hardcore scene and launched the cottage industry that is HenryRollins, but that's almost beside the point. Damaged was a bona fide rock'n'roll masterstroke, funny and feral, self-mockingeven as it nodded to a burgeoning community. From the cover image--which many mistook as fascist--to the songs extolling thepleasures of watching TV and getting fucked up, Damaged begged to be misunderstood. As such, it became the benchmark for a newform of suburban alienation. Soon enough, bands filled with angry self-haters were popping up coast to coast. And skateboardingbecame a crime. INFLUENCED: Meat Puppets, Nirvana, Bad Religion, the Offspring, Blink-182, Pennywise, Queens of the Stone Age
Year of Release:
1981
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Rank Score:
2,022
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Long before they dusted off Aerosmith and made rap metal possible, Run-D.M.C. made rap hard, stripping it down to nothing butsteel wheels, gold chains, and brass balls. As the link between hip-hop's old and new schools, they took their genre out ofthe disco and into your living room, which means they're arguably the reason people in Malaysia and Holland know what "rap"means and inarguably the reason everyone from Korn to your little brother rocks shell-toe Adidas. As important to the developmentof the music as electricity or vinyl, they made everything possible. (R.I.P., Jay.) INFLUENCED: Beastie Boys, Public Enemy,Limp Bizkit, everyone else who picked up a microphone after them
Year of Release:
1984
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Rank Score:
448
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Total albums: 15. Page 1 of 2
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Spin Magazine's 15 Most Influential Albums Of All Time composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 1 | 7% | |
| 1970s | 7 | 47% | |
| 1980s | 4 | 27% | |
| 1990s | 3 | 20% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Runaways | 1 | 7% | |
| Joy Division | 1 | 7% | |
| Black Flag | 1 | 7% | |
| Run-D.M.C. | 1 | 7% | |
| N.W.A | 1 | 7% | |
| The Velvet Underground & Nico | 1 | 7% | |
| Operation Ivy | 1 | 7% | |
| Show all | |||
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Spin Magazine's 15 Most Influential Albums Of All Time ratings
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/03/2020 20:33 | NSPE | 350 | 77/100 |
| ! | 01/09/2018 03:42 | PaperVinnie | 452 | 81/100 |
| ! | 09/02/2014 16:29 | Nickie | 489 | 79/100 |
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