The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2020)

Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California. These are their best albums of all time. "The classics are still the classics, but the canon keeps getting bigger and better".
(Official website: www.rollingstone.com | Original URL Warning: The address at the original source was valid at the time the chart was added, but may have changed afterwards. )

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1.

What's Going On 

 Marvin Gaye

Buy album

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Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,554 charts

Rank Score:

20,272

Rank in 1971:

4

Rank in 1970s:

16

Overall Rank:

53

Average Rating:

 85 (1,870 votes)

Comments:

143

2.

Pet Sounds 

 The Beach Boys

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Year of Release:

1966

Appears in:

2,764 charts

Rank Score:

46,759

Rank in 1966:

2

Rank in 1960s:

5

Overall Rank:

11

Average Rating:

 88 (3,168 votes)

Comments:

351

3.

Blue 

 Joni Mitchell

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Year of Release:

1971

Appears in:

1,323 charts

Rank Score:

17,720

Rank in 1971:

6

Rank in 1970s:

21

Overall Rank:

73

Average Rating:

 85 (1,439 votes)

Comments:

108

4.

Songs In The Key Of Life 

 Stevie Wonder

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Year of Release:

1976

Appears in:

1,209 charts

Rank Score:

15,738

Rank in 1976:

1

Rank in 1970s:

23

Overall Rank:

87

Average Rating:

 85 (1,288 votes)

Comments:

84

5.

Abbey Road 

 The Beatles

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Year of Release:

1969

Appears in:

3,600 charts

Rank Score:

67,423

Rank in 1969:

1

Rank in 1960s:

1

Overall Rank:

3

Average Rating:

 92 (4,476 votes)

Comments:

465

6.

Nevermind 

 Nirvana (US)

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Year of Release:

1991

Appears in:

3,084 charts

Rank Score:

42,976

Rank in 1991:

1

Rank in 1990s:

2

Overall Rank:

15

Average Rating:

 87 (4,209 votes)

Comments:

407

7.

Rumours 

 Fleetwood Mac

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Year of Release:

1977

Appears in:

2,178 charts

Rank Score:

34,652

Rank in 1977:

1

Rank in 1970s:

6

Overall Rank:

23

Average Rating:

 87 (2,509 votes)

Comments:

182

8.

Purple Rain 
Soundtrack

 Prince And The Revolution

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Year of Release:

1984

Appears in:

1,363 charts

Rank Score:

16,835

Rank in 1984:

1

Rank in 1980s:

11

Overall Rank:

81

Average Rating:

 83 (1,574 votes)

Comments:

124

9.

Blood On The Tracks 

 Bob Dylan

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Year of Release:

1975

Appears in:

1,804 charts

Rank Score:

24,554

Rank in 1975:

2

Rank in 1970s:

11

Overall Rank:

41

Average Rating:

 87 (2,124 votes)

Comments:

165

10.

The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill 

 Lauryn Hill

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Year of Release:

1998

Appears in:

594 charts

Rank Score:

5,739

Rank in 1998:

5

Rank in 1990s:

60

Overall Rank:

318

Average Rating:

 78 (767 votes)

Comments:

41

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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10

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The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time composition

Decade	Albums	%
1930s	0	0%
1940s	0	0%
1950s	1	1%
1960s	22	22%
1970s	32	32%
1980s	14	14%
1990s	18	18%
2000s	6	6%
2010s	7	7%
2020s	0	0%

Artist	Albums	%
The Beatles	5	5%
The Jimi Hendrix Experience	3	3%
Bob Dylan	3	3%
David Bowie	3	3%
Stevie Wonder	3	3%
Kanye West	2	2%
Miles Davis	2	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	65	65%
	22	22%
	7	7%
	3	3%
	2	2%
	1	1%

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time similar charts

• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by P H Dias (2012)
• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Madrocker (2019)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2012)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2005)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (2003)
• Top 100 Albums (Online Amalgam) by musicologist97 (2019)
• The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Consequence of Sound (2022)
• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by album guru joe (2013)
• Most Acclaimed Music Albums by Imaybeparanoid (2015)
• The Top 100 Albums by VH1 (2001)

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time similarity to your chart(s)

Other all time overall charts

• Top 100 Albums by ABC (published 2006)
• The 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by Absolute Radio (published 2012)
• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Channel 4 (published 2005)
• The 100 Greatest Rock Albums Of All Time by Classic Rock (published 2001)
• The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Consequence of Sound (published 2022)
• Top 100 Albums Ever by Consequence of Sound (published 2010)
• The 100 All-Time Greatest Albums by Entertainment Weekly (published 2013)
• The Guardian 100 Best Albums Ever by The Guardian (published 1997)
• Greatest 100 Albums of All Time by The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums with NME (published 2006)
• Greatest Albums Of All Time by Hartbeat! (published 1996)
• Top 90.3 Listener Voted Albums by KEXP (published 2008)
• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Melody Maker (published 2000)
• 100 Greatest Albums of All Time by Mojo (published 1995)
• Mojo Readers: The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made by Mojo (published 1996)
• Die 20 besten Alben der Geschichte by Musikexpress.de (published 2011)
• The Definitive 200 by National Association of Recording Merchandisers (published 2007)
• NME's Best Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 1985)
• NME Readers' All-Time Top 100 Albums by New Music Express (published 1988)
• The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 2013)
• New Musical Express Writers Top 100 Albums by New Music Express (published 1993)
• NME 's 100 Best Albums Of All Time by New Music Express (published 2003)
• 100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (published 2003)
• Top 100 Greatest Music Albums by Q (published 1997)
• 100 Greatest Albums Ever by Q (published 2006)
• Die 100 besten Alben der Musikgeschichte by radioeins (published 2019)
• The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2020)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2012)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2003)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2005)
• Die besten Alben aller Zeiten by Rolling Stone Deutschland (published 2004)
• Top 100 Albums by Rolling Stone Deutschland (published 1997)
• Os 100 Melhores Discos de Todos Os Tempos by Sinewave (published 2012)
• The Top 50 Albums of All Time by Sound & Vision Magazine (published 2010)
• 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time by The Sound (published 2018)
• All Time Top 100 Albums by Sounds (UK) (published 1985)
• Die 100 Alben des Jahrhunderts by Spex (published 2000)
• The Greatest Rock Albums by uDiscoverMusic (published 2015)
• 200 Greatest Albums of All Time by Uncut (published 2016)
• The Top 100 Albums by VH1 (published 2001)
• Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 1998)
• Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 1994)
• Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums by Virgin (published 2000)
• Die 100 besten Platten des Jahrhunderts by Wiener (published 1999)
• Albums of the Century by ZigZag (published 1975)
• Best Album Ever by ZigZag (published 1971)

Other charts by Rolling Stone

Year charts

• The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023 year chart)
• Top 100 Music Albums of 2022 by Rolling Stone (2022 year chart)
• The 50 Best Albums of 2021 by Rolling Stone (2021 year chart)
• The 50 Best Albums of 2020 by Rolling Stone (2020 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2019 by Rolling Stone (2019 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2018 by Rolling Stone (2018 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2017 by Rolling Stone (2017 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2016 by Rolling Stone (2016 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2015 by Rolling Stone (2015 year chart)
• 50 Best Albums of 2014 by Rolling Stone (2014 year chart)
• Best Albums of 2006 by Rolling Stone (2006 year chart)
• Best Albums of 2005 by Rolling Stone (2005 year chart)

Decade charts

• 100 Best Albums of the 2010s by Rolling Stone (2010s decade chart) (published 2019)
• 100 Best Albums of the 2000s by Rolling Stone (2000s decade chart) (published 2011)
• 100 Best Albums of the Nineties by Rolling Stone (1990s decade chart) (published 2010)
• 100 Best Albums of the Eighties by Rolling Stone (1980s decade chart) (published 1989)

Overall charts

• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2003)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2005)
• Top 500 Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2012)
• The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone (published 2020)

[Rolling Stone was founded in 1967.]

The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 55 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
60/100	04/12/2023 18:37	chavaloricardin	15	83/100
95/100	11/09/2022 17:13	peate754	31	81/100
40/100	10/15/2022 10:41	animals0809	57	93/100
35/100	09/27/2022 21:43	Phileas	6	35/100
100/100	09/26/2022 12:19	Yannick1398	6	97/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 56.3/100, a mean average of 51.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 52.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 26.3.

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The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time comments

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Rating:  

35/100

From Phileas 09/27/2022 14:59

I thought the pick for number one, while not my favourite, is as great as can be. And the presence of rap albums in the top spots is totally justified as it is the music of the times. I'm too ignorant on the subject to pretend to know which rap albums are great. What I found issue with is the ranking of the music I know about, relative to one another. In my opinion they had it almost upside down.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From jackbrown8786 05/30/2022 04:36

I love over 80% of these but this list doesn't seem honest. How can someone appreciate Beatles/Floyd/Stones/Radiohead and rank Revolver at 11? Dark Side Of The Moon at 55???? I seriously don't believe that anyone can even be capable of appreciating them and ranking them so low. They don't even have Wish You Were Here or In Rainbows in the top 100.... WOW. I had to go back and forth through it like 4 times to confirm no Wish You Were Here and I was LITERALLY reeling when I saw Dark Side Of The Moon at 55.

That being said, the sentiment that this is "part of a forced left wing agenda" is stupid. This is the mindset of those people, "This list by the staff of a magazine is part of A DEMOCRAT [sic] PLOT." Seriously, lmfao. You might think this list is stupid and it just might be, but do you know what's dumber? I'll give you 3 guesses.

It's really hard to rank rap against rock and it's totally fair to just alternate in a list like this: rap, rock, rap, rock, rap, rock.... At work I play full albums and personally prefer to change genres every album - I've probably gone entire days where every album I played was actually on this very list. It's not "woke" or "political" to put a rap album amidst a bunch of incomparable rock albums that you personally love. What else are you going to do when you love both rap and rock, listen to them about as often as each other, and can't compare them? WTF else are you going to do?

To think that you'd have to be "forcing" black artists' albums on this list is insulting and proves that you're the racist that people tell you that you are. You actually thought that this couldn't be anyone's taste? That it MUST be forced, b/c that's the only way black artists could get ranked so highly? You're sick and delusional. Oh well, I'm not getting through to any of you. There's a reason the average conservative IQ is 8 points lower.

Back on topic. The list isn't THAT bad. All of the albums on it that I know are among not only my favorites, but the favs of multiple people I know. This list's only crime is that the order is often bewildering.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

From cooldude2000 03/28/2022 19:05

What's Going On? No really, what is going on?

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

5/100

From ALALUCHACARAJO 03/10/2022 16:36

Propaganda.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (1 helpful | 2 unhelpful)

Rating:  

5/100

From AlvaroIesus 09/17/2021 02:48

zzzzzz

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

From DoctorBob 08/31/2021 17:24

The worst list I’ve ever seen. Too political. You can’t apply diversity to quality in art. Part of the forced left wing agenda

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (7 helpful | 3 unhelpful)

Rating:  

20/100

From Timhop 06/05/2021 22:35

They managed to sneak a contemporary black female’s album into the top ten. But at the expense of Kind of Blue, and A Love Supreme, and a host of others. Sorry Miles and co. The quota was full. Shame on you, Rolling Stone. Let’s see if as many people in 50 years time are still listening to the miseducation of whatserface as there are people still buying copies of Kind of Blue today.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (7 helpful | 2 unhelpful)

Rating:  

30/100

From gregthealien 05/03/2021 06:37

We all knew the list was about to suck when we saw that Funeral was number 500. So, they met expectations

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Rating:  

30/100

From Jbalbinolr 05/02/2021 15:13

Better than the 2012 list, but not by much.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Rating:  

10/100

From MickLord 04/27/2021 09:26

Too political... Lauryn Hill in the top 10 ... nope.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (8 helpful | 2 unhelpful)

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