IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I MADE A PERSONAL LIST OF WHAT I CONSIDER THE TOP MUSIC ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
Five years, to be exact.
Which is the reason why I felt it was high time for me to do a revised and expanded version of my all time greatest albums.
Actually, my top three albums of all time, the top two of them by the same iconic artist, have not changed…
- 1. Songs In The Key of Life, Stevie Wonder (1976)
- 2. Innervisions, Stevie Wonder (1973)
and,
- 3. What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye (1971)
However, my choices for numbers four and five, though like my previous fourth and fifth best albums are from the Beatles,
They are different records that those great Fab Four did…
- 4. Abbey Road, Beatles (1969)
- 5. Revolver, Beatles (1966)
For the simple reason of me feelings that the songs are simply a bit better as though Let It Be (1970) was their final record released, Abbey Road was their true swan song as that was the last album that the Beatles recorded, an album chock full of great cuts including George Harrison’s “Something” and “Here Comes The Sun” and featuring a wonderful medley on the second side that concluded the whole thing.
And Revolver was a great precursor to what they would achieve later, with songs such as “Taxman”, “I’m Only Sleeping”, the sitar-led “Love You Too”, “Yellow Submarine”, and especially “Eleanor Rigby” – which in my opinion was Paul McCartney’s best Beatle song, ever better than “Yesterday” – being true classics
Not that I completely left the two other Beatle albums that I had in my top five in the proverbial dirt as I have relegated them into my second top five, thus completing my all-time top-ten greatest albums list.
I didn’t list them from six through ten, preferring to keep them in chronological order…
If a record store didn’t have these artists, it definitely doesn’t deserve to be called a record store.
- Pet Sounds, Beach Boys (1966)
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Beatles (1967)
- White Album, Beatles (1968)
- Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (1971)
and,
Though most folks in my generation would think that stuff from stars like Madonna and Michael Jackson, particularly his classic Thriller (1982) would be dead locks for my top ten list,
Although Thriller is an excellent album, the best that Michael (RIP) did in his career,
And though the Police, Sting when he left that group and U2 did some stuff that I loved from that time,
As well as Nirvana, who I consider the Beatles of grunge, in the 1990s,
Along with all the hip-hop groups that emerged in the 80s all the way through the present day;
Public Enemy, NWA, and Dr. Dre are some of my personal favorites there,
For my last spot in my all-time top ten, I picked this 80s classic as if I were forced to choose an all-time top album from that formative decade (and I am in this post), it would be this one:
- Purple Rain, Prince (1984)
I clearly remember being in high school when I first heard “When Doves Cry” on the radio and going nuts, then remaining nuts when I bought that album and saw the movie as he became #1 on my musical list my senior year;
May he rest in peace too, by the way.
I know that quite a few of you may be up in arms over me not mentioning people like Taylor Swift (I like her, I have heard she’s a really nice young lady who cares about her fans, and she and that Kansas City Chief make a good couple, but I was just never a real fan of her music) and a lot of other good artists on this post.
All I have to say in response is that this top ten is according to me, and me only.
This list is strictly my opinion, and I’m going to stick to it.
Okay, now the arguing and dissent can begin…
hartlandchronicles 