Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time

Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time by Roxanne McDonald

A nearly impossible list to come up with: even Rolling Stone resorts to naming the top 100.

Still, what better way to wile the time than to try to jam only ten of your most favorite albums into a limited “greatest” list?

And while I follow such criteria as lyrical appeal (being a writer who digs words as much as and usually more than the music) and personal aesthetic value, I’m thinking that I will toss in another “rule”: consider the Rolling Stones Top 10 albums givens, and not include them on my own list. (Plus, that will make it easier, will free up the slots…).

Plus, I am going to cheat a little, and double up (rather than do what I could do, and make a top 20 list, or something); and will also name “Greatest Hits” albums, while you rock purists will likely bristle at this fan faux pas…as I was turned onto certain artists by way of their compiled hits albums, and have nostalgic fondness….

Anyway.

Top Ten Greatest Albums of all Time from the Rolling Stone
Top 100 List
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling, The Clash
9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
10. The Beatles (”The White Album”), The Beatles

My Top Ten Favorite Albums of all Time

1. Bob Dylan Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, Bob Dylan (not on Rolling Stone list)
2. The Wall, Pink Floyd (#87 on Rolling Stone list)/ Black Sabbath, Vol.4, Black Sabbath (not on list)
3. Get a Grip, Aerosmith (not on list)
4. Horses, Patti Smith (#44 on Rolling Stone list)
5. Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix Experience (#15 on Rolling Stone list)
6. No Regrets: The Best of Tom Rush, Tom Rush/Separate Ways, Elvis Presley (neither on list)
7. Sign O’ the Times, Prince (#93 on Rolling Stone list) Purple Rain, Prince (#72 on Rolling Stone list)
8. Green River, Creedence Clearwater (#95 on Rolling Stone list)/ No Secrets, Carly Simon (not on list)
9. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (as Led Zeppelin, #29 on list)
10. First Take, Roberta Flack/ Sweet Baby James, James Taylor (neither on list)

And, btw, I left off the Partridge Family and the Donny Osmond album phases, as well as the country Western albums I adored. Hey, we all have—or, I should say, had–some secret guilty pleasure, right? Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks…, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass…, Ray Price….

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