Ranking the 1001: #1–40

Because lists are fun, and a convenient way to track my own opinions of these. I’ll re-up the ranking each time I get through another ten albums.

This gets more and more arbitrary each time I do it. How can I really compare Louis Prima — an album I last listened to like 6 months ago — with Sam Cooke and Bob Dylan? I remember the way I felt. This is a gut ranking.

It’s interesting to see how much the various jazz albums have spaced themselves out through the ranking.

Here’s the updated list:

1. Miles Davis — Kind of Blue
2. Sam Cooke — Live At The Harlem Square Club
3. Bob Dylan — The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
4. Louis Prima — The Wildest!
5. Frank Sinatra — Songs for Swingin’ Lovers
6. Phil Spector — A Christmas Gift For You
7. Ray Charles — Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music
8. Dave Brubeck Quartet — Time Out
9. Sarah Vaughan — Live At Mister Kelly’s
10. The Everly Brothers — A Date With The Everly Brothers
11. The Crickets — The “Chirping” Crickets
12. Jimmy Smith — Back At The Chicken Shack
13. Tito Puente & His Orchestra — Dance Mania Vol 1
14. Ray Charles — The Genius of Ray Charles
15. Muddy Waters — Muddy Waters At Newport 1960
16. Duke Ellington — Live At Newport
17. Elvis Presley — Elvis Presley
18. Little Richard — Here’s Little Richard
19. The Beatles — With The Beatles
20. Machito — Kenya
21. Ella Fitzgerald — Sings The Gershwin Song Book
22. Count Basie — The Atomic Mr. Basie
23. Ramblin’ Jack Elliot — Jack Takes The Floor/Muleskinner
24. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd — Jazz Samba
25. Sabu — Palo Congo
26. James Brown — Live At The Apollo
27. Marty Robbins — Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
28. Fats Domino — This Is Fats
29. Miriam Makeba — Miriam Makeba
30. Ray Price — Night Life
31. Frank Sinatra — In The Wee Small Hours
32. Miles Davis — Birth of the Cool
33. Charles Mingus — The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
34. Elvis Presley — Elvis is Back!
35. Booker T & The M.G.’s — Green Onions
36. Joan Baez — Joan Baez
37. Billie Holliday — Lady in Satin
38. Bill Evans Trio — Sunday at the Village Vanguard
39. Thelonious Monk — Brilliant Corners
40. The Louvin Brothers — Tragic Songs of Life