The Problem With Rolling Stone’s New 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List
If you’re a big music fan, chances are you’ve read, or at least heard of, Rolling Stone magazine’s greatest albums of all-time list. The list was created in 2003, revised in 2012, and again in 2020. The premise of the list being created and updated is that they consult several different artists, ranging from U2’s The Edge to Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon, to new artists like Billie Eilish for guidance, and get them to vote on their 50 favourite albums. They also consult with journalists and their own employees. I personally like that they consult a wide range of different artists from different ages and backgrounds.
I would like to say that I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Rolling Stone magazine revising the list every near-decade, In fact, I welcome it. The last 20 years have produced some truly exciting, original, and thought-provoking music. Whether that be the artists that constantly seek new sounds and a desire to push music into new areas within their respective genres (Radiohead, Kanye West, Frank Ocean), or artists that draw and showcase music from the past, but with a contemporary spin (The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey, D’Angelo, Beyonce), there is no doubt in my mind that there is some great music in these past two decades that needs to be acknowledged.
