Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Music Talk
Reload this Page >

The Observer's '50 albums that changed music' (another "worst list ever" thread...)

Music Talk Discuss music in all its forms: CD, MP3, DVD-A, SACD and of course live

The Observer's '50 albums that changed music' (another "worst list ever" thread...)

Old 07-21-06, 01:50 PM
  #1  
Moderator
Thread Starter
 
wendersfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: America!
Posts: 33,922
Received 164 Likes on 120 Posts
The Observer's '50 albums that changed music' (another "worst list ever" thread...)

English newspaper The Observer came out with a list of '50 albums that changed music'. It's a pretty nice list, IMO:

50 ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MUSIC
1. The Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
2. The Beatles, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
3. Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express (1977)
4. NWA, Straight Outta Compton (1989)
5. Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961)
6. Marvin Gaye, What's Going On (1971)
7. Patti Smith, Horses (1975)
8. Bob Dylan, Bringing it All Back Home (1965)
9. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley (1956)
10. The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (1966)
11. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)
12. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (1959)
13. Frank Sinatra, Songs for Swingin' Lovers (1956)
14. Joni Mitchell, Blue (1971)
15. Brian Eno, Discreet Music (1975)
16. Aretha Franklin, I Never Loved a Man the Way I love You (1967)
17. The Stooges, Raw Power (1973)
18. The Clash, London Calling (1979)
19. Mary J Blige, What's the 411? (1992)
20. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
21. The Spice Girls, Spice (1996)
22. Kate Bush, The Hounds of Love (1985)
23. Augustus Pablo, King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976)
24. Youssou N'Dour, Immigres (1984)
25. James Brown, Live at the Apollo (1963)
26. Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
27. Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced (1967)
28. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain (1984)
29. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
30. The Wailers, Catch a Fire (1973)
31. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses (1989)
32. Otis Redding, Otis Blue (1965)
33. Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters (1973)
34. Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath (1970)
35. The Ramones, The Ramones (1976)
36. The Who, My Generation (1965)
37. Massive Attack, Blue Lines (1991)
38. Radiohead, The Bends (1995)
39. Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982)
40. Run DMC, Run DMC (1984)
41. Chic, Chic (1977)
42. The Smiths, The Smiths (1984)
43. Primal Scream, Screamadelica (1991)
44. Talking Heads, Fear of Music (1979)
45. Fairport Convention, Liege and Lief (1969)
46. The Human League, Dare (1981)
47. Nirvana, Nevermind (1991)
48. The Strokes, Is This It? (2001)
49. De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
50. LFO, Frequencies (1991)

Details and explanations here

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/revie...821230,00.html
Old 07-21-06, 08:30 PM
  #2  
Guest
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Nowheresville
Posts: 1,981
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Yep, pretty bad. No Number of the Beast.
Old 07-22-06, 04:27 AM
  #3  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 3,071
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
swap OK Computer for The Bends and give the Strokes a little more time to earn that distinction and i'd say it's a decent list.

-ringding-
Old 07-22-06, 06:15 AM
  #4  
Moderator
Thread Starter
 
wendersfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: America!
Posts: 33,922
Received 164 Likes on 120 Posts
Originally Posted by Lee Harvey Oswald
Yep, pretty bad. No Number of the Beast.


I'm not familiar with that album.
Old 07-22-06, 07:38 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm just relieved that they had enough integrity not to stick the Arctic Monkeys near the top of the list like every other British best album ever list in the last year.
Old 07-22-06, 09:56 AM
  #6  
DVD Talk Legend
 
B5Erik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Southern California
Posts: 13,541
Received 457 Likes on 335 Posts
Pretty sad excuse for a list of the "50 albums that changed music."

No Led Zeppelin, No Iron Maiden, No Metallica...Hell, those three bands alone had albums that influenced almost as many bands as that entire list did! (Thus, "changing" music....)
Old 07-22-06, 10:07 AM
  #7  
Moderator
Thread Starter
 
wendersfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: America!
Posts: 33,922
Received 164 Likes on 120 Posts
Originally Posted by fallfan
I'm just relieved that they had enough integrity not to stick the Arctic Monkeys near the top of the list like every other British best album ever list in the last year.
It's not a list of "best" albums. If it were, Rocket To Russia would probably be on the list instead of The Ramones.
Old 07-22-06, 11:23 AM
  #8  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Ky-Fi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Posts: 10,928
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Just to nitpick---I love the Smiths. I think the Smiths were a lot better band than the Sex Pistols. But to argue that Never Mind the Bollocks was less influential than The Smiths---I'm just not buying that.
Old 07-22-06, 11:43 AM
  #9  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Memphis, TN
Posts: 5,612
Received 18 Likes on 8 Posts
Originally Posted by DrRingDing
swap OK Computer for The Bends and give the Strokes a little more time to earn that distinction and i'd say it's a decent list.

-ringding-
My thoughts exactly.
Old 07-22-06, 01:50 PM
  #10  
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Right now, my location is DVDTalk, but then again, you should already know that, shouldn't you?
Posts: 6,364
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
No U2, esp. THE JOSHUA TREE, no sale.
Old 07-22-06, 02:10 PM
  #11  
DVD Talk Legend
 
astrochimp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 17,810
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
Nevermind #47? To me it should be #1 and certainly not out of the top 5.Even if you dont like Nirvana you cant argue the impact it had on music,just ask all the dudes in hair bands
Old 07-22-06, 06:22 PM
  #12  
Guest
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Nowheresville
Posts: 1,981
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Originally Posted by wendersfan


I'm not familiar with that album.
Iron Maiden's breakthrough album. That album and IM have been influencing metal bands for the past 25 years. Considering this list came from a English newspaper they should be on there.

I haven't heard of a lot of the artists on that list.
Old 07-22-06, 06:32 PM
  #13  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Green Day- Dookie should get a nod...well unless "changed music" means "made music better."
Old 07-22-06, 06:48 PM
  #14  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Drexl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 16,077
Likes: 0
Received 15 Likes on 13 Posts
Originally Posted by Smithers
Green Day- Dookie should get a nod...well unless "changed music" means "made music better."
They certainly do mean "changed music, for better or worse." Why do you think the Spice Girls are on there?
Old 07-22-06, 07:04 PM
  #15  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,707
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
no KISS Destroyer ? blah I really hate "Smart Rock Critics"

Old 07-22-06, 07:25 PM
  #16  
Moderator
Thread Starter
 
wendersfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: America!
Posts: 33,922
Received 164 Likes on 120 Posts
Originally Posted by Filmmaker
No U2, esp. THE JOSHUA TREE, no sale.
Unknown Pleasures or Metal Box should be on the list far, far before anything by those overrated hacks from Dublin.
Old 07-22-06, 08:17 PM
  #17  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Andalusia's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,522
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by wendersfan
Unknown Pleasures or Metal Box should be on the list far, far before anything by those overrated hacks from Dublin.
Check and mate!
Old 07-22-06, 09:01 PM
  #18  
DVD Talk Legend
 
The Infidel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: the kingdom of the evil Voratians, ruled by the wicked Ak-Oga
Posts: 11,593
Received 80 Likes on 46 Posts
I hate these lists. All they are is someone's opinions, and hardly anyone ever completely agrees with them.
Old 07-22-06, 10:58 PM
  #19  
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Right now, my location is DVDTalk, but then again, you should already know that, shouldn't you?
Posts: 6,364
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Originally Posted by wendersfan
Unknown Pleasures or Metal Box should be on the list far, far before anything by those overrated hacks from Dublin.
I know you're trying to tell me something, but all I hear is "wah-wah wah-wah-wah"...
Old 07-23-06, 12:00 AM
  #20  
Premium Member
 
The Cow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Grazing in a field somewhere...
Posts: 23,519
Received 676 Likes on 456 Posts
If Lemmy gave a shit about anyone's opinions, he would have something to say about this. But he doesn't so it's all good.
Old 07-23-06, 01:09 PM
  #21  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
UAIOE's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: LV-426
Posts: 6,598
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Spice Girls?
Old 07-23-06, 08:19 PM
  #22  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Dr. Dre- The Chronic is another blaring omission.



They certainly do mean "changed music, for better or worse." Why do you think the Spice Girls are on there?
Yea, I missed that and it took me a little bit to find them on the list after reading your post.

Last edited by Smithers; 07-23-06 at 08:22 PM.
Old 07-23-06, 10:38 PM
  #23  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 43,205
Received 36 Likes on 20 Posts
For good or ill, the Spice Girls set off a pop music resurgence that's still going, to some extent, a decade later.

My pet peeves about the list: no New York Dolls, no Exile on Main Street, and Ramones belong much higher on the list.
Old 07-24-06, 12:21 AM
  #24  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,752
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I was going to say The Chronic also,rap album's today try to emulate the Chronic.

What about Pearl Jam's 10?I can think of 30 band's that try to be pearl jamish to this day.

This list is garbage.
Old 07-24-06, 10:59 AM
  #25  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
The Bus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: New York
Posts: 54,916
Received 19 Likes on 14 Posts
I think Nevermind should be a hell of a lot higher than #47.

And this list is completely worthless without Stan Getz and Joćo Gilberto's Getz/Gilberto, which pretty much blew up the whole bossa nova craze.

And no Van Halen?

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.