100 Greatest albums - Channel 4

THE 100 GREATEST ALBUMS

1. RADIOHEAD - OK Computer
2. U2 - The Joshua Tree
3. NIRVANA - Nevermind
4. MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller
5. PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon
6. OASIS - Definitely Maybe
7. THE BEATLES - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
8. MADONNA - Like a Prayer
9. GUNS N' ROSES - Appetite For Destruction
10. THE BEATLES - Revolver
11. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
12. THE BEATLES - The White Album
13. QUEEN - A Night at the Opera
14. COLDPLAY - Parachutes
15. OASIS - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
16. ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill
17. LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV
18. THE VERVE - Urban Hymns
19. JIMI HENDRIX - Are you Experienced
20. THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead
21. JOHN LENNON - Imagine
22. RADIOHEAD - The Bends
23. BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS - Exodus
24. THE STONE ROSES - The Stone Roses
25. SIMON AND GARFUNKEL - Bridge Over Troubled Water
26. BJORK - Debut
27. THE DOORS - The Doors
28. ABBA - Arrival
29. MICHAEL JACKSON - Off the Wall
30. DURAN DURAN - Rio
31. SEX PISTOLS - Never Mind the ******** Here's the Sex Pistols
32. DAVID BOWIE - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
33. THE BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds
34. JOY DIVISION - Closer
35. THE ROLLING STONES - Let It Bleed
36. BLUR - Parklife
37. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Born to Run
38. BILLIE HOLIDAY - Lady Sings the Blues
39. THE WHITE STRIPES - Elephant
40. BLACK SABBATH - Paranoid
41. THE SPECIALS - Specials
42. THE ROLLING STONES - Exile on Main Street
43. FRANK SINATRA - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
44. THE CLASH - London Calling
45. THE PRODIGY - The Fat of the Land
46. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - The Velvet Underground and Nico
47. DIRE STRAITS - Brothers in Arms
48. PIXIES - Doolittle
49. ARETHA FRANKLIN - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
50. THE LIBERTINES - The Libertines
51. HAPPY MONDAYS - Pills 'N' Thrills and Bellyaches
52. PATTI SMITH - Horses
53. THE WHO - Tommy
54. LOU REED - Transformer
55. BOB DYLAN - Blood on the Tracks
56. PRINCE - Sign 'o' the Times
57. DIDO - No Angel
58. AIR - Moon Safari
59. ELTON JOHN - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
60. THE JAM - All Mod Cons
61. JEFF BUCKLEY - Grace
62. FLEETWOOD MAC - Rumours
63. MOBY - Play
64. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
65. THE POLICE - Synchronicity
66. JONI MITCHELL - Blue
67. CURTIS MAYFIELD - Superfly
68. ELVIS PRESLEY - The Sun Sessions
69. OUTKAST - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
70. PULP - Different Class
71. KRAFTWERK - Trans-Europe Express
72. MASSIVE ATTACK - Blue Lines
73. BECK - Odelay
74. STEVIE WONDER - Songs in the Key of Life
75. KATE BUSH - Hounds of Love
76. TALKING HEADS - Fear of Music
77. EMINEM - The Marshall Mathers LP
78. MARVIN GAYE - What's Going On
79. GEORGE MICHAEL - Faith
80. SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - The Original Movie Soundtrack
81. PRIMAL SCREAM - Screamadelica
82. JOHN COLTRANE - A Love Supreme
83. LOVE - Forever Changes
84. PAUL SIMON - Graceland
85. NICK DRAKE - Five Leaves Left
86. MEAT LOAF - Bat Out of Hell
87. DUSTY SPRINGFIELD - Dusty in Memphis
88. DE LA SOUL - 3 Feet High and Rising
89. THE STROKES - Is this It
90. MADNESS - One Step Beyond...
91. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - I've Been Expecting You
92. NEIL YOUNG - After the Gold Rush
93. PUBLIC ENEMY - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
94. BLONDIE - Parallel Lines
95. THE EAGLES - Hotel California
96. JAMES BROWN - Sex Machine
97. THE STREETS - A Grand Don't Come for Free
98. DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
99. ROD STEWART - Every Picture Tells a Story
100. The HUMAN LEAGUE - Dare!

Ok, I've scanned the list twice, but I still can't see Loveless.

At least Robbie Williams didn't win. :rolleyes:

smacks of a Q magazine poll to me.

how did sex pistols get there???? metallica should be ahead of them and i couldnt find them anywhere on the list.

Very pop and then indie thereafter. OK Computer suprises me though. I'm not a radiohead fan but I'd have thought The bends which is much farter down would've been ahead of it.

No sign of Deep Purple, Fat Boy Slim -and an over representation of current acts and bands from the last 10-15 years. I mean -The Libertines, the Streets, Dido...

then -microcosmically -it was the same with the hot press one for irish bands and albums a couple of months back. I seriously don't believe anyone but the most wet knickered 15 year old thinks Bell X1s album (i don't even know what its called :D ) is the 10th or 11th best irish lp ever. :rolleyes:

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48. PIXIES - Doolittle

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Should be number 1! :cool:

As with Poll after Poll left up to the wider public audience to decide, you will never escape the Robbie Williams entries or the likes. I could go through the poll and ask questions as to the absense of 100 + albums, but its all about taste and how people "think" they should answer. Polls on this scale also get people who probably never listened to the albums but vote anyways. Unless everyone in the voting public have listened to every album in the world then this poll is invalid and only takes a picture of the most commonly distrubited record, not necessarily the best. Albums are also rated based on the impact at the time (EMINEM - The Marshall Mathers LP, OASIS - Definitely Maybe ) , some are pure jems (PINK FLOYD - Dark Side of the Moon , THE SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead ,LED ZEPPELIN - Led Zeppelin IV ) and some are pure muck voted by musically retarded people (ROBBIE WILLIAMS - I've Been Expecting You) :)

All I can say is don't get upset your fav album didnt make it, its not worth it, just be happy in the knowlegde you think its great :)

P.s Do you feel there should be a 5 year old age on an album before it can be voted for, proving longevity and lastabiluty rather than flash in the panness)

It's a good thing I don't like that much mainstream music!

Watched it last night, was surprised to see OK Computer grabbing top spot although it is a great album.

Couldn't belive COLDPLAY - Parachutes finished as high as No. 14, a mean every album from it up to 100 with they odd exception is better by far

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

how did sex pistols get there????

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This album changed music for ever, but then you weren't around in 1977 were you? :eek:

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Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

This album changed music for ever, but then you weren't around in 1977 were you? :eek:

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There were much more influential records from that tiem for that genre I feel, however, that's the one that everyone knows, so I supposed it had to be there.

Tripe and rubbish.....:rolleyes:
Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush down in the nether regions and middling fair stuff like Coldplay, Radiohead, Oasis and f*cking SH*T like Alanis Morrissette in the top 20.....:mad:

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

I seriously don't believe anyone but the most wet knickered 15 year old thinks Bell X1s album (i don't even know what its called :D ) is the 10th or 11th best irish lp ever. :rolleyes:

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It's called Music in Mouth, IMO it's one of the best Irish albums in the last ten years straight away, which automatically put's it up there. It's an example of how current acts that are fresh in people's minds get into these charts in the same way that 'Astral Weeks' always does well too because people think they should be voting for it (I think most of the people who consistently vote for that album have never even heard it by the way, it's not that bloody good when it comes down to it).

There's never been a top ten or top one hundred music poll I've agreed with. I'd be a pretty big Radiohead fan, but OK Computer isn't their best album, nevermind the best album ever made.

As I'm ranting, how Sgt. Pepper's gets ahead of revolver and especially ahead the White album is completely beyond me.

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Originally Posted by tiktok

It's called Music in Mouth, IMO it's one of the best Irish albums in the last ten years straight away, which automatically put's it up there. It's an example of how current acts that are fresh in people's minds get into these charts in the same way that 'Astral Weeks' always does well too because people think they should be voting for it (I think most of the people who consistently vote for that album have never even heard it by the way, it's not that bloody good when it comes down to it).
There's never been a top ten or top one hundred music poll I've agreed with. I'd be a pretty big Radiohead fan, but OK Computer isn't their best album, nevermind the best album ever made.

As I'm ranting, how Sgt. Pepper's gets ahead of revolver and especially ahead the White album is completely beyond me.

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Okay we'll agree on Astral weeks in any event. I thought it might have shown a bit of professionalism, otherwise absent on all evidence, on Vans bass players part to tune the fcukin thing up before a recording session -but heh it was the 60's.

On the Bell X1 thing ...I've only heard a couple of singles -which didnt impress me and still sounded like feckin Juniper with someone else singing. Someone mentioned a 5 year exclusion order which i think would serve these polls well as it would take out out the wet knickers factor and any other trend slaves that create such laughabilites (IMHO) as the artsists formerly known as Juniper managing a 10th or 11th place while their erstwhile singer finished 2nd was it.

Yes the give the 15 year olds five years to change knickers and cop on a bit while they're at it.

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Originally Posted by tiktok

It's called Music in Mouth, IMO it's one of the best Irish albums in the last ten years straight away, which automatically put's it up there. It's an example of how current acts that are fresh in people's minds get into these charts in the same way that 'Astral Weeks' always does well too because people think they should be voting for it (I think most of the people who consistently vote for that album have never even heard it by the way, it's not that bloody good when it comes down to it).

There's never been a top ten or top one hundred music poll I've agreed with. I'd be a pretty big Radiohead fan, but OK Computer isn't their best album, nevermind the best album ever made.

As I'm ranting, how Sgt. Pepper's gets ahead of revolver and especially ahead the White album is completely beyond me.

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Music in mouth is indeed a class album. They've just come back from a short tour of the states, including the South By Southwest festival in Texas, and were on a documentary about it on Channel 4 last week. They've been used in the OC twice AFAIK, and are about to do a few dates around Ireland this month.

I prefer Sgt Peppers's to the White Album, St Pepper's gets so much recognition because it was such a massive departure for the Beatles, they'd gone from "I Wanna Hold Your hand" to "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" in only a few years. I'm a big fan of the White Album but it does have a lot of negative connections to Charles Manson.

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

I prefer Sgt Peppers's to the White Album, St Pepper's gets so much recognition because it was such a massive departure for the Beatles, they'd gone from "I Wanna Hold Your hand" to "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" in only a few years.

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I don't know, I can as easily point to 'I wanna Hold you hand' -vs- 'When I'm 64' or 'With a little help from my friends' as being a not very massive departure at all. ;)

I also think that on Sgt. Peppers the fab four get found out a little in terms of their ability to actually play their instruments.

Having said that, it does contain 'She's leaving home' which is my favourite beatles track (alongside strawberry fields forever), and it still p!sses over most other albums on that list.

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Originally Posted by tiktok

I don't know, I can as easily point to 'I wanna Hold you hand' -vs- 'When I'm 64' or 'With a little help from my friends' as being a not very massive departure at all. ;)

I also think that on Sgt. Peppers the fab four get found out a little in terms of their ability to actually play their instruments.

Having said that, it does contain 'She's leaving home' which is my favourite beatles track (alongside strawberry fields forever), and it still p!sses over most other albums on that list.

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A Day In The Life is my favorite track off the album (and one of my fav songs of all time)

Also it's generally recognised as the first concept album

I prefer CNN's all-time top-50 rock compilations. My favourite band, Echo & The Bunnymen, was surprisingly at nr 1 with "Songs to learn and sing" which the CNN team named 'the ultimate best of which sounds as good as a regular album". Speaking of a compliment !

My album list would be:

1) PLACEBO - Without you I'm nothing
2) ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - Ocean rain
3) MANIC STREET PREACHERS - Forever delayed
4) MARILYN MANSON - Mechanical animals
5) HEATHER NOVA - Siren

though I find single songs easier to judge than full albums.

Too many Beatles in there btw... I still don't like it too much, after years of listening to my father playing Beatles records I am still not convinced. Overrated.

The Reason the White Album does not rate highly is the experimental stuff like
Revolution #9 .... I mean that would have been a great and weird B-side, does it merit a place on an album ?

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Originally Posted by Gerrit

Too many Beatles in there btw... I still don't like it too much, after years of listening to my father playing Beatles records I am still not convinced. Overrated.

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Overrated ? I don't think so. Practically invented pop music as we know it, and recorded in the space of just seven years a remarkable body of work which still sounds fresh today. Class is indeed permanent.

As to the list itself. Revolver is definitely a better album than Pepper, stronger songs all round. And my pet moan, no Elvis Costello :eek: Outrageous. Get Happy, This Years Model, King of America, Blood and Chocolate, Imperial Bedroom. Majestic albums all and better than 90% of the list.

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Originally Posted by holidaysong

Should be number 1! :cool:

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No Surfer Rosa number 1, Doolittle somewhere in the top five.........and Rosas not even in the poll :confused: :mad:

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Originally Posted by Gerrit

I prefer CNN's all-time top-50 rock compilations. My favourite band, Echo & The Bunnymen, was surprisingly at nr 1 with "Songs to learn and sing" which the CNN team named 'the ultimate best of which sounds as good as a regular album". Speaking of a compliment !
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Sorry, Gerrit, but there's a world of difference between a best of/compilation, and an album.
Gathering enough good songs over a ten year period, say, to fill a cd has no comparison to going into the studio for a few months and coming out with one body of work.

In saying that, I obviously don't agree with a lot of it, just stuck up the list for some reaction.

I think as a personal opinion that the Beatles are overrated. They did great things but after their career some bands did even better things. The wheel was a revolutionary creation one day, does that mean we still have to credit the wheel as the best invention ever and ignore better stuff that came afterwards ?

I know many music, including some of my favourite artists' work, has Beatles influences. In my opinion (mind that sentence please !) it were improvements though ; the Beatles inspired them and they made something better.

Sorry, can'thelp it, the Beatles just don't move me. I don't dislike them or their fans and even credit the good songs they did, but to say they are the best band ever is in my opinion a huge exageration. Even so called masterpieces as the White Album... I just don't get the fuzz. A song like "Happy birthday" or however it's called, I don't get how they could seriously mean it !




and yeah, best compilation is not the same as best album, but the Bunnymen should always be in a list like this. "Ocean rain" was one of the most brilliant and most experimental albums the world has seen and fits in the same row as the White Album (which is in my opinion less good than Ocean Rain, but ignore my opinion as I'm a Bunnymen fan and not completely neutral when they're concerned)

Agreed Gerrit Beatles overrated but PLEASE can anyone explain why there is not ONE Dance/Trance/Rave Album in there ? (Oops forgot about Prodigy!)

Or am I missing something like the poll was confined to Rock/Pop/Indie?

Nope, seems to be an all-genres list...

Thought I'd add in EARLY Genesis - Selling England by the Pound, Nursery Cryme and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Pretentious? Yes. But there was a real edge to the band with Peter Gabriel on vocals and Phil Collins on drums (where he belonged). Ironic that once Collins became frontman, the music went sihte and huge success followed. To be fair about Collins, he was a brilliant drummer. The Yes Album is also a great prog-rock album - isn't it gas to see prog-rock back in the good books, Mars Volta etc. Other bands/artists missing Rory Gallagher, Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Dave Edmunds album "Repeat when Necessary" is another good one.