Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

A ranked list of albums across popular music history, published by Rolling Stone in editions beginning in 2003 and revised in 2012 and 2020.

Rolling Stone: An American music and culture magazine founded in 1967. The magazine created and publishes the list.
What's Going On: Marvin Gaye’s 1971 soul album addressing war, poverty, and environmental crisis. It topped the 2020 list, replacing the Beatles’ former top-ranked album.
NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: A 2013 ranked album list published by the British music magazine NME. Its different editorial and geographic perspective yields a distinct ranking.
Music canon: A body of music widely preserved, taught, performed, or treated as culturally significant. The list participates in the broader process of canon formation.
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): The first edition of Rolling Stone’s ranked list of 500 albums, published in 2003. It established the list’s original canon and ranking.
Pet Sounds: The Beach Boys’ 1966 album, known for its elaborate arrangements and studio production. It ranked second in the 2003 edition and exemplifies the list’s album-as-art ideal.
The Guardian's 100 Best Albums Ever: A ranked album list published by the British newspaper The Guardian in 1997. It offers an earlier British critical snapshot against which Rolling Stone’s canon can be compared.
Cultural canon: A collection of works regarded as central to a culture’s shared inheritance. The album ranking applies canon-making judgments to popular music.
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2012): A 2012 revision of Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums. This edition updated the original ranking with albums released since 2003.
Blue: Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album of intimate songs and sparse, expressive arrangements. Its high placement shows the list’s recognition of singer-songwriter albums.

Linked from 6 pages