What the heck is it doing down at 162 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best albums?

I think everyone who voted on that list blackballed it cause they figured it would be top ten either way.

top 10 on rolling stone or AM?

There's always been a very loud, very priveleged, very hipster, very computer-literate minority that's always assumed OK Computer was at the very least a top 10 album. But let's be honest. We can say for certain that album doesn't have the influence of The VU & Nico. It doesn't have the cultural importance of at least 2 Beatles and 2 Bob Dylan albums. Or Nevermind. It's far too confused to have the social urgency of What's Going On. It didn't define a genre like Never Mind the Bollocks, or show the best of a genre like Londond Calling or Are You Experienced. And it wasn't an artistic breakthrough on the scale of Pet Sounds.

Like I say, though, it certainly has the "cool" or hipster factor. It'd probably #1 there.

With that said it is a crime that it's out of any top 50. (I love to rag on it, but it is a masterpiece.) I've just never understood why it stuck out so far above The Bends or Kid A...

I think OKC has done VERY well for itself on these charts considering it only sold a couple million albums worldwide. It's gotta have the lowest acclaim-to-sales ratio except for VU & Nico and Astral Weeks.

Err, by "lowest" I meant "highest ranking" ratio to sales.

I don't think so man. I have yet to meet a talented rock musician who does not count that album as one of their top influences.