#10



Bob Dylan – BLONDE ON BLONDE (1966)

Total Points = 1469.53

Appeared on 27 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: BillAdama (#2), Mark (#2), Rocky Raccoon (#2), Mike (#3), Honorio (#3), Neoptolemos(#4), Jem (#4), Loophole (#10)

jonmarck:
Dylan's most whimsical set sounds like he did the whole thing smashed, not just first track "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". Not a moment was wasted on this pioneering double-LP, from the jump-blues of "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" to the serene compassion of "Just Like a Woman" and first-take-keeper "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". Though it stays well within the framework established on his previous two albums every song is distinct and as irreplaceable as a leopard-skinned pillbox hat.

Neoptolemos:
Along with "Exile on Main St." the very definition of an album where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. However, whereas The Rolling Stones didn't really have a superhit on the album, Dylan has several. That makes for his third classic in a row, an unparalleled achievement.

Honorio:
Dylan not abandoned the automatic poetry of his previous two albums but he pointed toward more personal matters. The lyrics were cryptic and the music was messy but this was not only part of the charm but maybe its main appeal. He tried to find a unique sound equidistant from pop-rock and roots-music and he succeeded. In Dylan’s own words: "The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up. That's my particular sound.”

Loophole:
In the same class as the other two giant Dylan records, but maybe a little less focused/powerful.

nicolas:
Another one better than the sum of its parts. By far my favorite '60s album by Dylan. Like AMG says "an album of enormous depth".



#9



The Beatles – SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND (1967)

Total Points = 1523.53

Appeared on 29 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Rocky Raccoon (#1), Mike (#1), Schwah (#2), Jem (#2), Giuseppe (#2), Weezy (#3), Anthony (#5), John (#

Schwah:
1967: Schwah is not born yet.
1977: Four-year-old Schwah is introduced to a playmate's older brother's 8-track of Sgt. Pepper. Schwah spends the rest of the summer teasing a girl down the street by the name of Lucy.
1987: A fellow camper's incessant playing of the Blue Album, followed by a TV special on Sgt. Pepper, prompts Schwah to pull his father's vinyl copy of Sgt. Pepper out. Five years of maniacal Beatlemania follows.
1997: Still burned out from his Beatlemania, Schwah is too busy exploring other musical ground... but deep down is comforted in the knowledge that the Beatles will always be there to return to.
2007: Schwah's three-year-old daughters dance with daddy to Lovely Rita. And a reassessment prompted by the AM poll leads Schwah to re-confirm that this is a masterpiece... with a few songs that have not worn as well, but with multiple highs that reach higher than any popular music he has yet to hear.

Anthony:
Lennon and McCartney’s visions, perfectly united and perfectly realized.

Loophole:
I’m rating it on how it sounds to me now, not how important it might have been at the time. I never put this one on the turntable anymore.

John:
Pet Sounds has nothing on this.



#8



The Beatles – ABBEY ROAD (1969)

Total Points = 1541.82

Appeared on 34 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: nicolas (#4), Georgie (#4), David (#6), They Call Me The Swede (#7), Rendle (#7)

jonmarck:
The Beatles' last recordings are their best. They sound the cleanest, the arrangements are dead on and everyone actually sounds like they don't mind being in the same room with each other. In fact, Ringo hung around with the other three triple-tracked the vocals for "Because". Not because he had to. Just, because. Of course there are the few tacky moments. Ol' whiny McCartney forced his aimless "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" almost to the front of the playlist and "Carry that Weight" is suspiciously similar to "Hey Jude". But McCartney makes up for it with an incredible vocal performance on "Oh! Darling" and a humourous hidden ending with "Her Majesty". The other three Beatles are all in top form, with John and George each contributing two of their most memorable songs ("Come Together", "Something", "I Want You" and "Here Comes the Sun") and even Ringo wrote a tune that wasn't half bad ("Octopus's Garden"). The quartet were very aware that this would be their last so they made sure that everyone got a solo in "The End", marking the only drum solo in the Beatles catalogue. It couldn't have been a fonder goodbye.

nicolas:
What I love the most with the Beatles is their ability to radically change their sound with each album, and to stay themselves all the while. The most cohesive effort to me, with the best album final I've never heard. They went out in style.



#7



The Clash – LONDON CALLING (1979)

Total Points = 1708.06

Appeared on 30 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: schleuse (#1), Loophole (#1), Slush (#3), Honorio (#4), Michel (#5), Rocky Raccoon (#7), Harold Wexler (# , Vgrd (#9), Mike (#9)

Honorio:
“London Calling” is the perfect document of a jailbreak, of a band breaking the bars of the cage in which they confined themselves, of a punk-rock band realizing that they can make MUSIC in capital letter. They achieved a perfect balance between rehearsed and improvised, between conscious and spontaneous. Rude boys, freedom fighters on Spanish Civil War, Monty Clift, Jimmy Jazz, Stagger Lee. Ska, rockabilly, reggae, power-pop, hard rock, soul or even jazz, anything that could scare away the old punk fan base was good enough. But not losing the apocalyptic, combative, nihilistic and furious energy of punk.

schleuse:
Everything that rock and roll should be: loud (mostly), aggressive, performed with abandon, unpolished, with a sense of history (in this case, rockabilly and reggae in particular). And it’s the only double album I know with no filler…nothing that you’d want to take out to make it tighter or more coherent. That it’s a very politically motivated record is necessary, but almost irrelevant to why this album is my top pick: the politics fuel the passion behind the music. Joe puts it better on “Clampdown” in the line “anger can be power.” The power of music has never been more artfully deployed than here. It’s amazing to realize that they were all completely baked while recording it.

jonmarck:
On London Calling The Clash sounded like they could do anything. Never had the group sounded more confident than on the pounding ska/reggae rhythms of "The Right Profile", "Spanish Bombs", "Rudie Can't Fail", "Clampdown" and "Wrong 'Em Boyo". "Train in Vain" became the group's first single to hit top 30 in the US and the title track almost went top 10 in the UK. Numerous sources, including the band themselves, declared the Clash the only group that mattered. With this era-ending punk rock review it's hard to disagree.

Loophole:
When I first heard this as a teenager, I listened to nothing else for two months. I still love it now as an old man. That’s saying something

nicolas:
Another leap forward album. If this is punk, well ok I love punk, but punk's more an attitude, an era than a musical style, or maybe it's this strange and very influential mixing of rock, reggae, r&b that is revolutionary. Full of burning anthems like my favorite one "The Guns of Brixton". The Matrix for a great part of the music that came after.

Slush:
Doubt I can say a whole lot more that hasn't been said.

Mo:
This album has so many great songs.



#6



The Beach Boys – PET SOUNDS (1966)

Total Points = 1774.21

Appeared on 33 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Weezy (#2), DrDre (#2), Georgie (#2), Midaso (#3), Neoptolemos (#5), Loophole (#5), Giuseppe (#5), Jem (#6), Mike (#7), Honorio (#10), Daniel (#10)

Loophole:
This one has gradually moved up my “list” over the years.

Honorio:
Brian Wilson left aside the glorification of Californian life, the beaches, cars and girls that characterized the thematic of Beach Boys till then. Wilson: “I was not trying to entertain people, I was expressing my feeling straight from the heart”. Now he talks about feelings, dreams (“Wouldn’t it Be Nice” , maladjustment (“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” , spiritual love (“God Only Knows” or losing of innocence (“Caroline No”: “Where did your long hair go / Where is the girl I used to know / How could you lose that happy glow?” .

Neoptolemos:
When Sgt. Pepper's was released Wilson reportedly cried himself to sleep for months. He shouldn't have. This record is so much more than Sgt Pepper's, and a deserving #1 on AM as the greatest album ever created.

nicolas:
When I got this album, the first track that fascinated me was the unreleased rehersal when they sing a capella. Such a perfection set shivers down my spine. Then I discovered the rest of the album. Favorite tracks : Sloop John B and God Only Knows

DrDre:
A music album, so pure and harmonious, that just makes you feel happy. Wouldn't it be nice? Brian Wilson's compositions really do come close.

Slush:
This would be Robbie Williams greatest hits if compilations were allowed.



#5



The Velvet Underground – THE VELVET UNDERGOUND & NICO (1967)

Total Points = 1791.63

Appeared on 36 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Chris (#4), Stammer (#4), DrDre (#6), Neoptolemos (#6), Daniel (#
Giuseppe (#9)

Honorio:
A series of fortunate collisions generated this masterpiece: the collision between street-wise rock & roll of Lou Reed and classical background of John Cale, between inquisitive and intuitive musicians like Reed & Cale and Andy Warhol (the pop-art Pope at the time), between heroin and pushers urban stories and the decadent glamour of The Factory transvestites and starlets, between rock & roll and art.

Neoptolemos:
"That famous banana-album", "That famous cover", "One the most influential bands of all time", "For every record sold a new band was founded", etc. etc. But all that doesn't really matter when you listen to this. Every song crafted perfectly and every time you hear it, it gets just a little bit better.

nicolas:
When you try to strip it of all the hype and critic devotion, what is left of this album? A lot still: a string of brilliant songs, sometimes a bit messy, variety, noise, intensity and an arty touch. Perfect for a subway ride.

DrDre:
Getting drunk, smoking pot, yes, those were the times at the university. What remains are the memories, revived when listening to this classic.

Moonbeam:
Ultimately, a large part of the brilliance of this album is due to the careful balance which makes the album sound more like a veritable voyage than a mere collection of amazing songs.


#4



The Beatles – THE BEATLES ("THE WHITE ALBUM") (196

Total Points = 1822.71

Appeared on 32 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Toni (#1), Honorio (#2), nicolas (#3), Mike (#4), Rocky Raccoon (#5), Jem (#5), Chris (#7), Miguel (#7), Georgie (# , EdAmes (#9), Harold Wexler (#10)

Toni:
After immerging in the effervescent cultural scene of the mid-60's, Beatles returned in 68 to make again a conventional rock album. Of course their sound wouldn't be the same of Rubber Soul. Here we have the fab's amount of songs in which guitars sound the loudest in their career. Also, this is their work with the biggest number of songs that would become classics. Much people say that this album would be even better if it had half of its size, but I think its the opposite. Much of what makes it brilliant is the eccleticism, the sense of experimentation, the low grade of pretension, and much of this is due to the majority of the tracks which probably wouldn't be in the album if it was a simple one. I agree it isn't perfect, but maybe that's the charm about it. Favorite tracks: Savoy Truffle, Dear Prudence, Piggies.

nicolas:
The Beatles' attic : there's everything, it's the absolute anti-Sgt Pepper's. If it had been reduced to the first record, it could have made nb.1

Honorio:
The “White Album” was the great leap forward for The Fab Four. In fact they went so far that planted the seeds of the band disintegration. Many songs were recorded without involvement of the other band members (“Mother Nature Son”, “Julia”, “Blackbird” or “Revolution 9” . But this individualism and dispersion miraculously not only was no dead weight but indeed it was a virtue. They applied the perfect and precise arrangement to every song without looking for cohesiveness. If a song needed clarinets (“Honey Pie” , distorted guitars (“Helter Skelter” , honky-tonk pianos (“Rocky Racoon” or a full orchestra (“Good Night” that was what the song got. All for the Song. And Song for all.


#3



Bob Dylan – HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (1965)

Total Points = 1827.06

Appeared on 33 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Neoptolemos (#1), otisredding (#2), Loophole (#2), Daniel (#3), schleuse (#5), Sonofsamiam (#5), Mark (#5), Weezy (#7), Rocky Raccoon (# , jonmarck (#9)

Neoptolemos:
The definitive album to which I compare all other albums. It has the greatest album-opener and the greatest album-closer in music history, and a lot of truly fantastic songs in between. I could listen to this album from now until forever and never get bored.

Loophole:
I have probably learned more from this record than any other.

schleuse:
It starts with the most acclaimed song of all time and ends with my favorite Dylan song. And doesn’t take a wrong step, ever (something not true of Blonde on Blonde, which is bubbling somewhere under my top 100). What more do you want? I was leery of Bob for a long time, but it turned out I was only put off by all the ultra-earnest praise of him…part of his skill as the finest lyricist of the last century is that he knows how to deploy humor. The title track is probably the best example of goofiness here, but there’s a sly archness throughout the whole album, which nevertheless is always in service to a warm, generous vision (except maybe on “Like a Rolling Stone” . Exhibit A: The snarky but well-intentioned “Ballad of a Thin Man.”

Schwah:
He wasn't the first to make "shambolic" a positive thing in rock, but he was the best at doing so.

jonmarck:
Dylan continues in Bringing it all Back Home's ground-breaking style with a stronger emphasis on jagged blues and whacko writing. "Like A Rolling Stone" is Dylan's most uniting anthem (ironic, considering its cynicism), "Tombstone Blues" and the title track re-establish his love for nowhere poetry and loser heros, and "Desolation Row", at the time his longest song, is a heartfelt tribute to the same set of hooligans. This is when folkies started calling him Judas.


#2



The Beatles – REVOLVER (1966)

Total Points = 2005.44

Appeared on 34 ballots (out of 47).

Fans: Daniel (#1), schleuse (#3), Rendle (#3), Chris (#3), Juan (#4), Mo (#4), DrDre (#5), Schwah (#5), Weezy (#6), Harold Wexler (#6), John (#7), Jem (#9)

schleuse:
The pinnacle of their career, when the tautness of their touring years as a four-piece was still in place; they stopped touring shortly after its release, and the resulting lack of coherence surely had something to do with some of the bloat and self-indulgence on their albums from Sgt. Pepper onward. But there’s no fat on this one—eight of Revolver’s fourteen songs are either ranked or bubbling under on AM’s song list…I haven’t checked, but I can’t imagine anything beats that (except the White Album, but that also contains way too much filler). Even “Yellow Submarine” doesn’t suck, as long as you take it for what it is (it happened to be the first Beatles song I heard as a kid). Here, the Beatles perfected their Dylan-influenced ideas about putting an LP together, and, for better and worse, rock has been an album-dominated genre ever since.

Honorio:
The Fab Four expanded with “Revolver” its musical palette and doing this expanded their (our) minds. With adventurous but successful forays into classical music (“Eleanor Rigby” , Hindu music (“Love You To” or avant-garde (“Tomorrow Never Knows” . They incorporated it to its own style (a horn solo as the one in “For No One” is now a Beatles-style solo) and, even more important, took it to massive audiences.

Mo:
I guess The Beatles will be in everybody's list

nicolas:
So much has been said about this album. My favorite songs ? Eleanor Rigby, Here, there and everywhere and Yellow Submarine. Among the Fab Four albums, it is the one that fits the best to these times.

Schwah:
This album frequently flip-flops with Sgt. Pepper for me. It’s on a bit of a downswing at the moment… making it only the 5th greatest album of all time.

jonmarck:
"She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" remain the most surreal songs in the Beatles catalogue while "And Your Bird Can Sing" is straightahead psychedelic rock 'n' roll.

DrDre:
Where Rubber Soul is still the innocent, playful one, Sgt. Pepper's is more the adult, tripping psyche, full of new sonic experiments. Revolver is something in between and IMO the most influential and copied Beatles album. I wasn't born yet, but I can imagine Revolver and its time companion Pet Sounds have caused quite a shock by exploring new, unpathed ways in pop music.


#1



Radiohead – OK COMPUTER (1997)

Total Points = 2303.89

Appeared on 33 ballots (out of 47).

Fans:

#1: Juan, pop elton, Jem, Chris, Mo, Harold Wexler
#2: Jonah, twister, Mike
#3: Jacek, dumbangel
#4: jonmarck, DrDre
#5: Honorio
#6: Anthony
#7: BillAdama
#8: rendle
#9: Schwah, John
#10:


Dr.Dre:
What make this album so appreciated? Is it fun? Not really. Is it beauty? Sure, most tracks are even divine. But most of all it never gets boring, it's the musical composition that thrills. Each song tells you a story with a different sound spectrum. "Paranoid Android" is maybe the best example, with Yorke's voice and a bunch of instruments going through different moods. It just never gets boring.

jonmarck:
Many albums are compelling, some are fascinating, few are possessing. Ok Computer didn't reflect the world, it created its own, and its familiarities were terrifying. Released at the dawn of the internet age, Thom Yorke's technological paranoia envisioned a spiritual wasteland of material excess and emotional isolation. Ok, so it's not the newest idea. Heck, that's what the Bends was! But what made Ok Computer so remarkable wasn't the function so much as the form. From the opening guitar/cello riff of "Airbag" Ok Computer announced something previously inexperienced; something created by humans but distinctly unnatural. This was the album where guitarist Johnny Greenwood, with Nigel Goodrich's technological support, emerged as the group's second creative force, turning his guitar into pixie dust for "Subterranean Homesick Alien" and a lawnmower for "Electioneering", which was released in the UK as a single to sarcastically commemorate Tony Blair's campaign for prime minister. In fact "Electioneering" was one of Ok Computer's only singles that the group did not have a hard time selecting. It's not like these sprawling landscapes would fit easily into a rock radio playlist. "Lucky" might have worked had it not already received a quite release in support of War Child. So might have "Let Down" had the video not been completely disowned by the band upon completion. Eventually, to Parlaphone's chagrin, "Paranoid Android" was chosen. They told Radiohead that giving radio a six and a half minute track split into three seemingly unrelated sections with no discernible chorus or hook was commercial suicide. The mildly pornographic animated video didn't help matters. As it turned out the worries were in vain as "Paranoid Android" debuted at #3 in the UK. "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" were equally successful, even charting respectably at North American radio stations. Critics compared the album to Achtung Baby and The Dark Side of the Moon, though, truth be told, it was far better. Radiohead saw the success as an opportunity to become even less conventional and Ok Computer became the launchpad to five multi-millionaire art-rock careers.

John:
A modern masterpiece that only they have been able to replicate.

Honorio:
The peak for both Radiohead and indie rock. Recorded in a Victorian mansion (formerly property of actress Jane Seymour) using the natural echoes of the different rooms, working with electronic textures, adding complex rhythmic-patterns and ever-changing song structures, evolving lyrically from teenage rage to adulthood resignation and expanding notably their music palette, Radiohead created an astonishing masterpiece that deals with modern world alienation with an impressive deepness.

Anthony:
A contemporary classic, and after only 10 years it’s nearing entry into the exclusive “everything’s been said about it” club, to which a select group of revered albums belong. All I can add is this: as with anything that’s consistently deemed the “greatest” or the “best”, people are bound to ask “is it really that great?” In this case, the short answer, simply, is yes - OK Computer is a truly great album. As a sinister portrayal of a world consumed by (and at the mercy of) technology, it’s unmatched; as a ‘90s alt-rock album, it’s the pinnacle; as a dystopian musical statement, it’s the template. By the time the final seconds of “The Tourist” fade into silence, Yorke has - in just under 54 minutes - expertly conveyed a personal torment that few frontmen possess (and even fewer can articulate,) and has managed to instill in us his fear of airplanes, automobiles and everything else containing a motherboard. Q magazine called it "A 21st century classic, released three years early"; RS described it as "haunting and unforgettable"; I call it the apex of five talented musicians coming together and discarding convention, resulting in an era-defining landmark. Stunning on all levels – musicianship, songwriting, artistry, passion, concept, and achievement.

Schwah:
One of my favorite authors on music is the New Yorker's classical music critic, Alex Ross. His profile and discussion of Radiohead from 2001 was great. His description of a live performance of Airbag is fabulous. You should all read it: http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html

nicolas:
Thank you Acclaimed music. I had paid attention to it when it got out in '97, but not so much. I had completely forgotten this album, especially in my blues/country-only years. As any "new" album in my Panthe

Sorry nicolas, the maximum number of characters was exceeded.

nicolas
Thank you Acclaimed music. I had paid attention to it when it got out in '97, but not so much. I had completely forgotten this album, especially in my blues/country-only years. As any "new" album in my Pantheon, I am not really sure of its proper position in this top 100. See you back in 2008 or 2009?

Brilliant, brilliant. I am going to be reading all the comments for a few minutes. Good ranking though, I'm pleased H61R ended up on #3.

Just posted this in the previous thread so I'll repeat. Just wanted to let you know my #10 was for the Pixies and not Ziggy. It was credited to both.

Good job guys. Nice list.
I'm very surprised Unknown Plearures didn't make it. That's a top 10 album for me.

I'm very pleased with this list. There's not a stinker on it!

The two most unexpected albums on this list for me where the Robert Wyatt and Zombies entries. I know next to nothing about them and will have to check them out pronto.

Thanks Anthony !!!
great list : a lot of variety, everybody is happy

Excellent comments everyone, and thanks Anthony for all the work you've put into this. Now it's time to listen to some of the highest ranked ones, starting with Forever Changes.

Superb list in my opinion, with 4 Beatles albums in the Top 10 that completely deserves this position. But besides this (expected) positions there was previously some unexpected (and pleasant) surprises.
That was great, Anthony. Thank you so much.

It is a great list. Lots of albums for me to introduce or re-introduce myself to.

Anthony, again, great job.

I think you had mentioned some plans to do some statistical breakdowns on the voting, and I assume we will get to see individual lists sometime. Looking forward to those. But for now, take a well deserved rest (get that cold out of your system).

And now begins the fun. The individual lists, the 101-200 list (please, the simple lis is enough, no need to include comments), the statistics, … But, Anthony, we’re no hurry at all and I don’t want to charge you with more work. Thanks again.

Great job Anthony! I agree that the lists alone will be sufficient for the individual info.

You all might not care, but I enjoy comparing my list with the final one:

36 of my picks are in the AM forum top-100. 22 in the AM forum top-50, 14 in the AM forum top-25, and 9 of the top-10 (I didn't list Pet Sounds).

Great job, Anthony. Very nice list. I can't wait to see the personal lists !

Wonderful job, Anthony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm very happy that Robert Wyatt made it.
For months it was my #1, but then at the last moment I changed my point of vue.
That makes me think of the output.
The Beatles are such a great band that there is not onr best album, but 5. So they can never make it to #1, neither in this forum nor in the top 3000.

Sorry, just stepped out for lunch.

Thanks a lot everyone. Hopefully the top 10 doesn't disappoint anyone too much. Again though, all the albums are deserving of their respective spots.

So you think that if Beatles had stopped recording after Revolver, then Revolver would then have been no. 1 at AM and in this poll?

I'll post the individual lists tomorrow (if that's alright.)

Besides, it'll allow some time for this juggernaut to sink in.

Thanks for compiling this Anthony. Also, thanks for leaving in my comment about how Pet Sounds would've been Robbie Williams greatest hits .

Terrific job, Anthony. What a ride! Time to go to bed here. See you all.

Good night everybody
When the lights go out all over Europe, like Neil Hannon says in my #11 album
Heal your flu Anthony (you're the one who gave it to my son, I know )

Sorry, I forgot to add - Stammer, that was a mistake with my figures, but one that didn't affect the overall results in any way.

Perhaps it would be a neat idea to make a post summarizing all this containing links to these 5 parts so Henrik can sticky that.

That's a good idea. I'll get on it.

Thanks, Neo.

No problem. While I'm having good suggestions, how about a simple list of the whole top 100 in that topic as well?

Bed time for me now. It's been a great day, not in a small part due to this wonderful list. Thanks again Anthony.

Cheers Anthony, I genuinely appreciate your efforts. Obviously the winner was pretty much pre-ordained, but this list has been genuinely fascinating. Most pleasing for me personally were the showings for 'Doolittle' and 'Forever Changes'.

Thanks EdAmes.

I'll say it again - I've really enjoyed doing this poll and even though I've been sick for the past few days, I can't think of a better prescription than to present something like this, and what helps even more is receiving such wonderful feedback and appreciation from everyone.

(Just for the record, I'm blaming all errors on this wretched germ festival that's been plaguing my body over the past four days.)

Thanks again to everyone for their contributions. Like I mentioned, within the next day or so, I'll start a thread for statistics and other miscellanea. After all, what good is a poll if you can't take the data and exploit the hell out of it? Am I right?

"I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell..." Sorry. That popped into my head for some reason.

Thank You Anthony for a job well done and a great list. Only thing sweeter would have been if some Husker Du or Big Star got represented but like my Steelers it's wait till next year.

Just had a closer look at the top 10 after getting up. About the four "canonical" Beatles albums: They are of course all absolutely bloody brilliant (White Album slightly messy? - but if so, a mess produced with genius) so the interesting thing about their showing in the poll is mostly in the sequence. Which happens to be the exact same one as in the '05 poll: Revolver - White - Abbey Road - Pepper.

In official AM, on the other hand, it's Revolver (2) - Pepper (5) - White (15) - Abbey Road (24).

I remember a time when Pepper would automatically be considered best Beatles album and probably best album, period. Are we being the avant-garde here of a trend that is also showing through in official AM? If so, what's the reason? I can't think of an explanation that I can put into sensible words.

Personally, I'm glad to see Abbey Road do so well. To me, there’s no doubt that these guys are the greatest band ever. In spite of that, I didn’t vote for a lot of their albums, because to me they’re more of a ubiquitously floating element in my general environment than makers of individual albums. In some cases, I probably couldn’t even tell you which of their albums an individual song comes from, although I love the song and heard the album any times. In a songs list from me, they would figure massively. But Abbey Road is the exception. Anything from this album makes me want to listen to the entire thing and follow the progression from that creepy introductory percussion stuff through the Octopus’s garden and Harrison’s sunrise on to the beautiful End – and that little added twist. Nice way to go, boys.

1. Very nice list, good job Anthony.
2. I lament the fact that this time there was no Talk Talk album on the list.
3. OK Computer at number 1 is way to go. For the second time it saved the top 10 from getting the Rolling Stone magazine seal of approval.
4. More voters means this time all the most acclaimed albums are on the list, which seems more in line with the AM top 100. Last time Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Born to Run were left out, Jimi Hendrix barely made it.
5. "Funeral" at number 20 was a big surprise. I was surprised it made the top 100 in the last poll, and now it moved another 30 spots up. Quite a feat, considereding it came out so recently.ekn6

Well A belated thankyou,Anthony for compiling this list. Isolated from the internet on holiday this week,and having seen 100-36 I was wondering all week how it panned out. Well,I think I worked out most of the ones in the top 35 - the only ones which slightly surprised me were Bringing It All Back Home and Funeral

Thanks Midaso.

This might be a bit late (and I'm not sure if anyone cares) but I discovered that the presentation of the results looks different on Explorer than it does when using Firefox. (It looks better on Firefox, and that's the way it was intended.)