Over the years, we have seen huge shifts in music. We have seen the rise of rock n roll, the development of contemporary pop, and the appearances of countless other music genres. And over these years, we have seen many artists release what some would say “the greatest albums of all time”.
However, after extensive research, I present to you:
The top five greatest albums of the last 100 years
- Rumours (fleetwood mac)
This album is one of the best selling albums of all time, and for good reason. Its blend of rock and folk translate into a powerful album thats wrapped up neatly with great instrumentals and wonderful vocals, especially on tracks such as “dreams” and “Gold Dust Woman”.
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)
“Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” is a great collection of psychedelia, and rock. Sgt. Peppers is a feat of technology, with how it pushed the boundaries of music, especially for the 1960’s. This album contains classics like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “With a little help from my friends”, but also has some deep tunes like “A Day in the Life” and “Within You Without You”. It truly shows us the talent that came with The Beatles.
- DAMN. (Kendrick Lamar)
‘DAMN.” is a feat of production, concept, and execution. Tracks like “FEAR.” and “DUCKWORTH.” touch on some heavy topics, but are contrasted with tracks like “LOVE.” and “LOYALTY.” that are about being in a committed relationship. To fully understand this album’s weight and greatness you’d have to listen to it yourself.
- OK Computer (Radiohead)
Its no surprise that radiohead’s opus “OK Computer” Made this list, as it is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. Its ingenuity and instrumentals are key elements of the whole picture, especially on tracks like “Let down” and “Exit music (for a film)”. This album truly is one of the best albums of all time, but not THE best.
- The Queen is Dead (The smiths)
This album, created by one of the many pioneers in alternate rock, The Smiths, brings us incredible songwriting, vocals, and production. Its opening track, “The Queen is Dead” brings some commentary on the royal family and the English government backed by a fast paced band. The next track, “Frankly Mr. Shankly” gives us a fun, jingly backing track with some introspective lyrics on Morrissey’s wants in his career, told as if talking to Mr. Shankly. The next few tracks are slow, brooding songs that then move onto “Cemetry Gates”, tying up the A side. The next song, “Bigmouth Strikes Again, is frankly pretty dark, backed by a nice acoustic guitar as the main focus for the intro. “The Boy with a Thorn in his Side” is a light and upbeat melody/instrumental thats a pleasure to listen to. “There is a light that never goes out” is probably the most iconic song off this album, but its popularity doesnt infer on how good it is. The final song, “Some Girls are Bigger Than Others” has some frankly strange lyrics, but has one of the best guitar melody on this entire album. Overall, This album is iconic for all the right reasons and shows us the innovation happening during the 80’s. I believe anyone remotely interested in music should listen to this album.