RS's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Beach Boys take up three spots.

[Rocky Raccoon]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531

#2. Pet Sounds
#271. The Beach Boys Today!
#381. The Smile Sessions

Sunflower which was on the 2003 list did not make the cut this time but it's nice to see Smile which was not on the earlier list (as it had not yet been released).

[southbay]

381?  Joke.

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's not the greatest songs but albums.

And, lol Rolling Stone.

[Zach95]

How did Sunflower miss the cut? Oh, I forgot, they can't give the Beach Boys 4 albums! Even though every Beatles album is on there!

[myonlysunshine]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

[Rocker]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

I wouldn't put it on the list. It's not even a finished album. If they want to use Smile they have to go with BWPS. It's the only finished record.

And I share a nice little laugh with Ziggy Stardust. Rolling Stone.... haha ....

[myonlysunshine]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

I wouldn't put it on the list. It's not even a finished album. If they want to use Smile they have to go with BWPS. It's the only finished record.

And I share a nice little laugh with Ziggy Stardust. Rolling Stone.... haha ....

Where exactly does it say an album must be finished in order to qualify for the list? As far as I can tell, the only requirement is that it needs to be released and have some sort of critical acclaim. I'd say it belongs.

And is Today really that much better of an album than Sunflower? I never particularly thought so.

[Justin]

Not sure the "screw RS magazine" would  ompletely work here when a lot of the voters who voted on this list are from the music industry such as Robbie Robertson, Jeff Tweedy, Fats Domino, Richie Furay, Ray Manzarek , Chris Martin.... Check out the full voters list.

But I am pretty tired of The Beatles always taking the number one slot.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I mean, how can you even take this list seriously when there's M.I.A. in it? com'auwn giwuyz

[Rocker]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

I wouldn't put it on the list. It's not even a finished album. If they want to use Smile they have to go with BWPS. It's the only finished record.

And I share a nice little laugh with Ziggy Stardust. Rolling Stone.... haha ....

Where exactly does it say an album must be finished in order to qualify for the list? As far as I can tell, the only requirement is that it needs to be released and have some sort of critical acclaim. I'd say it belongs.

As I said "I wouldn't". To me an album has to be a finished piece (it doesn't have to be a concept album or whatever).

[Zach95]

Not sure the "screw RS magazine" would  ompletely work here when a lot of the voters who voted on this list are from the music industry such as Robbie Robertson, Jeff Tweedy, Fats Domino, Richie Furay, Ray Manzarek , Chris Martin.... Check out the full voters list.

But I am pretty tired of The Beatles always taking the number one slot.

They continually screw Pink Floyd as well.  I don't get what's up with that.  They placed the BB's at the number 12 spot for most influential artists, which I thought was nice, but then how do they only get three albums?

[Justin]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

I wouldn't put it on the list. It's not even a finished album. If they want to use Smile they have to go with BWPS. It's the only finished record.

And I share a nice little laugh with Ziggy Stardust. Rolling Stone.... haha ....

Where exactly does it say an album must be finished in order to qualify for the list? As far as I can tell, the only requirement is that it needs to be released and have some sort of critical acclaim. I'd say it belongs.

As I said "I wouldn't". To me an album has to be a finished piece (it doesn't have to be a concept album or whatever).

I almost feel they included TSS on the voting ballot just to cover their ass.  No doubt excluding it from the running would cause a flash mob scene.  But as far as considering it an actual album...I can't sign off on that.

[Rocky Raccoon]

Not sure the "screw RS magazine" would  ompletely work here when a lot of the voters who voted on this list are from the music industry such as Robbie Robertson, Jeff Tweedy, Fats Domino, Richie Furay, Ray Manzarek , Chris Martin.... Check out the full voters list.

But I am pretty tired of The Beatles always taking the number one slot.

I'm not.  They deserve it more than anyone.

[Justin]

Oh sure, it's been a rough couple of years for The Beatles...it's good to see them finally get the recognition they deserve. 

[Zach95]

I'm glad Smile finally has a place on this list, where it belongs, but placing it at 381 is a joke.

I wouldn't put it on the list. It's not even a finished album. If they want to use Smile they have to go with BWPS. It's the only finished record.

And I share a nice little laugh with Ziggy Stardust. Rolling Stone.... haha ....

Where exactly does it say an album must be finished in order to qualify for the list? As far as I can tell, the only requirement is that it needs to be released and have some sort of critical acclaim. I'd say it belongs.

As I said "I wouldn't". To me an album has to be a finished piece (it doesn't have to be a concept album or whatever).

I almost feel they included TSS on the voting ballot just to cover their ass.  No doubt excluding it from the running would cause a flash mob scene.  But as far as considering it an actual album...I can't sign off on that.

I'm stuck in the middle on this one.  I consider BWPS the "finished" product.  The album that ought to be on that list.  But then we have TSS, which, by all means, intended to fill the "finished" album performed by the Beach Boys void.  It's got a track listing.  It is, by all accounts, an album, whether it is finished or unfinished.  But if I had to choose one for inclusion on that list, I think they should be putting BWPS in there.  Give Brian his due.  For the greatest pop composer of the 20th century, he's sure as heck under appreciated by this list.  Are any of Lennon's solo records really better than the achievement that is BWPS? I'm not so sure.

[Zach95]

Not sure the "screw RS magazine" would  ompletely work here when a lot of the voters who voted on this list are from the music industry such as Robbie Robertson, Jeff Tweedy, Fats Domino, Richie Furay, Ray Manzarek , Chris Martin.... Check out the full voters list.

But I am pretty tired of The Beatles always taking the number one slot.

I'm not.  They deserve it more than anyone.

I don't mind them taking the number one slot.  I ADORE the Beatles.  But the Beach Boys get no love.  Can someone explain to me how With the Beatles is superior to Sunflower in every way? Because I just don't see it.

[Justin]

Same here, it would have been a huge breath of fresh air if they gave it to BWPS over TSS.  Regardless of what people think of the production, the Wondermints or the new lyrics etc...this is the only "finished" version of that work ever put on tape.  As great as it is to listen to the actual BB voices and original musicians play on all those tracks on TSS..we're still left with songs with no vocals and incomplete thoughts.  TSS is mix-n-match compilation with a simulated "finsihed" album...BWPS is the whole thing brought to the finish line. 

[Chris Brown]

Same here, it would have been a huge breath of fresh air if they gave it to BWPS over TSS.  Regardless of what people think of the production, the Wondermints or the new lyrics etc...this is the only "finished" version of that work ever put on tape.  As great as it is to listen to the actual BB voices and original musicians play on all those tracks on TSS..we're still left with songs with no vocals and incomplete thoughts.  TSS is mix-n-match compilation with a simulated "finsihed" album...BWPS is the whole thing brought to the finish line. 

"Finished" doesn't necessarily mean "better" though - even with the unfinished tracks, I think the original recordings are better than the finished ones on BWPS, so perhaps the voters in their poll felt the same.

[Justin]

The Smile Sessions:


Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE:



In a lot of cases "finished" would mean "better."

[Chris Brown]

In a lot of cases "finished" would mean "better."

Perhaps, but this isn't one of them.  This is really a debate for another thread (that's been done about a thousand times already), but TSS is a hell of a lot more than an unfinished bridge.  If anything, I'd reverse the pictures in this case, but that's just me.

[MyGlove]

Today's ranking is the biggest bullsh*t. They got robbed on that one. Especially considering some of the things that ranked higher than it. The Smile Sessions being on the list at all surprised me though. I thought someone posted earlier on another thread that BWPS was on the list too?

[Cabinessenceking]

It just a magazine, everyone bashes it all the time. I dont think Pink Floyd were in any way massive innovators or nearly as legendary as the myth would have it, but they still got a few better albums than some of the Beatles albums which are overhyped beyond anything else. Also making the list ordered from 'best to worst' is kinda pointless with all these genres floating around. pretty pointless list really, but I guess people who look into it find new artist they learn to like, including many of the old 50's and 60's acts.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Also, Neil Young only enters in the list around the 80 or smthng, wth ?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

How did Sunflower miss the cut? Oh, I forgot, they can't give the Beach Boys 4 albums! Even though every Beatles album is on there!

f*** the Beatles and every damn music critic sucking them off since they debuted.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Well that IS a bit too much of Beatles albums in a list, yeah.