Lists are very much subjective and designed to rouse a reaction. I say this as someone who has been involved in the creation of hundreds of lists over my 18-year tenure at Consequence. In putting together something as expansive as a greatest albums of all-time list (like we did in 2022), a number of factors are considered: the personal preference of the individuals putting together the list and an album's lasting influence are
two major pieces of criteria beyond considering the overall quality of the record. Some publications also like to include a narrative: an emphasis on more younger acts, more artists of color or women, more representation of less commercialized genres like jazz and world music are some themes we've seen in recent years.
I say this with all due respect to the people who put together Apple Music's newly unveiled 100 best albums list: I have no idea what the list stands for or who it represents. The streaming service touted its selections as crafted by "a team of experts alongside a select group of artists... an editorial statement, fully independent of any streaming numbers on Apple Music — a love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in."
That all sounds good, and sure a majority of the entrants are worthy of inclusion. But as you scan through those 100 titles, certain ones stick out like a sore thumb. The most notable example being Taylor Swift's 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Deluxe), which I will preface by saying is a great album. We included it the original version on our own top 100 list (at #39 to be exact). The biggest Swift expert I knowc, our own Mary Siroky, is convinced Taylor’s Version is an inferior version of 1989, and she’s far from alone. Sure, we all understand and respect
Swift's decision to re-record her albums and her preference for the Taylor's Versions to be treated as the default versions going forward. But in doing so, does that mean the inferior version of 1989 is automatically recognized with the same artistic merit? And all that's without mentioning the fact that Apple's selection is specifically the deluxe version of 1989 (Taylor's Version). Those B-sides only enhance the album's greatness! Sorry, you can't tell me that this pick, particularly its placement at No.18 above albums like The Chronic, Pet Sounds, and Revolver, and the decision to go with (TV) (Deluxe) version wasn't for a whole bunch of ulterior motives beyond it being a "love letter" to music.
The list is littered with other deluxe and remastered versions of albums for reasons I don't really comprehend. It's the deluxe version of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city that claimed the No. 7 (which I guess is become someone at Apple really likes "The Recipe"?) The deluxe edition of Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster at No. 89 makes more sense, as it really is like an entirely new album. But like, did we really need to call out the expanded edition of Wu-Tang's End the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) or The Velvet Underground and Nico (45th Anniversary Edition)? Or heap praise on the 2013 remaster of Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus or the 2012 remaster of David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and
the Spiders From Mars? Maybe I'm just being cynical but this just seems as a means of Apple advertising alternate variations of classic albums streaming on its platform.
And then there's the placement, which I will admit is not fair, because other outlets could rightfully pick apart our own placements. But fuck it: Fleetwood Mac's Rumors at #11 is much too low. The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds at #20 is much too low. The Clash's London Calling at #35 -- someone needs to be arrested. Also how soon is too soon to include a new album? By all accounts, SZA's SOS is already an all-time classic album. But it was released less than two years ago. Apple ranks it at No. 72, ahead of Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Nina Simone's I Put a Spell on You. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti sits at No. 76 -- two
years after its own release. Meanwhile, absent from the list are records from Stooges, Leonard Cohen, Fiona Apple, Sly Stone, Slayer, The Police, and Paul Simon (plus Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, which is a better album than good kid, m.A.A.d city), but I digress.
But anyway, lists are very much subjective and designed to rouse a reaction.
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