Some Dadrock thoughts…

In 1987 I bought a glossy pseudo-coffee table book called “Critics’ Choice: The Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums Of All Time”.  I just dug it up. In addition to people in my life like my brother Erik, my parents, and media outlets like KROQ and MTV, this book served as a unique gatekeeper into my musical upbringing.  15 year old me, leafing through a list of the best rock music had to offer at the time, according to a panel of music “critics” such as Anthony DeCurtis, Robert Milburn, Greil Marcus, Kurt Loder, and most of the first generation of MTV VJs like JJ Jackson and Nina Blackwood.  I’m calling out Jackson and Blackwood, because at first glance they are the only two people on the panel that weren’t white dudes. Kinda funny-slash-sad how that was completely normal in the mid-80’s.  So sure, this list wasn’t exactly representative of the multicultural quilt that makes up modern society, but there’s no denying the quality of the albums they selected.  The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper was #1, followed by a cadre of musical geniuses – Dylan, Springsteen, Stevie, Stones etc etc. Artists of color are represented, with What’s Going On at #4, Songs In The Key Of Life at #14.  You have to go all the way to #26 to find a female artist, and only a semi-female band at that: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. 

Looking at the list now, I’m also struck by what a relatively small amount of popular music had been released at that point.  You’re basically looking at 30ish years of rock history, but since albums weren’t the prevalent unit of the art form till the 60s, it’s really only about 25 years.  

Fast forward to today, and Apple Music’s Top 100 Albums of All Time.  By that same timespan metric, we’re considering around 62 years, add another 7 or 8 if you include the birth of rock and roll in the mid 50s.  There’s so much to consider now.  The critics of 1987 weren’t taking an emerging genre like hip hop seriously.  They could equally balance the punk movement of the late 70s with the classic rock behemoths of the same time period, and still have plenty of room to cover 60’s landmarks and 80’s new releases.  

Debating the best albums of all time is a fun exercise; like the debate between Jordan vs LeBron (vs Kobe vs Magic…), it largely comes down to your age and what resonates with you based on the prime nostalgia years of high school and college.  Of course, a voting panel that represents multiple races, genders, orientations and points of view is going to yield a more comprehensive list of the best of the best.  I may disagree with some of the entries, or where they rank (more on that in a moment), but when you consider the thousands of albums that are generally considered classics, quibbling about the ranking seems nit-picky at this point.  My 21 year old daughter and 17 year old son are going to have a different perspectives than her old ass dad.  As wise sage Bruce Hornsby sang, “that’s just the way it is”.  

So let the debate begin.  Here are my takeaways of the list:

• First, a macro point.  It’s unclear who made up the panel for Apple’s list.  On the website, it says “Assembled with the help of artists and experts, it’s a modern love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in today.”  Fair enough.  
• Another macro point.  At launch, Apple Music was an unmitigated disaster.  Anyone who signed up when it launched remembers how it fucked up your collection of music you already downloaded, the site was buggy and weird, and overall felt like a rare misstep for the most valuable company in the world.  They still have less than half the number of subscrbers than Spotify, but now the UX is much more intuitive, and the addition of high quality Dolby Atmos tracks is a significant feature Spotify lacks.  Since Apple already takes a hefty chunk from me every month for cloud data, Apple News, Apple TV, Apple Tacos (just making sure you’re still paying attention), I figured what’s a few more bucks to also get Apple Music.  It has become my go-to if I’m listening in my living room and benefit from that higher fidelity.
• Rolling Stone Magazine releases their Top 500 albums of all time every decade or so, and while it makes for a compelling look at the state of music over time, it drives me crazy that they include Greatest Hits packages on their list.  So kudos to Apple Music for not going that route.
• I know I said I wouldn’t quibble with rankings, here goes…While Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation album is undoubtedly a classic, I can’t help but saying that it seems like a lofty choice for #1.  Top 20, sure, but #1??  
• Couple more quibbles…I know this reflects my personal taste and musical demographic, but rock music is quite underrepresented here.  Only two Beatles albums, one from the Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Springsteen and none from the Who or Pearl Jam seems absurd.  I often think about how electric guitars are becoming an endangered species, and would like to make a personal plea that we as a society don’t give up on rock bands.  I get it – there’s a lot of great music that deserves to be included on a top 100 list, but you can’t tell me that Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band isn’t better than Robyn’s Body Talk.  A subjective opinion, sure, but I bet Robyn herself would probably agree.
• I own 28 of the top 100 on vinyl.  Just felt like putting that out there.
• Other artists that are insanely not represented: Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, solo Lennon, solo McCartney, solo Harrison, Grateful Dead, Elvis Costello, The Police, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, REM, Arcade Fire, Tracy Chapman, Vampire Weekend, Run DMC, Wilco, Jeff Buckley, Beck, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rod Stewart, Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Tom Petty, Roxy Music, P-Funk, Otis Redding, Norah Jones, The Doors, Jane’s Addiction, Weezer, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins…I could go on but I’m already depressed.

I guess my solution to the above omissions is to have a top 200 or top 500 to more accurately represent a wider array of artists.  Ultimately, this has inspired me to put together my definitive #dadrock top 100.  Challenge accepted, Apple Music.