You may already know I'm a sucker for best-of/classic albums/whatever lists. I regularly buy books and magazines that feature them, trying to identify and fill gaps in my record collection - more often to smugly note how many of them I already own. Truth be told, these lists are at least 80% identical so I needn't go on collecting the magazines - but here we are again. The novelty this time is that these records are not necessarily the best or more famous or classic, but the most influential - according to Q's editors, that is. What interested me was, mostly, how do you trace the influence of an album? Thankfully the editors do present their arguments for each case, which is more than I can say about most "Best Of" lists. I don't necessarily agree with them, of course: How come that "Sgt. Pepper" is missing? I get that they only include one entry per group, but "She Loves You" surely wasn't the game-changer that "Sgt.Pepper" was, just another in a line of perfect pop singles produced by the Fab Four. And am I the only one who thinks Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the electric guitar? Doesn't that count for something? Also, while I'm happy to see Bikini Kill in this list, why "Revolution Girl Style Now"? It was initially a cassette demo, and released commercially after their first EP which I reviewed here recently. This was where most people first heard the songs. Not to mention Vangelis' music for Blade Runner; people may have been influenced by the excerpts they heard in the movie, but the actual original soundtrack album appeared long after the fact, in 1994. And Green River may have spawned two great groups (Mudhoney and Pearl Jam) but I doubt they influenced anybody themselves. Whatever, we can discuss the list for hours. I'm sure that they did back in Q offices, and that they had a great time arguing the nuances. Certainly, some of these albums were instant game-changers (e.g. "Nevermind") while others (e.g. "Velvet Underground & Nico") were the proverbial slow burners that went virtually unnoticed in their time but went on to have massive influence. Q being more pop-oriented than other monthly music publications, it also features some lightweights like The Spice Girls or Aaliyah. They might have been influential in some way, but I can't imagine caring for any band inspired by them. Another novelty of this list is that it mixes albums and songs (let's call them singles to justify the title "influential records"). As of now I own 90/156 of the list, though obviously not all the songs in single form: some in their parent albums and some in compilations. I'll present them here some time, at which point I will add links for the reviews to the relative list entries. Here is the complete list. I know it doesn't add to 156, but some of them are multi-entries e.g. Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy". Do the math.
Albums
1. KURT WEILL AND BERTOLT BRECHT - THE THREEPENNY OPERA (1928)2. THE BEACH BOYS - PET SOUNDS (1966)
3. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (1967)
4. LOVE - FOREVER CHANGES (1967)
5. CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND - SAFE AS MILK (1967)
6. THE KINKS - SOMETHING ELSE (1967)
7. VARIOUS - MOTOWN CHARTBUSTERS VOLUMES 1-5 (1967-71)
8. SCOTT WALKER - SCOTT 2 (1968)
9. THE BAND - MUSIC FROM BIG PINK (1968)
10. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE (1969)
11. LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN (1969)
12. KING CRIMSON - IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (1969)
13. JOHN LENNON - PLASTIC ONO BAND (1970)
14. BLACK SABBATH - BLACK SABBATH (1970)
15. CAN - TAGO MAGO (1971)
16. HARRY NILSSON - NILSSON SCHMILSSON (1971)
17. NICK DRAKE - BRYTER LAYTER (1971)
18. MARVIN GAYE - WHAT’S GOING ON (1971)
19. SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON (1971)
20. SERGE GAINSBOURG - HISTOIRE DE MELODY NELSON (1971)
21. JONI MITCHELL - FOR THE ROSES (1972)
22. VARIOUS ARTISTS - NUGGETS: ORIGINAL ARTYFACTS FROM THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ERA, 1965-1968 (1972)
23. PINK FLOYD - THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973)
24. FELA RANSOME KUTI & THE AFRICA ’70 - AFRODISIAC (1973)
25. THE UPSETTERS - BLACKBOARD JUNGLE DUB (1973)
26. KRAFTWERK - AUTOBAHN (1974)
27. PATTI SMITH - HORSES (1975)
28. BRIAN ENO - DISCREET MUSIC (1975)
29. STEVIE WONDER - SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE (1976)
30. THROBBING GRISTLE - THE SECOND ANNUAL REPORT (1977)
31. SEX PISTOLS - NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE’S THE SEX PISTOLS (1977)
32. BUZZCOCKS - SPIRAL SCRATCH (1977)
33. BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - EXODUS (1977)
34. WIRE - PINK FLAG (1977)
35. SUICIDE - SUICIDE (1977)
36. DAVID BOWIE - LOW / ”HEROES” / LODGER (1977-79)
37. GANG OF FOUR - ENTERTAINMENT! (1979)
38. JOY DIVISION - UNKNOWN PLEASURES (1979)
39. TALKING HEADS - FEAR OF MUSIC (1979)
40. THE CLASH - LONDON CALLING (1979)
41. THE CURE - FAITH (1981)
42. BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE - MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS (1981)
43. THE GUN CLUB - FIRE OF LOVE (1981)
44. MICHAEL JACKSON - THRILLER (1982)
45. VANGELIS - BLADE RUNNER (1982)
46. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - JUNKYARD (1982)
47. THE FALL - HEX EDUCATION HOUR (1982)
48. METALLICA - KILL 'EM ALL (1983)
49. RUN-DMC - RUN-DMC (1984)
50. KATE BUSH - HOUNDS OF LOVE (1985)
51. THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN - PSYCHOCANDY (1985)
52. SCRITTI POLITTI - CUPID & PSYCHE 85 (1985)
53. ARTHUR RUSSELL - WORLD OF ECHO (1986)
54. DEPECHE MODE - MUSIC FOR THE MASSES (1987)
55. FLEETWOOD MAC - TANGO IN THE NIGHT (1987)
56. U2 - THE JOSHUA TREE (1987)
57. PIXIES - SURFER ROSA (1988)
58. SONIC YOUTH - DAYDREAM NATION (1988)
59. GREEN RIVER - REHAB DOLL (1988)
60. N.W.A. - STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (1988)
61. MY BLOODY VALENTINE - YOU MADE ME REALISE (1988)
62. TALK TALK - SPIRIT OF EDEN (1988)
63. THE STONE ROSES - THE STONE ROSES (1989)
64. SOUL II SOUL - CLUB CLASSICS VOL. ONE (1989)
65. BIKINI KILL - REVOLUTION GIRL STYLE NOW! (1991)
66. NIRVANA - NEVERMIND (1991)
67. SLINT - SPIDERLAND (1991)
68. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - THE LOW END THEORY (1991)
69. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE (1992)
70. BLUR - MODERN LIFE IS RUBBISH (1993)
71. WU-TANG CLAN - ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) (1993)
72. SNOOP DOGG - DOGGYSTYLE (1993)
73. BJORK - DEBUT (1993)
74. JOHNNY CASH - AMERICAN RECORDINGS (1994)
75. THE PRODIGY - MUSIC FOR THE JILTED GENERATION (1994)
76. OASIS - DEFINITELY MAYBE (1994)
77. RADIOHEAD - THE BENDS (1995)
78. THE SPICE GIRLS - SPICE (1996)
79. AALIYAH - ONE IN A MILLION (1996)
80. BOARDS OF CANADA - MUSIC HAS THE RIGHT TO CHILDREN (1998)
81. AIR - MOON SAFARI (1998)
82. OUTKAST - AQUEMINI (1998)
83. NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL - IN AN AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA (1998)
84. EMINEM - THE MARSHALL MATHERS (2000)
85. THE WHITE STRIPES - WHITE BLOOD CELLS (2001)
86. THE STROKES - THE MODERN AGE (2001)
87. DAFT PUNK - DISCOVERY (2001)
88. THE STREETS - ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL (2002)
89. WILLIAM BASINSKI - THE DISINTEGRATION LOOPS I-IV (2002-3)
90. DIZZEE RASCAL - BOY IN DA CORNER (2003)
91. M.I.A. - ARULAR (2005)
92. AMY WINEHOUSE - BACK TO BLACK (2006)
93. BURIAL - UNTRUE (2007)
94. BON IVER - FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO (2007)
95. RADIOHEAD - IN RAINBOWS (2007)
96. KANYE WEST - 808S & HEARTBREAK (2008)
97. THE XX - XX (2009)
98. ROBYN - BODY TALK (2010)
99. JAMES BLAKE - JAMES BLAKE (2011)
100. FRANK OCEAN - CHANNEL ORANGE (2012)
101. TEGAN AND SARA - HEARTTHROB (2013)
102. BEYONCE - BEYONCE (2013)
103. KENDRICK LAMAR - TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY (2015)
Singles
1. LONNIE DONEGAN - ROCK ISLAND LINE (1955)
2. BO DIDDLEY - BO DIDDLEY/I'M A MAN (1955)
3. LITTLE RICHARD - TUTTI FRUTTI (1955)
4. LINK WRAY - RUMBLE (1958)
5. THE BBC RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP - DOCTOR WHO (1963)
6. THE BEATLES - SHE LOVES YOU (1963)
7. THE RONETTES - BE MY BABY (1963)
8. PRINCE BUSTER’S ALL STARS - AL CAPONE (1964)
9. BOB DYLAN - BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND (1963)
10. JAMES BROWN - PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG (1965)
11. STEVE REICH - COME OUT (1966)
12. THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND - A VERY CELLULAR SONG (1968)
13. THE WINSTONS - AMEN, BROTHER (1969)
14. THE STOOGES - I WANNA BE YOUR DOG (1969)
15. LAURA NYRO - NEW YORK TENDABERRY (1969)
16. GIL SCOTT-HERON - THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (1971)
17. NEU! - HALLOGALLO (1972)
18. THE ROLLING STONES - ROCKS OFF (1972)
19. AEROSMITH - DREAM ON (1973)
20. GLORIA GAYNOR - NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE (1974)
21. BIG STAR - SEPTEMBER GURLS (1974)
22. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - BORN TO RUN (1975)
23. 10CC - I'M NOT IN LOVE (1975)
24. DOUBLE EXPOSURE - TEN PERCENT (1976)
25. DONNA SUMMER - I FEEL LOVE (1977)
26. THE SPECIAL AKA - GANGSTERS (1979)
27. TUBEWAY ARMY - ARE ‘FRIENDS’ ELECTRIC? (1979)
28. GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE - THE MESSAGE (1982)
29. NEW ORDER - BLUE MONDAY (1983)
30. THIS MORTAL COIL - SONG TO THE SIREN (1983)
31. THE SMITHS - THIS CHARMING MAN (1983)
32. WAYNE SMITH - UNDER MI SLENG TENG (1985)
33. MARSHALL JEFFERSON - MOVE YOUR BODY (THE HOUSE MUSIC ANTHEM) (1986)
34. PRINCE - KISS (1986)
35. PHUTURE - ACID TRACKS (1987)
36. M/A/R/R/S - PUMP UP THE VOLUME (1987)
37. PUBLIC ENEMY - REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE (1987)
38. JULEE CRUISE - FALLING (1989)
39. MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO - RADIO BABYLON (1990)
40. APHEX TWIN - ANALOGUE BUBBLEBATH (1991)
41. DJ SHADOW - IN/FLUX (1993)
42. THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - CHEMICAL BEATS (1995)
43. SO SOLID CREW - 21 SECONDS (2001)
44. THE FREELANCE HELLRAISER - A STROKE OF GENIUS (2001)
45. THE RAPTURE - HOUSE OF JEALOUS LOVERS (2002)
46. SKREAM - MIDNIGHT REQUEST LINE (2005)
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