29 Albums That Upped Their Ranking on Rolling Stone’s New Best Albums of All Time List
Rolling Stone created a lot of buzz this week when they released an updated version of their 500 Best Albums of All Time list. Originally released in 2003, the list…
Rolling Stone created a lot of buzz this week when they released an updated version of their 500 Best Albums of All Time list.
Originally released in 2003, the list was predominantly rock/pop-based. In 2020, rock and pop still have a strong presence on the list, but there is definitely more rap, hip-hop and country influence, which can largely be attributed to a more diverse voting block of musicians, industry professionals and journalists.
While a number of albums saw their 2003 ranking drop significantly, the 29 albums below saw their ranking rise at least 50 places or more on the 2020 list.
So, which albums received more love this time around? Scroll through the gallery below to find out!
Van Halen, 'Van Halen'
Warner Bros.Ranking in 2003: 410 -- Ranking in 2020: 292
The Beatles, 'Hard Day's Night'
UMGRanking in 2003: 384 -- Ranking in 2020: 263
Creedence Clearwater Revival, 'Willy and the Poor Boys'
FantasyRanking in 2003: 388 -- Ranking in 2020: 193
Black Sabbath, 'Master of Reality'
Warner Bros.Ranking in 2003: 294 -- Ranking in 2020: 234
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 'Damn the Torpedoes'
UMGRanking in 2003: 309 -- Ranking in 2020: 231
Pink Floyd, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'
LegacyRanking in 2003: 343 -- Ranking in 2020: 253
Queen, 'A Night at the Opera'
Hollywood RecordsRanking in 2003: 226 -- Ranking in 2020: 128
Metallica, 'Master of Puppets'
BlackenedRanking in 2003: 166 -- Ranking in 2020: 97
R.E.M., 'Automatic for the People'
Craft RecordingsRanking in 2003: 244 -- Ranking in 2020: 96
Aretha Franklin, 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'
AtlanticRanking in 2003: 83 -- Ranking in 2020: 13
Bruce Springsteen, 'Nebraska'
ColumbiaRanking in 2003: 221 -- Ranking in 2020: 150
The Beatles, 'Abbey Road'
UMGRanking in 2003: 14 -- Ranking in 2020: 5
Bob Marley and the Wailers, 'Exodus'
Island/Tuff GongRanking in 2003: 168 -- Ranking in 2020: 71
David Bowie, 'Station to Station'
ParlophoneRanking in 2003: 319 -- Ranking in 2020: 52
Crosby, Stills & Nash, 'Crosby, Stills & Nash'
AtlanticRanking in 2003: 256 -- Ranking in 2020: 161
Cyndi Lauper, 'She’s So Unusual'
LegacyRanking in 2003: 486 -- Ranking in 2020: 184
Eagles, 'Eagles'
AsylumRanking in 2003: 370 -- Ranking in 2020: 207
Elton John, 'Honky Chateau'
UMGRanking in 2003: 353 -- Ranking in 2020: 251
George Michael, 'Faith'
Sony/LegacyRanking in 2003: 472 -- Ranking in 2020: 151
The Beatles, 'Help!'
UMGRanking in 2003: 328 -- Ranking in 2020: 266
Lou Reed, 'Transformer'
Sony/LegacyRanking in 2003: 192 -- Ranking in 2020: 109
Madonna, 'The Immaculate Collection'
Sire/Warner RecordsRanking in 2003: 275 -- Ranking in 2020: 138
The Police, 'Synchronicity'
A&MRanking in 2003: 447 -- Ranking in 2020: 159
Prince and the Revolution, 'Purple Rain'
Warner RecordsRanking in 2003: 73 -- Ranking in 2020: 8
Bruce Springsteen, 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'
ColumbiaRanking in 2003: 150 -- Ranking in 2020: 91
Steely Dan, 'Aja'
ABC RecordsRanking in 2003: 145 -- Ranking in 2020: 63
Stevie Wonder, 'Songs in the Key of Life'
MotownRanking in 2003: 57 -- Ranking in 2020: 4
Talking Heads, 'Remain in Light'
SireRanking in 2003: 128 -- Ranking in 2020: 39
The Velvet Underground, 'The Velvet Underground'
PolydorRanking in 2003: 310 -- Ranking in 2020: 143
