I thought the list was an EXTREMELY narrow viewpoint of who changed the face of music. All listed pale in comparison to J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Chopin, Brahms, Stravinsky, Tchiakowsky, Schönberg, Bartok and Rameaux. These are just a few. Also, all of the 50 listed (put together) did not write enough music to even scratch the surface of what J.S. Bach wrote. And before anyone says they did not make any albums, they're albums were hand written manuscript.
I do like a lot of those listed on the list though.

ORIGINAL: j boy

The *long-player* LP album format didn't really become significant until the late 60's. Before that, the 45 RPM single was king. "Hound Dog"... "Louie Louie"... "She Loves You"... "Satisfaction"... "Like a Rolling Stone"... the impact of these singles was arguably much greater than albums at that particular era.

Good point. And speaking of "Satisfaction", couldn't these bizarro-planet listmakers have made some small bow the band that mined some of the best American blues and R&B, wrote some of the best rock songs ever and played it all with unparalled insouciance--The Rolling Stones? Exile on main Street for example?

Well, I own about 500 albums. The strange part for me is that I don't own any of those 50. No wonder my musical taste hasn't changed much in the 25 years I've been purchasing albums. I think my first album I purchased when I was 11 years old was AC/DC's Back In Black and I'm still listening to AC/DC today. Maybe I should pick up that Spice Girls CD some day, so my taste can change like that list of albums has changed music.

Hi Robert-

I thought the list was an EXTREMELY narrow viewpoint of who changed the face of music.

I think so, too. I'm guessing they just meant "Who has recorded an influential album in the past few decades?"

-Susan

Hi Bob-

ORIGINAL: RAR

WTF

I don't understand the question, comment, or statement!

-Susan

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

-Susan

The Guardian also has a discussion about the list at Charting albums of influence.

I think the posters have covered most of the albums in the last few decades

Brian

I love these judgement calls. Subjective lists are fun. I can only see anything that brings music to discussion as a good thing.

From My personal Rock perspective, I'd like to throw a couple of Band/Albums in the hat.

Nothing to serious just a few quick thoughts. More market influence than pioneering.

BlackSabbath .....Paranoid.....Birth or acceptance of metal in the mainstream.

Carol King....... Tapestry......Dominate women pop star ...up with the bigboys.

Alice Cooper and Kiss.....Brought in the props added another dimension, and in general raised the bar for all live acts.

Styx.......Grand Illusion...........in general birth of commercial pre-meditated corporate rock. Their formula was copied by many an 80's act.

Cars..... The album "The Cars " an early intro to New Wave Music (to the mainstream)

Boston.........1st album" Boston" took rock recording to new heights, right out of Scholtz's basement studio.

VanHalen ....VanHalen 1.......in general one of the most influential American rock acts of all time..... 1st Eddy laid out a new guitar style that is still attempted , but never duplicated,( to this very day). 2nd laid the model for LA hair bands.

Metallica....Ride the Lightning and Kill'em all. Took metal to a new level , laid ground for Nu-metal,The band fought for musicians rights, all while maintaining a top 10 grossing $ act status for a decade.

Alanis Morrisette.....Jagged Pill....... Harnessed scorn,rage,bitterness into a multi-platinum jem. Spurred on a whole nother mainstream style of female pop star not seen since Joplin,Smith and King.

Oh well just thoughts.......

I think that's a good idea since the definition of influential appears difficult to nail down for the authors of the list. I was thinking about it myself, and of course there are both good influences and bad influences, and though there are plenty of artists that measure their success in sales, I believe it is more important to accomplish something artistically, and then hope that others will appreciate it. Here goes:

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame
Yes - The Yes Album
Peter Gabriel - Melt
Genesis - Foxtrot/Nursery Crymes (they were bundled as a two album set in the import section when I got them)
Paul Simon - Graceland
Sting - Nothing Like the Sun
Steely Dan - The Royal Scam
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Crosy, Stills, and Nash - Self-titled
Weather Report - Black Market
Opa - Goldenwings
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave
Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
George Benson - Breezin'
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Allman Brothers - Live at Filmore East
BB King - Live at the Regal
Robben Ford - Talk to Your Daughter
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly
Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas
Bola Sete - Tour de Force
Danny Gatton - 88 Elmira St.
Cream - Disraeli Gears
Gary Moore - Still Got the Blues
Vincenzo Macaluso - The 10-string Guitar Interprets the French Classics
Santana - Abraxas
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood
Pat Metheny - Still Life (Talking)
Les McCann and Eddie Harris - Swiss Movement
Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow
Return to Forever - Where Have I Known You Before
Charlie Byrd - Brazilian Byrd
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page - Walking Into Clarksdale
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Derek and the Dominoes - Layla and other Love Songs
Van Morrison - Moondance
The Cars - Panorama
The Dixie Dregs - Dregs of the Earth
Los Lonely Boys - Self-Titled

I'll stop now...sorry if I bored you, but it did bring back lots of good memories for me.

Paul

ORIGINAL: affuman

What about Isley brothers, i hear bits of their music in maaaaaany artists music.

You are soooo right! How could I forget them? Anyone who can have a music career spanning over 40 years should have been mentioned.

thanks to you, I can't get the song "Groove with you" out of my head...

choosy lover, voyage to atlantis, footsteps in the dark,embetween the sheets, etc - man their music was potently good and has me meditating deeply in it when i hear it.
There is much evidence of their influence for many have used their music from tupoc to the Beattles, but sadly to say if you look at all the greats in music history even the Great Isleybrothers may not make the top 50 list if one could produce it accurately, i mentioned their name because they are definetly far worthier then some who made the inaccurate list we viewed. But to the authors of the list credit i believe the list to be ok tho very innaccurate because it had some good picks and a diverse selection of greats from many genres, reflected the views of many not just one individual and lastly because also i don't believe anyone can make a list that is accurate, for there are only a handful of artists that hit this world so hard that their accomplishments is incontrovertable to the majority; but the other 45 or so names to go on the list would be debated with a passion. But its often fun to debate it and it is good to acknowledge the accomplishments of many of musics greats.Composing such a list and discussing our personal favorites who influenced us is homage payed.

ORIGINAL: affuman

What about Isley brothers, i hear bits of their music in maaaaaany artists music.

A-ha! And guess who played guitar for them for a while?

Jimi.

Really, not to belabor the point, but if you listen to his last year of live recordings (especially the FOUR shows at the Fillmore from which Band of Gypsys was culled) you can hear perpaps the first soul-metal and the first proto-funk, to cite a few things.

Coup de grace: Imagine another couple years of "I wanna hold your ha-a-and"... or of Clapton trying to channel the spirit of Robert Johnson.

I rest my case.

(Going to the other extreme: the last 30 seconds of "Bold as Love" inevitably put in in a state of ecstasy...).

Hendrix and Miles were jamming near the end. Imagine where that might have gone.

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer
Hendrix is one of my favorite guitarists, but that one gay tune he put out was a little over-the top for me.

Heh. I guess I'm the only one. Call me old-fashioned I guess. I still think it was pretty risque for that time period.

ORIGINAL: AT

Jimmy Rodgers. The first cross over artist. Country/blues is rock.

I'm gonna shoot poor Thelma
just to see her jump and fall

"T is for Texas"

Ray Charles is a artist who i believe have had hit records in many genres- Jazz, Blues, Country etc I'll have to check my facts but i believe he hit within top ten song list on many genres. His inspiration to 'MANY' genres was significant and i've read many artist stating his influence on them. And the lenghth of his career is amazing. plus he left the world with his last work, and movie on him being a success (he went out with a bang, and strenghthened his legacy). Finally, he used Sonar

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer
Hendrix is one of my favorite guitarists, but that one gay tune he put out was a little over-the top for me.

Heh. I guess I'm the only one. Call me old-fashioned I guess. I still think it was pretty risque for that time period.

Try as you might, no one's gonna bite on your joke my friend... we all know where it's going.