I’ve revised the meta-list of contemporary artists (and selected works) by adding 10 more lists, bringing the total number of original source lists to more than 20. I first created this meta-list in 2015 and a great deal has happened in the art world since then, so this new list has a lot more artists. In fact, there are 44 new artists on the list, from all over the world. Here are their names, dates, and countries where they have worked. For each artist, I researched their more-often mentioned works of art by doing an informal Internet survey. I have added these new works of art (there are several hundred) to my visual arts checklist and also to the geographical lists that tell where you can find the artwork. Many of the listed artworks cannot be found in museums, but may be viewed at occasional exhibitions or installations, or at certain art galleries.
The list focuses on pop, rock, R&B, country, and folk. I excluded classical, jazz, and blues covers, except in few cases where pop, rock or country artists covered a jazz standard or blues song. The list is presented in chronological order.
That’s All Right (1954) – Elvis Presley. Original: Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup (1946).
I’ve updated the Best Works of Art lists, both the ranked (with the artworks on the most lists at the top) and chronological versions. (The chronological version, in seven parts, is called Art History 101.) I’ve added a number of new lists to the meta-list and also changed the formatting somewhat. Hope you enjoy.
I’ve done a little analysis of the entire artworks meta-list. There are a total of 555 artworks (actually more because some entries encompass series or artworks with multiple versions). There are artworks from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America, although the vast majority are from Europe.
Here are the artists with the most works of art on the meta-list:
9 works of art Rembrandt (The Netherlands, 1606-1669) paintings, prints
8 works of art Michelangelo (Italy, 1475-1564) sculptures, paintings, architecture Pieter Bruegel the Elder (The Netherlands, c. 1525/1530-1569) paintings
7 works of art Leonardo da Vinci (Italy, 1452-1519) paintings, drawings Raphael (Italy, 1483-1520) paintings Titian (Italy, 1488/1490-1576) paintings Vincent van Gogh (The Netherlands, 1853-1890) paintings, prints
6 works of art Albrecht Dürer (Germany, 1471-1528) paintings, prints Francisco Goya (Spain, 1746-1828) paintings, prints
5 works of art Jan van Eyck (Belgium, before 1390/1395-1441) paintings Piero della Francesca (Italy, c. 1415-1492) paintings Peter Paul Rubens (Germany, 1577-1640) paintings Diego Velázquez (Spain, 1599-1660) paintings Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italy, 1598-1680) sculpture, architecture Claude Monet (France, 1840-1926) paintings Pablo Picasso (Spain, 1881-1973) paintings, sculpture, collage Jackson Pollock (US, 1912-1956) paintings
4 works of art Donatello (Italy, c. 1386-1466) sculpture Giovanni Bellini (Italy, c. 1430-1516) paintings El Greco (Greece, 1541-1614) paintings Caravaggio (Italy, 1571-1610) paintings Johannes Vermeer (The Netherlands, 1632-1675) paintings J.M.W. Turner (UK, 1775-1851) paintings Édouard Manet (France, 1832-1883) paintings Paul Cézanne (France, 1839-1906) paintings Auguste Rodin (France, 1840-1917) sculpture Georges Seurat (France, 1859-1891) paintings Henri Matisse (France, 1869-1954) paintings, sculptures, prints
3 works of art Phidias (Greece, c. 480-430 BCE) sculpture Paolo Uccello (Italy, 1397-1475) paintings Andrea Mantegna (Italy, c. 1431-1506) paintings Hans Holbein the Younger (Germany, c. 1497-1543) paintings Tintoretto (Italy, 1518-1594) paintings Frans Hals (Belgium, c. 1582-1666) paintings Jean-Antoine Watteau (France, 1684-1721) paintings Théodore Géricault (France, 1791-1824) paintings Paul Gauguin (France, 1848-1903) paintings, sculpture Salvador Dali (Spain, 1904-1989) paintings; sculpture
Yes, it’s mostly men. Dead white men. I’m sorry. The contemporary art lists are more diverse. But there are a few works by women on the meta-list.
Works by Women Artists Unknown Women Embroiderers: The Bayeux Tapestry (c. 1045) Artemisia Gentileschi: Judith Beheading Holofernes (1611-1613) Rosa Bonheur: Ploughing in the Nivernais (1849) Mary Cassatt: The Child’s Bath (c. 1891) Frida Kahlo: The Two Fridas (1939) Helen Frankenthaler: Mountains and Sea (1952)
The artworks span many centuries. Here are the results by time period:
I’ve updated the Best Albums meta-lists to include the most recent Rolling Stone list of the 500 best albums. I also added the new albums from the latest edition of 1001 Recordings to Listen to Before You Die. The meta-lists include every album on three or more of the 35+ original source lists. Here are the links:
Please forgive me for failing to update the number of lists the album is on in the Chronological and By Artist lists (provided in parentheticals). I’ll get to this eventually.
There are 27 new artists on the updated meta-lists:
1. Adele 2. Animal Collective 3. Anita Baker 4. Mary J. Blige 5. Boogie Down Productions 6. Cocteau Twins 7. Ornette Coleman 8. Earth, Wind & Fire 9. Elbow 10. Herbie Hancock 11. Howlin’ Wolf 12. Ice Cube 13. Janet Jackson 14. Kendrick Lamar 15. Cyndi Lauper 16. LL Cool J 17. Lynryd Skynyrd 18. George Michael 19. Charles Mingus 20. Motörhead 21. Neutral Milk Hotel 22. Frank Ocean 23. Raekwon 24. Toots & the Maytals 25. Gillian Welch 26. Hank Williams 27. X-Ray Spex
The artists with the most albums on the meta-list are familiar names:
1. Bob Dylan: 11 albums 2. The Beatles: 10 albums 3. The Rolling Stones: 8 albums 4. Led Zeppelin: 7 albums 5. Bruce Springsteen: 6 albums 6. Neil Young: 6 albums 7. David Bowie: 5 albums 8. Jimi Hendrix: 5 albums 9. R.E.M.: 5 albums 10. U2: 5 albums 11. The Who: 5 albums
If you’re interested in my personal favorites from the year, I’ve set them out below. As you can see, I don’t normally focus on the most recent releases, but tend to watch, read, and listen to items from various time periods.
Favorite films watched in 2020:
Rated 10/10 The Life of Oharu (Japan, 1954) Dir: Kenji Mizoguchi Cleo from 5 to 7 (France, 1962) Dir: Agnes Varda Night of the Living Dead (US, 1968) Dir: George Romero Songs from the Second Floor (Sweden, 2000) Dir: Roy Andersson I’m Thinking of Ending Things (US, 2020) Dir: Charlie Kaufman
Rated 9/10 Au hasard Balthazar (France, 1966) Dir: Robert Bresson Z (France, 1969) Dir: Costa-Gavras W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (Yugoslavia, 1971) Dir: Dusan Makavejev The Passenger (Italy/France, 1975) Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni Stalker (USSR, 1979) Dir: Andrei Tarkovsky Paris, Texas (Germany/US, 1984) Dir: Wim Wenders Come and See (USSR, 1985) Dir: Elem Klimov Uncut Gems (US, 2019) Dir: Joshua & Ben Safdie American Factory (US, 2019) Dir: Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar
Favorite books read in 2020:
The Faerie Queen (UK, 1590, 1596). By Edmund Spenser King Lear (UK, 1605). By William Shakespeare Tartuffe (France, 1664). By Moliere Paradise Lost (UK, 1667). By John Milton Two Treatises of Government and A Letter Concerning Toleration (UK, 1669). By John Locke The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Japan, 1702). By Matsuo Basho The Genius of the Later English Theater (UK, 1962). Edited by Sylvan Barnet A Thousand Acres (US, 1991). By Jane Smiley. Time’s Arrow (UK, 1991). By Martin Amis Jazz (US, 1992). By Toni Morrison Operation Shylock (US, 1993). By Philip Roth
Favorite TV shows watched in 2020:
The Queen’s Gambit Unorthodox Shtisel Atypical Call My Agent Lovesick
Albums listened to most frequently in 2020
Father John Misty – Pure Comedy (2017) Bob Dylan – No Direction Home: Bootleg Series Vol. 7 Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm (2017) Charlie Musselwhite – Sanctuary (2004) Blind Lemon Jefferson – Blind Lemon Jefferson (1925-1929) David Bowie – The Singles 1969-1993 PJ Harvey – Let England Shake (2011) St. Vincent – Masseduction (2017) Big Thief – U.F.O.F. (2019) Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo (2018) Steely Dan – Can’t Buy A Thrill (1972) T-Bone Walker – The Complete Imperial Recordings (1950-1954) The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema (2005) Brittany Howard – Jaime (2019) John Dowland – Farewell, Unkind – Songs and Dances (2007) (Joel Cohen & Boston Camerata) Count Basie – Complete Decca Recordings (1937-1939)
Rolling Stone magazine has published three different versions of its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list: in 2003, 2012, and 2020. There are a total of 691 albums on the combined lists and quite a few of them are on my personal list of favorite albums. But I found 126 albums on my list that were not on any of the Rolling Stone lists – many of them from artists who are not on any of the lists – that I think merit consideration for the next list. (If you want to see the full list of my five-star albums (including classical music), go HERE.)
NOTE 1: This is not a meta-list: these albums don’t represent anything but my personal opinions.
NOTE 2: If the artists on my list is on one or more of the Rolling Stone lists, but with a different album (or albums), I have placed an asterisk next to the selection. This means that if there is no asterisk, none of the three Rolling Stone lists has any albums by the artist.
Various Artists – Ken Burns Jazz (rec. 1917-1995)
Bessie Smith – The Collection (rec. 1923-1933)
Louis Armstrong – The Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens (rec. 1924-1929)
Lonnie Johnson – Steppin’ on the Blues (rec. 1925-1932)
Jelly Roll Morton – Birth of the Hot (rec. 1926-1927)
Over the past 20 years, Rolling Stone magazine has published three different versions of a list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The first list came out in 2003, followed by a revised list in 2012, and then a complete overhaul that was just published in September 2020. (You can find the 2020 version HERE.) I looked in vain for an analysis of the three lists online, so I decided to do it myself. The results are below. I have organized all the album lists in chronological order and the artist lists in alphabetical order. If you notice any mistakes, please let me know.
Some initial observations of the changes in the 2020 list:
(1) It looks like the 2020 listers were trying to avoid compilation albums whenever possible, which seems like a good policy, at least for artists who recorded after the mid-1950s. I do think it was a mistake to remove Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, however, which is a foundational document for so many folk, blues and rock styles.
(2) I welcome the inclusion of some prog rock (which Rolling Stone has generally eschewed), particularly Close to the Edge (1972) by Yes. I was also glad to see two new African artists on the list (King Sunny Adé and Fela Kuti) and five new jazz additions (Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock, and Alice Coltrane). After mostly ignoring Spanish-language or Latinx music in its previous two lists (with Santana as – I think – the only exception), the 2020 list makes amends by adding Selena, Shakira, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, and Rosalia.Although the majority of the new additions were recent releases, there were some surprising blasts from the past, including Laura Nyro’s Eli and the 13th Confession (1968) and Harry Nilsson’s Nilsson Schmilsson (1972). For those of us veterans of the rock vs. disco battles of the 1970s, it is nice to see Rolling Stone finally acknowledging the importance of artists like Chic, Rufus, and Donna Summer. And on the other side of that coin, the 2020 list includes several lesser-known punk bands of the late 70s, including The Raincoats, The Slits and X-Ray Spex. Fellow alternative and indie rock/pop fans will appreciate the addition of artists like Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bon Iver, Fiona Apple, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Yo La Tengo.
(3) On the omission side, we’ve lost all the Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention albums, which feels like a significant loss. And we lost several important blues artists: Albert King, John Lee Hooker, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Walter, Professor Longhair, John Mayall, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Also dropped were several classic 60’s rock mainstays, including The Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, Blood, Sweat and Tears, and Neil Diamond. I miss alternative country guys Gram Parsons and Steve Earle, as well as some R&B stalwarts (Jackie Wilson, Labelle, The O’Jays) and the inimitable War, but it’s difficult to feel bad about the loss of Don Henley or Moby. Although the 2020 list still includes four albums by the Who, I do take personally the omission of my favorite, 1973’s Quadrophenia.
(4) Not This One but That One. In a number of cases, an artist with a single album on the 2012 list is represented by a different single album on the 2020 list: — Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) replaced by AM (2013) — Leonard Cohen: Songs of Love And Hate (1971) replaced by Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967) — Manu Chao: Proxima Estacion Esperanza (2001) replaced by Clandestino (1998) — M.I.A.: Kala (2007) replaced by Arular (2005) — Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend (2008) replaced by Modern Vampires of the City (2013)
THE NUMBERS
Albums Albums on all three lists: 318 Albums on 2003 and 2012, but not 2020: 145 Albums on 2003 only: 29 Albums on 2012 only: 17 Albums on 2012 and 2020, but not 2003: 19 Albums on 2003 and 2020, but not 2012: 7 Albums on 2020 only: 156
Artists Artists on all three lists: 207 Artists on 2003 and 2012, but not 2020: 41 Artists on 2003 only: 2 Artists on 2012 only: 3 Artists on 2012 and 2020, but not 2003: 7 Artists on 2003 and 2020, but not 2012: 2 Artists on 2020 only: 105
ALBUMS ON 2003, 2012 & 2020 LISTS
Hank Williams – 40 Greatest Hits (rec. 1947-1952, rel. 1978)
Muddy Waters – The Anthology (rec. 1947-1972, rel. 2001)
Sam Cooke – Portrait of a Legend (rec. 1951-1964, rel. 2003)
Ray Charles – The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings (rec. 1952-1959, rel. 1991)
Elvis Presley – The Sun Sessions (rec. 1954-1955, rel. 1976)
Frank Sinatra – In the Wee Small Hours (1955)
Patsy Cline – The Ultimate Collection (rec. 1955-1961, rel. 2000)
Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight (rec. 1955-1965, rel. 1982)
Jerry Lee Lewis – All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (rec. 1955-1985, rel. 1993)
Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)
Buddy Holly & the Crickets – 20 Golden Greats (rec. 1956-1958, rel. 1978)
James Brown – Star Time (rec. 1956-1984, rel. 1991)
Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard (1957)
Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley/Go Bo Diddley (1958)
Various Artists – Phil Spector: Back to Mono (rec. 1958-1969, rel. 1991)
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
Howlin’ Wolf – Moanin’ in the Moonlight (1959)
Ornette Coleman – The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)
John Coltrane – Giant Steps (1960)
Ike and Tina Turner – Proud Mary: The Best of Ike and Tina Turner (rec. 1960-1975, rel. 1991)
Etta James – At Last! (1961)
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
Merle Haggard – Down Every Road (rec. 1962-1994, rel. 1996)
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
James Brown – Live at the Apollo (1963)
Sam Cooke – Live at the Harlem Square Club (rec. 1963, rel. 1985)
Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (rec. 1963-1968, rel. 1972, 1998)
The Ronettes – Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1964)
The Beatles – Meet the Beatles! (1964)
The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
The Temptations – Anthology (rec. 1964-1972, rel. 1973)
Diana Ross and the Supremes – Anthology (rec. 1964-1971, rel. 1974)
Richard and Linda Thompson – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974)
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (1975)
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
Patti Smith – Horses (1975)
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975)
Kiss – Alive! (1975)
Queen – A Night at the Opera (1975)
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)
Parliament – The Mothership Connection (1975)
Neil Young – Tonight’s the Night (1975)
Brian Eno – Another Green World (1975)
Earth, Wind & Fire – That’s the Way of the World (1975)
Ramones – Ramones (1976)
The Eagles – Hotel California (1976)
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
David Bowie – Station to Station (1976)
Aerosmith – Rocks (1976)
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
Billy Joel – The Stranger (1977)
The Clash – The Clash (1977)
Ramones – Rocket to Russia (1977)
Television – Marquee Moon (1977)
Steely Dan – Aja (1977)
Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True (1977)
Bob Marley & Wailers – Exodus (1977)
Willie Nelson – Red Headed Stranger (1977)
Various Artists (incl. Bee Gees) – Saturday Night Fever (Original Soundtrack) (1977)
David Bowie – Low (1977)
Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express (1977)
Wire – Pink Flag (1977)
Suicide – Suicide (1977)
Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model (1978)
Blondie – Parallel Lines (1978)
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Funkadelic – One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
The Rolling Stones – Some Girls (1978)
The Cars – The Cars (1978)
Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings and Food (1978)
Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
Big Star – Third/Sister Lovers (1978)
Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear (1978)
Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (1979)
The Clash – London Calling (1979)
Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)
The B52’s – The B-52’s (1979)
Gang of Four – Entertainment! (1979)
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
Buzzcocks – Singles Going Steady (1979)
AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)
Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)
The Pretenders – Pretenders (1980)
Joy Division – Closer (1980)
Prince – Dirty Mind (1980)
X – Los Angeles (1980)
The Clash – Sandanista! (1980)
The Go-Gos – Beauty and the Beat (1981)
Black Flag – Damaged (1981)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
Prince – 1999 (1982)
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (1982)
R.E.M. – Murmur (1983)
Run-DMC – Run D.M.C. (1983)
The Police- Synchronicity (1983)
Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual (1983)
Madonna – The Immaculate Collection (rec. 1983-1990, rel. 1990)
Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
The Replacements – Let It Be (1984)
Los Lobos – How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984)
Prince – Purple Rain (1984)
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising (1985)
Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston (1985)
Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms (1985)
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs (1985)
Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
Run DMC – Raising Hell (1986)
Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)
Peter Gabriel – So (1986)
The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead (1986)
Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill (1986)
U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)
Guns ‘N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Prince – Sign o’ the Times (1987)
Michael Jackson – Bad (1987)
Eric B. and Rakim – Paid in Full (1987)
George Michael – Faith (1987)
Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton (1988)
Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1988)
Pixies – Surfer Rosa (1988)
Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation (1988)
Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique (1989)
Pixies – Doolittle (1989)
Bonnie Raitt – Nick of Time (1989)
Madonna – Like a Prayer (1989)
Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
Depeche Mode – Violator (1990)
Sinéad O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990)
Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)
U2 – Achtung Baby (1991)
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (1991)
Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)
Metallica – Metallica (The Black Album) (1991)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
Massive Attack – Blue Lines (1991)
R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992)
Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992)
Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (1992)
Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted (1993)
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
PJ Harvey – Rid of Me (1993)
Nirvana – In Utero (1993)
Liz Phair – Exile in Guyville (1993)
Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die (1994)
Green Day – Dookie (1994)
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (1994)
Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
Mary J. Blige – My Life (1994)
Weezer – Weezer (The Blue Album) (1994)
Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)
Nirvana – Unplugged in New York (1994)
TLC – CrazySexyCool (1994)
Nas – Illmatic (1994)
Portishead – Dummy (1994)
Hole – Live Through This (1994)
Björk – Post (1995)
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
Beck – Odelay (1996)
Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Fugees – The Score (1996)
The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (1997)
Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)
Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope (1997)
Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)
Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Madonna – Ray of Light (1998)
Eminem – The Slim Shady LP (1999)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (1999)
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
D’Angelo- Voodoo (2000)
Outkast – Stankonia (2000)
The Strokes – Is This It? (2001)
Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)
Bob Dylan – Love and Theft (2001)
Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
The White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
ALBUMS ON 2003 and 2012 LISTS, BUT NOT 2020 LIST
Various Artists – Anthology of American Folk Music (rec. 1926-1933, rel. 1952)
John Lee Hooker – The Ultimate Collection (rec. 1948-1990, rel. 1991)
Professor Longhair – New Orleans Piano (rec. 1949, 1953, rel. 1972)
Various Artists – The Sun Records Collection (rec. 1950-1958, rel. 1994)
Little Walter – The Best of Little Walter (rec. 1952-1955, rel. 1958)
The Drifters – Golden Hits (rec. 1954-1964, rel. 1968)
Frank Sinatra – Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956)
Bobby Bland – Two Steps From the Blues (rec. 1956-1960, rel. 1961)
Jackie Wilson – Mr. Excitement! (rec. 1956-1975, rel. 1992)
The Crickets (feat. Buddy Holly) – The “Chirping” Crickets (1957)
Ray Charles – The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)
Muddy Waters – At Newport 1960 (1960)
Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain (1960)
Howlin’ Wolf – Howlin’ Wolf (rec. 1959-1962, rel. 1962)
Various Artists – The Best of the Girl Groups, Vols. 1 and 2 (rec. 1960-1965, rel. 1990)
Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions – The Anthology (rec. 1961-1977, rel. 1992)
Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)
The Beatles – Please Please Me (1963)
Stan Getz and João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto (1964)
Muddy Waters – Folk Singer (1964)
Loretta Lynn – All Time Greatest Hits (rec. 1964-1978, rel. 2002)
The Rolling Stones- Out of Our Heads (1965)
The Who – The Who Sings My Generation (1965)
The Yardbirds – Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds (1965)
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965)
The Rolling Stones – The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
The Mamas and the Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966)
Cream – Fresh Cream (1966)
John Mayall – Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out! (1966)
The Yardbirds – Roger the Engineer (1966)
The Who – A Quick One (Happy Jack) (1966)
Simon and Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966)
Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign (rec. 1966-1967, rel. 1967)
Moby Grape – Moby Grape (1967)
Buffalo Springfield – Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)
The Rolling Stones – Between the Buttons (1967)
The Doors – Strange Days (1967)
The Byrds – Younger Than Yesterday (1967)
Linda Ronstadt – The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt (rec. 1967-1995, rel. 2002)
Otis Redding – The Dock of the Bay (1968)
Cream – Wheels of Fire (1968)
The Byrds – The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968)
Blood, Sweat and Tears – Child Is Father to the Man (1968)
Mothers of Invention – We’re Only in It for the Money (1968)
Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends (1968)
Grateful Dead – Anthem of the Sun (1968)
Neil Diamond – The Neil Diamond Collection (rec. 1968-1972, rel. 1999)
Santana – Santana (1969)
Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails (1969)
Grateful Dead – Live/Dead (1969)
Jefferson Airplane – Volunteers (1969)
James Brown – In the Jungle Groove (rec. 1969-1971, rel. 1986)
The Carpenters – Close to You (1970)
MC5 – Back in the USA (1970)
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection (1970)
Randy Newman – 12 Songs (1970)
Elton John – Greatest Hits (rec. 1970-1974, rel. 1974)
The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)
Alice Cooper – Love It to Death (1971)
Jethro Tull – Aqualung (1971)
The Kinks – The Kink Kronikles (1972)
The O’Jays – Back Stabbers (1972)
Dr. John – Dr. John’s Gumbo (1972)
Mott the Hoople – All the Young Dudes (1972)
War- The World Is a Ghetto (1972)
The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (rec. 1972-1981, rel. 1981)
Sly and the Family Stone – Fresh (1973)
The Wailers – Burnin’ (1973)
Jackson Browne – For Everyman (1973)
The Stooges – Raw Power (1973)
ZZ Top – Tres Hombres (1973)
Paul McCartney and Wings – Band on the Run (1973)
Mott the Hoople – Mott (1973)
Lou Reed – Berlin (1973)
The Who – Quadrophenia (1973)
David Bowie – Aladdin Sane (1973)
Tom Waits – The Heart of Saturday Night (1974)
Gram Parsons – Grievous Angel (1974)
Jackson Browne – Late for the Sky (1974)
Barry White – Can’t Get Enough (1974)
Labelle – Nightbirds (1974)
The Meters – Rejuvenation (1974)
Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic (1974)
Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974)
Bob Marley and the Wailers – Natty Dread (1974)
Randy Newman – Good Old Boys (1974)
Elton John- Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Roxy Music – Siren (1975)
Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic (1975)
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)
Bob Dylan – Desire (1976)
Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle (1976)
Jackson Browne – The Pretender (1976)
Kiss – Destroyer (1976)
Cheap Trick – In Color (1977)
Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)
Eric Clapton – Slowhand (1977)
Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
Cheap Trick – At Budokan (1978)
Billy Joel – 52nd Street (1978)
The Police – Outlandos D’Amour (1978)
Willie Nelson – Stardust (1978)
The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry (rec. 1978-1979, rel. 1980)
The Police – Regatta de Blanc (1979)
Graham Parker – Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)
AC/DC – Highway to Hell (1979)
Public Image, Ltd. – Metal Box (1979)
Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Armed Forces (1979)
Bruce Springsteen – The River (1980)
U2 – Boy (1980)
Echo and the Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here (1981)
X – Wild Gift (1981)
The Police – Ghost in the Machine (1981)
New Order – Substance (rec. 1981-1987, rel. 1987)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions – Imperial Bedroom (1982)
Richard and Linda Thompson – Shoot Out the Lights (1982)
Eurythmics – Touch (1983)
ZZ Top – Eliminator (1983)
U2 – War (1983)
The Smiths – Louder Than Bombs (rec. 1983-1987, rel. 1987)
The Smiths – The Smiths (1984)
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense (1984)
The Replacements – Tim (1985)
The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985)
LL Cool J – Radio (1985)
The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy (1985)
The Smiths – Meat Is Murder (1985)
Steve Earle – Guitar Town (1986)
R.E.M. – Document (1987)
Def Leppard – Hysteria (1987)
Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love (1987)
Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking (1988)
EPMD – Strictly Business (1988)
Don Henley – The End of the Innocence (1989)
Pearl Jam – Vitalogy (1994)
Johnny Cash – American Recordings (1994)
Soundgarden – Superunknown (1994)
Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind (1997)
Tom Waits – Mule Variations (1999)
Moby – Play (1999)
U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
Peter Wolf – Sleepless (2002)
Beck – Sea Change (2002)
ALBUMS ON 2003 LIST ONLY
Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 (rec. 1936-1937, rel. 1970)
Hank Williams- The Complete Hank Williams (rec. 1946-1952, rel. 1998)
James Brown – 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (rec. 1956-1976, rel. 1991)
Otis Redding – Dreams to Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology (rec. 1960-1967, rel. 1998)
The Beatles – With the Beatles (1963)
Simon and Garfunkel – Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits (rec. 1964-1969, rel. 1972)
The Byrds – The Byrds’ Greatest Hits (rec. 1965-1966, rel. 1967)
The Mamas & the Papas – Greatest Hits (rec. 1966-1968)
Otis Redding – Live in Europe (1967)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River (1969)
Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left (1969)
David Bowie – ChangesOneBowie (rec. 1969-1976, rel. 1976)
The Beach Boys – Sunflower (1970)
Elton John – Elton John (1970)
Nick Drake – Bryter Layter (1971)
Paul Simon – There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (1973)
Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. (1973)
Roxy Music – Country Life (1974)
Def Leppard – Pyromania (1983)
Public Enemy – Yo! Bum Rush the Stage (1987)
Jane’s Addiction – Ritual De Lo Habitual (1990)
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom (1995)
PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love (1995)
Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
Rage Against the Machine – The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
Madonna – Music (2000)
No Doubt – Rock Steady (2001)
Eminem – The Eminem Show (2002)
ALBUMS ON 2012 LIST ONLY
1. The Complete Recordings – Robert Johnson (rec. 1936-37, rel. 1990) 2. The Beach Boys – The Smile Sessions (rec. 1965-1971, rel. 2011) 3. Boz Scaggs – Boz Scaggs (1969) 4. B.B. King – Live in Cook County Jail (1971) 5. Leonard Cohen – Songs of Love And Hate (1971) 6. Bonnie Raitt – Give It Up (1972) 7. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle, Vol. 1 (1976) 8. Manu Chao – Proxima Estacion Esperanza (2001) 9. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001) 10. Radiohead – Amnesiac (2001) 11. Bruce Springsteen – The Rising (2002) 12. My Morning Jacket – Z (2005) 13. Bob Dylan – Modern Times (2006) 14. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) 15. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (2007) 16. M.I.A. – Kala (2007) 17. Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)
ALBUMS ON 2003 AND 2020 LISTS BUT NOT 2012 LIST
Robert Johnson – King of the Delta Blues Singers (rec. 1936-1937; rel. 1961)
One of the downsides of meta-lists is that they tend to be conservative. To a certain extent, they confirm the conventional wisdom and perpetuate the status quo. “Best of” meta-lists, which combine the results of multiple lists from different sources, focus on the consensus: what most people can agree on, not the controversial, the outliers, those that push the envelope. In the case of the lists of best artists and best artworks, the meta-lists tend to confirm the stereotype that nearly all the great artists were male and white.
But these lists don’t tell the whole story. Great artists come from all backgrounds, ethnicities and genders. And every artist tells a different story, presents an individual viewpoint, even as they (as all artists) absorb or react to their culture, environment and historical context. By ignoring these voices, the standard “best of” lists tend to marginalize the marginalized, and oppress the oppressed.
I recently created a new meta-list of the best African-American artists: Best African-American Artists of All Time. The 23 artists on at least three of the original source lists are featured, along with images of their work. These men and women range throughout the entire history of the United States – the earliest was born in the 1760s and the youngest was born in 1977. They provide an important counterbalance to the narratives and visual styles of white artists. You may recognize some of the names on the list, but some of them may be new to you. Most of them were new to me. In order to make a better world, we need to listen to each other’s voices, as expressed in words, music, and, here, in the visual arts.
If you want to go even deeper into the story of African-American art, check out these other names of artists who were listed on two of the original source lists:
– Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (1877-1968)
– Sargent Claude Johnson (1888-1967)
– Beauford Delaney (1901- 1979)
– Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1998)
– Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012)
– Roy DeCarava (1919-2009)
– Betye Saar (1926- )
– Bob Thompson (1937-1966)
– Martin Puryear (1941- )
– Howardena Pindell (1943- )
– Barkley Hendricks (1945-2017)
– Glenn Ligon (1960- )
I’ve gone through the “Best Music – Year by Year” meta-lists from 2010-2019 and separated out the best in jazz, world music, and classical. You can add these to the meta-lists of the best music (albums), best songs, best books, and best films of the 2010s decade.
Every year in December, various publications and websites announce their best of the year lists in various categories, and every December I collect those lists and combine them into meta-lists. Usually I make lists of best books, movies and music (albums), but this year I added TV shows, in acknowledgement that we are in a period of unprecedented quality in television. Here are the meta-lists for 2019: