# The greatest albums of all time

The top 25 of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (the 2020 edition, updated in 2023), voted by more than 300 artists, critics and industry figures.

- 524 votes · 25 items
- Jun 15, 2025 · vinylhead_slow
- https://even.best/en/l/107/the-greatest-albums-of-all-time

## Top 25

1. **What's Going On — Marvin Gaye** (46 · ▲52 ▼6) — 1971. A concept album about war, poverty and the planet, told from a returning Vietnam veteran's point of view.
2. **Pet Sounds — The Beach Boys** (35 · ▲37 ▼2) — 1966. Brian Wilson's studio symphony, with 'God Only Knows' and 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'.
3. **Songs in the Key of Life — Stevie Wonder** (27 · ▲30 ▼3) — 1976. A double album with 'Sir Duke', 'Isn't She Lovely' and 'As'; Grammy for Album of the Year.
4. **Abbey Road — The Beatles** (26 · ▲30 ▼4) — 1969. The last album the Beatles recorded, with its famous zebra-crossing cover and the side-two medley.
5. **Blue — Joni Mitchell** (25 · ▲30 ▼5) — 1971. Ten intimate songs written after her break-up with Graham Nash, including 'A Case of You'.
6. **Nevermind — Nirvana** (22 · ▲23 ▼1) — 1991. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' knocked Michael Jackson off number one and took grunge to the mainstream.
7. **Blood on the Tracks — Bob Dylan** (18 · ▲21 ▼3) — 1975. Dylan's divorce album, with 'Tangled Up in Blue' and 'Simple Twist of Fate'.
8. **Purple Rain — Prince and the Revolution** (15 · ▲19 ▼4) — 1984. The soundtrack of his film, with 'When Doves Cry' and the title track.
9. **Thriller — Michael Jackson** (14 · ▲15 ▼1) — 1982. The best-selling album in history, produced by Quincy Jones.
10. **Rumours — Fleetwood Mac** (13 · ▲16 ▼3) — 1977. Recorded while the band's couples were breaking up; over 40 million copies sold.
11. **Revolver — The Beatles** (12 · ▲14 ▼2) — 1966. From 'Eleanor Rigby' to 'Tomorrow Never Knows': the Beatles become a studio band.
12. **My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy — Kanye West** (12 · ▲14 ▼2) — 2010. Maximalist hip-hop with 'Runaway' and 'Power', recorded in Hawaii.
13. **It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back — Public Enemy** (12 · ▲13 ▼1) — 1988. Chuck D, Flavor Flav and the Bomb Squad's dense production; a landmark of political hip-hop.
14. **I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You — Aretha Franklin** (11 · ▲15 ▼4) — 1967. Her Atlantic debut, recorded partly in Muscle Shoals, with 'Respect'.
15. **Ready to Die — The Notorious B.I.G.** (11 · ▲14 ▼3) — 1994. Biggie's debut, with 'Juicy' and 'Big Poppa'.
16. **London Calling — The Clash** (11 · ▲12 ▼1) — 1979. A punk double album that mixes reggae, rockabilly and ska.
17. **The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Lauryn Hill** (10 · ▲15 ▼5) — 1998. Her only studio album; five Grammys including Album of the Year.
18. **Tapestry — Carole King** (9 · ▲10 ▼1) — 1971. 'It's Too Late' and 'You've Got a Friend'; 15 weeks at number one in the US.
19. **Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen** (8 · ▲12 ▼4) — 1975. Springsteen's wall of sound and the escape from New Jersey.
20. **Kid A — Radiohead** (8 · ▲11 ▼3) — 2000. Radiohead swap guitars for electronics, with no singles released.
21. **Exile on Main St. — The Rolling Stones** (8 · ▲10 ▼2) — 1972. A double album recorded largely in the basement of a villa on the French Riviera.
22. **Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band — The Beatles** (7 · ▲9 ▼2) — 1967. The concept album of the Summer of Love; number one on Rolling Stone's 2003 list.
23. **Highway 61 Revisited — Bob Dylan** (6 · ▲10 ▼4) — 1965. Dylan goes electric, opening with 'Like a Rolling Stone'.
24. **The Velvet Underground & Nico — The Velvet Underground** (2 · ▲8 ▼6) — 1967. Andy Warhol's banana cover; it sold little but, as the saying goes, everyone who bought it started a band.
25. **To Pimp a Butterfly — Kendrick Lamar** (2 · ▲7 ▼5) — 2015. Jazz, funk and spoken word around 'Alright', which became an anthem of Black Lives Matter.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.