Young Americans turns 50

This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of Bowie's blue-eyed soul effort, Young Americans. Mostly recorded in Philadelphia, the album features a cracking band including Carlos Alomar on guitar, Mike Garson on piano, Willie Weeks on bass and Andy Newmark on drums. Some songs have different musicians on them, but that's the core group, along with those distinctive saxophone bursts from David Sanborn and the powerhouse backing vocals of Ava Cherry, Robin Clark and Luther Vandross. 

I've always felt the album was a little flawed, and that it could have been a much more cohesive affair. I think one of the biggest missteps is the awful cover of The Beatles' Across the Universe, which even features John Lennon playing on it. Their collaboration with Alomar on the closing track, and second single, Fame is soooo good. It's such a shame they couldn't capture that lightning in a bottle again. Those sessions took place in New York City, and contributing musicians included Earl Slick on guitar, drummer Dennis Davis and bassist Emir Kassan. In fact, it was those NYC sessions that made Bowie restructure his original release, which was going to be called The Gouster. Tony Visconti was reportedly mixing the album when he got a phone call from Bowie saying that he'd written and recorded Fame with Lennon, and it had to be on the new record. Several tracks from that lost album would surface as bonus tracks on reissues or special editions of Young Americans, but The Gouster would not be commercially available until the Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) box set, issued in 2016.  

Anyway, I've been wanting to reconstruct the Young Americans tracklisting into a better album and include some outtakes and an oddity or two. Firstly, Across the Universe is gone, kaput. I also think that Fame should appear earlier in the album, not close it. But should Fame be there at all? It wasn't included in the Philly sessions and wasn't on the original tracklisting of the album. Yes. Yes, it should. Debating whether to include either Win or Can You Hear Me?, as I don't think much of them. And, where should I put the title track? Keep it at the beginning, or follow the format of The Gouster and have it halfway through? Should I also include Who Can I Be Now? and It's Gonna Be Me, which popped up on said special editions? I think that It's Gonna Be Me is quite similar to Can You Hear Me? as far as feel and theme go, but I like the way it rises and falls. Yeah, that would make it a more interesting listen. Maybe towards the end of the album.

An outtake from Young Americans, After Today, is a dead cert. I can't believe it got bumped off! Such a funky groove with an excellent bass-line. It's not on the Spottersfy though, but the track was included on the Sound+Vision box set in 1989. Try and track it down, if you can. A big factor in album structure back then was the limitations of the vinyl format. Obviously, the running time is the most restrictive element, but apparently things like noise level and tone get compromised the longer a record runs. There was some issue with bass that stopped Peter Gabriel from putting In Your Eyes at the end of 1986's monster album So. Recent reissues and deluxe editions have rectified this. Young Americans only has eight tracks, and The Gouster only had seven. I think I'll extend the running order out to ten songs. Sounds like a good idea to me.

A tough one for me was whether or not to include Bowie's cover of It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City by Bruce Springsteen. It was initially recorded for Diamond Dogs in 1974, and was attempted again during the Young Americans sessions. It remained unreleased until it was issued on the aforementioned Sound+Vision box set, stating it was a Station to Station outtake. This claim has been argued by that album's producer Harry Maslin and guitarist Carlos Alomar, who both say that it wasn't recorded at that time. Others suggest that the released version is more than likely from the Diamond Dogs sessions, albeit with some overdubs. The second attempt apparently never eventuated into anything more than a backing track without vocals. The story goes that Bowie abandoned his second try after meeting Springsteen in person at the studio he was working in. 

I toyed with including Bowie's live cover of Knock on Wood as well, as it was the B side on the US Young Americans single. I saw it as a bit of a precursor to the soul and funk exploration he was about to embark on. It's more of a prequel rather than something I should incorporate, methinks. After repeated listens of Young Americans, and the unreleased album The Gouster, here's what I came up with. There's no wrong or right here, just my own personal faves and a nice flow. 

1. Fame (Yeah, get that bad boy right up front...)

2. Somebody Up There Likes Me (The Gouster version)

3. Right (YA version)

4. After Today 

5. Young Americans (Yep, this is a different tracklisting, after all...)

6. Who Can I Be Now? 

7. Fascination  

8. It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City (That Springsteen cover, why not?)

9. It's Gonna Be Me  

10. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) 

I would imagine the split between sides would occur after Young Americans fades out. I think it would work well. Whereas both Young Americans and The Gouster have a roughly forty minute running time (freaky, huh?), my ten track playlist hits fifty. You're welcome!

I can't remember exactly when I heard John, I'm Only Dancing (Again), but I liked it immediately. I think it would polarise Bowie fans, as it is quite different from the original John, I'm Only Dancing 1972 single. In fact, it bears little resemblance apart from some lyrics. It's relentless too, nudging the seven minute mark, but hey, it works for me! It was included on Bowie's 1974 tours and recorded for Young Americans, as it made the grade for The Gouster, but not YA. It didn't received an official release until it was issued as single in 1979, after disco had arguably peaked. 

While it's been fun to revisit Young Americans and The Gouster, neither would be among my fondest Bowie albums. Interestingly, Bowie's subsequent record, Station to Station, released in January 1976 (like me!) is possibly my favourite offering from him, and without Young Americans, it arguably wouldn't exist. So, I remain grateful to it for that.

A Mixtape on the Spottersfy

I used to absolutely love making mixtapes. I still have a box of them in the garage. Whenever the band had a regional gig and a roadtrip was on the cards, we'd all have a new mixtape to play, and would fight over who got to play the first one. It was a great way to document the music you were listening to at the time, and to try and turn others onto something new, if they shared your carspace (it's a word!) or if you were in theirs.

The mixtape gave way to the burnt CD in 2000 for me, when we got a computer that could do so. I remember, with fondness, those nights when we would head into Planet Video in Mt Lawley to buy a 10 pack of blank discs.  The standard 80min audio CD morphed into the mp3 disc, which could hold around 70-80 songs. I still burn CDs nowadays, but at as much as I used to.

With the domination of music streaming services in this day and age, the mixtape is now a playlist. For me, I have been doing so for setlists of bands I have seen live. It's been nice to create a playlist on the Spottersfy of all the songs that were played on the night I saw them. Great to go back to a few months, or even years later.  

I think it might have been on our trip to Adelaide in January when the idea for this playlist hit me. I was listening to my iPod on the plane and had it on shuffle mode, as is my usual want. Radiohead's Everything In Its Right Place came on, and it's such a great headphone track. I got lost in the music and I think I even stopped reading and just listened. When it finished, Somewhere Down the Barrell by The Dissociatives kicked in, and it sounded great! It felt a natural flow, as if both songs came from the same album. I think that I Was Alive by the The Whitlams followed, and I felt that worked really well too! I took out my phone and noted those three tracks down. Bizarrely, the order the track were played in corresponded to their track number on the album they came from. They were all from the 00s as well!  

Lightning didn't strike again, and I forget what song came on next. I thought I had the beginnings of a fab concept for a playlist. Over the coming weeks, I spent time looking through albums from that decade and tried to find songs from track no.4 onwards. I tried to imagine how songs would feel as they finished, and the next one started. I endeavoured to cover a range of artists and music styles. 

I eventually decided on ending the playlist with O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, which would make the total amount of songs needed to be seventeen. As most albums tend to be around 10-12 tracks, finding nos. 13-16 was a little more challenging, but I got there! Here is the playlist I ended up with:

1. Everything In Its Right Place RADIOHEAD (Kid A - 2000)

2. Somewhere Down the Barrell THE DISSOCIATIVES (The Dissociatives - 2004)

3. I Was Alive THE WHITLAMS (Little Cloud - 2006)

4. Van Occupanther MIDLAKE (The Trials of Van Occupanther - 2006)

5. In the Morning of Magicians THE FLAMING LIPS (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - 2002)

6. Fed and Watered JOSH PYKE (Memories & Dust - 2007)

7. It's All In Your Mind BECK (Sea Change - 2002)

8. Anchorage THE CHURCH (Untitled #23 - 2009)

9. Something About Us DAFT PUNK (Discovery - 2001)

10. Time BEN FOLDS (Songs for Silverman - 2005)

11. Cry a While BOB DYLAN (Love And Theft - 2001)

12. Come September NATALIE IMBRUGLIA (White Lillies Island - 2001)

13. End o' the Line YOU AM I (Dress Me Slowly - 2001)

14. Sgt. Major JET (Get Born - 2003)

15. You Can Broke a Beautiful Thing PAUL KELLY (Ways & Means - 2004)

16. Tell Me Baby RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (Stadium Arcadium - 2006)

17. O Children NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus - 2004)

Interestingly, nothing from 2008, and quite a bit of Australian stuff. Only one female artist, which I'll keep in mind for next time. I think this concept might lend itself to more compilations and playlists. I also believe this will work better as CD than a playlist. The 76min running time will mean it will fit perfectly! If you're keen to have a listen, check it out by clicking here. 

Auschwitz

I’ve been incredibly moved by the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. I can’t believe these events actually happened. We’ve seen films about it, watched documentaries about it, but there’s a weird sense of unreality about it. Seeing a Channel 7 reporter from Perth talking about the horrific events from the actual barbed wire fence in Auschwitz was quite grounding. I thought I could see tears in Ben Downey’s eyes as well. I imagine actually being in that place would be very unsettling. There would be something in the air. In the ground. In the wire.

Train car - symbol of the event (auschwitz.org)

My family and I visited Port Arthur in 2014, and when we were at the site of the old cafe, we felt a shift in mood. There was a palpable feeling of dread that we all felt. It was like the tragic events had sunk into the very soil that surrounded them, and I would imagine, Auschwitz would have that same kind of feel, but significantly magnified.

A 97-year-old Australian woman shared her experiences as survivor of the camp when she was fourteen. Yvonne Engelman's story is well worth reading, but I grapple with the fact that these events actually took place. What those people went through, and how undignified their deaths were. How badly they were treated. How they were seen as less than human. How their lives were worth less than others. It is truly horrifying, and the older I get, the more my emotions about those occurrences intensify. 

I recently watched two films which painted pictures of frightening indifference. Both 2008's The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and 2023's The Zone of Interest depicted a German family living in a house next to Auschwitz, with the family patriarch being charged with the running of the camp. 

What gives this anniversary such weight, is that it is possibly the last time the liberation of Auschwitz will be marked with survivors. On January 27th this year, 56 people who had managed to leave the camp returned, and met in front of the death gate. Eighty years on, those who survived that terrifying place are slowly passing. It was encouraging to see so many world leaders attend the memorial event. One wonders if those tragic events are slipping from the public consciousness. 

It's very disturbing seeing the rise of antisemitic graffiti and vandalism in Australia at the moment. Even Perth had some horrible instances in recent. No doubt the strife and war occurring in the Gaza strip is also fueling some of the hatred seeping into the community. There is a police theory that these hate crimes are being funded by overseas syndicates with Neo-Nazi interests. As the ceasefires in Gaza tentatively leads to the release of prisoners on both sides, hopefully peace will come to the area. 

I've never understood the persecution of Jewish people. The hatred they inspire in bigots. The fear of 'letting them take over the world'. People going on rants that they're the biggest evil that exists. I don't understand. I don't get the vitriol directed to this community and I hope we all move forward as more harmonious world. The intolerance for other cultures and beliefs stupefies me. Australia, for one, wouldn't be the country it is without the diverse range of people and ethnicities populating it. 

Be kind to one another. That's it. 

Don't herd up people into camps and kill them. Don't invade other countries. Don't shoot people. Don't cause harm to another soul. 

A Day in Middle-earth

It was about halfway through December last year when I was struck by a most excellent way to spend Boxing Day. I offered up the idea of watching all three Lord of the Rings movies to Rhones, and she was quite enthusiastic about taking the plunge. Not only would we watch all three, we would watch the extended editions. It was written.

I might caution any readers who have not yet watched the films (really?) with SPOILER ALERT!! Some plot points and stuff may come up. I'm not sure which yet, because I've just started writing it. Let's press on!

After the stress and build-up of Christmas, it was something for us both to really look forward to. When the day arrived, we got up at a fairly decent hour and readied ourselves on the couch. The Fellowship of the Ring began at around 9:40am. 

Once the screen went black and Cate Blanchett's voice ushered in the start of the film, we were transfixed. It had been so long since we watched these movies that it felt like a kind of homecoming. When you're introduced to The Shire and the hobbits, and Howard Shore's wonderful score, it's like a breath of fresh air. Similar to taking in a waterside view of a Studio Ghibli movie. There's a nice comfort to be had.

There's quite a few scenes that provide an explanation or exposition for an event or moment in all three films that were cut for the theatrical releases. It's hard to watch those now, as so much is lost. This does make for quite a gruelling viewing experience though. Check out the running times:

1. Fellowship of the Ring - 228 min (3 hr 48 min) - 50 min extra

2. The Two Towers - 235 min (3 hr 55 min) - 56 min extra

3. The Return of the King - 263 min (4 hr 23 min) - 62 min extra

So, yeah, we have three more hours to digest by watching the extended cuts. We have watched them all on separate days, but this was our first all-in-one-day attempt. I have a big soft spot for Fellowship.. as it's the one that I've watched the most often. We quote a lot from it too: "Great! We are we going?", "Nobody tosses a dwarf!", "What about second breakfast?", and of course, "You shall not pass!".

Being the first immersion into the world of Tolkien, it's so captivating. I'm quite surprised it didn't get more award nominations when it was released. I think Return.. got all the nods as a way of rewarding the whole trilogy. From the lovely green fields of Hobbiton to the fiery despair of Mordor to the breathtaking beauty of Rivendell, the first installment is a feast for the eyes, ears and soul. 

The first part ends at an excellent moment as well. Oh yes, we went old school and watched the DVDs. No streaming for us! Actually, I'm unsure if you can stream the extended editions. It would have been better to have the Blu-rays, but you do what you can. The DVDs were still very watchable. Anyway, just as the fellowship is proclaimed and Elrond announces it to be so, Pippin utters his immortal "Great! We are we going?". Perfect. Fade to black. The movie continues on disc two.

That was the perfect time to get a spot of lunch together and the feed the teenagers who were hiding in their bedrooms. You've spent two hours watching Fellowship.. and you're just over halfway, but it doesn't feel like it has been that long. The movie rockets along nicely, and once the fellowship leave Rivendell, things get really interesting.

I'm quite disappointed that I've forgotten what we had for lunch on Boxing Day, but with the meal prepared, we put in the second disc and kept watching. After it reached its conclusion, we started The Two Towers and popped a bottle of bubbly. Because, why not? It was a day of relaxing, enjoying each other's company and spending time in Middle-earth.

The Battle for Helm's Deep remains one of the best cinematic experiences of this century. The other battles in The Return of the King are a bit harder to follow, and they occur so close to each other. Helm's Deep is a fitting conclusion to the second movie, paired with Saruman's downfall at Isengard, you're left with hope that the good guys are making headway! Unlike, say, The Empire Strikes Back, which left viewers a little unsure of the future of the rebellion. The decision to merge Sam and Frodo's journey with the fates of the remaining Fellowship characters is brilliant. If you haven't read The Two Towers, the first half (Book III) deals solely with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in pursuit of the Uruk-hai (ultra evil Orcs) who have kidnapped Pippen and Merry, and the resulting plots of each character, including the resurrection of Gandalf. Book IV is just about The Ring's journey and how Sam and Frodo connect with Gollum. It is much more cinematic, I feel, than keeping the books separate. 

After The Two Towers credits began rolling, we felt it was time to get the kids some dinner and take a break from our viewing. I can't remember what that meal was now either, but we all watched Bob's Burgers (I think) while we ate. 

Rhones and I both showered and got into our pyjamas, and the kids returned to their rooms, he he he. I reckon the final movie of the trilogy commenced around 8pm. Now, it's a long movie at the best of times, but as I mentioned earlier, the extended edition of The Return of the King nearly hits four and a half hours! That running time could also be spent watching three 90min movies! 

Having said that, it doesn't feel like four and a half hours. Once the first disc stopped, with an awful cut revealing Sauron's army's flaming wolf battering-ram thing, I was shocked to see that we were almost up to the three hour mark! There are multiple plot lines going at once, and you get quite invested in it all. Well, I do anyway. 

We loaded in the sixth and ultimate disc and settled in for the last moments of The Lord of the Rings. It had been quite the marathon, but we had enjoyed it immensely. It was an amazing experience to watch them all in one sitting. Maybe a new tradition has been created? He he he..

I feel that this trilogy has some of the most amazing casting we've seen in modern cinema. Even down to some of the extras, or actors with minor parts, everyone is pitch perfect. It's wonderful seeing them inhabit their characters, and to wait in anticipation of our favourite scenes and moments. The trilogy is an amazing achievement in cinematic history, the likes of which we had not seen before, and probably won't see again.

★ (Blackstar)

My final Bowie blog, is fittingly, the last studio album he released in his lifetime, which came out nine years ago today on his 69th birthday. He would have turned 78, if he were still with us. Nearly a decade on, and I can still vividly remember this album coming out. Several media outlets promoted the release by posting a picture of him, dressed in a snazzy suit and hat. It would become the last known photo of Bowie before his passing.

The pic wasn't snapped on his actual birthday, but it was released the same day to publicise his new record, simply named ★, or Blackstar. I remember rushing down to JB Hi-Fi to nab a copy on CD. I'd seen the pic on the socials, and was buoyed by how good he looked. 

It was an exciting period for Bowie fans after he dropped a new single on his birthday in 2013. It had been his first new music in about a decade, and the song Where Are We Now? was promoted as being from an upcoming album release. True to his word, his first studio album since September 2003, The Next Day, landed in March that year. With artwork that doctored the original "Heroes" record, and Tony Visconti back in the producer's chair, a new era of Bowie was being ushered in; and I was there for it!

Another new single came out at the end of 2014, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), which tied in with the release of the excellent retrospective collection Nothing Has Changed. The end of 2015 saw another fresh single, Blackstar and yes, another new album was coming in January 2016. It was quite the ride from an artist who had barely surfaced since suffering a blocked heart artery in 2004, following a collapse on stage. So much new music in a short space of time!

I avoided the Blackstar song, and video clip, because I wanted to take it all in when the album was released. So, going back to that day, I can remember ripping the plastic off the CD and playing it in the car straight away. I got a few full listens in over the following day or two. I was excited for the change in direction, with all the avant garde jazz arrangements, and seemingly cryptic lyrics. What would Bowie do next? Such a buzz!

Then the news of his death broke, only two days after his birthday on January 10th. I remember being so confused, and so saddened. We all found out that he'd been fighting cancer, and suddenly, so many lyrics on Blackstar made total sense. The video clip to Lazarus took on a new resonance as well, because as his character was trying to write lyrics and songs, it mirrored his own struggle. He wanted to get another album out before his imminent death. 

It's been a few years since I listened to this record in full, and I was interested in how I would find it, nearly ten years on from his passing. It will always be hard to disassociate this album from losing Bowie. I decided to listen to all seven tracks in full, on both CD and vinyl, in one setting. 

The eerie title track kicks things off, with a run time of nearly ten minutes, hearkening back to his excellent Station to Station album, which opened the same way. It's actually two songs joined together, but they flow in and out of each other quite effortlessly. Once the Gregorian chorus gives way to Bowie's wonderful clear vocal singing "Something happened on the day he died," you are transported into a different mood. The unsettling first few minutes have a bizarre drum pattern and its minor key adds to the tension. The second piece is classic Bowie, with the distorted, repeated line "I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar" punctuating his melodic couplets. The song works it way into the chants and lyrics that opened it, with a clever segue that goes back and forth a couple of times, playing with the track's timing and syncopation. 

It's a big highlight of the album, and arguably, its best one. The accompanying clip features many disturbing images and callbacks to older Bowie songs, Space Oddity in particular. The sight of Bowie gyrating with his eyes bandaged, save for two small holes is almost as iconic as that of his clown in the Ashes to Ashes video or his patch-wearing rock pirate in Rebel Rebel. Seeing him dressed like a priest or some religious official, clutching a book (or bible) with the Blackstar on its cover is also quite stirring. I'm sure the more you watch the video, the more you will find in it. I haven't watched it for years.

The second track is the B-side of the aforementioned Sue single, 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore. Whereas the initial releases of both songs favoured jazzier arrangements, the re-recorded versions on this record are almost industrial in feel, with thumping bass and booming drums. The single version of Sue is longer and feels more narrative than the one of this album, and I prefer both of those versions to the two tracks here. I'm not sure of why Bowie felt the need to re-record them. Maybe it was to give the album a more cohesive feel. Of the two tracks, I much prefer Sue, in either incarnation. As the narrator struggles with providing for the titular Sue, things descend into a dark tale of murder and madness. Quite unlike anything else in Bowie's canon, particularly in its original form.

Blackstar's second single and third track is Lazarus, a downbeat, but somehow hopeful elegiac song that gave us more hints than we realised. The opening lines are arguably the most poignant:

"Look up here, I'm in heaven/

I've got scars that can't be seen/

I've got drama, can't be stolen/

Everybody knows me now"

Far out. Right in the feels. It's quite a haunting brass line that repeats throughout the track. It's almost like a lullaby, but with a hint of menace or fear. Who knows how Bowie was really coming to terms with his mortality, but to use his death for his art is truly an amazing feat. Of all the moments on this album that say goodbye to his fans, this is probably the most poignant. However, there is a puzzling lyric about "looking for your ass" though. Not sure what that's about. As Bowie sings he'll be free like a bluebird, you can only assume he's singing about leaving this life. The title refers to the biblical character who rose from the dead four days after he passed away, when his tomb was visited by Jesus. This miracle was one of the reasons that led to Jesus' eventual crucifixion. Not sure how Bowie's narrative fits in with those events, but the interpretations are endless.  

The fifth track on the record is another favourite of mine, Girl Loves Me. Using some of the Nadsat vernacular popularised in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange novel, and the 1971 movie, this track's lyrics are almost nonsensical. It doesn't stop the song being relatable, particularly the repeated line "Where the fuck did Monday go?". Again, there's a menace or some sort of malevolence permeating the mood of the track, and the Nasdat terms just add to that: 

"Devotchka watch her garbles/
Spatchko at the rozz-shop/
Split a ded from his deng deng/

Viddy viddy at the cheena"

Yeah, not sure what's being sung about here, but I like it. He he he... the next song Dollar Days, is one of the weaker tracks here, for mine. It's a softer feel in tone and emotion, and expresses Bowie's struggle with what time he has left. Bizarrely, even though it isn't as melancholic or dark as other tracks on this album, it feels more depressing than any of them. 

I think the record's final track, I Can't Give Everything Away, is a goodbye, but also a tale of celebrity expectations. As social media continued to make it easier to interact with famous people, the demands for those interactions increased. It wasn't enough to snap a selfie or wave hello anymore. People wanted to know the celebrity and have a conversation, possibly even become friends in extreme cases. Bowie addresses this nicely within a verse:

"Seeing more and feeling less/

Saying no but meaning yes/

That is all I ever meant/

That's the message that I sent"

There's only so much you can give to the public. You have to keep something for yourself. I love hearing Bowie's son Duncan Jones talk about how much of a dag he was at home, and away from the stage. He would goof around like any other dad and regularly had his head in a book. That was his private side; it was only for a select few.

If that harmonica line sounds familiar, it's because it was lifted from Low's closing track of its first side, A New Life in a New Town. That could be taken as another hint to what Bowie was facing as he recorded this album. It's a tough listen at times, but it's such a different offering from the man. I think it's unlike anything he's released, from an album point of view. It has moments of echoing older records, but it's something quite extraordinary. I give it 4/5, me. It's up there with the best.

UP NEXT: TBA

Hunky Dory

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the release of Bowie's fourth (and first really Bowiesque) album Hunky Dory! It's such a great record, and one of the few Bowie long players I have on vinyl, albeit a reissue. There's a special place in my heart for this one, as the Wesleys along with keyboard whiz Kim Siragusa performed this album in its entirety for the Newport Record Club in April 2016. I would place Hunky Dory in my Top 5 Bowie Albums, possibly at the coveted position of number five.

Kicking off with the 1-2 punch of Changes and Oh! You Pretty Things, this record sees Bowie successfully finding his voice, and coming up with some pretty profound lyrics, considering his 24 years on the planet. Both of these songs are fairly well known, with the latter becoming more renowned in recent years. It is a quintessential Bowie track from 1970s, and a little bit of Ziggy creeps into this one, I reckon. Some of the lines from Quicksand are deeply introspective as he searches for identity and ponders his place in the world. Check this out:

"Don't believe in yourself,

Don't deceive with belief,

Knowledge comes with death's release..."

Fairly heavy stuff, huh? This is also the album that gifts us the wondrous Life on Mars? which isn't short of its own profundities either. 

Assembling the band that would go to be his Spiders From Mars, Bowie enlisted Mick Ronson on guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass and drummer Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey to start recording a new album in mid 1971. Interestingly, Tony Visconti is not involved in this record, having not only played bass on Bowie's previous album The Man Who Sold the World, but he also produced it. For Hunky Dory, Bowie himself co-produces alongside Ken Scott. Visconti and Bowie would work together again on numerous occasions in the future. 

As well as bass, Bolder also contributes a lovely bit of trumpet to the exquisite Kooks, an ode to Bowie's newborn son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones. Yes, THAT Duncan Jones, the filmmaker. There's quite a bit of piano on this record, which is played by Bowie himself on Oh! You Pretty Things and Eight Line Poem. However, elsewhere the keys are courtesy of the legendary Rick Wakeman before he joined up with prog rockers Yes. Apparently he was offered a regular spot in Bowie's touring band, but declined in favour of Yes. One wonders how those legendary Ziggy concerts would have gone if he was involved.

After an amazingly strong first side, which includes all six songs I have mentioned, the record flip kicks off with a whimsical cover of Fill Your Heart. The song was penned by a performer called Biff Rose and Paul Williams, a songwriter who would go on to have his hand in many classic songs including Rainy Days and Mondays (the Carpenters), Evergreen (Barbra Streisand) and The Rainbow Connection (Kermit the Frog). The album just stops dead here. It has some nifty piano work, but it's not much of a song. The most exciting thing happens at the track's end when the saxophone jumps in and out of the speaker as the spooky sound effects announce the arrival of Andy Warhol, which features an off-the-cuff introduction from Bowie clarifying the name of the sound, to presumably, the sound crew. Like the song before it, Andy Warhol features no drums, only percussion with two acoustic guitar parts. This wouldn't have sounded out of place on the Space Oddity album, I reckon. I quite like it, as it has some kind of weird Bowie quality, but it's a novelty track really.

Thankfully, the record gets really good again, with two more highlights hitting one after the other, with the excellent Song for Bob Dylan and the rollicking Queen Bitch. The opening lines of Song for Bob Dylan are probably my favourite lyrics on the album:

"Oh, hear this, Robert Zimmerman/

I wrote a song for you/

About a strange young man named Dylan/

With a voice like sand and glue..."

Dylan wasn't even a decade into the biz, but this track seemingly ponders his impact and how his audience will be affected in the future. Have they been deserted, or are they content with what has been left to them? I imagine most people at the time would not have expected the man to still be active fifty years later, let alone still producing excellent work. His last studio album (number 39, if you're counting), 2020's Rough and Rowdy Ways is one of his best efforts, for mine.

An early prototype for what would become glam rock, the aforementioned Queen Bitch is a clear homage to The Velvet Underground in both production and content. As the narrator searches through clubs for romantic encounters of an ambiguous nature, it feels like something Lou Reed could sing about and the crunch of Ronson's guitar landing on the introductory acoustic sets the track on fire. Like Fill Your Heart, this track is not indicative of the rest of the album, but in a good way. It's a big highlight for me, and is a big jump towards the creation of Ziggy Stardust and the sound of the next two Bowie albums. 

The final track is another interesting one, The Bewlay Brothers. Loosely based on Bowie himself and his half-brother Terry, the lyrics are quite nonsensical. Although it feels like a ballad or story, you're not really given much of a plotline. These are merely random images and expressions of feeling, with some of the densest lyrics Bowie ever penned. I like it, but I'm not sure what he means when sings "He's chameleon, comedian, Corinthian and caricature". The final moments of the song change tack when numerous overdubbed voices of Bowie combine to deliver the perplexing denouement:

"Lay me place and bake me pie/

I'm starving for me gravy/

Leave my shoes, and door unlocked/

I might just slip away, hey/

Just for the day, hey!.."

Yeah, no idea there. I think Bowie just liked the sound of the words. It feels a bit like the random imagery of The Beatles' I Am the Walrus. As the voices of Bowie fade out we are left with the memories of an album unlike any other in his canon. So many different feels, and moods, but somehow, undeniably Bowie. It's a good one. Heck, it's a great one, but a couple of missteps prevent this from being absolutely classic. I give it 4.5/5 anyway!

NEXT UP: ☆ - 8th Jan, 2025 (last one!)

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Well, this was an interesting list to revisit. Rolling Stone magazine first published their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time issue in 2003, and again in 2009. I bought an Australian copy of the magazine that published the list as it stood in 2012. That list has been updated a few more times since, most recently in December 2023. I took that update and my magazine and compared the pair. A lot can change in eleven years, and there were a fair few surprises!

The first change is the No.1 spot. In 2012 it was The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not my favourite Beatles album, but I can see why it’s as revered as it is. In 2023, the top spot went to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Again, a pretty good album, I like it a lot; heck, I own a copy. But best album of all time? Nahhh. Maybe it’s just resonating with a lot of people at the moment because of all the turmoil in the world. Now, these poll things change over time, sure, so maybe Sgt. Pepper’s… is still in the Top 10, or at worst, Top 20, you think? Nope. It now resides at No.24! That’s a bit rich, don’t you think? To add insult to injury, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album was in the No.2 spot in 2012, and it remains there in 2023! I have never really got why that album is as loved as it is. Again, I own a copy of it, but there’s like, four, maybe five really good songs, and the rest is a bit naff. I guess at the time it was groundbreaking, but I just don’t see why. 

The third spot in 2012 was held by The Beatles’ Revolver album, which I’d argue has a strong case to hold the top spot. Even with the inclusion of Yellow Submarine. In 2023 the record sits at No.11, which feels like a worse crime to me that Sgt. Pepper’s… being at No.24. Worse still, the No.3 position is now occupied by Joni Mitchell’s Blue, an album I do not enjoy. I think I liked The River, and that was about it. I don’t like her voice that much, which makes it hard, but I know that there are people who love her. I’m just not one of them. Kudos for the career and thanks for Both Sides Now, but you won’t see me putting on an album of hers. Blue sat at No.30 in 2012, so again, the influence must be growing in this generation. That same leap forward that album enjoyed is the same fall Sgt. Pepper’s… suffered. Interestingly, only Blue and Court and Spark made the list in 2012, but 2023’s poll also included The Hissing of Summer Lawns (No.258) and Hejira (No.133).

Sitting at No.4 is Stevie Wonder’s bloated Songs in the Key of Life, which is up from No.57 in 2012. That’s a pretty big jump. Not sure where all the love has come from for that album, which has some absolute classic tracks, for sure (again, I own it on vinyl, including the little 7” disc), but it’s too long and self-indulgent in places. It doesn’t belong in the Top 20, let alone Top 5. 

The Beatles finally get a nod at the fifth position with Abbey Road, again above Sgt. Pepper’s… and Revolver. Nope. It’s a great album absolutely, but it doesn’t outdo Revolver in my humble opinion. Abbey Road sat at No.14 in 2012, so I don’t know, maybe a lot of people bought the T-shirt in that time? Nirvana’s Nevermind comes into No.6, up from No.17; whatever. More T-shirts. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours jumps into the seventh spot, previously in the 26th spot. I can appreciate that album growing in popularity, particularly with the sad passing of Christine McVie in 2022. 

Excitingly, the eighth position goes Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution which was catapulted up from the 76th spot it held in 2013. What a leap! It’s a pretty amazing record and possibly has been reappraised since his tragic death in 2016, but the album remains as fresh and vibrant as it did over forty years ago. Possibly a little higher than I’d put it, but all good.

Now, sitting at No.9 in the new poll is Bob Dylan's excellent Blood on the Tracks album, up from the 14th spot. As much as I dig this record, there are at least five other Dylan releases I would rank above it; and two of those albums were in the Top 10 in 2012: Blonde on Blonde (No.9) and Highway 61 Revisited (No.5). Not only are they better albums, they deserve higher rankings than the 18th position Highway 61 got, and the 38th (!!) spot for BoB. That's some mighty big drops, and totally undeserved as well. Both should be Top 10, and I'm quite floored by those falls. 

Rounding out the 2023 Top 10 is another big surprise. All the way from No.314 in 2012, it's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill!! I guess I should have expected that album to poll well considering it topped the 100 Best Albums list according to Apple Music in May this year. It just flaws me. I guess I should listen to it, but it's not really my bag, I don't think. It must have struck a significant note or two with the odd person out there. 

Anyway, here's the two Top 10s next to each other:

2012

10. The Beatles THE BEATLES (1968) 

9. Blonde on Blonde BOB DYLAN (1969)

8. London Calling THE CLASH (1979)

7. Exile on Main St. THE ROLLING STONES (1972)

6. What's Going On MARVIN GAYE (1971)

5. Rubber Soul THE BEATLES (1965)

4. Highway 61 Revisited BOB DYLAN (1965)

3. Revolver THE BEATLES (1966)

2. Pet Sounds THE BEACH BOYS (1966)

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band THE BEATLES (1967)

2023

10. The Miseducation of LAURYN HILL (1998)
9. Blood on the Tracks BOB DYLAN (1975)
8. Purple Rain PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (1984)
7. Rumours FLEETWOOD MAC (1977)
6. Nevermind NIRVANA (1991)
5. Abbey Road THE BEATLES (1969)
4. Songs in the Key of Life STEVIE WONDER (1976)
3. Blue JONI MITCHELL (1971)
2. Pet Sounds THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
1. What's Going On MARVIN GAYE (1971)

Oh yeah, London Calling and Exile on Main St. are both gone from the Top 10 as well! The Clash came in at No.16 in 2023 and the Stones hit the 14th spot, their highest appearance. Awful lot of white dudes in the 2012 ten, with The Beatles and Dylan accounting for six albums. In contrast, the 2023 peak is a little more even in terms of era, race and gender, with two albums solely credited to female artists. Interestingly, in the 2023 list, Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album polled at No.69, just ahead of Kate Bush's Hounds of Love at No.68. Neither record was in the 2012 list, which I find baffling. Jagged Little Pill was an absolute monster when it came out, and if Stranger Things didn't use Running Up That Hill, would Kate Bush have gone by the wayside again? Both albums fully deserving their place. 

On the subject of female artists, I was also pleased to see Back to Black by Amy Winehouse shoot up from the 451st position to No.33 - one of the biggest jumps! I was quite late to the party with Amy Winehouse, and I only listened to that album after she had already passed. It's so good. She had such a great voice. What a waste. It was great to see Aretha Franklin's wonderful I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You album nearly hit the Top 10 in 2023, with the album moving from the 84th spot to No.13! I would have preferred to see that in the Top 10 over Blue or Nevermind or Songs in the Key of Life. Definitely over Lauryn Hill, but I can't really judge, as I've not listened to it. Something I will rectify in the future. In addition to that jump, Aretha's 1968 record Lady Soul also moved up from No.85 into the 75th spot. She also scored two new entries with Amazing Grace (No.154) and Young, Gifted and Black (No.388), giving her four albums in 2023 as opposed to only two in 2012.

Unsurprisingly, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift both made their debut appearances with three albums each. TayTay scored the 393rd, 170th and 99th spots with 1989, Folklore and Red respectively. I thought 1989 would poll higher, but there you go. Queen Bey nabbed No.81, No.71 and No.32 with her albums Beyoncé, Renaissance and Lemonade, all above Ms Swift. She recently eclipsed Taylor at the Grammy Awards, by now holding the highest number of wins as well. Another female artist to land themselves three albums in the 2023 list is Fiona Apple. Nothing for her in 2012, but the votes gave here No.444 for Extraordinary Machine, No.213 for The Idler Wheel and the 108th spot for her verbosely titled When the Pawn... album from 1999. Quite an achievement, Ms Apple! Congrats! Another female artist making her debut in 2023 was Sade, who had no albums appear in the 2012 poll. Last year's list awarded her No.200 for Diamond Life and No.247 for Love Deluxe. Go Sade! I guess love for Sade is stronger than pride. 

While Tom Petty enjoyed just one entry in 2012 with his Damn the Torpedoes album with the Heartbreakers, two of his solo albums made the 2023 cut. Full Moon Fever sat at No.298, and the wonderful Wildflowers record hit the 214th spot. Damn the Torpedoes moves up in 2023 into No.231 from No.315, so all three Petty entries sit between 200-299. The brilliance of Daft Punk is finally recognised as well, with their last album Random Access Memories hits No.295 and Discovery holds the 236th spot. 

A big surprise to me was not the fall of both Janet Jackson albums that polled in 2012, but a new entry for her in 2023. The Velvet Rope fell from No.259 down to the 318th spot, and Rhythm Nation 1814 dropped from the 277th spot to No.339. However, her third album Control (1986), entered the 2023 list at No.111! Pretty high debut for a record that didn't even appear in 2012! What has she done for us lately? Nasty girl...

There was quite a shift towards R&B and hip hop/rap in general as well, with rises going to Jay-Z, OutKast and the Wu-Tang Clan. The latter actually had one of the biggest leaps forward with Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers jumping from No.387 to the 27th spot! In 2012, OutKast had Aquemini at No.500 and Stankonia at No.360 - fast forward to 2023, Speakerboxx/The Love Below lands at the 290th spot, Stankonia hits No.64 and Aquemini is in the 49th spot! 

Jay-Z enjoyed three albums in both polls, with all three climbing the list in 2023. The Black Album jumped from No.349 to No.155, Reasonable Doubt from No.252 to No.67 and The Blueprint moved from the 250th position to the 50th. Huge movements! Kendrick Lamar stormed the 2023 list with three new entries, his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly landing the highest position for a debut at No.19! He also hit the 115th spot with his earlier album good kid, m.A.A.d. city and No.175 with 2017's DAMN. 

What about Kanye, I hear you think? Well, he had the distinction of having one of only two albums from the 2010s poll in 2012, with 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The other album was the 2011 box set of The Beach Boys' Smile sessions which sat at No.381 - it would be replaced by Brian Wilson's 2004 Smile in 2023, holding the 399th spot.

Getting back to Kanye, he goes from having three albums in 2012 to six entries in the 2023 update. Not only does he have one of the highest number of appearing albums, his first one doesn't poll until No.269, which is 2013's Yeezus. His next two entries make their debut on the poll, 2008's 808s and Heartbreak which lands at No.244 and 2007's Graduation appears in the 204th position. The remaining three Kanye albums all move up the list, with 2005's Late Registration barely changing, from the No.118 to the 117th spot. 2004's The College Dropout leaps from No.298 to the 74th position, and the aforementioned My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy screams into the Top 20, moving into No.17 from the 353rd spot it had in 2012. Pretty impressive. Not a big Kanye fan, me, but he must do it for a lot of people.

In the 2012 poll, three artists polled higher than anyone else, with ten albums each: Bob Dylan, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Let's look at how each act fared in 2023. We've already seen some of the carnage in the Top 10. Here's how Dylan polled in 2012, which actually gave him eleven albums including The Basement Tapes:

410. Time Out of Mind (1997)

385. Love and Theft (2001)

303. John Wesley Harding (1967)

292. The Basement Tapes (1975) w/The Band

204. Modern Times (2006)

174. Desire (1976)

97. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

31. Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

14. Blood on the Tracks (1975)

9. Blonde on Blonde (1966)

4. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

That's pretty good, right? His classic trilogies are both there, fully represented, which are The Electric Trilogy from 1965-66 and his revival period of 1997-2006. We know how that worked out for the Top 10, but what happened to the rest of his albums? And did Rough and Rowdy Ways make an appearance? Read on, for 2023:

401. Love and Theft (2001)

337. John Wesley Harding (1967)

335. The Basement Tapes (1975) w/The Band

255. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

181. Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

38. Blonde on Blonde (1966)

18. Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

9. Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Wow. Dylan lost three albums! Desire is gone, and so too are Modern Times and Time Out of Mind, the latter is possibly my favourite Dylan album! Not that fussed about Desire's absence, but that's a massive drop. Going from No.174 to not even rating. Of the three album's in Dylan's 1997-2006 trilogy Love and Theft is my least favourite, and it still held on! The only Dylan album to move up the poll was Blood on the Tracks. That's pretty mindblowing. If you discount The Basement Tapes, Kanye and Dylan polled the same number of albums. That don't sit right.

Let's look at The Beatles next. They had ten albums in the 2012 list, which were:

392. Let It Be (1970)

331. Help! (1965)

307. A Hard Day's Night (1964)

53. Meet the Beatles! (1964) *US release

39. Please Please Me (1963)

14. Abbey Road (1969)

10. The Beatles (1968)

5. Rubber Soul (1965)

3. Revolver (1966)

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Okay, let's contrast that with the 2023 update:

342. Let It Be (1970)

266. Help! (1965)

263. A Hard Day's Night (1964)

197. Meet the Beatles! (1964) *US release

35. Rubber Soul (1965)

29. The Beatles (1968)

24. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

11. Revolver (1966)

5. Abbey Road (1969)

Some very interesting changes here! The first appearance occur in the same order, but all have moved up the poll. The Meet the Beatles! album is the first time people living in the US at the time were able to buy a full length long player from the mop-tops. Released at the height of Beatlemania, it is a truncated version of their second UK album With the Beatles with the addition of I Saw Her Standing There, I Want to Hold Your Hand and This Boy. Bizarrely, it dropped from No.53 all the way down to the 197th spot in 2023. I guess less people remember the album now. Faring worse was their UK debut album Please Please Me, which held the 39th spot in 2012, and no longer appears at all! I always thought it polled higher than necessary, but that's one way to fix it, I guess. So, The Beatles hold nine spots in the 2023, only losing that one album. The last five albums on both lists are the same, just ordered differently. All five were in the Top 20 in 2012, in 2023 only two remained. Those five are usually THE Beatles albums that most fans revere, but I'm shocked at Sgt. Pepper's fall from the top.

Now, it's time for The Rolling Stones. Here's their 2012 haul of ten positions:

357. Between the Buttons (1967)

270. Some Girls (1978)

213. Tattoo You (1981)

180. The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965) *US release

116. Out of Our Heads (1965)

109. Aftermath (1966)

64. Sticky Fingers (1971)

58. Beggars Banquet (1968)

32. Let It Bleed (1969)

7. Exile on Main St. (1972)

Alright, now let's see how they did in 2023:

468. Some Girls (1978)

185. Beggars Banquet (1968)

104. Sticky Fingers (1971)

41. Let It Bleed (1969)

14. Exile on Main St. (1972)

Now, this is the most drastic cull of the three! Only five albums remain! Aftermath held the 109th spot, and is now gone! Also in exile (nyuk nyuk) are Out of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones, Now!, Between the Buttons and Tattoo You. Wow, what a trim! The remaining entries all fall, with Some Girls close to leaving the 500 altogether after a drop of nearly 200 positions! Let It Bleed and Exile on Main St. remain the big favourites, although they both drop a bit. Wow. Kanye beats the Stones, but The Beatles are still on top, and clear winners of the three. Another big winner in 2012 was Bruce Springsteen, who scored eight entries with these:

467. Tunnel of Love (1987)

424. The Rising (2002)

253. The River (1980)

226. Nebraska (1982)

150. Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

133. The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

86. Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

18. Born to Run (1975)

How did The Boss fare in 2023? Let's see:

345. The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

150. Nebraska (1982)

142. Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

91. Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

21. Born to Run (1975)

So, not as harsh a cull as the Stones, but The Boss loses three albums, Tunnel of Love, The Rising (one of my faves!) and The River. The last five from 2012 remain in 2023, but in a different order, although Born to Run is still the clear favourite. So, Kanye vs Bruce = Kanye wins with six albums!

Another heavy hitter in 2012 was The Who! They managed to nab seven spots,  so let's have a butcher's at their entries that year:

384. A Quick One (1966)

267. Quadrophenia (1973)

237. The Who Sings My Generation (1965)

170. Live at Leeds (1970)

115. The Who Sell Out (1967)

96. Tommy (1969)

28. Who's Next (1971)

Okay, now for the 2023 picks:

327. Live at Leeds (1970)

316. The Who Sell Out (1967)

190. Tommy (1969)

77. Who's Next (1971)

A similar trend to the last few acts, losing the bottom three of their seven previously polling albums in 2023, and each of the remaining records settling for lower positons. Now, I wonder how Bowie fared? I think he got four or five in 2012. Let's see:

324. Station to Station (1976)

279. Aladdin Sane (1973)

251. Low (1977)

108. Hunky Dory (1971)

35. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)

In 2023, Bowie landed these albums:

443. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980)

206. Low (1977)

88. Hunky Dory (1971)

52. Station to Station (1976)

40. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)

Now, that's interesting! Except for the Ziggy album, everything jumps up a few places, with Station to Station leaping 272 places! Possibly my favourite Bowie record that one, with Low a very close second. I love the fact that Aladdin Sane is no longer in the list (overrated, much?!?) and Scary Monsters has a place in its stead. A much better album! Yeah, very happy with the 'Changesbowie'. How about Neil Young? That's a good question! To the polls! First, 2012:

351. Rust Never Sleeps (1979) w/Crazy Horse

330. Tonight's the Night (1975)

210. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969) w/Crazy Horse

82. Harvest (1972)

74. After the Gold Rush (1970)

The 2023 count:

407. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969) w/Crazy Horse

311. On the Beach (1974)

302. Tonight's the Night (1975)

296. Rust Never Sleeps (1979) w/Crazy Horse

90. After the Gold Rush (1970)

72. Harvest (1972)

Well, how about that? Neil keeps all five albums from the 2012 poll and gets to add On the Beach to that collection as well! I don't understand why EKTIN dropped so far down (nearly 200 positions!) and why Harvest polled higher than After the Gold Rush, but that's the way these things go. Nice that Rust Never Sleeps and Tonight's the Night both moved up a bit though. Additionally, Neil's earlier band Buffalo Springfield falls out of the 500 entirely in 2023, but previously Buffalo Springfield Again held No.188 in 2012. Pink Floyd are a fairly important band, yeah? They must have done alright in both years? Let's see about that. In 2012 they landed on these spots:

347. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

211. Wish You Were Here (1975)

87. The Wall (1979)

43. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The newer poll in 2023 gave them these positions:

264. Wish You Were Here (1975)

253. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

129. The Wall (1979)

55. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The same four albums poll in both years, and they all should've polled higher on both occasions in my opinion, except for TPatGoD. I can't believe Dark Side.. didn't reach the Top 20 in either year or that Wish You Were Here failed to make the Top 100! Oh well, at least they're both there. A similar outcome was dealt out to Prince, who scored these four positions in 2012:

206. Dirty Mind (1980)

163. 1999 (1982)

93. Sign 'o' the Times (1987)

76. Purple Rain (1984)

However, his 2023 looked like this:

326. Dirty Mind (1980)

130. 1999 (1982)

45. Sign 'o' the Times (1987)

8. Purple Rain (1984)

The same four albums polled both years with Dirty Mind falling 120 places in 2023. The other three albums all moved into higher spots, with Purple Rain cracking the Top 10, as you've already seen. Another iconic band with a few entries in 2012 was Led Zeppelin. Here's their haul that year:

148. Houses of the Holy (1973)

79. Led Zeppelin II (1969)

73. Physical Graffiti (1975)

69. Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

29. Led Zeppelin (1969)

...and in 2023? This happened:

248. House of the Holy (1973)

144. Physical Graffiti (1975)

123. Led Zeppelin II (1969)

101. Led Zeppelin (1969)

58. Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

So, Led Zep hang onto the same five albums (poor Led Zeppelin III - no love for that one either year), just jumbled up a bit. They all dropped down, but they all remain, which is nice. Onto The Velvet Underground, whose influence on the course of popular music, apparently, cannot be overstated. I think they're somewhat overrated, although I do own the Banana Album. In 2012, they had these four entries:

316. The Velvet Underground (1969)

293. White Light/White Heat (1968)

110. Loaded (1970)

13. The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)

They polled the same four albums in 2023:

272. White Light/White Heat (1968)

242. Loaded (1970)

143. The Velvet Underground (1969)

23. The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)

The Banana Album still polls highest, and remains in the Top 50, but the self-titled gets a big 173 places jump up, while Loaded falls down 132 spots. WL/WH remains in a similar position. I don't know, it seems bizarre to me that this band gets four albums in both years, but nothing for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Now, how about those albums that went by the wayside in 2023? Obviously, with some many new additions, some records had to go. Let's have a look...

The highest charting album from the 2012 poll to disappear is the Elvis Presley album Sunrise, which held the 11th spot! Released in 1999, the album was a 2CD set of his output during the famous Sun Studio sessions in the fifties. It has possibly been replaced by the 1976 compilation The Sun Sessions which held the 78th position in 2023. 

Second highest album on the chopping block is The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson, which sat at No.22 in 2012. His 1961 collection King of the Delta Blues Singers appears in the 374th position in 2023 though, so maybe it was a similar fate of the Elvis one; just a replacement and realignment. I've already mentioned the disappearance of The Beatles' Please Please Me, so that leads us to the Bob Marley and the Wailers 1984 compilation Legend. It always annoys me when greatest hits albums make these lists. They're not albums, they're collections; they haven't gone through the same kind of creative process! Happily, the aforementioned Legend is banished from the 46th spot, not reappearing in 2023. Interestingly, their album Natty Dread is also gone from the 2012 list, which took out the 181st position, as is Burnin' which was at No.319. The two remaining Marley & Co. albums are the excellent Catch a Fire (falling from No.126 in 2012 to No.140 in 2023) and Exodus, which leapt up from No.169 to the 49th spot! 

Another hugely influential album totally missing from the 2023 list is Captain Beefheart's 1969 monsterpiece Trout Mask Replica, which was produced by Frank Zappa. It held the lofty position of No.60 in 2012, but it would seem that its star has indeed extinguished. Also gone entirely is Zappa himself, who held two positions in 2012 with The Mothers of Invention: Freak Out! at No.246 and We're Only In It For the Money in the 297th spot. All three no longer rank in 2023!

Seminal UK eighties darlings The Smith lose three albums in 2023! In 2012, they had The Smiths at No.473, Louder Than Bombs at No.369, Meat is Murder at No.296 and The Queen is Dead at No.218. Come 2023, only The Queen is Dead remains, jumping up into the 113th spot. That's very interesting, as a similar, but more undeserved, fate befell Elvis Costello, who also had three albums fall out of the 2023 list. 2012 saw positions for Armed Forces (475th), My Aim is True (168th), Imperial Bedroom (166th) and This Year's Model (98th). Rather than gaining ground, his only remaining album This Year's Model dropped down into No.128, and I just can't believe My Aim is True no longer polls. That's my favourite piece of E.C.!

Looking at U2 now, they also lost a few albums. The 2012 list gave them spots for Boy (No.417), All That You Can't Leave Behind (No.280), War (No.223), Achtung Baby (No.63) and The Joshua Tree (No.27). By 2023, only Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree remain, holding the 124th and 135th positions respectively. Nice to see Achtung.. polling higher than Joshua.., but yeah, three albums gone is quite the shift. 

Sixties UK supergroup Cream vanish from the 2023 poll entirely. In 2012, they held No.205 with Wheels of Fire, No.114 with Disraeli Gears and Fresh Cream made the 102nd spot. Not a mention in 2023, despite all three albums making the Top 250. This might possibly be a consequence of Clapton's outspoken views on COVID and lockdowns, because his solo records disappear in 2023 as well. He had 461 Ocean View Boulevard at No.411 and Slowhand in the 325th in 2012; poof! Gone in 2023. So too was the Blues Breakers album with John Mayall that made No.195 in 2012. However, the Derek and the Dominoes sole record Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs hangs in there, falling from No.117 down into the 226th position.

Continuing the cull of UK groups is The Police, who landed four albums in the 2012 poll. They had Synchronicity at No.448, Outlandos d'Armour at No.428, Reggatta de Blanc at No.372 and Ghost in the Machine took out the 323rd spot. In the 2023 list, they only had one entry: Synchronicity - which jumped way up into the 159th position. How's that, huh? Lowest polling album is the only one to stay and leaps up nearly 300 places! Go figure. 

Elton John held five albums in the 2012 poll, but is left with only two in the recent list. There is no room for Tumbleweed Connection (No.458), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (No.158) or 1974's Greatest Hits album (No.136) in 2023. Honky Château moves up from No.359 into the 251st spot, and the classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album falls from the 91st and out of the Top 100, landing at No.112! Poor Elton! Glad to see another compilation get culled, but GYBR should poll higher than that. Banished from the 500 entirely is singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, who held three positions in 2012. He had For Everyman at No.450, The Pretender at No.391 and Late for the Sky in the 436th spot. All gone in 2023!

So, all up, 162 albums from 2012 got the chop in the updated list for 2023; and here they are:

11. Sunrise ELVIS PRESLEY (1999)

22. The Complete Recordings ROBERT JOHNSON (1990)

39. Please Please Me THE BEATLES (1963)

46. Legend BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS (1984)

59. Chronicle Vol. I CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (1976)

60. Trout Mask Replica CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & HIS MAGIC BAND (1969)

102. Fresh Cream CREAM (1966)

109. Aftermath THE ROLLING STONES (1966)

112. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS (1966)

114. Disraeli Gears CREAM (1967)

116. Out of Our Heads THE ROLLING STONES (1965)

124. Moby Grape MOBY GRAPE (1967)

127. Younger Than Yesterday THE BYRDS (1967)

136. Greatest Hits ELTON JOHN (1974)

137. Tim THE REPLACEMENTS (1985)

139. Rejuvenation THE METERS (1974)

142. A Christmas Gift for You PHIL SPECTOR (1963)

158. Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy ELTON JOHN (1975)

161. The Dock of the Bay OTIS REDDING (1968)

164. The Very Best of LINDA RONSTADT (2002)

166. Imperial Bedroom ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS (1982)

168. My Aim is True ELVIS COSTELLO (1977)

171. The Notorious Byrd Brothers THE BYRDS (1968)

174. Desire BOB DYLAN (1976)

175. Close to You THE CARPENTERS (1970)

178. The Anthology 1961-1977 CURTIS MAYFIELD AND THE IMPRESSIONS (1992)

180. The Rolling Stones, Now! THE ROLLING STONES (1965)

181. Natty Dread BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS (1974)

182. Fleetwood Mac FLEETWOOD MAC (1975)

186. Fresh SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE (1973)

188. Buffalo Springfield Again BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD (1967)

189. Happy Trails QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE (1969)

195. Blues Breakers JOHN MAYALL with ERIC CLAPTON (1966)

198. The Best of LITTLE WALTER (1957)

200. Highway to Hell AC/DC (1979)

202. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme SIMON AND GARFUNKEL (1966)

205. Wheels of Fire CREAM (1968)

213. Tattoo You THE ROLLING STONES (1981)

217. Two Steps From the Blues BOBBY BLAND (1961)

222. New Orleans Piano PROFESSOR LONGHAIR (1972)

223. War U2 (1983)

224. The Neil Diamond Collection NEIL DIAMOND (1999)

229. Toys in the Attic AEROSMITH (1975)

234. Bookends SIMON AND GARFUNKEL (1968)

246. Freak Out! THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION (1966)

247. Live Dead GRATEFUL DEAD (1969)

260. Stardust WILLIE NELSON (1978)

265. The Genius of Ray Charles RAY CHARLES (1959)

266. Child Is Father to the Man BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS (1968)

267. Quadrophenia THE WHO (1973)

269. Psychocandy THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN (1985)

271. The Beach Boys Today! THE BEACH BOYS (1965)

274. Nightbird LABELLE (1974)

278. Anthology of American Folk Music HARRY SMITH, ED. (1952)

279. Aladdin Sane DAVID BOWIE (1973)

280. All That You Can’t Leave Behind U2 (2000)

282. Folk Singer MUDDY WATERS (1964)

283. Can’t Get Enough BARRY WHITE (1974)

288. Anthem of the Sun GRATEFUL DEAD (1968)

291. Talking Heads: 77 TALKING HEADS (1977)

295. Songs of Love and Hate LEONARD COHEN (1971)

296. Meat is Murder THE SMITHS (1985)

297. We’re Only In It For the Money THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION (1968)

305. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road LUCINDA WILLIAMS (1998)

308. Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! FRANK SINATRA (1956)

311. The Sun Records Collection VARIOUS ARTISTS (1994)

312. Nothing’s Shocking JANE’S ADDICTION (1988)

318. Back Stabbers THE O’JAYS (1972)

319. Burnin’ THE WAILERS (1973)

320. Amnesiac RADIOHEAD (2001)

323. Ghost in the Machine THE POLICE (1981)

325. Slowhand ERIC CLAPTON (1977)

329. In the Jungle Groove JAMES BROWN (1986)

332. Shoot Out the Lights RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON (1982)

333. Wild Gift X (1981)

334. Squeezing Out Sparks GRAHAM PARKER (1979)

337. Aqualung JETHRO TULL (1971)

341. Play MOBY (1999)

343. Bat Out of Hell MEAT LOAF (1977)

344. Berlin LOU REED (1973)

345. Stop Making Sense TALKING HEADS (1984)

348. At Newport 1960 MUDDY WATERS (1960)

350. Roger the Engineer (a.k.a. Over Under Sideways Down) THE YARDBIRDS (1966)

354. 52nd Street BILLY JOEL (1978)

355. Having a Rave Up With THE YARDBIRDS (1965)

356. 12 Songs RANDY NEWMAN (1970)

357. Between the Buttons THE ROLLING STONES (1967)

358. Sketches of Spain MILES DAVIS (1960)

363. Substance NEW ORDER (1987)

364. L.A. Woman THE DOORS (1971)

366. American Recordings JOHNNY CASH (1994)

369. Louder Than Bombs THE SMITHS (1987)

370. Mott MOTT THE HOOPLE (1973)

371. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not ARCTIC MONKEYS (2006)

372. Reggatta de Blanc THE POLICE (1979)

374. Siren ROXY MUSIC (1975)

375. Late for the Sky JACKSON BROWNE (1974)

377. The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 JOHN LEE HOOKER (1991)

381. Smile THE BEACH BOYS (2011)

382. The Modern Lovers THE MODERN LOVERS (1976)

384. A Quick One THE WHO (1966)

386. Pretzel Logic STEELY DAN (1974)

389. The End of Innocence DON HENLEY (1989)

393. Kala M.I.A. (2007)

391. The Pretender JACKSON BROWNE (1976)

394. Good Old Boys RANDY NEWMAN (1974)

396. For Your Pleasure ROXY MUSIC (1973)

398. Eliminator ZZ TOP (1983)

404. Dr. John’s Gumbo DR. JOHN (1972)

409. Strange Days THE DOORS (1967) 

410. Time Out of Mind BOB DYLAN (1997)

411. 461 Ocean Boulevard ERIC CLAPTON (1974)

416. Mule Variations TOM WAITS (1999)

417. Boy U2 (1980)

418. Band on the Run PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS (1973)

420. The “Chirping” Crickets BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS (1957)

421. The Best of the Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 VARIOUS ARTISTS (1990)

424. The Rising BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2002)

425. Grievous Angel GRAM PARSONS (1974)

426. At Budokan CHEAP TRICK (1979)

427. Sleepless PETER WOLF (2002)

428. Outlandos d’Amour THE POLICE (1978)

430. Vampire Weekend VAMPIRE WEEKEND (2008)

436. Sea Change BECK (2002)

438. Boys Don’t Cry THE CURE (1980)

440. Rum, Sodomy & the Lash THE POGUES (1985)

443. In Colour CHEAP TRICK (1977)

444. The World is a Ghetto WAR (1972)

445. Fly Like an Eagle STEVE MILLER BAND (1976)

446. Back in the USA MC5 (1970)

447. Getz/Gilberto STAN GETZ & JOÁO GILBERTO (1964)

450. For Everyman JACKSON BROWNE (1973)

453. Strictly Business EPMD (1988)

454. Love It to Death ALICE COOPER (1971)

457. Z MY MORNING JACKET (2005)

458. Tumbleweed Connection ELTON JOHN (1970)

459. Golden Hits THE DRIFTERS (1968)

461. Metal Box PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. (1979)

462. Document R.E.M. (1987)

463. Heaven Up Here ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN (1981)

464. Hysteria DEF LEPPARD (1987)

467. Tunnel of Love BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1987)

468. The Paul Buttefield Blues Band THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND (1965)

470. Radio LL COOL J (1985)

473. The Smiths THE SMITHS (1984)

474. Próxima Estación: Esperanza MANU CHAO (2001)

475. Armed Forces ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS (1979)

478. All Time Greatest Hits LORETTA LYNN (2002)

482. Guitar Town STEVE EARLE (1986)

484. All the Young Dudes MOTT THE HOOPLE (1972)

485. Vitalogy PEARL JAM (1994)

489. Destroyer KISS (1976)

490. Tres Hombres ZZ TOP (1973) 

491. Born Under a Bad Sign ALBERT KING (1967)

492. Touch EURYTHMICS (1984)

494. Oracular Spectacular MGMT (2008) 

495. Give It Up BONNIE RAITT (1972)

496. Boz Scaggs BOZ SCAGGS (1969)

497. White Blood Cells THE WHITE STRIPES (2001) 

499. Live in Cook County Jail B. B. KING (1971)

That means that 2023 had 162 new entries, of course, so here they are as well:

19. To Pimp a Butterfly KENDRICK LAMAR (2015)
32. Lemonade BEYONCÉ (2016)

68. Hounds of Love KATE BUSH (1985)

69. Jagged Little Pill ALANIS MORISSETTE (1995)

71. Renaissance BEYONCÉ (2022)

78. The Sun Sessions ELVIS PRESLEY (1976)

79. Blond FRANK OCEAN (2016)

81. Beyoncé BEYONCÉ (2013)
89. Baduism ERYKAH BADU (1997)

93. Supa Dupa Fly MISSIE “MISDEAMEANOR” ELLIOT (1997)

95. Take Care DRAKE (2011)

99. Red TAYLOR SWIFT (2012)
108. When the Pawn… FIONA APPLE (1999) 

111. Control JANET JACKSON (1986)
115. good kid, m.A.A.d. city KENDRICK LAMAR (2012)
133. Hejira JONI MITCHELL(1976) 
137. 21 ADELE (2011)
148. Channel Orange FRANK OCEAN (2012)
154. Amazing Grace ARETHA FRANKLIN (1972)
158. Mama’s Gun ERYKAH BADU (2000)
162. Different Class PULP (1995)
170. Folklore TAYLOR SWIFT (2020)
175. DAMN. KENDRICK LAMAR (2017)
183. Brown Sugar D’ANGELO (1995)
187. AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted ICE CUBE (1990)

195. Songs of Leonard Cohen LEONARD COHEN (1967)

196. Body Talk ROBYN (2010)
200. Diamond Life SADE (1984)

201. Midnight Marauders A TRIBE CALLED QUEST (1993)

202. Homogenic BJÖRK (1997)

204. Graduation KANYE WEST (2007)

211. Unknown Pleasures JOY DIVISION (1980)

212. Wild Is the Wind NINA SIMONE (1966)

213. The Idler Wheel FIONA APPLE (2012)

214. Wildflowers TOM PETTY (1994)
216. Either/Or ELLIOTT SMITH (1997)

217. Definitely Maybe OASIS (1994)

224. Fly DIXIE CHICKS (1999)

228. De La Soul is Dead DE LA SOUL (1991)

230. Anti RHIANNA (2016)

233. Little Earthquakes TORI AMOS (1992)
236. Discovery DAFT PUNK (2001)
239. Criminal Minded BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS (1987)

244. 808s & Heartbreak KANYE WEST (2008)

245. Heaven or Las Vegas COCTEAU TWINS (1990)

246. Mama Said Knock You Out LL COOL J (1991)

247. Love Deluxe SADE (1992)
254. Head Hunters HERBIE HANCOCK (1973)
258. The Hissing of Summer Lawns JONI MITCHELL (1975)

260. Cut THE SLITS (1979)

261. Check Your Head BEASTIE BOYS (1992)

262. Power, Corruption & Lies NEW ORDER (1983)
265. Wowee Zowee PAVEMENT (1995)

269. Yeezus KANYE WEST (2013)

270. Golden Hour KASEY MUSGRAVES (2018)

271. What’s the 411? MARY J. BLIGE (1992)
275. Curtis CURTIS MAYFIELD (1970)
277. The Diary of ALICIA KEYS (2003)

280. Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50 CENT (2002)

281. Nilsson Schmilsson HARRY NILSSON (1971)

283. Bad Girls DONNA SUMMER (1975)

290. Speakerboxx/The Love Below OUTKAST (2003)

291. The Writing’s on the Wall DESTINY’S CHILD (1999)

293. Last Splash THE BREEDERS (1993)
295. Random Access Memories DAFT PUNK (2013)
298. Full Moon Fever TOM PETTY (1989)
300. Come On Over SHANIA TWAIN (1997)
304. Just As I Am BILL WITHERS (1971)
311. On the Beach NEIL YOUNG (1974)

312. A Seat at the Table SOLANGE (2016)

314. One in a Million AALIYAH (1996)

315. El Mal Querer ROSALÍA (2018)
317. Lady in Satin BILLIE HOLIDAY (1958)

321. Norman Fucking Rockwell! LANA DEL RAY (2019)

328. Modern Vampires of the City VAMPIRE WEEKEND (2013)

329. Endtroducing… DJ SHADOW (1996)

330. African Giant BURNA BOY (2019)
333. Still Bill BILL WITHERS (1972)
336. Avalon ROXY MUSIC (1982)
340. Doggystyle SNOOP DOGGY DOGG (1993)
346. AM ARCTIC MONKEYS (2013)

347. Liquid Swords RZA (1995)

348. Time (The Revelator) GILLIAN WELCH (2001)
351. SOS SZA (2022)
354. Germfree Adolescents X-RAY SPEX (1978)
358. Sour OLIVIA RODRIGO (2021)

361. The Black Parade MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (2006)
362. Never Too Much LUTHER VANDROSS (1981)

365. Madvillainy MADVILLAIN (2004)
367. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late DRAKE (2015)

369. The Infamous MOBB DEEP (1995)
370. Tha Carter II LIL WAYNE (2005)

373. Hot Buttered Soul ISAAC HAYES (1969)
374. King of the Delta Blues Singers ROBERT JOHNSON (1961)

376. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL (1998)
377. Fever to Tell YEAH YEAH YEAHS (2003)

379. Moving Pictures RUSH (1981)
380. Mingus Ah Um CHARLES MINGUS (1959)

382. Currents TAME IMPALA (2015)
383. Mezzanine MASSIVE ATTACK (1999)

386. Donuts J DILLA (2006)

388. Young, Gifted and Black ARETHA FRANKLIN (1972)

389. The Emancipation of Mimi MARIAH CAREY (2005)

391. Kaleidoscope KELIS (1999)

393. 1989 TAYLOR SWIFT (2014)

394. Diana DIANA ROSS (1980)

395. Black Messiah D’ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD (2014)

397. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? BILLIE EILISH (2019)

398. The Raincoats THE RAINCOATS (1979)
399. Smile BRIAN WILSON (2004)

401. Blondie BLONDIE (1977)

402. Expensive Shit FELA KUTI & AFRICA 70 (1975)

403. Supreme Clientele GHOSTFACE KILLAH (2000)

404. Rapture ANITA BAKER (1986)

408. Ace of Spades MOTÖRHEAD (1980)
410. Wild Honey THE BEACH BOYS (1967)

413. Cosmo’s Factory CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (1970)

414. Risqué CHIC (1979)

416. Things Fall Apart THE ROOTS (1999)
419. Chief ERIC CHURCH (2011)
421. Arular M.I.A. (2005)
423. I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One YO LA TENGO (1997)
426. Lucinda Williams LUCINDA WILLIAMS (1988)

429. Reach Out The FOUR TOPS (1967)
430. Un Verano San Ti BAD BUNNY (2022)
432. Confessions USHER (2004)

435. Actually PET SHOP BOYS (1987)

436. All Eyez On Me 2PAC (1996)

437. Demon Days GORILLAZ (2005)

438. Parklife BLUR (1994)
439. Sex Machine JAMES BROWN (1970)

440. Coal Miner’s Daughter LORETTA LYNN (1971)

441. Blackout BRITNEY SPEARS (2007)

442. Beauty Behind the Madness THE WEEKND (2015)
443. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) DAVID BOWIE (1980)
444. Extraordinary Machine FIONA APPLE (2005)
445. Close to the Edge YES (1972)
446. Journey in Satchidanada ALICE COLTRANE (1971)

447. X 100pre BAD BUNNY (2018)
450. Ram PAUL & LINDA McCARTNEY (1971)
451. First Take ROBERTA FLACK (1969)

453. Pretty Hate Machine NINE INCH NAILS (1989)

454. Ege Bamyasi CAN (1972)

458. Southeastern JASON ISBELL (2013)
459. Man on the Moon: The End of the Day KID CUDI (2009)

460. Melodrama LORDE (2017)

461. For Emma BON IVER (2008)

463. Eli & the 13th Confession LAURA NYRO (1968)

464. 3 + 3 THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1973)
465. Best of the Classic Years KING SUNNY ADÉ (2003)

466. Red BLACK UHURU (1981)

467. BLACKsummers’night MAXWELL (2009)

469. Clandestino MANU CHAO (1998)

470. 400 Degreez JUVENILE (1998)

472. Ctrl SZA (2017)

473. Barrio Fino DADDY YANKEE (2004)

475. Sheryl Crow SHERYL CROW (1996)
476. Kimono My Place SPARKS (1974)

479. Amor Prohibido SELENA (1994)

480. Weight of These Wings MIRANDA LAMBERT (2016)

481. If You’re Feeling Sinister BELLE & SEBASTIAN (1996)

482. Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde THE PHARCYDE (1992)

484. Born This Way LADY GAGA (2011)
486. Continuum JOHN MAYER (2006)

490. Heart Like a Wheel LINDA RONSTADT (1975)

491. Harry’s House HARRY STYLES (2022)

495. II BOYZ II MEN (1991)
496. Dónde Están los Ladrones SHAKIRA (1998)

499. Ask Rufus RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (1977)

So, quite a diverse mix of albums added into the new list. Not all stuff from the 00's or 10's. That's the beauty of these sorts of lists. There's no right or wrong opinion, and checking them out can lead you to music that you possibly wouldn't have discovered on your own. Music's pretty great.