Great albums, better opportunities
Apple list is a great conversation piece for different generations
Apple Music has come out with a list of the 100 greatest albums of all time, and I can guarantee there are parts of it you’ll disagree with, possibly vehemently. That’s OK. Any exercise like this is pretty much a cry for attention, a way to get people talking.
“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” No. 1? Frank Ocean’s “Blond” at 5? No more than two albums from any artist — and only ONE from Taylor Swift?
And the cynics were outraged
Screaming, “This is absurd”
Long live this list, as well as a similar one with 500 albums from Rolling Stone. They might be a gateway to expanding your horizons, especially if you suggest a favorite to a loved one from another generation, and encourage them to do the same.
First things first, though. Here’s a playlist from me with two songs from each of Apple’s top 10:
This social media post from Ebro Darden, Apple’s global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B, explains the main criteria. Basically Apple wanted albums with cohesiveness, timeliness and timelessness, the kind that capture emotions and inspire other musicians.
“This list isn’t a popularity contest,” Darden said. “We challenged everyone to not vote based on your favorites. You’re invited into the panel because you have music knowledge beyond what you listen to when you’re on the elliptical machine.”
Apple’s list included four artists I’d never heard of: Burial, Massive Attack, Kraftwerk and Portishead. If you come across unfamiliar names, pick a song or two of theirs and listen in. Maybe it’ll open your ears.
And if there’s an artist you particularly love, Google them and find out their influences. It might help you connect with an uncle or grandchild, or even a peer who has far different tastes. Listen to the people Stevie Wonder sings about in “Sir Duke,” part of his “Songs in the Key of Life” album.
Music knows it is and always will
Be one of the things that life just won’t quit
But here are some of music’s pioneers
That time will not allow us to forget
For there’s Basie, Miller, Satchmo
And the king of all Sir Duke
And with a voice like Ella’s ringing out
There’s no way the band can lose
They’re not on Apple’s list, but there’s an explanation for some of that: Albums didn’t really start growing in popularity until the mid-1960s. The Rolling Stone list mixes in albums from people like Buddy Holly and Hank Williams, and Apple does give a nod to Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” from 1959, putting it at No. 25.
You won’t find names like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry or Janis Joplin on Apple’s list, nor will you see Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey or Ed Sheeran, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go off menu and share an album — or even just a song — with a loved one if it mattered to you. Use the list as an excuse to start conversations, not limit them.
It’s a shame the “Hamilton” soundtrack isn’t on the list because because it was sort of the ultimate gateway drug for getting white Baby Boomers to appreciate hip-hop, at least when it’s mixed in with jazz and pop. It helped bring generations together.
Anyway, to symbolize all those who didn’t make it to the party, appreciate this song from Garth Brooks, who barely exists on Apple Music or Spotify (his choice), but still has managed to be a big name for decades.
In ancient times before everyone had headphones, legend has it that parents and children often had no choice but to listen to each other’s music, sometimes bonding over everyone from Glenn Miller to Van Morrison to The Romantics. Now the young’uns seem to be the ones doing the influencing, with devotees of Swift in particular drawing in their parents and even grandparents.
Don’t forget to return the favor. If your kids adore Swift, they just might like Carole King. If they love Olivia Rodrigo, offer them a “Jagged Little Pill.” And if they particularly admire Rodrigo’s “Guts,” maybe they could use a little Rage Against the Machine.
Or you can point to the latest album from Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter,” and all the influences she cites, like Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus.
There are all kinds of ways to connect. Look for them.
This Wall Street Journal story gives a good comparison of the Apple and Rolling Stone lists, helping put them into perspective. As is probably obvious from its name, Rolling Stone is way more Boomer friendly, with its top 16 albums all from the last century.
If you share an album with a loved one, put some thought into it. My favorite from Apple’s list is probably “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” but I doubt I’d share it because Elton John is widely known among so many generations — ditto with The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, etc.
I’d rather give younger people Alanis Morissette or Joni Mitchell or King if they don’t know their music, or nudge fellow Boomers toward Kacey Musgraves or The Notorious B.I.G. or Billie Eilish. If anyone wants to be particularly current, there’s also an annual list of favorites put out by Barack Obama, our most recent non-felon ex-president.
Better yet, ask friends which performers they’re passionate about. I would never have heard about De La Soul or Kate Bush or the Velvet Underground if I hadn’t talked about favorites with friends and colleagues.
There’s a whole world out there. All you have to do is listen.
Murphy Slaw
Something old: Dungeons & Dragons turned 50 this year (which, of course, is not old, except when you apply the I’m A Blogger And I’m Desperate To Fill Space With SOMETHING poetic license rule), but it’s given a fresh boost to The Last Place on Earth. That’s a Brooklyn cafe that brought in more than $75,000 last year by hosting D&D nights.
There’s a whole world out there. All you have to do is connect.
Something new: No, a bot didn’t write this. It’s from this story in the Wall Street Journal.
Something borrowed: Stole this from Facebook.
Something blue: This New York Times story looks at whether Millennial moms have it tougher than previous generations, as the oldest ones are starting to go through midlife crises.