Quote Originally Posted by MindGoneHaywire
Well, so far it's hardly a perfect list. It makes a few good points, but the placement of Sgt. Pepper is weak. The jazz choices are weak. Including a Robert Johnson comp & omitting Hank Williams is weak. And the amount of Britpop choices they picked while excluding recs I think we can mostly agree are more worthy of inclusion is weak.
I agree on all counts

Quote Originally Posted by MGH
Having a blues album that you can make even a weak case for it belonging in the top 5 of such a list is not a bad thing, though. What album would you pick to replace it? And, if it's a compilation, is there an actual album that you think would deserve placement? I think the "Real Folk Blues" series by a variety of artists that recorded for Chess might've made just as much sense.
I agree that Johnson was/is an influencial blues artist, if the list is named "50 albums that changed the face of music", then I gotta go with proper albums, which why I'd assume that Hank Williams is left off. RJ certainly belongs on any list of influencial artists (and he is often, along with Williams).

I think including comps as albums convolute the issue, as does the preponderance of British acts. Not familiar enough with proper blues albums though. Country music for the most part was (and still is) centered around singles and radio play, not albums as an artistic statement (though Waylon & Willie tried to change that). That's why I wouldn't get too bent about the exclusion of CW artists and why I'm OK with the Beatles' Seargent Peppers making the list. Hell, I could understand the VU album being on the list, just not its presumed importance.

If its an "albums" list it should be albums only. If the artists were influencial, include them on the influencial artists lists, but if they didn't make an album, leave them off of the "albums" list. Obviously a list of their staff's personal faves and not a list that tries to be comprehensive. The Observer choked.