The fan-voting website Ranker has called into question Apple Music’s recent 100 Best Albums list, challenging their users to re-rank the entire list. The results show some interesting changes in how music insiders, artists and experts view the greatest albums of all-time as opposed to how fans do.
Who Had Input on These Lists?
The initial “Music 100 Best Albums” list from Apple Music states in its introduction that the list was derived from “the help of artists and experts,” noting that the list served as “a modern love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in today.”
Over a 10-day rollout, the list was finally revealed in full with 30 rock and metal albums making the cut (but only one of those was an actual metal album).
Ranker, who proclaims to be “the leading site for crowdsourced rankings on just about everything,” chose to leave their re-ranking of the Apple Music list in the hands of “over 500 music lovers.” After counting up over 11 thousand votes, their reconstructed list was complete.
A New No. 1
The Apple Music list has Lauryn Hill‘s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill at No. 1, with that album dropping to No. 44 on the Ranker list. So who took over at No. 1 on the fan-voted Ranker list? That would be Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours, which jumped from No. 11 on the Apple Music list.
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The Big Movers
There are two rock albums that saw significant leaps into the Top 10 from their Apple Music positioning toward the latter portion of their list. Eagles‘ Hotel California was the biggest gainer, moving from No. 99 up to No. 8 overall. Meanwhile, Elton John‘s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road made a giant leap too, climbing from No. 78 to No. 9 on the Ranker list.
READ MORE: 25 Essential 1970s Rock + Metal Albums to Pass On to Your Children
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A Metal Uprising
The Apple Music list was short on metal. In fact, only one album made the cut for the 100 Best Albums. That was Metallica‘s Master of Puppets at No. 69. While the Ranker list couldn’t do anything about adding more metal to the list as it was simply re-ranking what Apple has previously published, fans did boost the legendary album’s profile in their voting, with Master of Puppets coming in at No. 19.
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Who Got It Right?
For the purposes of comparison, we’ll give you the Top 10 from each and let you decide. Which is a more accurate representation of the best albums of all-time?
Apple Music
1. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
2. Michael Jackson – Thriller
3. The Beatles – Abbey Road
4. Prince & the Revolution – Purple Rain
5. Frank Ocean – Blonde
6. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
7. Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
8. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
9. Nirvana – Nevermind
10. Beyonce – Lemonade
Ranker
1. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
2. The Beatles – Abbey Road
3. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
4. Prince & the Revolution – Purple Rain
5. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
6. Michael Jackson – Thriller
7. Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On?
8. Eagles – Hotel California
9. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
10. The Clash – London Calling
You can also see the full lists of Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list as well as Ranker’s Re-Ranking.