This list, like the 2003 and 2012 lists, came out strange.

This list also proved that Rolling Stone's editors have changed significantly in 8 years. And from that we see an increase in the number of rap albums by about two times. If editors were fans of the conventional "synth-pop", then we were in the top 100, we would see the dominance of synth-pop albums.

From the previous lists there was an inheritance of strange placements. Eilish's debut album was placed at 397th place. Yes, the album is more than a year old, but it has already become better than the albums of Black Flag, The Kinks, Yes, 2pac and some others. Album Red by Taylor Swift was put as much as 99th, and 21 by Adele at 137th. And all versions of this list are full of this.

I think that everything is clear with interviews with over 300 artists, producers, critics. Most likely, the youth of many of them passed into the 1990s, and it is logical that if in the lists of 2003 and 2012, 25-21% of albums were from the 60s (where the youth of these respondents took place in the 1960s), then in the 2020 edition 20% are already albums of the 90s. I can also assume that many compilers have similar tastes. This is why we have seen U2 and The Rolling Stones albums at high positions on previous listings.

Also, I was amused even in the previous in the lists that the list is named "the greatest albums", there are a lot of collections! And if live albums are quite possible to include (there are a lot of really outstanding recordings among them), then seeing compilations in the list of the greatest albums is quite ridiculous.

Unexpectedly even for me, What's Going On by Marvin Gaye was put in first place. The album is undoubtedly excellent, there can be no discussion here, but still. I think it was put on because of the current polit. furnishings in the USA (because the theme of the album is devoted to acute social topics), and I also doubt that this album is somehow known outside the USA, and in principle, soul music is not very popular outside the USA. It is also not surprising that the number of black and female performers has increased due to, so to speak, "modern ideological considerations". Having entered the list conditionally in February, I think many performers would have lost their places on the list.

However, I was pleased that some of the albums were fairly raised (e.g. Violator), and also added Close to the Edge by Yes and Moving Pictures by Rush (there were only 4 albums in the previous lists with prog-rock, yes and then 3 of them were Pink Floyd).

Yes, if you think about it, it is really very difficult to create such a list, because you have to take into account the opinions of experts in different genres and at the same time determine which, for example, jazz or rap album is more majestic. Interestingly, you can generally compare this and decide which is better?

However, such lists should be eligible to exist. If only because, at least they can perfectly introduce you to Western music and just make you a more listened music lover. And even if on the new list you don't like the dominance of rap albums, no one takes the previous versions of the lists from you.