Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums': The Goners

 #292: Biggest Misses

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Previously, I tallied the RS list, by year, here.

Comparing 2003's list (Rolling Stone's first) with 2020's (its third) we find, among 2003's top 200, these 30 "greatest studio albums" that have fallen from Rock 'N' Roll heaven (no longer among the top 500):

#198: Little Walter: The Best of

#189: Quicksilver Messenger Service: Happy Trails

#188: Buffalo Springfield: Buffalo Springfield Again

#186: Sly and the Family Stone: Fresh

#183: Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac

#182: Bob Marley and the Wailers: Natty Dread

#181: The Rolling Stones: Now!

#178: The Byrds: The Byrds

#175: The Carpenters: Close To You

#174: Bob Dylan: Desire

#171: The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers

#166: Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Imperial Bedroom

#161: Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay

#159: Kiss: Alive

#158: Elton John: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

#150: Santana: Santana

#147: Otis Redding: Dreams To Remember

#142: Phil Specter: A Christmas Gift For You

#139: U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind

#138: The Meters: Rejuvenation

#136: The Replacements: Tim

#135: Elton John: Greatest Hits

#127: The Mamas and the Papas: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

#124: The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday

#125: The Stooges: Raw Power

#121: Moby Grape: Moby Grape

#114: The Rolling Stones: Out of Our Heads

#101: Cream: Fresh Cream

#95: Credence Clearwater Revival: Green River

#58: Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica

Notes:

* Of course it's somewhat shocking to see the 58th greatest album of all time demoted to nothingness, but the probable story here is that industry insiders likely wanted to make a point, and once that point was made (Hey, it's in the spotlight!), they could acknowledge reality and move on.

* Nothing here is for sure.  I simply jotted down artists and titles found in the 2003 issue (after perusing the 2020 on-line version), I checked back with the 2020 version, and crossed out any that had indeed appeared.  Then, I did everything a second time.

* Even I can't believe that the Carpenters appeared on the 2003 list.  On the other hand, it's understandable that at least half of those on this list are from the '60s, and almost all the others are from the '70s.  It's likely that a similar winnowing will occur in subsequent decades, assuming future updates.

* If we were to look back, from the year 2037 ('03, '20, '37), to see which albums on 2020's list might have been removed, which would we pick?  Ok, I'll give it a whirl.  To make it simple, I'm limiting it to the top 58 (in honor of the Captain), but I have to pick at least 17 (since it'll have been that many years).  This means I'm guessing my picks'll no longer be top 58 material--though they'll likely still be in the top 100.  But, I can't get any wrong!  That seems fair (note, below, that I have only one pick from the top 20):

#56: Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville

#50: Jay-Z: The Blueprint

#49: OutKast: Aquemini

#47: Ramones: Ramones

#45: Prince: Sign O' The Times

#44: Nas: Illmatic

#41: The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed

#40: David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

#36: Michael Jackson: Off The Wall

#32: Beyoncé: Lemonade

#31: Miles Davis: Kind of Blue

#28: D'Angelo: Voodoo

#27: Woo-Tang Clan: Enter The Woo-Tang Clan (36 Chambers)

#26: Patti Smith: Horses

#23: The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico

#22: Notorious B.I.G.: Ready To Die

#2: The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds

* My biggest risk is in picking the current #2.  I figure that in another 17 years there just won't be that many active industry professionals who have any connection to The Beach Boys, and Pet Sounds' standing will dip accordingly.  Meanwhile, many more recent favorites will be replaced by the very best released in the next 17 years.