Dear Editors of Rolling Stone magazine,
You probably have never realized that I have been writing a rock music blog since 2015. Is it a good blog with keen insight and sharp criticism? Not really. In fact, it is simply the humble ramblings of an old guy that had to take early retirement due to some health issues. Bottom line, my blog is just an outlet to keep my mental health near a baseline of undetermined “zero.”
In the past, I have often said that I was going to declare for the NBA draft. That has been a running bit for this 5’11” 57-year-old former legend in his own mind. Now, I would like to throw my writing into the ring for an album review job, just one review, for Rolling Stone, whose publication I have been reading since I was in high school. As a matter of fact, I began my Rolling Stone reading hobby in 1979, which lead to a subscription that first ran from 1981 through 1992 then started it back up in 2009 and watching it end with the magazine’s change to a monthly rag around 2017. The magazine was actually one of the bigger influences on my musical tastes, along with Lester Bangs, Creem magazine, early MTV, Fridays! and SNL and Casey Kasem.
Recently, while I had been in the middle of my monumental series that covered my 1000 favorite albums, I heard through the grapevine here in the metropolitan area of Central Indiana that your publication had finally updated your 2003/2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. What I can’t believe is that your group did not consult me for this landmark list. Since your people did not contact mine (The only person you might have contacted other than me would have been my long-suffering wife.), I thought it would be prudent of me to send you my Top 50 list in an effort to correct this oversight.
I do not wish to cause you any more embarrassment, but my nearly 100 dedicated readers might wish to see this long-rumored list of what I consider to be the 50 Greatest Albums of All-Time. Maybe, this unforeseen blunder on your part might actually become a display in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as an example of the unintended slights by major players in rock music given to the little-known bloggers floating around the ether.
Before you read my list, I do want to thank you for being a pioneer in the making of “definitive” countdowns in the rock arena. These published catalogs of the rock era have influenced my own collection and in the manner in which I have entertained myself over the decades.
Sincerely,
Scott Keller
P.S. If you need to see what I said about these albums, please refer to the reviews I made in my series. Thank you!
My Top 50 Albums of All-Time Rolling Stone Ballot
50. Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990)
49. Ramones – Road to Ruin (1979)
48. N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton (1988)
47. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
46. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)
45. David Bowie – Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980)
44. Rush – Moving Pictures (1981)
43. Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)
42. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
41. The Who – Who’s Next (1971)
40. The Beatles – Revolver (1966)
39. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
38. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes (1981)
37. Tom Petty – Wildflowers (1994)
36. Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight (1978)
35. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)
34. Green Day – American Idiot (2004)
33. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)
32. Pixies – Doolittle (1988)
31. Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True (1977)
30. R.E.M. – Murmur (1983)
29. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – Armed Forces (1979)
28. The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1971)
27. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
26. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)
25. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)
24. Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992)
23. Weezer – Weezer (“The Blue Album”) (1994)
22. R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992)
21. The Rolling Stones – Some Girls (1978)
20. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
19. Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (III: Melting) (1980)
18. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
17. The Band – The Band (1969)
16. Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
15. Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979)
14. AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)
13. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)
12. Prince – 1999 (1982)
11. The Cars – The Cars (1978)
10. Queen – A Night at the Opera (1975)
9. Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)
8. The Style Council – My Ever Lasting Moods (1984)
7. Prince & the Revolution – Purple Rain (1984)
6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
5. Big Star – #1 Record (1972)
4. R.E.M. – Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)
3. Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)
2. Prince – Sign ‘o’ the Times (1987)
1. The Clash – London Calling (1979)
Until next time, peace!
If My Records Could Talk 