by Lauren Comer
And I disagreed with all of them, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. All of the albums were ones that I liked, so why shouldn't I be happy that they were ranked so highly?
Then it hit me. These albums were not so much good as revolutionary. Now, don't get me wrong. They're all excellent, excellent albums. But more than that, they were revolutionary. Each album brought something new that had never been there before. While I completely understand the merit in this, it does not equal greatness. There are, in my mind, albums that are perhaps less revolutionary, but much better, than these four. Now, if VH1 had called their program "The 100 Most Revolutionary Albums of All Time", I wouldn't hesitate to agree that these albums deserved, if not the spots they were given, than ones very high up on the list. But to equate revolution with greatness seems wrong. After all, straying from music for a moment, Hitler was certainly revolutionary. I wouldn't rank him as one of the greatest people of all time.
Starting from the top: What's Going On, by Marvin Gaye, revolutionized things first and foremost because it was a Motown album that broke away from the Motown formula. Instead of the "three-man pop hit", it was a deep, thoughtful, political record, one that actually addressed important issues. Gaye sang that "war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate"; he tried to convince us, even though the world was a mess, to "live for the children"; he spoke of the importance of religion (purely a personal conviction, but one that no doubt touched a number of people) and of family; he worried about the ecology and life in the inner city. All this from a label previously known for catchy but insubstantial pop tunes.
Pet Sounds was not so much revolutionary to music as a whole as it was to the Beach Boys themselves. With this album, they advanced from their odes to summer and surfing and produced an album that rivaled Rubber Soul (The Beatles). Their harmonies were always what had set them apart, and Pet Sounds showcased them perfectly. Furthermore, Brian Wilson's painstaking arrangements ensured that each song was a detailed work of beauty. The heartfelt lyrics, ranging from romantic ('You Still Believe In Me', 'God Only Knows') to hopeful ('Wouldn't it be Nice') to unhappy ('I Just Wasn't Made for These Times'), completed the package, making it a subtle and sophisticated masterpiece, the first of its kind for the group.
By combining Kurt Cobain's gritty lyrics with hard yet catchy and music, Nevermind brought grunge out into the open. It spoke to a nation of angry, misunderstood teens as little had since Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols fifteen years before, and it did so in an intelligent and melodic way that drew in a larger audience. Grunge had existed before this album - Nirvana had existed before this album - but Nevermind ensured that it would last.
1966's Revolver finally shed the fomulated pop sound that characterized the Beatles' earlier albums, the sound that they had been slowly moving away from since Help!. Nearly every song tried out something new. A political song? from the Beatles? Unheard of, until George Harrison's diatribe against the 'Taxman'. Paul McCartney's lament for the lonely, 'Eleanor Rigby', unearthed a lyrical maturity that would only grow in albums to come. The sitar, an instrument which had only been flirted with in popular music, featured prominently in Harrison's 'Love You To'. John Lennon's trippy, existential realization that 'Tomorrow Never Knows' drew to a close the album that not only changed the face of popular music, but also peoples' perception of the Beatles - from pop princes to serious, intelligent musicians with a message.
But, again, this all demonstrates revolution - not greatness. There are albums that are far greater than these four, but much less revolutionary. The White Album, for example, overshadows Revolver for the sheer diversity of the songs contained therein, not to mention the maturity displayed in both the lyrics and the music. There are albums that have what these lack - Led Zeppelin II, by Led Zeppelin, contains two of the greatest guitar riffs of all time (GuitarWorld no. 46). Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon should be considered, if for no other reason than longevity - its run on the Billboard charts spanned more than a decade, and it still continues to sell today. Clearly, there's some sort of appeal there. I could go on, but I think you get my point. Revolution and greatness do overlap often, but they are at heart two completely different concepts, and should be treated as such.
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