We know you all love to hate when some media company/website decides to put out a definitive list of the best songs of all time or the greatest hip hop albums or alternative songs from the 1990s.

Love to hate because when we see a song or album that we love on their list, we can’t help but feel like we’ve been validated. More often than not, we see all the albums/songs that we don’t agree as the “best” or “greatest” and we can’t wait to tell anyone that will listen why the list got it wrong.

Consequence of Sound recently celebrated their 15 year anniversary and for that celebration they decided to have some fun by having their staff of editors. writers and contributors vote on their “The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Just like all the other lists of these types, Consequence of Sound lists out their top 100 albums in article form; meaning they name the 100th album at the top, wax poetic for 3-4 paragraphs on why it’s at that position then do the same for the 99th best album and so on and so forth.

Consequence Of Sound’s 100 Best Albums Of All-Time

The problem isn’t the context provided, we love that, but that format doesn’t allow an easy way for readers to view all of those albums in one giant list view. A simple chart so we can see what’s at #17 and #87 with minimum scrolling so we can complain that there’s absolutely no way that Slayer’s Reign in Blood should be above Green Day’s Dookie.

Not to brag, but we’re getting really good at taking these bloated 57,000 word articles and boiling it down to the actual list that people really want to see. Take a look (spoilers ahead):

Is it a good list or bad list? I don’t know. Scanning it, COS’ list clearly factors in general popularity and album sales – factors that other lists of this type don’t weight heavily (or at all).

Listen I like Pearl Jam and TLC as much as the next person. Are these two groups personally my favorites? Absolutely. However I’ll be the first to admit that Ten and CrazySexyCool didn’t break any artistic ground or push boundaries, and objectively don’t belong as one of the best hundred albums in the history of music. It doesn’t stop me from really loving on Why Go, Black, Red Light Special and Creep.

Even Consequence mentions how they came to this list allowing joy to be one of the many criterion:

This is a list compiled through hours of debate, frustration, laughter, acquiescence, and epiphany. It’s one that assessed the mercurial value attached to art, from perceptions at the moment of creation, to retrospective consideration, to the impact on ever-evolving fashions. It’s also one that allowed joy to be a factor of greatness.

You get what I’m saying. Anything having to do with music, any list-of-one-hundred anything is going to cause a stir. Even though there’s no argument that Alanis Morrisette had an impact on culture and music in the 1990’s, I’m just not sure her album is the 90th best album of all-time.

Still I 100% support Consequence of Sound’s freedom of opinion.

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