Best album of all time: Born to Run?
Published September 29, 2003
Bruce Springsteen. the Beatles and U2 dominate in a new US survey to find
the best album. Publisher Tim Zagat surveyed some 10,500 music fans and
found the following to be most popular:
1. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
2. Abbey Rd - The Beatles
3. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
4.The Joshua Tree - U2
5. The White Album - The Beatles
Other albums in the top ten included Miles Davis's Kind of Blue at 6 and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon at 9.
On his book Zagat told reporters: "I hope there is some controversy. People
can argue until the cows come home over whether Mozart was a better songwriter than Bob Dylan. But just that you are juxtaposing Dylan and Mozart catches you by surprise and makes you think."
From: CMU
UPDATE
Here is more from the list:
- 6. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
7. Darkness on the Edge of Town, Bruce Springsteen
8. Revolver, the Beatles
9. Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
10. Achtung Baby, U2
Here are the Zagat Survey Music Guide's top albums by genre:
Blues: Moanin' in the Moonlight, Howlin' Wolf
Classical: Horowitz in Moscow, Vladimir Horowitz
Country & western: Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Dance: Dance Collection, Donna Summer
Electronica: Protection, Massive Attack
Folk: John Prine, John Prine
Funk: Funkify Your Life, the Meters
Hip-hop: It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, Public Enemy
Jazz: Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
Kids: The Muppet Movie soundtrack
Musicals: My Fair Lady (Lerner and Loewe)
New Age: Nouveau Flamenco, Ottmar Liebert
Pop vocal (contemporary): Thriller, Michael Jackson
Pop vocal (traditional): Best of the Songbooks, Ella Fitzgerald
R&B: The Best, Luther Vandross
Rock (overall): Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
Rock (alternative): The Joshua Tree, U2
Rock (art/experimental): Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd
Rock (classic): Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Rock (garage/underground): Nuggets: Original Artyfacts, various
Rock (hard/heavy metal): Master of Puppets, Metallica
Rock (new wave): This Year's Model, Elvis Costello
Rock (oldies): Elvis, Elvis Presley [Ohio.com]
Marty's band, Growing Old Disgracefully, can be found at: Disgraceful Music. His Cthulhu tales can be found at Temple of Dagon. 
![Revolver [UK]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510D51P8YKL._SY90_.jpg "Revolver [UK]")
- Best album of all time: Born to Run?
- Published: September 29, 2003
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News
- Writer: Marty Dodge
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Comments on this articleComments
And where the heck is Right Said Fred?
too sexy to appear
The gay bloke in RSF admitted on a VH1s "pop years" that he was an Iron Maiden fan in his youth. Rather funny to hear that.
there is no way anyone in Right Said Fred is gay - I refuse to believe it
You were shocked when Rob Halford "outted himself" I bet :p
Rock Hudson and Richard Chamberlain too - it's a gay gay world.
my favorite Springsteen song is probably "Thunder Road", but i don't think Born To Run is my favorite album of his....Darkness On The Edge Of Town probably is....
as far as best album of all time...dang, that's a tough one.
Woo hoo for that!
Eric, re: "Born to Run isn't even my favorite Springsteen - The Wild the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle is" -- we converge musically yet again.
If I understand correctly, the restaurant rankers at Zagat took votes for this list from the general public, so the results do not surprise me any. Luther Vandross, best R&B? Best alternative, U2? (Damn good, but alternative?) Supports my opinions regarding mainstream musical taste and knowledge and my deeply held desire that wider playlists were available via mainstream radio.
Interesting that Master of Puppets is best metal album. It was not Metallica's most popular album at all. Its a great album.
U2 isn't alternative, they just play good rock. It would be possible to argue they are Christian rock.
The catagory which Pink Floyd came top is pretty damn daf.
I got to say my fave Bruce album is Born in the USA. When he drops the touchy-feely bs and rocks out he is damn impressive. John (Cougar) Mellancamp is simillar in this respect.
I just realized for the first time that Bruce was Born to Run in the U.S.A.
My favorite metal is Black Sabbath's Paranoid, unless you think LZ2 is metal, which I don't.
I think my favourite metal album is Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden (or maybe Live After Death). Best Hard Rock album is Physical Graffiti by Led Zep.
We're vibing Nat, it's only a matter of time before you start defending the administration on the War on Terror. I feel that train a-comin'
NEVER! The war on terrorism is a joke.
I really really really really really really really really really really don't like U2.
wow. shame. thanks for letting us know.
Right Said Fred's Smash Hit "I'm too Sexy" was the #100 video of 1992. I love the part when he drives past in a convertible.
I'd put Electric Lady, Doin it to Death, and Songs in the Key of Life in my Top 10. For that matter, where are Pet Sounds and Beethoven at the Fillmore West?
Master of Puppets can't be the best metal album of all time. I really don't like Metallica, but I don't see how that one could be it anyway. I don't have an answer at the moment for which one it should be, but I am reminded of the sabbath conversation from a couple of weeks ago.
Also, U2 is a great band and deserves to be acknowledged, but I might not have put them so high on the list. I might have put the Police before them.
I would leave the rolling stones off of any list I was creating, but I do realize they are significant.
Also I assume we aren't including the classic works like Carmina Burana, etc. That piece of music ranks with any rock album ever created, but probably belongs in a separate conversation.
Blonde on Blonde is the greatest album ever made -- I've said this many times in the past, but buying the SACD and listening to it (which is what I am doing at this very moment) reminds me of how great.
And I am pleased to join Eric and Natalie in hailing Wild and Innocent as the best Springsteen. It is an annual tradition in my home to play "Sandy" every year on the fourth of July.
Abraxas
Pretty hard to argue with Rodney, though best album of all time is really hard to pin down.
Love that "Wild, Innocent ..."!!
Abraxas is really really great, but might not be EPIC enough for the title.
Mine would change from moment to moment, at the moment I might pick "Country Life" by Roxy Music, but I know that's a bit ... eccentric.
1. Abraxas
2. Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
3. Blow By Blow
I really don't like Springsteen. He's number 1 on my list of musicians I wish I'd never heard.
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(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/8752)
Ah, where to begin? First, I will say it's not a bad list, though it's pretty generic. Born to Run isn't even my favorite Springsteen - The Wild the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle is, I'm fine with Abbey Road and Joshua Tree, but how can you leave the Stones, Dylan, Hendrix, Sinatra, Velvet Underground, Who, Robert Johnson, Bowie, Roxy Music, Billie Holiday, Aretha, and on and on out of the top 10? And Luther Vandross for top R&B - ick, ick, ick - that's about the worst one I can see. Like I said, not a bad list, but ...