Merriam-Webster defines the word album as “one or more recordings (as on tape or disc) produced as a single unit.” Those who appreciate music know that an album can be so much more: a sacred routine, a tradition, a reminder of happier times or an otherwise-indescribable state of mind. The idea of an iconic album was thought to be a thing of the not-even-so-recent past. Now, twenty-first century works have been reworking that erroneous narrative.
Some would say that the heyday of the studio album is dead and gone. These critics often present the argument that nothing will ever top the albums of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, as they reminisce upon works such as The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Joni Mitchell’s Blue or Michael Jackson’s Thriller. While it is difficult to present an argument that would dethrone this late-twentieth-century golden era, the album is certainly making a comeback.
This has been acknowledged by even the most canonical of music publications, Rolling Stone. The magazine first compiled a “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list in 2003. On the 2003 list, the top 10 albums were all released from 1965 to 1979. Of the 500 listed albums, 397 were made between 1960 and 1989. This list was a big deal; its focus on those three decades was significant, because what Rolling Stone says goes. The magazine said that the musical album had a distinct and identifiable prime, and that prime passed years ago.
The 2003 list got a lot of attention, but it then fell dormant and relatively undiscussed for about a decade. From the release of the CD in the mid-90s to about 2007, vinyl LPs had been steadily unpopular. Only about 2 million LPs were sold yearly in the United States during that time. Then, something unexpected happened: the LP began its extremely surprising renaissance, rising to 5 million sold by 2012, to more than 10 million sold by 2015. In 2020, 27.5 million LPs were sold — a 46% increase from even 2019. Albums are back.
If these fiscal statistics aren’t enough, the music industry itself also fully acknowledged this return when Rolling Stone remade its famous list a few months ago. This time around, 302 of the 500 listed albums were released from 1960 to 1989, 103 albums were released in the 90s and 86 albums were released in the twenty-first century. The more than 300 voters — everyone from Beyonce to Gene Simmons to Stevie Nicks — shifted the focus, and declared that the album did in fact not die in 1989.
Additions to the list include Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Eminem and Adele. These newly included artists are not only more contemporary, but also more diverse. As the music journalism site Consequence of Sound put it, “Rolling Stone Updated Its Top 500 Albums of All Time List So It’s No Longer Just White Dudes.” The revival of the album is in full swing, and is also less exclusive than ever before. Works like Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange are finally being recognized as the masterpieces they are. The album is back, and it’s better than ever.
