Unpacking Apple Music's 100 Best Albums

Apple Music unveiled their 100 best albums of all time which has music community reacting. We're talking about the list's impact, how lists like these inspire conversation and exploration, and the personal connections we all share with music. While art is subjective, when a collective of people view music with appreciation, admiration mixed with a strong artistic foundation is what deems these bodies of music valuable.

In this episode I share how albums from the  Apple Music 100 Best Album list have left their mark and discuss the list's embrace of diverse genres. I reflect on what makes an album not just good, but truly great. From timeless classics to contemporary masterpieces, this episode is a foray into the heart of music resonance. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Silent Vibes podcast with yours truly Makayla. I hope you are doing well. If you are new to the family, welcome to the family, as I like to say. If you are returning, welcome back, family.

Speaker 1: 0:18

So today is another solo episode with me, and I thought this would be a good one to do solo because Apple just released their 100 best albums of all time list, and so you know, with any list it's always controversial, but I'm going to share why I'm not mad at it and kind of like what lists and things like this really do for artists and for the conversation. So let's jump right in. I think you know, art is really subjective and when a collective people really view it in a appreciation stance and there are a good number of people who appreciate it in the same way that's what really creates the value behind any kind of artwork, whether it be music or visual arts, anything like that. And then there's this strong foundational set of musical principles that are probably applied, in which people are used to, so that also kind of plays a factor. But I really do think that these lists are fun. I think at one point you kind of look at these lists and awards as like the golden standard. But what lists like these really do because they are subjective is they really get people talking. They get people to one re-listen, revisit, you know, or listen to songs that they haven't heard or discover artists that they haven't heard. It definitely drives engagement and conversation. So I'm sure this is not going to be the only podcast episode. People are already commenting on the list on social media and really kind of sharing their thoughts and opinions of who's not on the list, who's missing, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1: 2:06

So I think it's good for music in general, but also, I do think, as people who critique music self-included, you know share our thoughts. There is also this personal connection, outside of the foundational basics that we have aligned to understanding music and loving music, we also have our affinities that kind of also show, true. So it really depends on who you ask to do lists like these and the results that you're going to get. So overall, I don't think it's a bad list. Like, if you look at the list holistically, I think it has a lot of really good albums and for me, I think what makes a really good album is that you want to listen from beginning to end you find yourself going back to it over and over, and you're not the only one. There are moments and things that you think are super relevant as to the way the artist delivered it. It sounds good, whether you are listening to it the first time or you're listening to it five to 10 years later, 20 years later, there are things that are just really timeless about a body of work that I think is important. So, overall, I don't think it's really a bad list.

Speaker 1: 3:22

It has a mix of genres, of a great mix of, um, different artists. Some I have not listened to those albums, um. So I think for even for me, I want to go back and kind of listen to, especially things that are I haven't actually heard at all, like a lot of the rock albums and, um, you know, some of the the more alternative bluesy albums that I haven't heard in its entirety. Or I've heard songs but I haven't heard the work and the body in its entirety. And overall I did think that when I saw this list I was going to be like thinking that there were going to be more white artists on there. I think they did a really good job of capturing, you know, I would say it really is in the realm of like late 80s, 90s, heavy early 2000s and sprinkled in with some classics from other eras. So you'll have Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin, but then there is a lot from like late 80s, 90s, 2000s really make up the bulk of the list. So when you say of all time, I think that gives it that pressure because you know so much music has released that even music critics haven't heard everything. So that's something that I kind of want to point out.

Speaker 1: 4:59

And then you know, of course, as the Caribbean person I got to look for who is on the list from our genres. None other than Bob Marley, which is no surprise. Exodus album is on there. I do think that we had to have at least one and I knew it was going to be Bob Marley. But could there have been others that would have gotten on the list or, I think, would be a reasonable um suggestion and you don't know if if it will start out there and you just don't know um. But I'm not surprised that. You know Bob Marley is the one representing the region for the Wallawee and Exodus is the album especially coming off of. You know his movie release and that was part of the movie as well. So it's very front of mind for a lot of people, especially people who listen to music outside of our genre. I'll get back to our genre in a second.

Speaker 1: 5:56

But I was definitely surprised to not see Whitney Houston, mariah Carey, celine Dion like I was just floored that that that that was my only like surprising um moment in terms of the list itself, like I'm very surprised that none of those three they're like the trifecta of voices and they all have really good bodies of work from an album perspective. So I'm really really surprised that they didn't make it. I didn't see Justin Timberlake on there. I didn't see Britney Spears on there, even like NSYNC or Backstreet Boys. I would think that you know, one pop-ish record like that would make its way. There's definitely some other pop albums um that are on there. Madonna's like a prayers on there, um, and then, of course, you know, you knew they weren't going to leave out um, michael Jackson and Prince. Michael Jackson actually has a number two um with Thriller, but Prince has two albums he has Purple Rain and Sign of the Times. Also, beyonce has two albums Lemonade and Beyonce, which I didn't I wasn't expecting.

Speaker 1: 7:04

I was definitely surprised to see Solange on the list. I do love her album. I don't know that I would have put it on this particular list, but I think those really stood out to me in terms of people who weren't or like options that I think kind of like A little questionable. I think. Two albums for one artist, that's definitely, I think, a little tough to swallow because no other artist has that. Beyonce and Prince are the only two to have that. So I think it should have been limited to one.

Speaker 1: 7:47

Um. Missy Elliott is on there with Super Duper Fly, but that was a really good album. So, um, I expect that. Um, who else? I'm trying to think. Uh, I was really glad to see D'Angelo's Voodoo album on there. Usher's Confessions is on. It's on pretty high, a higher meaning. It was like in the second half of. It was like, I think, in the 80s or 90s, um, but I would have thought it would have been a little bit earlier. But I mean that that's also subjective, right. So I think being able to move the numbers along with swapping out a few um is what would have made this list. You know You're missing people like Earth, wind and Fire. I just think that you could do these lists and kind of really talk about them all day. But that is again.

Speaker 1: 8:34

This is the point, I think, of the list is to really get the conversations going. I wasn't mad at Lauryn Hill's Miseducation of Lauryn Hill being number one. It's the classic album that she has and while she did some work you know two albums, I believe with the Fugees. She has also a live album after the Miseducation album, but this really stands out to me as a classic album. Again, I'm born of a certain era so that really resonates with me in terms of just the content, the delivery. It's often an album I definitely go back and listen to in its entirety.

Speaker 1: 9:19

A lot of the albums are that are on this list, so that, I think, is probably part of the criteria. So I'm not mad at the number one and I think anyone can really argue the number one, the top 10. I think Beyonce's Lemonade is at number 10. I didn't particularly like Lemonade, but a lot of people do, so it makes sense that it's in the conversation. So again, these lists get us know it's in the conversation. So again, these lists get us debating. They get us talking and one of the things that I was inspired by in this list, from a Caribbean music standpoint, particularly reggae, dancehall, because that's, you know, my thing.

Speaker 1: 10:03

Do we have a hundred albums that we could put on a list to say that these are the classics? I don't know, I don't know. I think we have 100 written. I don't know if we have 100 classic albums because we are a very singles-driven market. There are very few albums that you listen to in its entirety, over and over and over again. I think it's not that they're not being released. I just think that we, particularly in dance hall, it's definitely much more challenging to kind of find that full body of work. I think we have a few, but I can't say that we would fill it out. I think reggae definitely, we have a good amount of albums that I think would make a great list like this. If you think about Budgets, till Shiloh or I was actually gonna. Well, I'm not really surprised that Sean Paul's the T-Rock is not on this list, given his popularity, but that's an album that I think has longevity and like now I'm blanking.

Speaker 1: 11:16

But I think it would be good to kind of like revisit and go through like an entire catalog, like what would that look like of a hundred albums of reggae and or dancehall, what. What would that look like? What would a list like this really look like to really talk about the catalog of music that we really have? And then, when you talk about the rhythm conversation, I feel like the rhythms that would be a a really, really fun list to do with, like a bunch of different even like the 100 album lists Like if we did that, what would that look like for our music genre? So I am putting it out there to see, like maybe we should do it and see how that looks. But of course, these lists you know people be all in their feelings about these lists. So maybe it's something that we can revisit, feelings about these lists. So maybe it's something that we can revisit, maybe it's something that someone else will do, I don't know, but definitely get the conversation going. I also think it's an opportunity for us to really look at catalog and bodies of work from artists. So I think that that is important as well, to kind of continue to drive the genre. I wasn't surprised that Bob Marley was on this list. I think we have the opportunity to have some other representation when it comes to lists like these. That's just my perspective, what your thoughts are If you are watching a clip of this on social.

Speaker 1: 12:43

You can comment and let me know. I appreciate your support. But what did you think of Apple's 100 best albums of all time list? Have you seen the list? What would you add? What would you remove? What are you surprised by? Share your thoughts with me and until next time, leah Tamadips. Thanks for listening to the latest episode of the Style and Vibes podcast. If you like what you hear and I know you do share it with your friends and family. If you want more, make sure you visit styleandvibescom and follow us on our social channels, twitter and Instagram, at Style and Vibes vibes. Until next time, leah tummy peeps.