The greatest 500 albums of all time, according to Rolling Stone

Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift all had albums on the top 500 list. Photos / AP

Rolling Stone has updated their mammoth list of the 500 best albums of all time.

The new edition follows the magazine's rankings published in 2003 and in 2012. The latest list has some interesting additions and included votes from none other than Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and Stevie Nicks.

"No list is definitive — tastes change, new genres emerge, the history of music keeps being rewritten. So we decided to remake our greatest albums list from scratch," the article on Rolling Stone reads.

While the ranking may cause several disagreements in any household of music lovers, it provides an important look at the consensus from critics, musicians and industry workers who selected the albums.

Marvin Gaye's What's Going On topped the list. Photo / Supplied

In 2003 and 2012 the crown belonged to The Beatles' Sgt Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band - but in 2020's offering the record has slipped down to 24th place. The new number one is Marvin Gaye's 1971 album What's Going On.

The 300 contributors who helped select the list brought in some modern records, including Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, Lana Del Rey's Norman F***ing Rockwell, and Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Rolling Stone notes that the 2020 list includes 154 new additions.

However, several music fans did not take kindly to the list - and their favourite albums being omitted.

View this post on Instagram

Our list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time was originally published in 2003, with a slight update in 2012. But no list is definitive — tastes change, new genres emerge, the history of music keeps being rewritten. So we decided to remake our greatest albums list from scratch. The electorate includes Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish; rising artists like H.E.R., Tierra Whack, and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail; as well as veteran musicians, such as Adam Clayton and the Edge of U2, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Gene Simmons, and Stevie Nicks. Check out the new #RS500Albums at the link in our bio.

A post shared by Rolling Stone (@rollingstone) on Sep 22, 2020 at 7:14am PDT

One riled up Twitter user wrote: "This list is absolute trash. The dark side of the moon is one of the greatest selling albums of all time and its not even in the top 50? To make things worse you have Kanye and Kendrick Lamar in the top 20. Whoever made this list must be deaf."

"Questionable at best," another wrote.

An additional wrote they "will never be convinced" that a Taylor Swift album belongs in the top 100. Her 2012 album Red was in 99th spot.

The publication said the list was decided with ballots sent in by contributors who ranked their 50 favourite albums.

Rolling Stone's top 20 albums of all time

1. Marvin Gaye, 'What's Going On'
2. The Beach Boys, 'Pet Sounds'
3. Joni Mitchell, 'Blue'
4. Stevie Wonder, 'Songs in the Key of Life'
5. The Beatles, 'Abbey Road'
6. Nirvana, 'Nevermind'
7. Fleetwood Mac, 'Rumours'
8. Prince and the Revolution, 'Purple Rain'
9. Bob Dylan, 'Blood on the Tracks'
10. Lauryn Hill, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'
11. The Beatles, 'Revolver'
12. Michael Jackson, 'Thriller'
13. Aretha Franklin, 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'
14. The Rolling Stones, 'Exile on Main Street'
15. Public Enemy, 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back'
16. The Clash, 'London Calling'
17. Kanye West, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'
18. Bob Dylan, 'Highway 61 Revisited'
19. Kendrick Lamar, 'To Pimp a Butterfly'
20. Radiohead, 'Kid A'