Steven Hale
1 min readJun 7, 2024

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Actually it's a pretty good list, certainly eclectic (rather than universal) in its vision. For me, the criterion I highlighted above contradicts the next one

"Albums that represent the BEST in storytelling, musicianship, recording and production"

The Velvet Underground and Nico certainly influenced musicians as much as anything (and continues to do so, via the people it influenced), but it's not a better album than the next two by the VU.

Another contradiction: to "represent a cultural moment" and to be timeless. Now great art does do both, but often it doesn't so much represent a cultural moment as it does signal a moment of cultural upheaval. straddling the line between two cultures or viewpoints. The latter is a strength of Kinks albums (who aren't on the list). They look to the past and to the present, with a complex attitude toward both. Their albums are not just timeless, but are commentaries on time and timelessness.

I'm only marginally familiar with Lauryn Hill, but you've made a great case for her album. I'll have to give it a careful listen.

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Steven Hale
Steven Hale

Written by Steven Hale

Music: Discovering the lost and forgotten. Politics: Exposing injustice. Screenwriting: Emotional storytelling.

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