All Time Top 1000 Albums
Encyclopedia
All Time Top 1000 Albums is a book by Colin Larkin
, creator and editor of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music
. The book was originally published by Guinness Publishing in 1994 and is in its 4th Revised Edition.
The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by informed music lovers and ranked in order. Each album is annotated with details of its creation and interesting notes about the band/artist who created it. According to David Holgate:
The Beatles
' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
made the top spot in the first edition and Revolver
consistently made the top five in each edition of the book.
asked approximately 80 critics and DJs from the UK and USA to list their ten greatest albums of all-time. Out of these lists, he compiled the "Top 100 Albums" which was subsequently published by Pavillion Books in 1987. In 1993 Larkin was approached by the now defunct Today
newspaper to update the list and this was published in the newspaper. As a consequence Larkin suggested to his publisher (Guinness Publishing) the idea behind the Top 1000 albums. Unlike the Gambaccini list, Larkin wanted to compile a list drawn up as a result of votes cast by 'broader opinion' and in keeping with the genres used in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music
. Larkin set about polling several thousand people via a printed voting form, left in Record shop
s and sent to schools and Universities. The result was the first edition of the All Time Top 1000 Albums, published in 1994.
By 1998 Larkin's publisher was Virgin Books
, and the second edition was prepared using the continuing votes received over the previous 4 years.
As a result of the publicity garnered by the Encyclopedia and the first edition, Larkin was able to ask for votes during his numerous radio Broadcasts for BBC GLR, now BBC London 94.9
. The votes topped 100,000 and the 2nd edition sold 38,000 copies. In 1999 Virgin published a mini pocket edition followed by the 3rd Edition published in 2000, by which time the ongoing poll had reached over 200,000 votes cast. In September 2000, BBC News
reported the 'head to head' battle between the two bands who took the top four positions on the list:
"The Beatles' classic album Revolver was voted the greatest record of all time in the survey of more than 200,000 people but Radiohead's album The Bends took second spot. The Beatles and Radiohead go head to head with two albums apiece in the top four, which will be published as part of the latest edition of the Virgin All Time Top 1,000 Albums."
reflected current opinion in a much swifter way than any printed book could. In 2008 Larkin co-founded a company to launch a beta website '1000Greatest.com' inviting the public to express their opinions on Albums, Movies, Novels and Singles. This beta site morphed into an altogether more ambitious internet based project "Best Things On Earth" (or Btoe.com). The basis for the Best Album On Earth list on the Best Things On Earth site, are the votes collected, over what by then amounted to 17 years, for the original All Time Top 1000 Albums books.
Colin Larkin (writer)
Colin Larkin was the editor and founder of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music, described by Jools Holland as 'without question the most useful reference work on popular music' and by The Times as 'the standard against which all others must be judged’....
, creator and editor of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music was created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the 'modern man's' equivalent of the Grove Dictionary of Music which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.-History of the encyclopedia:...
. The book was originally published by Guinness Publishing in 1994 and is in its 4th Revised Edition.
The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by informed music lovers and ranked in order. Each album is annotated with details of its creation and interesting notes about the band/artist who created it. According to David Holgate:
"What makes this book of lists stand out from the crowd, is that it is also a book of loves. Many of the albums listed here are close to Larkin's heart, and therefore enthusiastically recommended to others. Some of his favourites, such as David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name and Moby Grape's first album, have gained whole new audiences just on the basis of his enthusiasm for them. Equally, he makes clear which albums he won't be asking to have played at his funeral! But, he lists and discusses them because they are special to others."
The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
made the top spot in the first edition and Revolver
Revolver (album)
Revolver is the seventh studio album by the English rock group The Beatles, released on 5 August 1966 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin. Many of the tracks on Revolver are marked by an electric guitar-rock sound, in contrast with their previous LP, the folk rock inspired Rubber...
consistently made the top five in each edition of the book.
Background
In 1987 Paul GambacciniPaul Gambaccini
Paul Matthew Gambaccini is a radio and television presenter in the United Kingdom...
asked approximately 80 critics and DJs from the UK and USA to list their ten greatest albums of all-time. Out of these lists, he compiled the "Top 100 Albums" which was subsequently published by Pavillion Books in 1987. In 1993 Larkin was approached by the now defunct Today
Today (UK newspaper)
Today was a national newspaper in the United Kingdom, which was published between 1986 and 1995.-History:Today, with the American newspaper USA Today as inspiration, launched on Tuesday, 4 March 1986, with the front page headline, "Second Spy Inside GCHQ". At 18 pence, it was a middle-market...
newspaper to update the list and this was published in the newspaper. As a consequence Larkin suggested to his publisher (Guinness Publishing) the idea behind the Top 1000 albums. Unlike the Gambaccini list, Larkin wanted to compile a list drawn up as a result of votes cast by 'broader opinion' and in keeping with the genres used in the Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music was created in 1989 by Colin Larkin. It is the 'modern man's' equivalent of the Grove Dictionary of Music which Larkin describes in less than flattering terms.-History of the encyclopedia:...
. Larkin set about polling several thousand people via a printed voting form, left in Record shop
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
s and sent to schools and Universities. The result was the first edition of the All Time Top 1000 Albums, published in 1994.
By 1998 Larkin's publisher was Virgin Books
Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
, and the second edition was prepared using the continuing votes received over the previous 4 years.
As a result of the publicity garnered by the Encyclopedia and the first edition, Larkin was able to ask for votes during his numerous radio Broadcasts for BBC GLR, now BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9
BBC London 94.9 is London's BBC Local Radio station, and part of BBC London. Broadcasting across Greater London and beyond on 94.9 FM, DAB, Virgin Media Channel 930, Sky Channel 0152 and also online...
. The votes topped 100,000 and the 2nd edition sold 38,000 copies. In 1999 Virgin published a mini pocket edition followed by the 3rd Edition published in 2000, by which time the ongoing poll had reached over 200,000 votes cast. In September 2000, BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
reported the 'head to head' battle between the two bands who took the top four positions on the list:
"The Beatles' classic album Revolver was voted the greatest record of all time in the survey of more than 200,000 people but Radiohead's album The Bends took second spot. The Beatles and Radiohead go head to head with two albums apiece in the top four, which will be published as part of the latest edition of the Virgin All Time Top 1,000 Albums."
Legacy
By 2005 the book had run its course and a plethora of websites using the Virgin All Time Top 1000 Albums' lists , demonstrated that the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
reflected current opinion in a much swifter way than any printed book could. In 2008 Larkin co-founded a company to launch a beta website '1000Greatest.com' inviting the public to express their opinions on Albums, Movies, Novels and Singles. This beta site morphed into an altogether more ambitious internet based project "Best Things On Earth" (or Btoe.com). The basis for the Best Album On Earth list on the Best Things On Earth site, are the votes collected, over what by then amounted to 17 years, for the original All Time Top 1000 Albums books.
Editions
- All Time Top 1000 Albums, Guinness Publishing, 1994, ed. Colin Larkin
- All Time Top 1000 Albums, 2nd Edition, Virgin Books, 1998, ed. Colin Larkin
- All Time Top 1000 Albums, Pocket Edition, Virgin Books, 1999, ed. Colin Larkin
- All Time Top 1000 Albums, 3rd Edition, Virgin Books, 2000, ed. Colin Larkin