26 Rock Albums That Upped Their Ranking on Rolling Stone's New Best Albums of All Time List

Rage Against the Machine, NIN, RHCP, Metallica, Black Sabbath and Nirvana album covers

Epic/Interscope/Warner Bros./Blackened/Warner Bros./UMG

Rolling Stone created a lot of buzz this week when they released an updated version of their 500 Best Albums of All Time list.

Originally released in 2003, the list was predominantly rock-based. In 2020, rock still has a strong presence on the list, but there is definitely more rap, hip-hop, pop and country influence, which can largely be attributed to a more diverse voting block of musicians, industry professionals and journalists.

While a number of albums saw their 2003 ranking drop significantly, the 26 albums below saw their ranking rise at least 50 places or more on the 2020 list.

So, which albums received more love this time around? Scroll through the gallery below to find out!

Radiohead, 'OK Computer'

XL Recordings

Liz Phair, 'Exile in Guyville'

Matador

Alanis Morissette, 'Jagged Little Pill'

Maverick

The Stooges, 'Fun House'

Elektra

R.E.M., 'Automatic for the People'

Craft Recordings

Metallica, 'Master of Puppets'

Blackened

Hole, 'Live Through This'

Geffen

The Smiths, 'The Queen Is Dead'

Warner Bros.

The Strokes, 'Is This It'

Sony

The Cure, 'Disintegration'

Elektra

Nine Inch Nails, 'The Downward Spiral'

Interscope

Queen, 'A Night at the Opera'

Hollywood Records

Pixies, 'Doolittle'

4AD

The Replacements, 'Let it Be'

Ryko

Oasis, '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'

Big Brother Recordings Limited

Depeche Mode, 'Violator'

Sony

Nirvana, 'In Utero'

UMG

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'

Warner Bros.

Rage Against the Machine, 'Rage Against the Machine'

Epic

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 'Damn the Torpedoes'

UMG

Black Sabbath, 'Master of Reality'

Warner Bros.

Pink Floyd, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'

Legacy

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Californication'

Warner Bros.

Van Halen, 'Van Halen'

Warner Bros.

Radiohead, 'Kid A'

Xl Recordings

Coldplay, 'A Rush of Blood to the Head'

Parlophone

Erica Banas // Rock Music ReporterWriter

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights

26 Rock Albums That Upped Their Ranking on Rolling Stone’s New Best Albums of All Time List

Rolling Stone created a lot of buzz this week when they released an updated version of their 500 Best Albums of All Time list. Originally released in 2003, the list…

Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Radiohead, 'OK Computer'

Liz Phair, 'Exile in Guyville'

Alanis Morissette, 'Jagged Little Pill'

The Stooges, 'Fun House'

R.E.M., 'Automatic for the People'

Metallica, 'Master of Puppets'

Hole, 'Live Through This'

The Smiths, 'The Queen Is Dead'

The Strokes, 'Is This It'

The Cure, 'Disintegration'

Nine Inch Nails, 'The Downward Spiral'

Queen, 'A Night at the Opera'

Pixies, 'Doolittle'

The Replacements, 'Let it Be'

Oasis, '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'

Depeche Mode, 'Violator'

Nirvana, 'In Utero'

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Blood Sugar Sex Magik'

Rage Against the Machine, 'Rage Against the Machine'

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 'Damn the Torpedoes'

Black Sabbath, 'Master of Reality'

Pink Floyd, 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'

Red Hot Chili Peppers, 'Californication'

Van Halen, 'Van Halen'

Radiohead, 'Kid A'

Coldplay, 'A Rush of Blood to the Head'

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