It's Only Rock-n-Roll

"There aren't 41 best Prine songs," rock critic Robert Christgau wrote back in 1993 with the release of John Prine's Anthology album. "There are 50, 60, maybe more." Twenty-seven years later, let me just cut to the chase and say there's a truck load more. Shit, I've got over a hundred on my iPhone and I'm still counting. "Illegal Smile," "Hello In There," " Sam Stone," Paradise," "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore," "Angel From Montgomery," "Donald and Lydia," "Souvenirs," "Yes I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You," "Please Don't Bury Me," "Christmas in Prison," "Dear Abby," "Blue Umbrella," "Often Is a Word I Seldom Use," "Grandpa Was a Carpenter," "Wedding Day in Funeralville," "My Own Best Friend," "He Was in Heaven Before He Died," and...

With the close of the second decade of the 21st century, I thought I'd put together a list of the best albums of all time. Unlike past lists, I decided to break it up by genre and cap each at ten. There's a limit of one album per artist or band; hence no double dipping. Obviously when you're dealing with a self-imposed limit, some tough choices have to be made. As a result there were a few notable exclusions in each genre. Like the perfectionist that I am, I kept tweaking it right up till the end. A few explanations, I feel, are in order. First, concerning the Beatles, I opted for Abbey Road over Sgt. Pepper's or Rubber Soul because I believe it was the better album. It was for that reason that I chose Michael Jackson's Off the Wall over Thriller . It was simply a better album. Then there was my decision to include two reggae albums in the World Music genre. I felt is was warranted based on the fact that they belong there. And as I'm sure you've...