Apple names ‘History’s 100 Best Albums’

Apple Music is revealing its list of the 100 greatest albums of all time in a celebratory list curated by their editorial team in collaboration with a select group of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry experts.

Thirty albums have been revealed so far, including: Hotel California (Eagles), Astroworld (Travis Scott), Confessions (Usher), Flower Boy (Tyler, The Creator), Back in Black (AC/DC), and I Put a Spell on You (Nina Simone). The reveal will continue daily, showcasing 10 new albums each day until 22 May 2024, when the full list will be completed.

“100 Best brings together all the things that make Apple Music the ultimate service for music lovers — human curation at its peak, an appreciation for the art of storytelling, and unparalleled knowledge of music and an even deeper love for it,” said Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s senior director of content and editorial. “We have been working on this for a very long time, and it’s something we are all incredibly proud of and excited to share with the world.”

Scott Plagenhoef, Apple Music’s global head of music programming, said: “There are so many fun facts for our listeners to discover about these albums. For example, two of the records revealed were promoted without the image of the artist, but for opposite reasons — Burial’s Untrue because the artist was still operating anonymously at the time, and George Michael’s Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 because the artist was actually retreating from fame.”

To date (16 May 2024), 30 albums have been revealed on the dedicated microsite on which one can listen to the music, read an analysis of each album, and view archival interviews.

Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1, said: “Putting this list together was a true labour of love, both in that it was incredibly difficult to do and in that we are all so passionate about it.”

“We were tasked with selecting the 100 best — that’s practically mission impossible. But as music fans, it was also amazing to really take a minute and sit and think about the music and albums and artists that we love so much in this context. If this list sparks more debate among fans outside of Apple Music and gets people talking passionately about the music they love, then we’ve done what we set out to do.”

A roundtable discussion will be broadcast globally on Apple Music upon the completion of the list next week, featuring guest artists Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rogers. They will reflect on the list alongside Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden. Lowe will also curate a mashup-style DJ mix featuring songs from the list.

Artists featured on the list will receive an award comprised of blasted anodised aluminium, sourced entirely from recycled Apple products, in a polished PVD gold. The design on the back of the award takes its cues from a vinyl LP record and is inscribed with the artist’s name, album’s title, and album’s year of release.

* Visit Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list here.