.Here is the List of “Influential Albums,” Which Incidentally is Bullshit

Facebook has been abuzz in the last few days with this moronic “Influential Albums” quiz, which users must hand over their personal information in order to take, and then watch as the app automatically posts the results on their wall. Strike one. Also, the 100 albums deemed “influential” are nearly all rock. Strike two. Finally, the mere existence of a list purporting to encompass the 100 most “influential” albums with the implication that if you don’t own these albums you are a substandard music listener is total bullshit and everyone knows it and I feel stupid even getting worked up about it because that’s what these trolling lists are designed to do in the first place but fuck it. Strike three. You know what your most influential albums are? ALL THE ALBUMS YOU OWN, HOLMES. (That’s coming from someone who owns a lot of these albums.)
So anyway, if you want to know what some guy with a computer decided are the most “influential” albums, here’s the list:
The Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow
Ride – Nowhere
Wire – Chairs Missing
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Psychocandy
Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold As Love
New Order – Technique
Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson
Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See
Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica
Elliott Smith – Roman Candle
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Tim Buckley – Goodbye And Hello
Big Star – Third/Sister Lovers
Incredible String Band – The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Van Morrison Astral Weeks
Yes – Close To The Edge
Pink Floyd – The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
T. Rex – Electric Warrior
Talking Heads – Remain In Light
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
The Flying Burrito Brothers – The Gilded Palace Of Sin
The Fall – Perverted By Language
Blur – Parklife
The Stooges – Fun House
Love – Forever Changes
Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
Magazine – Real Life
Slint – Spiderland
XTC – Drums and Wires
Donovan – A Gift From a Flower to a Garden
The The – Soul Mining
Nirvana – Nevermind
Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
Lou Reed – Transformer
The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
AC/DC – Back in Black
Joy Division – Closer
Bert Jansch – Bert Jansch
The Go-Betweens – Before Hollywood
The Cure – Disintegration
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Pere Ubu – The Modern Dance
Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
Belle And Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
The Breeders – Last Splash
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
David Bowie – Hunky Dory
Ramones – Ramones
Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory
King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around
Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
The Strokes – Is this It?
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV
Massive Attack – Blue Lines
Slowdive – Souvlaki
REM – Automatic for the People
Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks
Patti Smith – Horses
Gerry Rafferty – City to City
The Chameleons – Script of The Bridge
Brian Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets
Roy Harper – Stormcock
John Cale – Paris
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground
Spritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space
The White Stripes – Elephant
Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Felt – The Strange Idols Pattern And Other Short Stories
The Clash – London Calling
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
John Martyn – Solid Air
The Delgados – Peloton
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
Super Furry Animals – Radiator
Cream – Disraeli Gears
I Am Kloot – Gods And Monsters
Pixies – Doolittle
The Wedding Present – George Best
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out
The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
The Beatles – Revolver
The Kinks – Face to Face
Television – Marquee Moon
Can – Tago Mago
Radiohead – OK Computer
The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street
Joni Mitchell – Hejira
Kraftwerk – Computer World
Primal Scream – Screamadelica