Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Rolling Stone writers Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos discuss the all-new reboot of one of the most hotly debated lists in the music world.

In partnership with Abrams, Rolling Stone has created an oversized companion book to celebrate the all-new 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, telling the stories behind every album through incredible Rolling Stone photography, original album art, Rolling Stone’s unique critical commentary, breakout pieces on the making of key albums, and archival interviews.

This brand new anthology is based on Rolling Stone’s 2020 reboot of the original 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, launched in 2003 and last updated in 2012, polling the industry’s most celebrated artists, producers, executives, and journalists to create the ranking. The voters include both classic and contemporary artists, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish; rising artists like H.E.R., Tierra Whack, and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail; as well as veteran musicians, such as Adam Clayton and the Edge of U2, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Gene Simmons, and Stevie Nicks. The book is boldly designed, includes hundreds of images, and is packed with surprises and insights for music fans of all ages.

Rob Sheffield is a longtime writer and contributing editor for Rolling Stone. He is the New York Times best-selling author of books including Love Is A Mix Tape, Talking To Girls About Duran Duran, Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke, On Bowie, and Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World.

Brittany Spanos is a Senior Writer at Rolling Stone, with a focus on pop music and internet culture.

Prior to taking on her role at RS, Spanos worked as the Clubs Editor at Village Voice, handling concert listings for the paper while contributing interviews and review to its music blog on both local, emerging artists as well as established stars.

As a freelancer, Spanos’ work was featured in Vulture, SPIN, Pitchfork, Cosmo and Rookie Mag. She has presented at the annual Pop Conference and served on its 2021 Programming Committee. She has been teaching a class on Taylor Swift at NYU's Clive Davis School of Recorded Music since Spring 2022. In her spare time, she dreams of a One Direction reunion.

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