‘The Shape of Jazz to Come’ voted best music album of all time
- By Brent Meslow
- Los Angeles
- Last updated on
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According to the latest Watch and Listen magazine poll just out yesterday (Saturday, September 7), Ornette Coleman 1959's hit album The Shape of Jazz to Come is now considered to be the Greatest Album in the History of Music.
UPDATE 08/09/2024 : This story seems to be false. (read more)
Top 100 music albums of all time
To many of you it’s probably a familiar story. Once every decade, the world-renowned music magazine Watch and Listen conducts a global poll of music producers and critics from 80 different countries and translated into 20 languages. The recognition of The Shape of Jazz to Come in this decade's list doesn't come as much of a surprise.
Here are the top 5 best albums ever recorded in the world, according to the poll (followed by the percentage of votes):
- The Shape of Jazz to Come (Ornette Coleman, 1959) : 45%
- Thriller (Michael Jackson, 1982) : 23%
- Nevermind (Nirvana, 1991) : 7%
- Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys, 1966) : 6%
- Back to Black (Amy Winehouse, 2006) : 5%
Check out: The Full Watch and Listen's “Greatest Albums of All Time” List for 2024
Poll results stir controversy among music critics
While millions of Coleman's fans around the world were thrilled with the news, questions have been raised about the objectivity and fairness of the survey. Only a few minutes after the poll had been released, famous music critic and newspaper director Simon Ebert commented on his Twitter account:
Ornette Coleman?? The Shape of Jazz to Come?? … Really??
— Simon Ebert (@ESimon) 7 September 2024
“Our poll has in the past been the subject of criticism”, explains Watch and Listen's editor Gary McDermott, adding that “its prestige comes from its exclusivity and its longevity” (the poll has been run every ten years since September 1934).
Do you agree with this poll? Is the Shape of Jazz to Come the best music album ever for you?
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