Top 500 Christians albums of all-time

[wiley16350]

I need to rant; I have been watching this list of the top 500 Christian albums of all-time. Seeing where Petra ranks (http://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/). So far Petra has made it onto the list at 493. Back To the Street 177. Beat The System and 113. More Power to Ya. After I commented that I hope to see more Petra in the top 50, others commented that more than likely that would not be the case. I find that reprehensible. One of the most accomplished Christian bands in history can’t place an album in the top 50. Especially, since their best albums haven’t even made it onto the list of 500. I tried to listen to some of those albums listed and I don’t see the appeal. It frustrates me when critics value the artistic and creative aspects more than the entertaining and emotional aspects of music. The majority of people creates and listens to music for the emotional and entertaining aspects. So why those aspects are devalued by critics is something I don’t understand. The best songs incorporate it all, but I’d rather listen to a song that I can connect to emotionally over a song that incorporates complicated musical compositions or thought provoking lyrics that have no emotional value. Songs that tend to incorporate the more artistic components aren’t as pleasing as a whole. You have to focus on one aspect to appreciate it. So a song of this type might have a great lyric, but the music behind it might not fit the lyric perfectly or it is bland so it takes away from the overall feel of the song. Or the song may have a complicated musical composition but the lyrics and vocals don’t really fit and it takes away from the song as a whole. I feel most musicians can learn to play and create complicated musical pieces and come up with thought provoking lyrics. The hardest part is to combine the two into a song that is pleasing as a whole. Most people listen to music as a whole and that is why simpler songs in terms of lyrics and music can be more enjoyable than songs that are more complicated. And while those songs seem simpler, they can be harder to write when trying to combine the perfect lyric/ vocal and music. To me, Petra is a band that gets it all right the majority of time. The majority of Petra albums are enjoyable from start to finish and the majority of the songs have their own feel. They may not play the most complicated musical compositions or come up with the most intelligent thought provoking lyrics. But their lyrics are strong and have a lot of value in conveying feelings and a message. And their music is full of hooks, melodies and the like. And they combine the two with vocals that are able to get people to connect with their music better than most bands. That is why they sell and that is why they have been one of the best bands in Christian music history. That is why they deserve many albums in the top 50 and it’s a great travesty if they don’t get a single one. Because there are many albums on that list that I find unlistenable because the artist didn’t create something that I could connect too. And if those albums aren’t top sellers, you can bet that it was because the majority of people couldn’t connect to it either. Great music combines all aspects (artistic and emotional values). If it lacks in either then how great is it really? Petra’s music is unique; they didn’t sound like anyone else, wrote lyrics with meaning and great emotional value and as their record sales show, they knew how to write music that people could connect with. I doubt there are many bands out there that experimented with different styles and sounds as much as Petra did over the years and was as successful at each and every one they tried. Simply put, Petra is one of the best bands of all-time and if they can’t get into the top 50 of all-time then there is something wrong with the ability of that person to judge what good music is.

[pmal]

There's another topic about this on the forum somewhere that deals with where this happened at another that site as well. These lists are totally subjective but the angle is clear. Simply put, some people are trying to re-write the history books by inserting lesser works ahead of Petra's that fit more into what their idea of music was at the time. You can argue as to why (production outdated, doesn't stand up over time as well, etc.) but that is the result. It's absolutely garbage and insulting to anyone who actually listened to the music of that era. They can continue to make up all of these fake lists if they want but they can't take away the number of sales and awards that say otherwise. So, I always "point to the scoreboard" in those situations and that is usually all it takes.

[brent]

If Petra does not make the 500, the people writing the list are complete idiots.

[Preacherman777]

Would be interesting to see such a list that was totally based on sales and not on opinions.

[brent]

Some people would say Metallica is the best metal band. I think they suck. Musically they are super simple and bland. But, if we go by sales, the head shakin' sheep buy more of that garbage than anything else almost. So, you are right. One mans McDonalds is another mans Ruths Chris.

[Preacherman777]

Sure, but I'd much rather know what music fans at large think is the best than what critics think is the best. My experience with critics in almost every genre is that they wouldn't know a good thing if it bit in the rump.

[executioner]

I do remember most reviews and critics never really being too kind to Petra back in the 80's; for the most part it really bothered them that Petra was so dominate sales wise back in the day.

[wiley16350]

Some people would say Metallica is the best metal band. I think they suck. Musically they are super simple and bland. But, if we go by sales, the head shakin' sheep buy more of that garbage than anything else almost. So, you are right. One mans McDonalds is another mans Ruths Chris.

This is the exact sediment that I was ranting about. People that believe music sucks just because the composition is simple in terms of how hard it is to play the piece and then think people listen to it just because it is popular. Most people listen to music for the emotional value of music and not the talent that it takes to play the musical piece. Majority of people like me can't even play an instrument so we don't judge a song on how hard it is to play because we can't play any of it. I'm not the biggest Metallica fan but I do like some of their music. The black album is my favorite. The black album may not be full of complicated music compositions, but it does have a great combination of hooks, melodies, lyrics and vocals that make for a great listening experience for the majority of people. Outside of people like you, that listens to music for the talent of playing an instrument. What people like you don't tend to realize is that you are the minority and music isn't just about the ability to play. Music is written and listened to primarily for expressing thoughts and emotions by the writer or listener. So if a song can connect with many people because of its emotional or thought value then it is a good song. Just because it isn't highly complicated doesn't mean it sucks. I'm also not saying that just because it's popular doesn't make it good either. The greatest songs have all aspects. And a great musical composition doesn't have to be highly complicated either. The ability to mix a great hook, melody or music with a great lyric and vocals takes talent also. There are many songs that are brought down by not having one or two of those aspects. People like you tend to like death metal or other kinds of metal because of the talent it takes to play those songs. Which is fine, but it is pretty easy to write more complicated musical compositions when you don’t have to match the music with vocals and lyrics. I can get into those types of songs until I hear the singer start. Then it is a total turnoff. I can’t get past the vocals to appreciate the music. But that is a personal opinion. I recognize their ability to play instruments. But I question their ability to actually write a good complete song. I’d take a band like Petra, Shinedown or Hurt over any death metal band because those bands are good at writing songs that combine all aspects of musical ability. The instrumental parts that they write just seem to fit perfectly for the lyrics and vocals for each song. They are capable of writing different styles and each song has its own feel. The singers are capable of changing their range, tone, tempo and style to fit the lyric and music. So just about every song they do sounds good. I would bet that if they wanted they could make music comparable to what death metal type bands do. But I’m not so sure that a death metal band could make a complete song with lyric, vocal and instruments which gel into a cohesive pleasurable listening experience that makes you feel the emotion the artists wants to convey.

[brent]

And that is why lists are retarded...no matter what they are. Everyone relates to music differently. All one needs to do is look at another person's ipod or playlist on their computer. If they could tell you the story behind the top 20 most favorite tunes and how the tunes relate to them, you would likely get a nice little look into what makes them tick.