One reason I respect the Catholic Church is that they’ve never felt the need to bow to cultural pressure. Their positions change and soften over time but it’s never immediate. So it was still a shocker when the Vatican’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, announced their Top 10 Rock Albums. I’m not surprised that many priests like rock music – most of them grew up with it – but I was surprised that a group of priests got together and decided on the Vatican’s Top 10 Rock Albums.
The Beatles’ 1967 album Revolver got the top spot (as it does on most lists) but the other albums listed were Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Oasis’s What’s the Story, Morning Glory, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors, U2’s Achtung Baby, Santana’s Supernatural, Paul Simon’s Graceland, Donald Fagen’s Nightfly, and David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name.
Some of them – like Thriller and Achtung Baby – have been on many people’s Top 10 Lists but there are a few that come out of
left field. Like Oasis’s What’s the Story, Morning Glory. I really like this album but I’m kind of surprised anyone would put it in their Top 10. Santana’s Supernatural is an odd choice too – but who can resist the allure of “Smooth”?
Then there are the really odd ones: Donald Fagen and David Crosby. I’m sure Donald Fagen’s album is amazing but is it as amazing as his first band Steely Dan’s Countdown to Ecstasy or Pretzel Logic? Probably not. And David Crosby? I’ve never even heard of that album. But given Crosby’s history of drug use I do find the title If I Could Only Remember My Name pretty hilarious.
[NOTE: I can't believe I'm actually dissecting the Vatican's Top 10 Rock Albums list. These are strange times.]
Some of you might be saying “hey, where’s the Bob Dylan?” I didn’t think that because Bob Dylan is almost always a lackluster musician, performer, and songwriter. But the Vatican’s response to that question, which they knew would be posed, is hilarious:
“The article by Giuseppe Fiorentino and Gaetano Vallini said that Dylan was excluded from the list despite his “great poetic vein” because he paved the way for generations of unprofessional singer-songwriters who have “harshly tested the ears and patience of listeners” with their tormented stories.” (Courtesy of the WSJ Article)
Nice! Even die hard Bob Dylan fans can’t argue with the atrocities committed by those who followed in Bob’s wake.
But what do you think about the Vatican’s list?
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