READERS AS CRITICS: BEATLES STILL FAB

After just one day of listening to U2’s new “The Joshua Tree,” Robert Kinsler of Huntington Beach felt confident enough to declare it one of the 10 best rock albums ever made.

“Who cares if this album only came out yesterday?” Kinsler said in responding to a Calendar invitation for readers to name the greatest rock LPs of all time. “I never knew rock could sound this beautiful.”

Most of the 291 readers who mailed in Top 10 lists, however, felt that albums need to stand more of a test of time. Only four albums from the ‘80s--two of them by Bruce Springsteen--made the readers’ final Top 20, and only 12 post-1976 collections finished in the Top 40.

The landslide winner: the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

In naming the 1967 release his first choice, reader Ed Wolfman of Manhattan Beach wrote, “(It’s) the Mona Lisa of rock. Rock’s greatest band at its creative peak. Every listening underscores what a remarkable achievement this album is. No one else could have pulled it off.”

By giving “Pepper’s” almost twice as many points as its closest rival, the Rolling Stones’ 1972 “Exile on Main Street,” readers seconded the decision of 100 critics and broadcasters who were questioned by British journalist Paul Gambaccini in connection with his recent book, “The 100 Rock ‘n’ Roll Albums” (Harmony paperback).

About “Pepper’s,” Bob Jameson of Sepulveda wrote, “This album proved that rock/pop was not a fad. It also established recording standards. The definitive sound that is as fresh and exciting today as it was 20 years ago.”

The Beatles also registered more albums than any other act on the list of the 40 LPs getting the most reader votes: five. The Stones again were runners-up with four albums on the list. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and the Who each placed three LPs on the list.

Analyzing the winners’ list: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Exile on Main Street” could hardly be more dissimilar. “Pepper’s” wasn’t the Beatles’ most intimate or endearing album (try “Rubber Soul”), but it is prized because of its almost intoxicating ambition. More important than the actual music, the loosely knit concept LP stands as a symbol of the social/cultural youth explosion of the ‘60s.

Indeed, “Pepper’s”--with its psychedelic overtones in both the music and album packaging--was a virtual declaration of independence--the bold assertion by a new generation that it wanted to be taken seriously. Almost singlehandedly, the LP confirmed rock’s arrival as an art form. The musical tone--mostly supplied by Paul McCartney--was generally upbeat and hopeful.

“Exile,” by contrast, was an almost equally ambitious double album that rejected the tidiness and studio sophistication of “Pepper’s”--and the whole often pretentious art-rock movement that the Beatles’ album inspired. In “Exile,” the Stones moved in two directions at once. The album started out, in songs like “Rocks Off” and the exquisite “Tumbling Dice,” celebrating the energy and excitement of the rock ‘n’ roll experience.

But the album eventually centered on an exploration of the corrupting, hedonistic excesses surrounding that life style. The implications came across as so frightening that even the Stones themselves seemed unsettled--and have never again approached their music with such fearless passion. The group’s subsequent flirtations with the wild side (“Dancing with Mr. D”) seemed merely cartoonish by comparison.

Listening to the albums again, it’s hard to imagine that five years separated them. Where “Pepper’s” celebrated the birth of a new age, “Exile” was all but an epitaph. On balance, the albums showcase the optimism and darkness of life--and “Exile,” in its brutal power, turned out ironically to be as much a confirmation of rock as a legitimate art form as “Pepper’s.”

Critics versus Fans: There was far more agreement between Calendar readers and Gambaccini’s critics than might be expected, given the periodic charges that critics tend to be too esoteric, too much into the “significance” of music as opposed to simply the enjoyment of music.

Four of the Top 10 albums in the Times poll also finished in the Top 10 in Gambaccini’s critics’ survey. Besides “Sgt. Pepper’s,” they were “Sun Sessions” (No. 6 in Gambaccini), Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” (No. 3) and Springsteen’s “Born to Run” (No. 2).

Looking at the lists more broadly, 15 of the albums that made the readers’ Top 20 finished among the first 40 in the Gambaccini critics/broadcasters poll.

There were, however, major differences. David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” for instance, barely made the critics’ Top 100 (sneaking in at No. 90), while several albums on the readers’ list didn’t make the critics’ Top 100 at all: Springsteen’s “The River,” U2’s “War,” Led Zeppelin’s “IV,” the Who’s “Tommy,” Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” “The Ramones,” the Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” and “Some Girls,” the Who’s “Quadrophenia,” John Lennon’s “Plastic Ono Band” and “The Doors.” Gabriel’s “So” and Simon’s “Graceland” hadn’t been released when the critics’ poll was taken.

Jackson/Prince Backlash?: The biggest surprise may have been the absence on the readers’ list of two of today’s biggest sellers--Michael Jackson and Prince. Both artists would most certainly have received considerable support if the poll had been conducted a couple of years ago during the height of the “Thriller” / “Purple Rain” successes.

But only two readers included “Thriller” anywhere in their Top 10 even though it is the biggest-selling album in history, and finished 23rd in the Gambaccini poll. Prince, too, only received a scattering of support. The poor showings suggest that both artists may be suffering from a backlash, though the strong initial sales showing for Prince’s new “Sign ‘O’ the Times” demonstrates how quickly backlash can be overcome.

Some of the readers didn’t just vote like critics, they also wrote like critics.

In nominating Iggy Pop’s “Soldier” as the best rock album ever, John Grula of Pasadena wrote, “No one’s ever topped the attitude that’s found on this album. Shakespearean in dimension and complexity, and Lear’s fool himself couldn’t have sung it any better. Also, rock’s most humorous album. Must be heard to be believed; and when it is, just about everything else will seem like a cliche.”

Mark Devey of Chino nominated “Exile on Main Street” by noting, “Rock critic Nik Cohn once wrote that if a Martian flew into his window and asked him to show him what rock ‘n’ roll was all about, he would play this album--and so would I.”

Steve Taylor of Glendale called “Who’s Next” the classic rock album. “Townshend’s songwriting, Daltrey’s singing and Moon’s frenetic drumming all come together on this tremendously original and influential album. Daltrey’s scream on ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ is the best in rock history.”

About the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” Stephen Neill of Carson wrote, “This is an album chock-full of hopes and dreams that are crushed at every turn, from the opening prayer for happiness (“Wouldn’t It Be Nice”) through the final betrayal of innocence lost forever (“Caroline No”). Musically so heartfelt it’s scary, and sometimes so majestic (‘God Only Knows’) one can only marvel at how it could possibly come from such deep pain.”

Bob Dylan’s most controversial album, “Slow Train Coming,” was endorsed by Tom Feuer of Inglewood in these terms: “ ‘Slow Train Coming’ was totally misunderstood by most critics. It imparts a universal message which has nothing to do with religion per se (and this is an atheist writing). Dylan writes that you have to ‘serve somebody,’ and that does not necessarily mean Jesus Christ. Instead, one must answer to one’s own self. . . . This collection validates my point that humans reach their combined physical/emotional/intellectual peak between the ages of 37 and 39. Dylan was 38 the year ‘Slow Train Coming’ was released.”

How do you judge an album? Is sheer listening pleasure more important than cultural and historic importance? Are musicianship and vocal technique essential qualities of a great album? Or do passion and originality count for everything?

Tom Chapman of Irvine supplied the most comprehensive system. He feels all these elements should be weighed (though not necessarily in any order): longevity, cultural impact, musicianship, songwriting, production, performance, originality, soul, continuity--and finally: “my subjective taste.”

Calendar received some ballots that reflected quite focused tastes. V. Valle, 16, La Puente, placed six Doors albums in his Top 10. Joseph Horne, Covina, is a reader with a fondness for art rock and Peter Gabriel. He listed three Peter Gabriel-era Genesis albums, a Peter Gabriel album and a Marillion LP. However, many ballots exhibited a healthy diversity.

Amanda Osborne, Santa Monica:

1. The Who’s “Quadrophenia.”

2. “Peter Gabriel III.”

3. Public Image Ltd.’s “Album” and “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.”

4. “The Wall.”

5. Cream’s “Wheels of Fire.”

6. “The Beatles.”

7. The Doors’ “Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine.”

8. AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood You’ve Got It.”

9. Killing Joke’s “What’s This For?”

10. Van Der Graaf Generator’s “Pawn Hearts.”

And here is the list submitted by David Webb, of Long Beach:

1. Bob Dylan’s “The Royal Albert Hall Concert” (bootleg)

2. Brian Eno’s “Another Green World.”

3. Robert Johnson’s “King of the Delta Blues.”

4. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band’s “Clear Spot.”

5. Van Morrison’s “Veedon Fleece.”

6. John Cale’s “Paris 1919.”

7. Big Star’s “Third.”

8. Wire’s “154.”

9. Pink Floyd’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.”

10. Can’s “Tango Mago.”

And finally the diverse choices of Paul Body, Los Angeles:

1. Prince’s “1999.”

2. “Exile on Main Street.”

3. “Blonde on Blonde.”

4. “James Bropwn Live at the Apollo.”

5. “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.”

6. “Beatles for Sale” and “The Beatles.”

7. Sonny Boy Williamson’s “This Is My Story.”

8. Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Live.”

9. Elvis Presley’s “Elvis.”

10. Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Landyland” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Willie and the Poor Boys.”

And there was one reader who felt the whole survey--and rock criticism in general--is far too high-minded. So, the anonymous reader poked fun at our poll by drafting a list of his 2 1/2-year-old daughter’s favorite discs. The list was written on an oversized paper scrawled with random crayon markings.

Among daughter Laureen’s fave works: Barbie & the Rockers’ “The Rocker’s Theme,” Josie Cotton’s “Convertible Music,” Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and the “Gumby Theme.”

And one reader--Bill Wyman, who writes about pop music for the San Francisco Bay Guardian--even posed a question for further study. A champion of contemporary rock, Wyman was upset that the critics and broadcasters who participated in Gambaccini’s poll leaned so heavily on ‘60s albums. What about the music since the punk revolution in 1976? What about Elvis Costello, the Clash, Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, etc?

What indeed?

What are the best albums of the last 10 years?

Sounds like it’s time for another Top 10.

Stay tuned.