Merele Haggard: Branded Man (1967)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2013 rank: 484/NA
Pure Bakersfield gold, with barely a bum track. One of those albums that perfectly encapsulates both a man and a moment, with Hag's voice just beginning to show the gruffness that makes his hard knock tales ring true. Fave song: I Threw Away the Rose | LET ON
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 485/478
Here's why compilations on the list are dumb. This one is fine but not better than at least two others from her, or than the actual album that replaced it, which has fewer bangers but is a more cohesive experience 👇. Fave song: You Ain't Woman Enough | LET GO
The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 487/NA
First 6 months: Listen to entire 2 hours obsessively
Next 2 years: Listen to favorite tracks regularly
Next 27.5 years: Oh yeah, I kinda remember that album
Still has great tracks though. Love how it weds 90s grunge and 70s grandeur. Fave song: 1979 | LET GO
Steve Earle: Guitar Town (1986)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 489/482
Proto alt-country before the raw aesthetic fully kicked in. I like a little pop flavor with my twang and this album strikes a perfect balance. I'd probably put Copperhead Road on the list before this, but I'd also put this. Fave song: Guitar Town | LET ON
Mott The Hoople: All the Young Dudes (1972)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 491/484
A treat to listen to this for the first time, having gotten sick of the radio-staple title track before I'd ever given it a chance. The heavy Stones influence gives a bluesy edge to the Bowie glam. Fave song (still sick of it but): All the Young Dudes | LET GO
Pearl Jam: Vitalogy (1994)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 493/485
I was never a Pearl Jam fan so I don't know why this was the one album that was ever on the RS500 or why it dropped off, though I'm not about to argue with either choice. Interesting variety of styles, if none I particularly love. Fave song: Corduroy | LET GO
Kiss: Destroyer (1976)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 496/489
A triumph of attitude over ability. The musicianship is rudimentary and the songwriting ridiculous but the vibes are immaculate. Anticipates the glam metal of the 80s but still feels grounded in white working class realism. Fave song: Shout It Out Loud | LET ON
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 497/NA
An incredibly important album, both in music history and for anyone who was college freshman in 1987. But second-wave hip hop and PE specifically are now well-represented since the 2020 revamp with even better albums. Fave song: You're Gonna Get Yours | LET GO
ZZ Top: Tres Hombres (1973)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 498/490
As a slick 80s pop group ZZ Top had enough scuzzy blues to give them a cool edge. On this suzzy 70s blues album they have too much slick pop to sustain any soul or depth. Some nice touches but too corny overall. Fave song: Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers | Let Go
Albert King: Born Under a Bad SIgn (1967)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 499/491
There was a time when I worshipped at the guitar god altar and woulda absolutely reinstated this to the list. Even now I wouldn't object if it were still on. But it's less my thing these days so I can live without. Fave song: As The Years Go Passing By | Let Go
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: 500/492
As noted previously, the fact that this brilliant album barely hung on to the earlier lists before falling off in 2020 epitomizes the RS500's failure to appreciate 80s pop. Operating on a whole other level from most MTV acts. Fave song: Who's That Girl | Let On
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 ranks: na/22
The establishment fetishization of Johnson comes in waves. He doesn't make the 03 list at all, nearly tops the 12 list with this beast, then settles near the bottom with his more modest (and significant) original collection. Fave song: Phonograph Blues | LET GO
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/59
I've said from the start that greatest hits records shouldn't be on the list but since they are, should this one be? I love all the songs but as an album it's a bit flat. Shockingly CCR doesn't have a meaty retrospective box set! Fave song: Fortunate Son | LET GO
Bob Dylan: Modern Times 2006
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/204
Believe it or not I wasn't automatically going to let this back on. I don't love it as much as many fans and there are overlooked Dylan albums I'd make room for first. But this listen hit me hard and I'm re-evaluating. Fave song: When the Deal Goes Down | LET ON
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/320
Looking back at my original #RS500 posts about Radiohead, the lower an album was ranked, the more I liked it. So I could have loved this one for getting the boot, but no I hated it almost as much as their top ranked Kid A. Fave song: You & Whose Army | Let Go
Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am 2006
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/371
Never listened to this at all and I like it a whole lot! Has much more classic britpop/garage rudeness than the later stuff I know. Maybe it's all bs but feels like it's plumbing a subculture in an authentic and cool way. Fave song: I Bet You Look Good | Let On
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/381
In 2012, the first new list after Smile Sessions and BW Presents came out, RS chose Sessions. In 2020 it replaced SS with BWP. A tough call but correct. SS is vital history and its highs are unparalleled but BWP is a better listen. Fave song: Surf's Up | Let Go
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/393
It's funny to read my post about Arular because listening to Kala I thought, not bad but a bit on the clubby side for me compared with the street sound of her first album and now I see I said the same thing a year ago in reverse. Fave song: Paper Planes | Let Go
Bruce Springsteen: The Rising (2002)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/424
Elder statesman 9/11 concept album? I'd have guessed "made the list in 03 then quietly dropped off in 12 when people came to their senses" not the other way around. I kinda remembered liking a few tracks, but not so much anymore. Fave song: The Rising | Let Go
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/430
Another album I wasn't too familiar with. Charming for sure, and some catchy tunes, but I didn't like it as much as Modern Vampires. It feels like more sophisticated but less fun TMBG. And the afropop elements seem a little off? Fave song: Oxford Comma | LET GO
My Morning Jacket - Z (2005)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/457
I guess I never actually listened to My Morning Jacket because all this time I thought they were a whiny emo band! But this is wonderful, like the Who meets Wilco. This kind of belated discovery is why I'm doing this project. Fave song: Off the Record | LET ON
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/474
Good vibes! Manu Chao was my biggest discovery from the original #RS500 project and this was another delight. In fact, the reuse of riddims make it feels very much like an extension of Clandestino, if not quite as special. Fave song: Me Gustas Tu | LET ON
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular 2007
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/494
I can't defend it but back in 2007 I decided I didn't like MGMT based entirely on vibes and have literally never listened to them until now (I did recognize a couple of songs). It's fine but I'm ok with my decision. Fave song: 4th Dimensional Transition | LET GO
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/495
Polished but not smothered, I like this at least as much if not more than the Raitt disc that didn't get booted from the RS500. Incredible guitar and fun New Orleans jazz flair but it's the pop rock ballads that get me. Fave song: Too Long at the Fair | LET GO
Boz Scaggs: Boz Scaggs (1969)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/496
I'm more familiar with (and generally not terribly fond of) Scaggs' later disco-inflected music so this was a pleasant surprise. A very fine slice of blues & soul-infused late 60s soft rock. Not RS500 worthy but I'll listen again. Fave song: Finding Her | REJECT
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/497
A little surprised this didn't make the list in 2003, shortly after it came out, but did in 2012, when they'd already secured a higher spot with the superior Elephant. Very good 00s rock but I can live without it. Fave song: Fell In Love With a Girl | REJECT
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/499
I prefer the bigger arrangements of the Regal album but that guitar tone is so warm and rich I don't need more. Plus the intro with the audience of prisoners booing the sheriff and judge is a great way to start a show. Fave song: How Blue Can You Get | RESTORE
Ian Dury: new boots and panties!! (1977)
#RS500castoffs 2003/2012 rank: na/500
I'm only passingly familiar with Dury and I found this fun. Rude and cheeky, playful about genre, but firmly punk in the most important ways. Still, a little goes a long way and it was a bit tiring by the end. Fave song: Wake Up & Make Love With Me | REJECT
New year, new music project! Last year it was #RS500, live tweeting the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Now I'm taking on the #RS500castoffs: 192 discs that got cut after appearing on the list in 2003 and/or 2012. I'll give my thoughts about each one then vote to REJECT or RESTORE it
