Critic's Choice: Top 200 Albums
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Critic's Choice: Top 200 Albums (titled Rock Critics' Choice: The Top 200 Albums in the United States)[1] is a musical reference book compiled by American-British journalist and broadcaster Paul Gambaccini. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Omnibus Press in January 1978, and then by Quick Fox in the US. The book comprises an annotated and illustrated list of the best albums in popular music, as selected from top-ten lists provided by its 47 contributors. As a multi-contributor work seeking to critique rock and pop albums, Critic's Choice preceded The Rolling Stone Record Guide and the Greil Marcus-edited Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island, both published in 1979.[2] It was followed by several other books that classified the best (and worst) pop recordings.[3]
 | |
| Author | Paul Gambaccini |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Reference work |
| Publisher | Omnibus Press |
Publication date | January 1978 |
| Media type | |
| ISBN | 978-0-19-537371-4 |
A second edition of the book was compiled in 1987 from a poll of 81 contributors. It was titled Paul Gambaccini Presents the Top 100 Albums and published by GRR/Pavilion.[4] In the US, it was published by Harmony Books as Critics' Choice: The Top 100 Rock 'n' Roll Albums of All Time.[5] In both editions, the number-one album was the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.[6] Gambaccini's polls received some criticism, particularly from author Clinton Heylin, for departing from the purview of music critics and including contributions from radio and television broadcasters.