The Vatican's Top Ten - no room for Bob

Bob and the Pope in happier times

Have you ever been kept awake at night worrying what those crazy Catholic cats in the Vatican are groovin' to? Fret no longer, baby.

February 15, 2010
From the Pope to Pop: Vatican’s Top 10 List
DANIEL J. WAKIN

So many records, so little time. But the Vatican can help. The official newspaper of the Holy See, L’Osservatore Romano, has published what it called a “semi-serious” guide to the Top 10 pop albums of all time. In first place was the Beatles’ “Revolver.” The next was “If I Could Only Remember My Name,” David Crosby’s first solo album, followed by Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” The newspaper published its list on Saturday, before the start of the San Remo festival, an over-the-top Italian competition of pop music that is widely watched on television. The rest of the list: “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac; “The Nightfly” by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan; “Thriller” by Michael Jackson; Paul Simon’s “Graceland”; “Achtung Baby” by U2; “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory” by Oasis; and Carlos Santana’s “Supernatural.” The writers of the article ended with a shot at Bob Dylan, praising his “great poetic vein” but saying he was excluded from the list for a major fault: paving the way for generations of dilettante singer-songwriters who have “harshly tested the ears and patience of listeners, thinking that their tortured meanderings might interest somebody.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/15/arts/music/15arts-VATICANSTOP1_BRF.html