The Band: Album Ratings and Chart Placings

by Peter Viney

Guide to Ratings

Ratings are taken from a number of review sources:

ROLLING STONE: From The New Rolling Stone Record Guide which uses a star rating from * to ***** .
ROLLING STONE 1992: From the completely rewritten 1992 Rolling Stone Album Guide. It cheats by adding half stars (making a ten point scale).
CHRISTGAU: From Robert Christgau's Rock Albums of the Seventies, or Rock Albums of the Eighties where albums are rated on a scale ranging from E- to A +.
Q: From Q magazine, which uses a star rating as in Rolling Stone.
VOX: From Vox magazine which gives a 0-10 rating.
GAMBACINNI 100 1977: From Paul Gambacinni presents the Top 100 Record Albums, 1977 edition. A panel of rock critics and journalists were asked to choose their own Top 10s. The book is based on a composite list. The number indicates the albums position in the Top 100.
GAMBACINNI 100 1987: From the 1987 revision of the above book.
R.S. TOP 100: From the Rolling Stone 25th Anniversary Issue, August 27th 1987. This presents a composite critics' choice in the same way as the Gambacinni books.
GUINNESS 1000 1994: From a critic's poll by Colin Larkin for Guinness 'All Time Top 1000 Albums'.
GUINNESS ROCK 250: The best 250 rock and pop albums from the above book
GUINNESS LIVE 50: The best 50 live albums from the above book.
PV RATING: Is my own assessment on a scale of E- to A +.

Music From Big Pink

The album's initial success was, in retrospect, surprisingly modest for an album which frequently appears in lists of the Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time. It got to #30 in the US charts while the single, The Weight reached #63. Other artists had more sucess with covering The Weight. Versions by Jackie DeShannon (1968), Aretha Franklin (US #19, April 1969, and featuring Duane Allman on guitar), The Supremes with The Temptations (US #46, September 1969) all charted. Significantly for both royalties and for general public awareness, the Diana Ross and The Supremes With The Temptations' album from which the single was taken reached US #2 and the Aretha Franklin album, Soul 69, reached US #15.

Ratings

Rolling Stone: * * * * *
Rolling Stone 1992: * * * *
Q: * * * * *
Q (1998): * * * *
Q (2000): * * * * *
Uncut * * * * *
Gambacinni 100 1987: 64
R.S. top 100: 41
GUINNESS ROCK 250: 104
GUINNESS 1000: 163
VIRGIN 1000 (1998): 258
MOJO Readers 100 ALBUMS: 98
Mojo Readers 100 SINGLES: 65
CANADIAN POLL 100: #8
Rolling Stone 500 2003: #34
Uncut 100 August 2005 #30
PV Rating: A +

The Band

CHART: US # 9 UK # 25
Up On Cripple Creek US #25
Rag Mama Rag UK 16

Ratings

Christgau: Essential 250 pre-1980 albums
Christgau: A +
Rolling Stone: * * * * *
Rolling Stone 1992: * * * * *
Q: * * * * *
Q (2000): * * * * *
Uncut * * * * *
Gambacinni 100 1977: 13
Gambacinni 100 1987: 24
R.S. Top 100: 19
Guinness Rock 250: 27
Guinness 1000: 33
VIRGIN 1000 (1998): 49
MOJO CRITICS 100: 15
MOJO READERS 100: 26
CANADIAN POLL 100: #22
Rolling Stone Best 200 1997
BBC1/VH1: Classic Albums 1997
Q 1997 (re-release): * * * * *
Sunday TIMES: 1000 Makers of Music
Q Top 100 in UNIVERSE, 1998: #76
Channel 4/ HMV Music of The Millenium Top 100, 1998 Poll: #60
Rolling Stone 500 2003: #45
PV Rating: A +

Stage Fright

CHART: US # 5 UK # 15

Ratings

Christgau: B+
Rolling Stone: * * *
Rolling Stone 1992: * * * *
Q: * * * * *
Q (1998) : **
Q (2000): * * * *
Uncut * * * *
Guinness Rock 250: 145
Guinness 1000: 230
VIRGIN 1000 (1998): 532
PV Rating: A +