Last weekend M and I spent a good deal of time watching "The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time" on Channel 4. It was a pretty entertaining show for something that was essentially Sunday night fluff, with lots of good music, artist interviews, and some pretty interesting factoids about the bands and the albums (Did you know The Clash's London Calling cover was based on an Elvis Presley album? Me neither.).

The albums were nominated by experts recruited by Channel 4 and the winners were determined by public vote. We started watching at #87 (Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis) and just three albums later we had our first hint that maybe – just maybe – the "public" needed a little help. Who in their right mind would shove Paul Simon's Graceland way back at #84, sandwiched in between an obscure Nick Drake album and an American psychedelic pop band called Love that we'd never even heard of ? ('Cause you know there aren't too many American psychedelic pop bands we haven't heard of).

It only got worse. Exile on Main Street was at #42. Pet Sounds was at #33. London Calling (LONDON CALLING, for Christ's sake) was at #44. And worst of all, Remain in Light Wasn't. Even. On. The. List.

At about #30, M and I paused the TV and quickly cobbled together our own Top 10. We didn't think too hard about the semantics of the word "Greatest" (Most important? Most influential? Best (whatever that means)?) because really – this is a stupid exercise. If we had really stopped to think about it we'd have come up with a dramatically different list – guaranteed. That said, we agreed on albums and ranking almost immediately. We then compared our list to Channel 4's...and...well...read both below, then tell me who you think has a better grasp on the 10 Greatest Albums of All Time. Heh.

Jenny and Michael's Top 10 Greatest albums:
10. Grateful Dead - American Beauty
9. U2 - The Joshua Tree
8. Radiohead - OK Computer
7. Nirvana - Nevermind
6. Talking Heads - Remain in Light
5. Led Zepplin - Led Zepplin IV
4. The Who - Quadrophenia
3. Michael Jackson - Thriller
2. The Beatles - The White Album
1. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Channel 4's Top 10 Greatest albums:
10. The Beatles – Revolver
9. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
8. Madonna - Like a Prayer
7. The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
6. Oasis - Definitely Maybe (I'll forgive the public this...everyone knows Liam and Noel are just crazy enough to actually kick someone's ass if they were left out.)
5. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
4. Michael Jackson -Thriller
3. Nirvana - Nevermind
2. U2 - The Joshua Tree
1. Radiohead - OK Computer

I mean...I love Madonna (see below), but seriously. And Radiohead could have never existed without Pink Floyd. And everyone knows that Use Your Illusion I and II outstripped Appetite for Destruction, "Sweet Child O' Mine" aside.

Don't they?

If you want to see the full list, check out the Channel 4 site.