The Stoniest Albums on Rolling Stone's Top 500 List, Plus Two Egregious Omissions

 

76. Superfly - Curtis Mayfield (1972)

Mayfield's soundtrack for the blaxploitation flick about a coke dealer features several standout tracks, including "Pusherman" ("Want some coke/Have some weed," listen above), "Freddie's Dead" (No. 4) and the title track (No. 8). The album went all the way to No. 1.

 

140. Catch a Fire - The Wailers (1973)

Before Marley's name headed the group and Peter Tosh was still with the Wailers, their third studio album includes "Concete Jungle" (listen above) "Stir It Up," "Stop That Train," "No More Trouble," "Slave Driver" and "Kinky Reggae." It barely dented the album charts, peaking at No. 171.

 

174. The Harder They Come - Various Artists (1972)

The soundtrack for Perry Henzel's groundbreaking film set in Jamaica was the breakout for Jimmy Cliff, who starred in it as an upcoming reggae musician and contributed six songs, including the title tune, "Sitting in Limbo," "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Rivers of Babylon." The album also features two songs by Toots & the Maytals ("Pressure Drop" and "Sweet and Dandy"). Watch the movie above.

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183. Brown Sugar - D'Angelo (1995)

R&B singer D'Angelo's debut album features the title track ode to weed with double-entendre lyrics like, "Always down for a manage a trois/But I think I'mma hit it solo." The song (listen above) landed at No. 27 and the album at No. 22. 

 

214. Wildflowers - Tom Petty (1994)

Petty's second solo album features "You Don't Know How It Feels" (No. 8) with the lyric, "Let's get to the point/And roll another joint" (listen above). The album reached No. 8 on the charts.

 

215. American Beauty - Grateful Dead (1970)

The second of the Dead's 1970 studio albums followed Workingman's Dead and contains some of the band's most revered songs, including "Truckin'" (No. 87, 1971), "Ripple," "Sugar Magnolia," "Box of Rain" and "Friend of the Devil." The album hit No. 30 on the charts. Listen to it above.

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234. Master of Reality - Black Sabbath (1971)

Sabbath's third studio album opens with their tribute to marijuana, "Sweet Leaf" ("You gave to me a new belief/And soon the world will love you, sweet leaf"). Listen above. The album came in at No. 8 on the charts.

 

237. Red Headed Stranger - Willie Nelson (1975)

Willie Nelson's 17th studio album introduced the country singer to a wider, more mainstream audience. The concept record about a fugitive from the law includes the title song and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (No. 21). It crossed over to No. 28 on the album charts. Listen to the album above.

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Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.