ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at forces in rock that make the presence of a canon problematic, and addresses the issue of canonic authority. It also addresses the issue of a canon in rock music from the perspective of popular musicology. As popular music is perceived to be a subversive counterpart to classical music, there is naturally some resistance, or at least ambivalence, in the reception of rock music towards its apparent canonization. Different music magazines have different priorities and are generally aimed at slightly different audiences. The chapter provides bemoan biases of race and nationality and wearily notes the low representation of women in the list. Such criticism does raise the issue of authority in connection with a potentially enduring canon of rock albums. A canon of rock albums is not an impersonal issue that concerns only a small number of experts with suitable credentials.
