A great album functions as a self-contained universe. USA TODAY music critic Edna Gundersen salutes 40 that stand as cohesive bodies of work — not just fine collections of songs. Some guidelines have been applied to separate this from the many best-of lists. History's most frequent list-topper, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, has been excluded, as have live albums (James Brown's Live at the Apollo), formal concept albums (The Who's Tommy), soundtracks (Superfly, The Harder They Come) and greatest-hits sets. This top 40, listed chronologically, spans 50 years to cull works that made the album configuration such a success:

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30. Guns 'N Roses, Appetite for Destruction (1987). Exquisite pain, uncorked rage and pure rebellion meet in a full metal racket of howler Axl Rose and the smoking Guns.

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The whole list is available here.

GN'R lost the Best Rock Album poll against Iron Maiden on Swedish rock radiostation Rockklassiker.

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction 34% VS. Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast 66%

That makes Appetite For Destruction the second best rock album of all time according to the listeners. Not too bad.....

You can read a review of Gilby's show in Mexico at KNAC.com