Vatican's rock top-10: Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican newspaper has come up with a "semi-serious" list of 10 essential rock and pop albums, including works by the Beatles, U2, Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd.

The list was offered in a tongue-in-cheek article Feb. 14 as an alternative to the music of Italy's biggest pop music festival, which was to begin two days later. The "10 albums worth taking to a desert island" were listed in the chronological order of their release:

• t"Revolver" by the Beatles, described as more innovative than any of their successive albums.
• t"If I Could Only Remember My Name" by David Crosby. Its songs used experimental musical forms to express an "existential fragility," the article said.
• t"The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd, which the newspaper called an "amazing" and eminently enjoyable milestone in the history of rock music.
• t"Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac, which the article said mixed the sounds of blues, pop and country.
• t"The Nightfly" by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan. A niche album, but "brilliant and ironical," according to the Vatican newspaper.
• t"Thriller" by Michael Jackson. The article described this album as "the masterpiece of the king of pop" and said its original approach went against the stereotypes of black music.
• t"Graceland" by Paul Simon, who used South African music with his own to create a multiethnic album that marked the birth of "world music," the newspaper said.
• t"Achtung Baby" by U2, a disk that stands out for its music and lyrics, and remains a symbol of the '90s, it said.
• t"(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" by Oasis. The group picks up the great tradition of the Beatles, but with a harder edge of punk and rock, it said.
• t"Supernatural" by Carlos Santana, seen as an avant-garde mix of blues, soul, salsa and rock.

The article ended by explaining why it left Bob Dylan off its list. While acknowledging his "great poetic vein," it said Dylan's greatest fault was to have inspired a generation of amateur singer-songwriters who have "severely tested the ears and patience of listeners, thinking that someone might be interested in their tortured meanderings."