A 4-Star Milli Vanilli in 2001?

What a difference a decade makes. A new set of editors and 10 years of perspective result in a bit of revisionism in the new edition of the “Rolling Stone Album Guide.” Some records that didn’t fare well (one * equals poor) in the 1983 edition are now rated as near-classics on the book’s five-star scale. Here are some samples:

Artist, Album Title 1983 1992 X, “Wild Gift” * * * * * Grateful Dead, “American Beauty” * * * * * * Black Sabbath, “Paranoid” * * * * 1/2 The Doors, “Strange Days” * * * * * 1/2 Prince, “For You” * * * * *

The new edition also rectifies an embarrassing mistake from 1983: That edition gave the title of Michael Jackson’s song “Billie Jean” as “Betty Jean.”