Top 100 Disney Songs

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First posted 6/23/2016. Updated 9/18/2018.

Disney movies have not only provided some of cinema’s most memorable visual moments, but some of the most cherished musical memories as well. Most of these songs are from Disney animated movies; some are from live-action films; others (noted in parentheses when not a movie) are from TV shows, Disneyland, and even one from the World’s Fair.

This list was created from 46 best-of lists and Disney album collections and then the songs were ranked based on their overall status in Dave’s Music Database, which compiles data from best-of lists, chart success, sales, and awards.

1. When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio, 1940)
2. It’s a Small World After All (New York World’s Fair, 1964)
3. Whistle While You Work (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
4. Let It Go (Frozen, 2013)
5. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South, 1946)
6. A Whole New World (Aladdin, 1992)
7. Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King, 1994)
8. Beauty and the Beast (Tale As Old As Time) (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
9. Heigh Ho (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
10. Someday My Prince Will Come (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

11. Circle of Life (The Lion King, 1994)
12. Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas, 1995)
13. You’ll Be in My Heart (Tarzan, 1999)
14. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella, 1950)
15. Supercalifragilisticexpalidocious (Mary Poppins, 1964)
16. The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book, 1967)
17. Baby Mine (Dumbo, 1941)
18. The Ballad of Davy Crockett (TV - Davy Crockett, 1955)
19. I Wanna Be Like You (The Jungle Book, 1967)
20. Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid, 1989)

21. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmations, 1961)
22. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (Cinderella, 1950)
23. Chim Chim Cheree (Mary Poppins, 1964)
24. Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly) (So Dear to My Heart, 1948)
25. Turkey in the Straw (Steamboat Willie, 1928)
26. Give a Little Whistle (Pinocchio, 1940)
27. Go the Distance (Hercules, 1997)
28. Hakuna Matata (The Lion King, 1994)
29. Kiss the Girl (The Little Mermaid, 1989)
30. Mickey Mouse Club March (TV - The Mickey Mouse Club, 1955)

31. Little April Shower (Bambi, 1942)
32. You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Peter Pan, 1953)
33. Second Star to the Right (Peter Pan, 1953)
34. He’s a Tramp (Lady and the Tramp, 1955)
35. Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid 1989)
36. Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
37. So This Is Love (Cinderella, 1950)
38. I’ve Got No Strings (Pinocchio, 1940)
39. Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater (TV - The Mickey Mouse Club, 1955)
40. Bella Notte (Lady and the Tramp, 1955)

41. Siamese Cat Song (Lady and the Tramp, 1955)
42. A Spoonful of Sugar (Mary Poppins, 1964)
43. Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? (short - Three Little Pigs, 1933)
44. Reflection (Mulan, 1998)
45. Winnie the Pooh (short - Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, 1966)
46. Life Is a Highway (Cars, 2006)
47. You’ve Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story, 1995)
48. Everybody Wants to Be a Cat (The Aristocat, 1970)
49. Someday (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996)
50. I’m Wishing/One Song (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

51. Friend Like Me (Aladdin, 1992)
52. Once Upon a Dream (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
53. Zorro (Zorro, 1957)
54. Castle in Spain (Babes in Toyland, 1961)
55. When I See an Elephant Fly (Dumbo, 1941)
56. I’ll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan, 1998)
57. Breaking Free (High School Musical, 2006)
58. Just Around the Riverbend (Pocahontas, 1995)
59. How Far I’ll Go (Moana, 2016)
60. Candle on the Water (Pete’s Dragon, 1977)

61. The Unbirthday Song (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
62. You Belong to My Heart (

The Three Caballeros, 1945)
63. I Won’t Say I’m in Love (Hercules, 1997)
64. Why Should I Worry? (Oliver & Company, 1988)
65. Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me) (Disneyland ride – Pirates of the Caribbean, 1967)
66. The Wonderful World of Disney (TV - The Wonderful World of Disney, 1968)
67. In a World of My On (Alice in Wonderland, 1951)
68. Oo-De-Lally (Robin Hood, 1973)
69. I Just Can’t Wait to Be King (The Lion King, 1994)
70. Do You Want to Build a Snowman? (Frozen, 2013)

71. Belle (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
72. The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers (short - Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, 1968)
73. Strangers Like Me (Tarzan, 1999)
74. Pink Elephants on Parade (Dumbo, 1941)
75. Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor’s Life for Me) (Pinocchio, 1940)
76. One Jump Ahead (Aladdin, 1992)
77. Enjoy It (In Search of the Castaways, 1962)
78. Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) (Mary Poppins, 1964)
79. True to Your Heart (Mulan, 1998)
80. Once Upon a Time in New York City (Oliver & Company, 1988)

81. Following the Leader (Peter Pan, 1953)
82. We’re All in This Together (High School Musical, 2006)
83. With a Smile and a Song (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)
84. Love Is a Song (Bambi, 1942)
85. Higitus Figitus (The Sword in the Stone, 1963)
86. Best of Friends (The Fox and the Hound, 1981)
87. What Time Is It? (High School Musical 2, 2007)
88. If I Didn’t Have You (Monsters Inc., 2001)
89. The Parent Trap (The Parent Trap, 1961)
90. Look Through My Eyes (Brother Bear, 2003)

91. When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2, 1999)
92. You Are the Music in Me (High School Musical 2 2007)
93. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
94. I Wonder (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)
95. What I’ve Been Looking For (High School Musical, 2006)
96. Get’cha Head in the Game (High School Musical, 2006)
97. Start of Something New (High School Musical, 2006)
98. Prince Ali (Aladdin, 1992)
99. The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room (Disneyland, 1963)
100. You’re Welcome (Moana, 2016)

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Compilations: Top 100 All-Time

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First posted 3/30/2018. Updated 9/16/2018.

“Greatest hits” packages are maligned entities in the world of music criticism, targeted by haters as cheap, record-contract-fulfilling-repackagings of works better heard in their original presentations. Naysayers argue that gathering up an act’s most commercial product hardly justifies calling a collection “the best of.”

However, compilations serve an important role in music. They are often a casual fan’s entry point to an artist. In some cases, the distillation of an act’s discography into a single collection weeds out the fluff and truly does present the act at its best.

In any event, here is Dave’s Music Database’s collection of the greatest compilations of all-time. DMDB lists are determined by aggregating best-of lists alongside chart data, sales figures, awards, and album ratings. Note: this list is confined to 1 or 2-disc collections. Box sets (3 or more discs) are summed up in a separate DMDB list. When an act has released multiple compilations, only the highest-rated has been listed, unless other compilations cover completely different material. Also, the years covered by the compilation are noted in parentheses.

One last commentary: ironically, many of the collections below are not representative of an act’s entire career. Elton John, for example, has released multiple best-of collections, but the one which rates highest is his first Greatest Hits, which only covers five years.

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Top 100 Compilations of All-Time

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1. The Beatles: 1 (1962-1970)
2. Bob Marley & the Wailers: Legend (1973-1983)
3. Madonna: The Immaculate Collection (1983-1990)
4. Elvis Presley: 30 #1 Hits (1956-1977 + a 2002 remix)
5. Elton John: Greatest Hits (1970-1974)
6. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (1971-1975)
7. Abba: Gold: Greatest Hits (1973-1982)
8. Queen: Greatest Hits (aka “We Will Rock You”) (1973-1981)
9. Simon & Garfunkel: Greatest Hits (1964-1970)
10. Michael Jackson: Number Ones (1978-2003)

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Chronicle: Their 20 Greatest Hits (1968-1972)
12. U2: Best of 1980-1990 (1980-1989)
13. The Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks 1964-71 (1964-1971)
14. Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I & II (1973-1985)
15. Hank Williams: 40 Gretaest Hits (1947-1953)
16. Bruce Springsteen: Greatest Hits (1975-1995)
17. Garth Brooks: The Hits (1989-1993)
18. Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (1936-1937)
19. Mariah Carey: #1’s (1990-1998)
20. David Bowie: Best of Bowie (1969-2002)

21. Chuck Berry: The Great Twenty Eight (1955-1964)
22. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (1976-1993)
23. New Order: Substance (1981-1987)
24. Bon Jovi: Cross Road (1982-1994)
25. Kenny Rogers: Greatest Hits (1977-1980)
26. Patsy Cline: 12 Greatest Hits (1957-1963)
27. Bessie Smith: The Essential (1923-1933)
28. Buzzcocks: Singles Going Steady (1977-1979)
29. Journey: Greatest Hits (1977-1987)
30. Eminem: Curtain Call: The Hits (1999-2005)

31. Carpenters: The Singles 1969-1973 (1969-1973)
32. Billy Murray: Anthology: The Denver Nightingale (compilation: 1903-40)
33. Sly & the Family Stone: Greatest Hits (1967-1970)
34. Celine Dion: All the Way…A Decade of Song (1991-1999)
35. Queen: Greatest Hits 2 (1981-1991)
36. Al Green: Greatest Hits (1971-1973)
37. Glenn Miller: Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (compilation: 1939-42)
38. Eurythmics: Greatest Hits (1982-1989)
39. Guns N’ Roses: Greatest Hits (1987-1994)
40. Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits (1975-1988)

41. Sam Cooke: The Man and His Music (1951-1965)
42. Steve Miller Band: Greatest Hits 1974-1978 (1973-1978)
43. Lionel Richie: Back to Front (1977-1992)
44. The Police: Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1978-1986)
45. The Who: Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (1964-1970)
46. Bob Dylan: Greatest Hits (1962-1966)
47. Eric Clapton: The Cream of Clapton (1966-1981)
48. Barbra Streisand: Memories (aka “Love Songs”) (1974-1981)
49. John Denver: Greatest Hits (1969-1972)
50. Roy Orbison: For the Lonely: A Roy Orbison Anthology 1956-1965 (1956-1965)

51. Howlin’ Wolf: Moanin’ in the Moonlight (compilations: 1951-59, released 1959)
52. Eagles: Greatest Hits Volume II (compilation: 1975-80)
53. Robbie Williams: Greatest Hits (1997-2004)
54. Johnny Mathis: Johnny’s Greatest Hits (1956-1958)
55. James Taylor: Greatest Hits (1969-1976)
56. Bing Crosby: The Definitive Collection (compilation: 1931-57)
57. R.E.M.: In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 (1988-2003)
58. Phil Collins: Hits (1981-1998)
59. Aerosmith: Greatest Hits (1973-1979)
60. The Temptations: Anthology (1964-1972)

61. Johnny Cash: The Legend of… (1955-2003)
62. Shania Twain: Greatest Hits (1994-2004)
63. Charlie Patton: Founder of the Delta Blues (1929-1934)
64. Bryan Adams: So Far So Good (1983-1993)
65. The Doors: Best of the Doors (1966-1971)
66. The Byrds: Greatest Hits (1965-1967)
67. Buddy Holly: 20 Golden Greats (1956-58)
68. George Michael: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Best of (1984-1998)
69. Janis Joplin: Greatest Hits (1967-1971)
70. Rod Stewart: Greatest Hits (1971-1978)

71. Sting: Fields of Gold: The Best of 1984-1994 (1985-1994)
72. Sade: Best of (1984-1993)
73. Pet Shop Boys: Discography: The Complete Singles Collection (1985-1991)
74. Van Morrison: Best of (1965-1989)
75. Led Zeppelin: Remasters (1969-1979)
76. Janet Jackson: Design of a Decade 1986/1996 (1986-1995)
77. Blondie: Best of (1976-1980)
78. Whitney Houston: The Greatest Hits (1984-2000)
79. Neil Young: Decade (1969-1976)
80. The Supremes: Anthology (1962-1976)

81. Nirvana: Nirvana (1988-1994)
82. Pink Floyd: Echoes: The Best of (1967-1994)
83. Pink: Greatest Hits…So Far!!! (2000-2010)
84. John Lennon: The Collection (1969-1980)
85. James Brown: 20 All Time Greatest Hits! (1956-1976)
86. Bob Seger: Greatest Hits (1972-1994)
87. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: So Far (1969-1970)
88. Tupac (2pac) Shakur: Greatest Hits (1991-1996)
89. The Beach Boys: Endless Summer (1962-1965)
90. Henry Burr: Anthology: The Original King of Pop (1903-1928)

91. Paul McCartney: All the Best! (1970-1987)
92. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Greatest Hits (1989-2003)
93. Dire Straits: Money for Nothing (1978-1985)
94. Madonna: GHV2 (1991-2000)
95. Prince: Very Best of (1979-1992)
96. Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul: The Very Best of (1967-1974)
97. Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection (1962-1998)
98. Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience (1966-1970)
99. The Cars: Greatest Hits (1978-1985)
100. Bee Gees: Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits (1966-1987)

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The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s

First posted 11/6/2011, updated 9/13/2018.

These are the top albums from 2000-2009 according to Dave’s Music Database, which factors in sales, chart data, awards, and appearances on best-of lists. All of these are also included in the DMDB’s Top 1000 Albums of All Time list.

1. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
2. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
3. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
4. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
5. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
6. Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
7. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
8. Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
9. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006)
10. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)

11. Coldplay Parachutes (2000)
12. OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
13. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
14. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
15. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
16. Elvis Presley 30 #1 Hits (2002)
17. U2 All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
18. Coldplay X&Y (2005)
19. Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (2004)
20. Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)

21. O Brother Where Art Thou (soundtrack, 2000)
22. Lady Gaga The Fame (2008)
23. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000)
24. Usher Confessions (2004)
25. OutKast Stankonia (2000)
26. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
27. Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
28. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
29. Taylor Swift Fearless (2008)
30. Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)

31. James Blunt Back to Bedlam (2004)
32. Michael Jackson: Number Ones (compilation: 1978-2003, released 2003)
33. U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
34. 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
35. Keane Hopes and Fears (2004)
36. Kings of Leon: Only by the Night (2008)
37. Bruce Springsteen The Rising (2002)
38. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
39. Red Hot Chili Peppers By the Way (2002)
40. Bob Dylan Love and Theft (2001)

41. Brian Wilson Smile (2004)
42. Justin Timberlake Justified (2002)
43. Norah Jones Feels Like Home (2004)
44. Evanescence Fallen (2003)
45. Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
46. Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose (2004)
47. Dixie Chicks Home (2002)
48. Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium (2006)
49. The Rolling Stones Forty Licks (compilation: 1964-2002, released 2002)
50. Bob Dylan Modern Times (2006)

51. Shania Twain Up! (2002)
52. Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
53. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
54. The Libertines Up the Bracket (2002)
55. Beck Sea Change (2002)
56. Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
57. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand (2007)
58. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007)
59. N Sync No Strings Attached (2000)
60. The Killers Hot Fuss (2004)

61. System of a Down Toxicity (2001)
62. Queens of the Stone Age: Songs for the Deaf (2002)
63. PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
64. Eminem: Curtain Call: The Hits (compilation: 1999-2005, released 2005)
65. Streets A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004)
66. Kanye West Late Registration (2005)
67. Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
68. Jack Johnson: In Between Dreams (3/1/05)
69. Carrie Underwood Some Hearts (2005)
70. U2 No Line on the Horizon (2009)

71. Gorillaz Demon Days (2005)
72. Avril Lavigne Let Go (2002)
73. Madonna Music (2000)
74. David Gray White Ladder (2000)
75. David Bowie…Best of Bowie (compilation: 1969-2002, released 2002)
76. Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004)
77. Bruce Springsteen: Magic (2007)
78. Linkin Park Meteora (2003)
79. Tool Lateralus (2001)
80. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (2008)

81. Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) (2009)
82. Radiohead Hail to the Thief (2003)
83. Rihanna: Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)
84. Radiohead Amnesiac (2001)
85. Streets Original Pirate Material (2002)
86. Alicia Keys The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003)
87. Eric Clapton & B.B. King: Riding with the King (2000)
88. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More (2009)
89. Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way (2006)
90. Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

91. The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible (2007)
92. Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters (2004)
93. D’Angelo Voodoo (2000)
94. Britney Spears Oops!...I Did It Again (2000)
95. Muse: Black Holes & Revelations (2006)
96. 50 Cent The Massacre (2005)
97. Nickelback All the Right Reasons (2005)
98. Muse Origin of Symmetry (2001)
99. Nelly Nellyville (2002)
100. Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner (2003)

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Resources and Related Links:

• the DMDB’s Top 1000 Albums of All Time
• the Top 100 Albums of All Time

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2010s: Top 50 Albums So Far

First posted 5/25/2015. Updated 9/12/2018.

These are the top albums from 2010-2018 according to Dave’s Music Database, which factors in sales, chart data, awards, and appearances on best-of lists. The top 20 also appear on the DMDB’s Top 1000 Albums of All Time list.

1. Adele 21 (2011)
2. Adele: 25 (2015)
3. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)
4. Arcade Fire The Suburbs (2010)
5. Eminem Recovery (2010)
6. Frozen soundtrack (2013)
7. Kendrick Lamar: Damn. (2017)
8. Taylor Swift Red (2012)
9. U2 Songs of Innocence (2014)
10. Drake: Views (2016)

11. Ed Sheeran X (2014)
12. Mumford & Sons Babel (2012)
13. Taylor Swift Speak Now (2010)
14. PJ Harvey Let England Shake (2011)
15. Katy Perry Teenage Dream (2010)
16. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
17. Daft Punk Random Access Memories (2013)
18. Lady Gaga Born This Way (2011)
19. Ed Sheeran: Divide (÷) (2017)
20. Beyoncé: Lemonade (2016)

21. The Black Keys Brothers (2010)
22. Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball (2012)
23. Michael Bublé Christmas (2011)
24. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
25. The National High Violet (2010)
26. Frank Ocean Channel Orange (2012)
27. Beck Morning Phase (2014)
28. David Bowie: Blackstar (2016)
29. Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour (2014)
30. Arctic Monkeys AM (2013)

31. Jack White Blunderbuss (2012)
32. Lady Antebellum Need You Now (2010)
33. Bruno Mars: Doo Wops & Hooligans (2010)
34. Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience (2013)
35. Pink: Greatest Hits…So Far!!! (compilation: 2000-10, released 2010)
36. Glee – The Music: Volume 3: Showstoppers (2010)
37. LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening (2010)
38. Imagine Dragons: Night Visions (2012)
39. Drake Take Care (2011)
40. Florence + the Machine Ceremonials (2011)

41. Bon Iver Bon Iver (2011)
42. Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues (2011)
43. Beyoncé Beyoncé (2013)
44. Foo Fighters Wasting Light (2011)
45. Lin-Manuel Miranda (composer): Hamilton (cast: 2015)
46. The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream (2014)
47. Rihanna Loud (2010)
48. Kacey Musgraves: Same Trailer Different Park (2013)
49. Lorde: Melodrama (2017)
50. Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color (2015)

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Top 50 Operas of All Time

image from czechtourism.com

This list was created, as are most DMDB lists, by aggregating multiple best-of lists, both those focused specifically on opera and those on all albums/works regardless of genre, alongside sales, chart data, and album ratings. Here are the results:

1. Claudio Monteverdi: L’Orfeo (Orpheus) (1607)
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni (1787)
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) (1786)
4. Richard Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (1874)
5. Richard Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde (1859)
6. Georges Bizet: Carmen (1875)
7. Gioacchino Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (1816)
8. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) (1791)
9. George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Dubose Heyward: Porgy and Bess (1935)
10. Giacomo Puccini: Tosca (1900)

11. Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème (The Bohemian Life) (1896)
12. Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata (The Fallen Woman) (1853)
13. Claudio Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea) (1642)
14. Giuseppe Verdi: Aida (1871)
15. Giacomo Puccini: Turandot (1926)
16. Giuseppe Verdi: Rigoletto: La Donna È Mobile (1851)
17. Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (1689)
18. Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) (1904)
19. George Friedrich Händel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt) (1724)
20. Luciano Pavarotti with Placido Domingo & Jose Carreras: The Three Tenors in Concert/Mehta (live: 1990)

21. Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio (1805)
22. Vincenzo Bellini: Norma (1831)
23. Andrea Bocelli: Romanza (1997)
24. Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) (1911)
25. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) (1781)
26. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Cosí Fan Tutte (Thus Do They All) (1790)
27. Gaetano Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor (1911)
28. Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice (Orpheus and Eurydice) (1762)
29. Giuseppe Verdi: Otello (1887)
30. Alban Berg: Wozzeck (1922)

31. Giuseppi Verdi: Il Trovatore (The Troubador) (1853)
32. Modest Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov (1873)
33. Christoph Willibald Gluck: Iphigenie en Tauride (Pphigenia in Tauris) (1779)
34. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Idomeneo (1781)
35. Gaetano Donizetti: L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love) (1873)
36. Richard Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander (aka 'The Flying Dutchman') (1843)
37. Gioacchino Rossini: Guillaume Tell (William Tell) (1829)
38. Richard Wagner: Lohengrin (1850)
39. Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) (1890)
40. Gioacchino Rossini: La Cenerentola (Cinderella) (1817)

41. Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg (The Master-Singers of Nuremburg) (1868)
42. Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsk: Eugene Onegin (1879)
43. Jules Massenet: Manon (1884)
44. Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freishchutz (The Marksman) (1821)
45. Hector Berlioz: La Damanation of Faust (The Damnation of Faust) (1846)
46. Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar) (1842)
47. Charles Gounod: Faust (1859)
48. Richard Wagner: Tannhauser (1845)
49. Giuseppe Verdi: Don Carlos (1867)
50. Claude Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande (1902)

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Top 50 Blues Albums of All Time

This list started as a post on the DMDB Facebook page (Top 10 Blues and Blues/Rock Albums) on 2/23/2010. It has been expanded and refocused on just blues albums, although some albums still making the cut are arguably more in the blues/rock genre (Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan).

The list was created, as are most DMDB lists, by aggregating multiple best-of lists, both those focused specifically on the blues and those on all albums regardless of genre, alongside sales, chart data, and album ratings. Here are the results:

1. Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (compilation: 1936-37, released 1990)
2. B.B. King: Live at the Regal (live, 1964)
3. John Mayall & the Blues Breakers: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (1966)
4. The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones (aka ‘England’s Newest Hitmakers’) (1964)
5. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Texas Flood (1983)
6. Howlin’ Wolf: Moanin’ in the Moonlight/Howlin’ Wolf (aka ‘The Rockin’ Chair Album’) (compilations: 1951-62, released in 1959 and 1962) *
7. Bessie Smith: The Essential (compilation: 1923-1933, released 1997)
8. Muddy Waters: At Newport (1960)
9. ZZ Top: Tres Hombres (1973)
10. Bobby “Blue” Bland: Two Steps from the Blues (1956-60)

11. Eric Clapton: From the Cradle (1994)
12. Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)
13. Junior Wells: Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)
14. Eric Clapton & B.B. King: Riding with the King (2000)
15. Robert Cray: Strong Persuader (1986)
16. Muddy Waters: Best of/His Best 1947-55 (compilations: 1947-55, released 1958 and 1997)
17. Charlie Patton: Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34, released 1969)
18. Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965)
19. Willie Dixon/various artists: The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-69, released 1988)
20. Magic Sam: West Side Soul (1967)

21. Albert Collins: Ice Pickin’ (1978)
22. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: In Step (1989)
23. Eric Clapton: Me and Mr. Johnson (covers: 2004)
24. Muddy Waters: Hard Again (1977)
25. Elmore James: The Sky Is Crying – The History of (compilation: 1951-63, released 1993)
26. Howlin’ Wolf: The Chess Box (compilation: 1951-73, released 1991)
27. Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour ’74 (live: 1974)
28. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984)
29. Skip James: The Complete Early Recordings (compilation: 1930, released 1994)
30. B.B. King: Live in Cook County Jail (live: 1970, released 1971)

31. Muddy Waters: Folksinger (1964)
32. Paul Butterfield Blues Band: East West (1966)
33. Big Joe Turner: Boss of the Blues (1956)
34. Muddy Waters: The Real Folk Blues (compilation: 1947-64, released 1966)
35. Blind Willie Johnson: Praise God I’m Satisfied (compilation: 1927-30, released 1977)
36. B.B. King: Singin’ the Blues (1956)
37. John Lee Hooker: The Ultimate Collection (compilation: 1948-90, released 1991)
38. Albert King: Live Wire/Blues Power (1968)
39. Ry Cooder: Paradise and Lunch (1974)
40. Little Walter: His Best – Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (compilation: 1952-60, released 1997)

41. Robert Cray: Bad Influence (1983)
42. Blind Lemon Jefferson: King of the Country Blues (compilation: 1926-29, released 1990)
43. Johnny Winter: The Progressive Blues Experiment (1968)
44. Mississippi Fred McDowell: I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll (1969)
45. Sonny Boy Williamson II: Down and Out Blues (1959)
46. Gary Moore: Still Got the Blues (1990)
47. T-Bone Walker: T-Bone Blues (1959)
48. Henry Thomas: Texas Worried Blues – Complete Recorded Works (compilation: 1927-29, released 1975)
49. Otis Spann: Is the Blues (1960)
50. The Blues Brothers: The Blues Brothers (soundtrack, 1980)

* These were initially released as two separate albums, but are now typically packaged together.

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Top 50 Cast Albums of All Time

This is an expansion of a list (Top 10 Show Tune Albums of All Time) originally posted on Dave’s Music Database Facebook page on February 21, 2010. As with most DMDB lists, this was created based on aggregated lists, sales, and chart peaks. Here are the results:

1. South Pacific (1949)
2. My Fair Lady (1956)
3. Hair (1967)
4. The Sound of Music (1959)
5. The Music Man (1957)
6. West Side Story (1957)
7. Kiss Me, Kate (1948)
8. Guys and Dolls (1950)
9. Camelot (1960)
10. Phantom of the Opera (1986)

11. Fiddler on the Roof (1964)
12. Show Boat (1927)
13. Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)
14. Gypsy (1959)
15. Oklahoma! (1943)
16. Hamilton (2015)
17. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979)
18. Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
19. Company (1970)
20. Hello, Dolly! (1964)

21. Candide (1956)
22. Carousel (1945)
23. Funny Girl (1964)
24. Wicked (2003)
25. A Chorus Line (1975)
26. Cats (1981)
27. Les Misérables (1985)
28. Rent (1996)
29. The King and I (1951)
30. A Little Night Music (1973)

31. Evita (1976)
32. The Wiz (1975)
33. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978)
34. Man of La Mancha (1965)
35. The Cradle Will Rock (1938)
36. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
37. Anything Goes (1934)
38. Finian’s Rainbow (1947)
39. Miss Saigon (1989)
40. Flower Drum Song (1959)

41. Sunday in the Park with George (1984)
42. Brigadoon (1947)
43. Damn Yankees (1955)
44. Jersey Boys (2005)
45. Cabaret (1966)
46. The Book of Mormon (2001)
47. Oliver! (1960)
48. Annie (1977)
49. Aida (1999)
50. Spring Awakening (2006)

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Resources and Related Links:

• Original Facebook post: Top 10 Show Tune Albums of All Time (2/21/2010)
• Top 50 Soundtracks of All TIme
• Top 50 Music Movies of All Time
• top 1000 albums of all time

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The Top 50 Soundtracks of All Time

First posted 4/17/11. Updated 9/1/2018. This list was first posted on April 17, 2011, as a Note on the Dave’s Music Database Facebook page. It has been revised a few times since then. Note: Click on the titles of the soundtrack for more detailed pages at DavesMusicDatabase.com.

1. Purple Rain…Prince & the Revolution (1984)
2. Saturday Night Fever…Bee Gees et al (1977)
3. A Hard Day’s Night…The Beatles (1964)
4. The Sound of Music…Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) (1965) *
5. South Pacific…Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) (1958) *
6. Grease…Olivia Newton-John John Travolta, et al (1978)
7. The Bodyguard…Whitney Houston et al (1992)
8. West Side Story…Leonard Bernstein (composer) (1961) *
9. Dirty Dancing (1987)
10. Help!…The Beatles (1965)

11. Titanic…James Horner (1997)
12. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
13. Superfly…Curtis Mayfield (1972)
14. The Student Prince…Mario Lanza (1954)
15. Mary Poppins…Richard and Robert Sherman (composers) (1964)
16. The Harder They Come…Jimmy Cliff et al (1973)
17. Blue Hawaii…Elvis Presley (1961)
18. Music from Peter Gunn…Henry Mancini (1959)
19. The Lion King…Elton John and Tim Rice (composers) (1994)
20. G.I. Blues…Elvis Presley (1960)

21. Footloose (1984)
22. An American in Paris…George & Ira Gershwin (composers) (1951)
23. The King and I…Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) (1956)
24. Frozen (2013)
25. American Graffiti (1973)
26. Gigi…Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe (composers) (1958)
27. Top Gun (1986)
28. Waiting to Exhale…Whitney Houston et al (1995)
29. Flashdance (1983)
30. Oklahoma!…Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) (1955) *

31. Parade…Prince (Under the Cherry Moon soundtrack, 1986)
32. That’s the Way of the World…Earth, Wind & Fire (1975)
33. Pulp Fiction (1994)
34. 8 Mile…Eminem et al (2002)
35. With a Song in My Heart…Jane Froman (1952)
36. Loving You…Elvis Presley (1957)
37. The Graduate…Simon & Garfunkel (1968)
38. Breakfast at Tiffany’s…Henry Mancini (1961)
39. High School Musical (TV soundtrack, 2006)
40. Show Boat…Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II (composers) (1951) *

41. Forrest Gump (1994)
42. Miami Vice (TV soundtrack, 1985)
43. High School Musical 2 (TV soundtrack, 2007)
44. Songs He Made Famous…Al Jolson (1947)
45. Exodus (1961)
46. Hans Christian Andersen…Danny Kaye (1953)
47. Around the World in 80 Days (1957)
48. Batman…Prince (1989)
49. Love Me or Leave Me…Doris Day (1955)
50. Evita…Madonna et al (1996)

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Resources and Related Links:

• original Facebook post (April 17, 2011)
• Top 10 Show Tune Albums of All Time
• Top 50 Music Movies of All Time
• top 1000 albums of all time

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The DMDB Top 1000 Albums of All Time

Below is a list of the top 1000 albums of all time, according to Dave’s Music Database. To see more details about the creation and goals of this list, click on the appropriate link below or just head straight to the list. The List How This List Was Created The Lists That Went into Making This List Representing Multiple Genres What Constitutes an Album Why Chronological and Not Ranked Multiple Versions of the Same Album or Work The DMDB 100 (a ranking of just the top 100) Honorable Mention (former DMDB 1000 albums)

Pre- 1800s

1800s

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Pre-1800’s Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina (composer): Missa Papae Marcelli (Pope Marcellus Mass) (classical, composed 1562) Claudio Monteverdi (composer): L’Orfeo (opera, composed 1607, first performed: 2/24/1607) Claudio Monteverdi (composer): Vespers of the Blessed Virgin (classical, composed 1610) George Friedrich Handel (composer): Water Music (classical, composed 1717, performed 7/17/1717) Johann Sebastian Bach (composer): Brandenburg Concertos (classical, composed 1719-21) Johann Sebastian Bach (composer): Cello Suites (classical, composed 1717-23) Antonio Vivaldi (composer): The Four Seasons (classical, composed 1725) Johann Sebastian Bach (composer): St. Matthew Passion (classical, composed 1736) Johann Sebastian Bach (composer): Goldberg Variations (classical, composed 1741) George Friedrich Handel (composer): Messiah (classical, composed 1741, performed 4/13/1742) Johann Sebastian Bach (composer): Mass in B Minor (classical, composed 1733-1749) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Le Nozze di Figaro (“The Marriage of Figaro”) (classical, composed 1786) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Don Giovanni (opera, composed 1787, performed 10/29/1787) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Symphony No. 40 in G minor (classical, composed 1788) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” (classical, composed 1788) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Piano Concertos (27) (classical, composed 1773-1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Requiem Mass in D minor (classical, composed 1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Clarinet Concerto in A Major (classical, composed 1791) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Die Zauberflote (“The Magic Flute”) (classical, composed 1791) 1800-1899 Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Symphony No. 3 in E-flat “Sinfonia Eroica” (classical, composed 1804) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Violin Concerto in D Major (classical, composed 1806) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Symphony No. 5 (classical, composed 1808, performed 12/22/1808) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale” (classical, composed 1808, performed 12/22/1808) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Symphony No. 7 (classical, composed 1812, performed 12/8/1813) Gioacchino Rossini (composer): Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) (opera, composed 1816) Franz Schubert (composer): Piano Quintet in A Major (“Trout”) (classical, composed 1814) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Sonatas (32) (classical, composed 1795-1822) Franz Schubert (composer): Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”) (classical, composed 1822, performed 12/17/1865) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Symphony No. 9 (classical, composed 1824, performed 5/7/1824) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): String Quartets (16) (classical, composed 1798-1826) Hector Berlioz (composer): Symphonie Fantastique (classical, composed 1830) Franz Liszt (composer): Piano Sonata in B Minor (classical, composed 1853) Richard Wagner (composer): Tristan Und Isolde (opera, composed 1857-59, performed 6/10/1865) Giuseppe Verdi (composer): Messa Da Requiem (Requiem Mass) (classical, composed 1874) Richard Wagner (composer): Der Ring Des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) (opera, composed 1848-1874, performed 8/17/1876) Modest Mussorgsky (composer): Tableaux d'une Exposition (Pictures at an Exhibition) (classical, composed for piano in 1874, reworked for orchestra in 1922, performed 10/19/1923) Georges Bizet (composer): Carmen (opera, composed 1873-74, performed 3/3/1875) Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (composer): Piano Concerto No. 1 (classical, composed 1875, performed 10/15/1875) Johannes Brahms (composer): Symphony No. 4 (classical, composed 1885) Giacomo Puccini (composer): La Bohème (opera, composed 1896, performed 2/1/1896) Richard Strauss (composer): Also Sprach Zarathustra (classical, composed 1896) 1900-1929 Sergey Rachmaninov (composer): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (classical, composed 1901, performed 11/9/1901) Igor Stravinsky (composer): Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) (ballet, composed 1913, performed 5/29/1913) Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): Show Boat (stage debut: 12/27/27, cast recorded 1933, soundtrack released 1951) Louis Armstrong: The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (box set, recorded 1925-28, released 8/22/2000) 1930-1939 Various Artists: Anthology of American Folk Music (box set, recorded 1923-32, released 1952) Bessie Smith: The Essential (compilation, 1923-33, released 9/23/1997) Charley Patton: Founder of the Delta Blues (compilation: 1929-34, released 1969) George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin/Dubose Heyward (composers): Porgy and Bess (opera, composed 1935, stage debut: 9/30/35) Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (compilation: 1936-37, released 8/28/90) Benny Goodman: The Complete Legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert (live, recorded 1/16/38) Béla Bartók (composer): The String Quartets (classical, composed 1908-39) 1940-1949 Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Ballads (7/40) Glenn Miller: Glenn Miller & His Orchestra (compilation: 1939-42, charted 3/24/45) Duke Ellington: The Blanton-Webster Band (box set, recorded 1939-42, released 10/25/90) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): Oklahoma! (stage debut: 3/31/43, cast recording released 12/4/44, soundtrack released 8/1/55) Béla Bartók (composer): Concerto for Orchestra (classical, composed 1944, performed 12/1/44) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): Carousel (stage debut: 4/19/45, cast recording released 5/21/45, soundtrack charted 2/25/56) Bing Crosby: Merry Christmas (aka ‘White Christmas’) (Christmas, released 12/45) Irving Berlin (composer): Annie Get Your Gun (stage debut: 5/16/46, cast recording released 7/8/46, soundtrack charted 6/10/50) Igor Stravinsky (composer): Pétrouchka (aka “Petrushka”) (ballet, composed 1947) Cole Porter (composer): Kiss Me, Kate (stage debut: 12/30/48, cast recording released 1949, soundtrack charted 1/23/54) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): South Pacific (stage debut: 4/4/49, cast released 5/9/49, soundtrack released 3/19/58) 1950-1955 Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (recorded 1/21/49 to 3/9/50) Frank Loesser (composer): Guys and Dolls (stage debut: 11/24/50, cast recording: 12/3/50, released 1/8/51) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): The King and I (stage debut: 3/29/51, cast recording charted 5/28/51, soundtrack charted 7/21/56) George & Ira Gershwin (composers): An American in Paris (classical, soundtrack released 10/4/51) Jane Froman: With a Song in My Heart (charted 3/29/52) Jackie Gleason: Music for Lovers Only (charted 1/17/53) Hank Williams: 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978) Mario Lanza: The Student Prince (soundtrack, charted 7/10/54) Frank Sinatra: In the Wee Small Hours (charted 5/28/55) Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions (aka Sunrise, The Sun Years, or The Sun Collection) (archives, recorded 1954-55, released 3/76) 1956 Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1/16/56) Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe (composers): My Fair Lady (stage debut: 3/15/56, cast recorded 3/24/56, cast album charted 4/28/56, soundtrack charted 10/10/64) Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll) (3/23/56) Harry Belafonte: Calypso (charted 6/16/56) Duke Ellington: At Newport (live, recorded 7/7/56) Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus (recorded 3/22/56 to 10/5/56) Elvis Presley: Elvis (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll No. 2) (released 10/19/56) 1957 Little Richard: Here’s Little Richard (3/57) Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (composers): West Side Story (stage debut: 9/26/57, cast recording charted 3/17/58, soundtrack charted 10/23/61) Elvis Presley: Elvis’ Christmas Album (10/57) Buddy Holly & The Crickets: The Chirping Crickets (11/27/57) Meredith Willson (composer): The Music Man (stage debut: 12/19/57, cast recording charted 2/24/58, soundtrack charted 8/11/62) Bing Crosby: The Definitive Collection (compilation, 1931-57, released 1/24/2006) 1958 Johnny Mathis: Johnny’s Greatest Hits (compilation: 1956-58, 3/58) Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe (composers): Gigi (soundtrack, charted 6/23/58) Frank Sinatra: Only the Lonely (charted 9/29/58) Buddy Holly & The Crickets: 20 Golden Greats (compilation: 1956-58, released 2/17/78) 1959 Henry Mancini: The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack, charted 2/9/59) Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (recorded 3/2/59 to 4/22/59) Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um (recorded 5/5/59 to 5/12/59) Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim (composers): Gypsy (stage debut: 5/21/59, cast recording: 5/28/59) Ornette Coleman: The Shape of Jazz to Come (recorded 5/22/59) The Kingston Trio: At Large (charted 6/22/59) Dave Brubeck: Time Out (released 6/59) Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II (composers): The Sound of Music (stage debut: 11/16/59, cast recording released 11/59, soundtrack released 3/65) Ray Charles: The Birth of Soul – The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings (box set: 1952-59, released 10/1/91) 1960 Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Sketches of Spain (recorded 11/15/59 to 3/10/60) Muddy Waters: At Newport (live, recorded 7/3/60) Elvis Presley: G.I. Blues (soundtrack, 10/60) Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner (composers): Camelot (cast recording, stage debut: 12/3/60) Bobby “Blue” Bland: Two Steps from the Blues (compilation: 1956-60) 1961 Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall (live, recorded 4/23/61, released 7/10/61) Elvis Presley: Blue Hawaii (soundtrack, charted 10/23/61) 1962 Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (charted 4/21/62) James Brown: Live at the Apollo, Vol. 1 (live, recorded 10/24/62, released 1/63) Howlin’ Wolf: Howlin’ Wolf (aka ‘The Rockin’ Chair Album’) (compilation: 1957-62, released 1962) 1963 Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club (aka “One Night Stand”) (live, recorded 1/12/63) Stan Getz/João Gilberto: Getz/Gilberto (recorded 3/19/63) The Beatles: Please Please Me (3/22/63) Andy Williams: Days of Wine and Roses (charted 4/20/63) Bob Dylan: The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (5/27/63) The Beatles: With the Beatles (11/22/63) Patsy Cline: 12 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1957-63, released 2/4/73) 1964 Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch! (recorded 2/25/64) Jule Styne/Bob Merrill (composers), Barbara Streisand (performer): Funny Girl (stage debut: 3/26/64, cast recording charted 5/2/64, soundtrack charted 9/28/68) The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones, aka England’s Newest Hitmakers (4/16/64) The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night (7/10/64) Bob Dylan: Another Side of Bob Dylan (8/8/64) Richard M. Sherman/Robert B. Sherman (composers): Mary Poppins (soundtrack, released 8/27/64) Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick (composers): Fiddler on the Roof (stage debut: 9/22/64, cast recording charted 10/31/64, soundtrack charted 10/30/71) B.B. King: Live at the Regal (live, recorded 11/21/64, released 1965) The Beatles: Beatles for Sale (12/4/64) John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (recorded 12/9/64, released 2/65) Chuck Berry: The Great Twenty-Eight (compilation: 1955-65, released 1982) 1965 Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home (3/22/65) Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream & Other Delights (charted 5/15/65) The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man (6/21/65) The Beatles: Help! (8/6/65) Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (8/30/65) Otis Redding: Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (8/65) The Beatles: Rubber Soul (12/3/65) The Who: The Who Sings My Generation (12/20/65) Sam Cooke: The Man and His Music (compilation: 1951-65, released 2/86) Roy Orbison: For the Lonely - 18 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1956-64, released 1/7/89) Various Artists: Rock Revival Greats (K-Tel compilation: 1955-64, released 1982) 1966 John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers/Eric Clapton: Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (3/66) The Rolling Stones: Aftermath (4/15/66) The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (5/16/66) Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (5/16/66) Bob Dylan: Live 1966: The Royal Albert Hall Concert (live, recorded 5/17/66) The Mothers of Invention: Freak Out! (6/27/66) The Byrds: Fifth Dimension (7/18/66) The Beatles: Revolver (8/5/66) Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (9/66) The Monkees: The Monkees (charted 10/8/66) Bob Dylan: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1962-66, released 3/27/67) 1967 The Doors: The Doors (1/4/67) The Monkees: More of the Monkees (1/10/67) The Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons (1/20/67) The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday (2/6/67) Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (3/10/67) The Velvet Underground & Nico: Velvet Underground & Nico (3/12/67) Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (charted 3/25/67) The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced? (5/12/67) The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (6/1/67) Moby Grape: Moby Grape (6/67) Pink Floyd: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (8/5/67) Byrds: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1965-67, released 8/7/67) The Kinks: Something Else (9/15/67) The Doors: Strange Days (9/25/67) Galt MacDermot/Gerome Ragni/James Rado (composers): Hair (stage debut: 10/17/67, cast recording charted 8/3/68) Buffalo Springfield: Again (10/30/67) The Moody Blues: Days of Future Passed (11/11/67) Cream: Disraeli Gears (charted 11/18/67) The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (11/27/67) The Velvet Underground: White Light/White Heat (11/30/67) Love: Forever Changes (11/67) The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold As Love (12/1/67) The Who: Sell Out (12/16/67) Leonard Cohen: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (12/27/67) Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding (12/27/67) 1968 The Byrds: The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1/3/68) Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison (live, recorded 1/13/68, released 3/1/68) Simon & Garfunkel/ Dave Grusin: The Graduate (soundtrack, 1/21/68) Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul (1/22/68) Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Safe As Milk (2/68) The Mothers of Invention: We’re Only in It for the Money (3/4/68) Simon & Garfunkel: Bookends (3/68) The Zombies: Odessey & Oracle (4/68) Iron Butterfly: In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida (6/14/68) The Small Faces: Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (charted 6/23/68) Cream: Wheels of Fire (studio/live, 6/68) The Band: Music from Big Pink (7/1/68) The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo (7/22/68) Big Brother & the Holding Company: Cheap Thrills (8/12/68) The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (9/16/68) The MC5: Kick Out the Jams (live, recorded 10/30-31/68, charted 3/8/69) The Beatles: The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (11/22/68) The Kinks: Village Green Preservation Society (11/22/68) Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (11/68) The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet (12/6/68) Blood, Sweat & Tears: Blood, Sweat & Tears (12/11/68) Various Artists: Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (box set: 1965-68, released 9/72) Bob Dylan & The Band: The Basement Tapes (archives, recorded 1967-68, released 6/26/75) 1969 Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin I (1/12/69) Johnny Cash: At San Quentin (live, recorded 2/24/69, released 6/4/69) The Grateful Dead: Live/Dead (live, recorded 3/2/69, released 11/10/69) Dusty Springfield: Dusty in Memphis (charted 3/15/69) Quicksilver Messenger Service: Happy Trails (live, charted 3/29/69) The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground (3/31/69) Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline (4/9/69) Sly & the Family Stone: Stand! (charted 4/26/69) Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority (4/69) The Flying Burrito Brothers: The Gilded Palace of Sin (charted 5/3/69) Neil Young: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (5/14/69) The Who: Tommy (5/23/69) Crosby, Stills & Nash: Crosby, Stills & Nash (5/29/69) Elvis Presley: From Elvis in Memphis (charted 6/14/69) Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica (6/16/69) Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (charted 7/12/69) Blind Faith: Blind Faith (7/21/69) Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking (charted 7/26/69) Various Artists: Woodstock (live soundtrack, recorded 8/15-18/69, released 8/70) The Stooges: The Stooges (charted 8/23/69) Nick Drake: Five Leaves Left (9/1/69) Miles Davis: In a Silent Way (charted 9/6/69) Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River (charted 9/13/69) Santana: Santana (charted 9/13/69) The Band: The Band (9/22/69) The Beatles: Abbey Road (9/26/69) King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (10/10/69) Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (10/10/69) Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II (10/22/69) The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (11/28/69) Creedence Clearwater Revival: Willy and the Poor Boys (charted 12/13/69) Fairport Convention: Liege and Lief (12/69) The Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out (live, recorded 1969, released 9/4/70) Various Artists produced by Phil Spector: Back to Mono (box set: 1958-69, released 11/12/91) 1970 Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsys (live, recorded 12/31/69 to 1/1/70, charted 5/2/70) Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (1/26/70) The Doors: Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Café (2/9/70) Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath (2/13/70) The Who: Live at Leeds (live, recorded 2/14/70, released 5/16/70) Van Morrison: Moondance (2/28/70) Crosby, Stills & Nash: Déjà Vu (3/11/70) James Taylor: Sweet Baby James (charted 3/14/70) Randy Newman: 12 Songs (4/70) The Beatles: Let It Be (5/8/70) Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (charted 5/16/70) Deep Purple: In Rock (charted 6/3/70) Grateful Dead: Workingman’s Dead (6/14/70) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: 4 Way Street (live recorded June to July 1970, released 4/7/71) The Stooges: Fun House (7/7/70) Traffic: John Barleycorn Must Die (charted 7/11/70) Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo’s Factory (charted 7/25/70) The Beach Boys: Sunflower (8/21/70) Neil Young: After the Gold Rush (8/31/70) Velvet Underground: Loaded (8/31/70) Black Sabbath: Paranoid (charted 9/19/70) Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III (10/5/70) Santana: Abraxas (charted 10/10/70) Elton John: Tumbleweed Connection (10/30/70) Grateful Dead: American Beauty (11/1/70) Nick Drake: Bryter Layter (11/1/70) Tim Buckley: Starsailor (11/2/70) Derek and the Dominos: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (charted 11/21/70) Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice (composers): Jesus Christ Superstar (cast recording, 11/21/70) Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman (11/23/70) George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (11/27/70) John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band (12/11/70) The Who: Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy (compilation: 1964-70, released 10/30/71) Simon & Garfunkel: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1964-70, released 6/20/72) The Beatles: 1 (compilation: 1962-70, released 11/14/00) 1971 Janis Joplin: Pearl (1/11/71) Carole King: Tapestry (2/10/71) The Allman Brothers Band: At Fillmore East (live, recorded 3/12/71 to 3/13/71, released 7/71) Jethro Tull: Aqualung (charted 3/19/71) Yes: The Yes Album (3/19/71) Leonard Cohen: Songs of Love and Hate (3/19/71) The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (4/23/71) The Doors: L.A. Woman (4/29/71) Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On (5/21/71) Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story (charted 6/19/71) Joni Mitchell: Blue (6/22/71) The Who: Who’s Next (8/14/71) Funkadelic: Maggot Brain (charted 8/14/71) Black Sabbath: Master of Reality (charted 8/14/71) The Beach Boys: Surf’s Up (8/30/71) John Lennon: Imagine (9/9/71) T-Rex: Electric Warrior (9/24/71) Pink Floyd: Meddle (10/30/71) Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV (11/8/71) Sly & the Family Stone: There’s a Riot Goin’ On (charted 11/13/72) Yes: Fragile (11/26/71) The Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks 1964-71 (compilation: 1964-71, released 12/15/71) David Bowie: Hunky Dory (12/17/71) Janis Joplin: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1967-71, charted 7/14/73) The Doors: The Best of (compilation: 1966-71, charted 8/8/87) Various Artists: Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 (box set: 1959-71, released 11/13/92) 1972 The Allman Brothers Band: Eat a Peach (studio/live, 2/12/72) Neil Young: Harvest (2/14/72) Nick Drake: Pink Moon (2/25/72) John Prine: John Prine (charted 2/26/72) Can: Tago Mago (2/72) Jethro Tull: Thick As a Brick (3/3/72) Deep Purple: Machine Head (3/25/72) Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything? (charted 3/25/72) Big Star: #1 Record (4/72) The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street (5/12/72) David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (6/6/72) Randy Newman: Sail Away (charted 6/17/72) Led Zeppelin: How the West Was Won (live box set, recorded 6/25/72 and 6/27/72, released 5/27/03) Jimmy Cliff et al: The Harder They Come (soundtrack, released 7/7/72) Roxy Music: Roxy Music (charted 7/29/72) Curtis Mayfield: Superfly (soundtrack, 7/72) Deep Purple: Made in Japan (live, recorded 8/15/72 to 8/17/72, charted 4/21/73) Neil Diamond: Hot August Night (live, recorded 8/24/72, charted 12/9/72) Yes: Close to the Edge (9/13/72) Genesis: Foxtrot (10/6/72) Al Green: I’m Still in Love with You (charted 10/21/72) Stevie Wonder: Talking Book (10/27/72) Lou Reed: Transformer (11/8/72) Steely Dan: Can’t Buy a Thrill (charted 12/2/72) The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Will the Circle Be Unbroken (charted 12/30/72) The Temptations: Anthology (compilation: 1964-72, released 8/23/73) John Denver: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1969-72, released 11/15/73) Creedence Clearwater Revival: Chronicle (compilation: 1968-72, charted 3/6/76) 1973 Gram Parsons: G.P. (1/73) Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (3/1/73) Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure (3/23/73) Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy (3/28/73) Bob Marley & the Wailers: Catch a Fire (4/13/73) David Bowie: Aladdin Sane (4/13/73) Eagles: Desperado (4/17/73) Iggy & the Stooges: Raw Power (charted 4/28/73) Al Green: Call Me (charted 5/19/73) Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells (5/25/73) Steely Dan: Countdown to Ecstasy (7/6/73) Lou Reed: Berlin (7/73) Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (8/3/73) ZZ Top: Tres Hombres (charted 8/4/73) Marvin Gaye: Let’s Get It On (8/28/73) New York Dolls: New York Dolls (charted 9/1/73) Various Artists: American Graffiti (soundtrack, charted 9/1/73) Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle (9/11/73) Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd (charted 9/22/73) Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (10/5/73) Genesis: Selling England by the Pound (charted 10/13/73) The Who: Quadrophenia (10/19/73) Bob Marley/The Wailers: Burnin’ (10/73) Paul McCartney & Wings: Band on the Run (12/5/73) Neil Young: Tonight’s the Night (recorded 1973, released 7/12/75) Al Green: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1971-73, charted 3/22/75) The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers (recorded 1973, released 1976) Sly & the Family Stone: Anthology (includes all of 1970’s Greatest Hits) (compilation: 1968-73, released 1981) 1974 Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (1/17/74) Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets (1/74) Gram Parsons: Grievous Angel (charted 2/16/74) Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic (2/20/74) Big Star: Radio City (2/74) David Bowie: Diamond Dogs (4/24/74) Richard & Linda Thompson: I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (4/74) Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping (charted 5/4/74) Bad Company: Bad Company (6/26/74) Neil Young: On the Beach (7/16/74) Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean Boulevard (charted 7/20/74) Stevie Wonder: Fulfillingness’ First Finale (7/22/74) Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom (7/74) Jackson Browne: Late for the Sky (9/19/74) Bob Marley & The Wailers: Natty Dread (10/25/74) Kraftwerk: Autobahn (11/1/74) Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (11/18/74) Supertramp: Crime of the Century (charted 12/7/74) Various Artists: Atlantic Rhythm & Blues (box set: 1947-74, released 10/15/91) 1975 Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks (1/17/75) Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (2/24/75) Earth, Wind & Fire: That’s the Way of the World (soundtrack, charted 3/15/75) Marvin Hamlisch/Edward Kleban (composers): A Chorus Line (cast recording, stage debut: 4/15/75) Aerosmith: Toys in the Attic (charted 4/26/75) Elton John: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (5/19/75) Eagles: One of These Nights (6/10/75) Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac (7/11/75) Bob Marley & the Wailers: Live! (At the Lyceum) (live, recorded 7/18/75, released 12/19/75) Willie Nelson: Red Headed Stranger (charted 7/26/75) Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run (8/25/75) Kiss: Alive! (live, 9/10/75) Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (9/15/75) Brian Eno: Another Green World (9/75) Patti Smith: Horses (11/8/75) Peter Frampton: Frampton Comes Alive! (live, recorded 3/24/75 to 11/22/75, charted 1/31/76) Queen: A Night at the Opera (12/2/75) Parliament: Mothership Connection (12/15/75) Big Star: Third/Sister Lovers (recorded 1975, released 7/78) 1976 Bob Dylan: Desire (1/16/76) David Bowie: Station to Station (1/23/76) Kiss: Destroyer (3/15/76) Boz Scaggs: Silk Degrees (charted 3/20/76) Rush: 2112 (charted 4/10/76) Ramones: Ramones (4/23/76) Aerosmith: Rocks (charted 5/29/76) Steve Miller Band: Fly Like an Eagle (charted 5/29/76) Boston: Boston (8/25/76) Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (9/28/76) Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band: Night Moves (10/1/76) Abba: Arrival (10/11/76) James Taylor: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1968-76, released 11/1/76) Kansas: Leftoverture (charted 11/6/76) Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice (composers): Evita (studio album: 11/19/76, stage debut: 6/21/78, soundtrack: 11/12/96) The Band: The Last Waltz (live, recorded 11/26/76; released April 1978) Eagles: Hotel California (12/8/76) 1977 David Bowie: Low (1/14/77) Pink Floyd: Animals (1/23/77) Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (2/4/77) Television: Marquee Moon (2/8/77) Foreigner: Foreigner (charted 3/26/77) The Clash: The Clash (4/8/77) Kraftwerk: Trans-Europa Express (Trans Europe Express) (charted 4/16/77) Bob Marley & The Wailers: Exodus (6/3/77) Styx: The Grand Illusion (7/7/77) Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True (7/22/77) Talking Heads: 77 (9/16/77) Iggy Pop: Lust for Life (charted 9/17/77) Billy Joel: The Stranger (9/29/77) Steely Dan: Aja (10/8/77) David Bowie: Heroes (10/14/77) Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell (10/21/77) The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (10/28/77) Ramones: Rocket to Russia (11/4/77) Electric Light Orchestra: Out of the Blue (charted 11/12/77) Various Artists (Bee Gees et al): Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 11/15/77) Eric Clapton: Slowhand (charted 11/26/77) Wire: Pink Flag (11/77) Jackson Browne: Running on Empty (12/6/77) Suicide: Suicide (12/28/77) 1978 Pere Ubu: The Modern Dance (1/78) Van Halen: Van Halen (2/10/78) Elvis Costello & The Attractions: This Year’s Model (3/17/78) Various Artists (including Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta): Grease (soundtrack, 4/14/78) Cheap Trick: At Budokan (live, recorded 4/78, charted 2/24/79) Kraftwerk: Die Mensch Maschine (The Man-Machine) (charted 5/13/78) Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: Stranger in Town (charted 5/27/78) Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town (6/2/78) The Cars: The Cars (6/6/78) The Rolling Stones: Some Girls (6/9/78) Talking Heads: More Songs about Buildings and Food (7/14/78) Dire Straits: Dire Straits (charted 7/22/78) Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo (7/78) Blondie: Parallel Lines (charted 9/16/78) Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove (charted 10/7/78) Billy Joel: 52nd Street (charted 10/28/78) The Police: Outlandos D’Amour (11/2/78) The Jam: All Mod Cons (11/3/78) Steve Miller: Greatest Hits 1974-1978 (compilation: 1974-78, released 11/15/78) X-Ray Spex: Germ-Free Adolescents (11/78) Kenny Rogers: The Gambler (charted 12/16/78) Rod Stewart: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1971-78, charted 11/24/79) 1979 Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Armed Forces (1/5/79) Bee Gees: Spirits Having Flown (charted 2/17/79) Stephen Sondheim (composer): Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (stage debut: 3/1/79, cast recording: 1979, soundtrack charted 1/5/08) Supertramp: Breakfast in America (charted 3/31/79) Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures (6/14/79) Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Rust Never Sleeps (7/2/79) AC/DC: Highway to Hell (8/3/79) Talking Heads: Fear of Music (8/3/79) The B-52s: The B-52s (charted 8/4/79) Michael Jackson: Off the Wall (8/10/79) Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door (8/15/79) Eagles: The Long Run (9/24/79) Gang of Four: Entertainment! (9/79) Buzzcocks: Singles Going Steady (compilation: 1977-79, released 9/79) The Police: Reggatta de Blanc (10/5/79) Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Damn the Torpedoes (10/19/79) The Specials: The Specials (10/79) Public Image Ltd.: Metal Box (aka “Second Edition”) (11/23/79) Pink Floyd: The Wall (11/30/79) The Clash: London Calling (12/14/79) Aerosmith: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1973-79, charted 11/29/80) Eagles: Very Best of (includes all of 1976’s Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975) (compilation: 1971-79, released 7/11/94) 1980 Rush: Permanent Waves (1/1/80) Pretenders: Pretenders (1/19/80) Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Get Happy!! (2/15/80) Billy Joel: Glass Houses (3/10/80) Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: Against the Wind (charted 3/15/80) Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (third album) (5/30/80) Queen: The Game (6/30/80) X: Los Angeles (6/80) Joy Division: Closer (7/18/80) Echo & the Bunnymen: Crocodile (7/18/80) AC/DC: Back in Black (7/25/80) Dexy’s Midnight Runners: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (charted 7/26/80) David Bowie: Scary Monsters (9/12/80) Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (charted 9/13/80) Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard of Ozz (charted 9/20/80) Talking Heads: Remain in Light (10/8/80) Prince: Dirty Mind (10/8/80) Bruce Springsteen: The River (10/10/80) The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (charted 10/11/80) Barbra Streisand: Guilty (charted 10/11/80) Dire Straits: Making Movies (10/17/80) Kenny Rogers: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1969-80, charted 10/18/80) U2: Boy (10/20/80) Adam & the Ants: Kings of the Wild Frontier (11/3/80) Motörhead: Ace of Spades (charted 11/8/80) John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy (11/17/80) REO Speedwagon: Hi Infidelity (11/21/80) 1981 Styx: Paradise Theater (charted 1/31/81) Phil Collins: Face Value (2/9/81) Rush: Moving Pictures (2/12/81) Brian Eno/David Byrne: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (charted 2/21/81) Motörhead: No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith (live, recorded 3/28/80 to 3/30/81, charted 6/27/81) Foreigner: 4 (7/2/81) The Go-Go’s: Beauty and the Beat (7/24/81) Journey: Escape (charted 8/8/81) The Rolling Stones: Tattoo You (8/30/81) The Police: Ghost in the Machine (charted 10/10/81) The Human League: Dare! (10/16/81) Queen: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1973-81, released 11/3/81) Men at Work: Business as Usual (11/9/81) Barbra Streisand: Memories (released as Love Songs in the UK) (compilation: 1974-81, released 11/81) Black Flag: Damaged (12/5/81) Eric Clapton: The Cream of Clapton (compilation: 1966-81, released 3/7/95) Carpenters: The Singles 1969-1981 (includes all of The Singles 1969-1973) (compilation: 1969-81, released 5/23/00) 1982 Richard & Linda Thompson: Shoot Out the Lights (3/15/82) Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast (3/22/82) Duran Duran: Rio (3/29/82) Asia: Asia (charted 4/3/82) Toto: Toto IV (4/8/82) John Cougar (Mellencamp): American Fool (4/12/82) Roxy Music: Avalon (charted 6/5/82) Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Imperial Bedroom (7/2/82) ABC: The Lexicon of Love (charted 7/3/82) Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska (9/20/82) Simple Minds: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (10/2/82) Prince: 1999 (10/27/82) Donald Fagen: The Nightfly (charted 10/30/82) Michael Jackson: Thriller (11/30/82) Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes (11/30/82) Abba: Gold – Greatest Hits (compilation: 1974-82, rel. 9/21/92) 1983 Def Leppard: Pyromania (1/20/83) U2: War (2/28/83) R.E.M.: Murmur (4/11/83) David Bowie: Let’s Dance (4/11/83) Various Artists: Flashdance (soundtrack, 4/15/83) ZZ Top: Eliminator (charted 4/23/83) The Police: Synchronicity (charted 6/17/83) Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Texas Flood (charted 7/23/83) Metallica: Kill ‘Em All (7/25/83) Madonna: Madonna (7/27/83) U2: Under a Blood Red Sky (live, recorded 8/20/83) Billy Joel: An Innocent Man (charted 8/20/83) Huey Lewis & The News: Sports (9/15/83) Tom Waits: Swordfishtrombones (9/83) Lionel Richie: Can’t Slow Down (10/11/83) Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual (10/14/83) Culture Club: Colour by Numbers (10/22/83) Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense (live soundtrack, recorded 12/83, charted 9/22/84) Bob Marley & the Wailers: Legend (compilation: 1973-83, released 5/8/84) Johnny Cash: The Essential (1955-1983) (box set: 1955-83, released 12/92) 1984 Van Halen: 1984 (1/9/84) Various Artists: Footloose (soundtrack, 1/31/84) The Smiths: The Smiths (2/20/84) R.E.M.: Reckoning (4/9/84) Echo & the Bunnymen: Ocean Rain (5/4/84) Tina Turner: Private Dancer (5/29/84) Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. (6/4/84) Prince & the Revolution: Purple Rain (soundtrack, 6/25/84) Sade: Diamond Life (charted 7/28/84) Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime (7/84) Metallica: Ride the Lightning (charted 9/29/84) Hüsker Dü: Zen Arcade (9/84) U2: The Unforgettable Fire (10/1/84) The Replacements: Let It Be (10/2/84) Bryan Adams: Reckless (10/29/84) Madonna: Like a Virgin (11/12/84) The Smiths: Hatful of Hollow (archives, 11/12/84) James Brown: Star Time (box set: 1956-84, released 5/7/91) 1985 Tears for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair (2/17/85) Phil Collins: No Jacket Required (2/18/85) Hüsker Dü: New Day Rising (2/85) Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston (3/14/85) Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms (5/13/85) New Order: Low-Life (5/85) Marillion: Misplaced Childhood (6/17/85) Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen (aka Two Wheels Good) (charted 6/22/85) Sting: The Dream of the Blue Turtles (charted 6/29/85) Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume I & II (compilation: 1973-85, released 7/2/85) The Pogues: Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash (charted 8/17/85) The Cure: The Head on the Door (charted 9/7/85) John Cougar Mellencamp: Scarecrow (charted 9/14/85) Kate Bush: Hounds of Love (charted 9/28/85) Tom Waits: Rain Dogs (9/30/85) Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live 1975/1985 (live, recorded from 1975 through 9/30/85, charted 11/22/86) The Fall: This Nation’s Saving Grace (9/85) Claude-Michel Schönberg/ Alain Boublil/ Herbert Kretzmer (composers): Les Misérables (cast recording, stage debut: 10/8/85) Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy (charted 11/30/85) The Replacements: Tim (11/30/85) 1986 Janet Jackson: Control (2/6/86) Metallica: Master of Puppets (2/24/86) Anita Baker: Rapture (charted 4/16/86) Prince: Parade (3/31/86) Peter Gabriel: So (5/13/86) Various Artists: Top Gun (soundtrack, 5/20/86) Run-D.M.C.: Raising Hell (5/27/86) Genesis: Invisible Touch (6/9/86) The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead (6/28/86) Madonna: True Blue (6/30/86) R.E.M.: Life’s Rich Pageant (7/28/86) Paul Simon: Graceland (8/12/86) Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet (8/18/86) Steve Earle: Guitar Town (10/7/86) Andrew Lloyd Webber/Charles Hart/Richard Stigoe (composers): Phantom of the Opera (cast, opened 10/9/86) The Police: Every Breath You Take – The Singles (aka The Classics) (compilation: 1978-1986; released 10/27/86) Slayer: Reign in Blood (10/28/86) Beastie Boys: Licensed to Ill (11/11/86) 1987 U2: The Joshua Tree (3/17/87) Prince: Sign ‘O’ the Times (3/30/87) Fleetwood Mac: Tango in the Night (4/13/87) John Hiatt: Bring the Family (5/29/87) Whitney Houston: Whitney (6/2/87) Eric B. & Rakim: Paid in Full (7/9/87) Guns N’ Roses: Appetite for Destruction (7/21/87) Terence Trent D’Arby: Introducing the Hardline… (charted 7/25/87) Dinosaur Jr.: You’re Living All Over Me (7/87) Def Leppard: Hysteria (8/3/87) New Order: Substance (compilation: 1981-87, released 8/11/87) Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation (8/18/87) Michael Jackson: Bad (8/31/87) Various Artists: Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 9/1/87) R.E.M.: Document (9/8/87) The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come (9/22/87) Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love (10/9/87) INXS: Kick (10/20/87) George Michael: Faith (11/3/87) Journey: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1978-87, released 11/15/88) 1988 Pixies: Surfer Rosa (3/21/88) Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman (4/5/88) Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (4/14/88) Bobby Brown: Don’t Be Cruel (6/20/88) Paula Abdul: Forever Your Girl (charted 7/23/88) Jane’s Addiction: Nothing’s Shocking (8/23/88) Metallica: …And Justice for All (8/25/88) Talk Talk: Spirit of Eden (9/16/88) Bon Jovi: New Jersey (9/20/88) U2: Rattle and Hum (studio/live soundtrack, 10/11/88) Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation (10/88) R.E.M.: Green (11/8/88) Fleetwood Mac: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1975-88, released 11/22/88) 1989 N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton (1/10/89) New Order: Technique (1/24/89) Indigo Girls: Indigo Girls (2/28/89) Milli Vanilli: Girl You Know It’s True (aka All or Nothing) (3/7/89) De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising (3/14/89) Madonna: Like a Prayer (3/21/89) Bonnie Raitt: Nick of Time (3/21/89) Soul II Soul: Club Classics, Vol. I (aka Keep on Movin’ (4/10/89) Garth Brooks: Garth Brooks (4/21/89) The Pixies: Doolittle (4/18/89) Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever (4/24/89) The Cure: Disintegration (5/2/89) The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses (charted 5/13/89) Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique (7/25/89) Aerosmith: Pump (9/12/89) Janet Jackson: Rhythm Nation 1814 (9/19/89) Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine (10/13/89) Phil Collins: …But Seriously (11/17/89) Van Morrison: Best of (compilation: 1965-89, charted 4/7/90) Eurythmics: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1983-89; released 5/24/91) U2: Best of 1980-1990 (compilation: 1979-89, released 11/3/98) 1990 M.C. Hammer: Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (2/12/90) Black Crowes: Shake Your Money Maker (2/13/90) Depeche Mode: Violator (2/22/90) Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet (3/20/90) Sinéad O’Connor: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (3/20/90) Mariah Carey: Mariah Carey (6/12/90) Jane’s Addiction: Ritual de lo Habitual (8/21/90) Garth Brooks: No Fences (8/27/90) Queensrÿche: Empire (9/4/90) Vanilla Ice: To the Extreme (9/10/90) George Michael: Listen without Prejudice (9/11/90) Elton John: The Very Best of (includes all of 1974’s Greatest Hits) (compilation: 1970-90, released 11/3/90) Madonna: The Immaculate Collection (compilation: 1983-90, released 11/13/90) Happy Mondays: Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches (charted 11/17/90) Enigma: mcmxc a.d. (12/10/90) 1991 R.E.M.: Out of Time (3/12/91) Slint: Spiderland (3/27/91) Boyz II Men: Cooleyhighharmony (4/30/91) Natalie Cole: Unforgettable: With Love (covers, 6/11/91) Crowded House: Woodface (7/2/91) Massive Attack: Blue Lines (8/6/91) Metallica: Metallica (aka “The Black Album”) (8/12/91) Pearl Jam: Ten (8/27/91) Garth Brooks: Ropin’ the Wind (9/2/91) Guns N’ Roses: Use Your Illusion I (9/17/91) Guns N’ Roses: Use Your Illusion II (9/17/91) Nirvana: Nevermind (9/24/91) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magik (9/24/91) A Tribe Called Quest: The Low-End Theory (9/24/91) Simply Red: Stars (9/30/91) Primal Scream: Screamadelica (10/8/91) Queen: Greatest Hits II (compilation: 1981-91, released 10/30/91) My Bloody Valentine: Loveless (11/5/91) Pet Shop Boys: Discography – The Complete Singles Collection (compilation: 1985-91, released 11/5/91) U2: Achtung Baby (11/19/91) Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque (11/19/91) Michael Jackson: Dangerous (11/26/91) 1992 Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes (1/13/92) Eric Clapton: Unplugged (live, recorded 1/16/92; released 8/25/92) Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (compilation: 1985-92, released 2/12/92) k.d. lang: Ingénue (3/17/92) Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months, & 2 Days in the Life of… (3/24/92) Pavement: Slanted and Enchanted (charted 3/31/92) Lionel Richie: Back to Front (compilation: 1977-92, released 5/5/92) Billy Ray Cyrus: Some Gave All (5/19/92) PJ Harvey: Dry (6/30/92) Garth Brooks: The Chase (9/14/92) Alice in Chains: Dirt (9/29/92) Stone Temple Pilots: Core (9/29/92) R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (10/6/92) Rage Against the Machine: Rage Against the Machine (11/3/92) Whitney Houston/various artists: The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 11/17/92) Kenny G: Breathless (11/17/92) Dr. Dre: The Chronic (12/15/92) 1993 PJ Harvey: Rid of Me (5/4/93) Janet Jackson: janet. (5/18/93) Ace of Base: The Sign (aka “Happy Nation”) (6/1/93) Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville (6/22/93) U2: Zooropa (7/5/93) Björk: Debut (7/13/93) Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton (7/13/93) Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (7/27/93) Sheryl Crow: Tuesday Night Music Club (8/3/93) Garth Brooks: In Pieces (8/23/93) Mariah Carey: Music Box (8/31/93) Counting Crows: August and Everything After (9/14/93) Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (9/14/93) Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides (box set: 1978-93, released 9/14/93) Nirvana: In Utero (9/21/93) Pearl Jam: Vs. (10/19/93) Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (10/22/93) Bryan Adams: So Far So Good (compilation: 1982-93, released 11/2/93) Wu-Tang Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (11/9/93) Celine Dion: The Colour of My Love (11/9/93) Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1977-93, released 11/16/93) Nirvana: MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 11/18/93, released 11/1/94) Snoop Doggy Dogg: Doggystyle (11/23/93) Sade Best of (compilation: 1984-93, released 10/31/94) Garth Brooks: The Hits (compilation: 1989-93: released 12/13/94) 1994 Green Day: Dookie (2/1/94) Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (charted 2/26/94) Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral (3/8/94) Soundgarden: Superunknown (3/8/94) Morrissey: Vauxhall and I (3/22/94) Pink Floyd: The Division Bell (3/30/94) The Offspring: Smash (4/11/94) Hole: Live Through This (4/12/94) Live: Throwing Copper (4/19/94) Nas: Illmatic (4/19/94) Blur: Parklife (4/25/94) Johnny Cash: American Recordings (4/26/94) Weezer: Weezer (aka “The Blue Album”) (5/10/94) Beastie Boys: Ill Communication (5/23/94) Elton John/ Tim Rice/ Hans Zimmer (composers): The Lion King (soundtrack, 6/4/94) Hootie & the Blowfish: Cracked Rear View (7/5/94) The Prodigy: Music for the Jilted Generation (charted 7/16/94) Jeff Buckley: Grace (8/23/94) Manic Street Preachers: The Holy Bible (8/29/94) Oasis: Definitely Maybe (8/30/94) Boyz II Men: II (8/30/94) Portishead: Dummy (charted 9/3/94) The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die (9/13/94) Eric Clapton: From the Cradle (covers, 9/13/94) various artists: Pulp Fiction (soundtrack, 9/27/94) Dave Matthews Band: Under the Table and Dreaming (9/27/94) Suede (aka “London Suede”): Dog Man Star (10/10/94) Bon Jovi: Cross Road (compilation: 1984-94, released 10/18/94) Eagles: Hell Freezes Over (live/studio, 11/8/94) Sting: Fields of Gold – The Best of (compilation: 1985-94, released 11/8/94) TLC: CrazySexyCool (11/15/94) Pearl Jam: Vitalogy (12/6/94) Guns N’ Roses: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1987-94, released 3/23/04) 1995 Leftfield: Leftism (1/30/95) Shania Twain: The Woman in Me (2/7/95) Tricky: Maxinquaye (2/20/95) PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love (2/28/95) Jewel: Pieces of You (2/28/95) Bruce Springsteen: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1975-95, released 2/28/95) Radiohead: The Bends (3/13/95) Björk: Post (5/29/95) Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill (6/13/95) Michael Jackson: HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book 1 (compilation: 1979-92 + studio album, released 6/20/95) Foo Fighters Foo Fighters (7/4/95) Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (9/26/95) Oasis: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (10/3/95) Mariah Carey: Daydream (10/3/95) No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom (10/10/95) Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (10/24/95) Pulp: Different Class (10/30/95) Various Artists (Whitney Houston et al): Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack, 11/14/95) 1996 Fugees: The Score (2/12/96) Tupac Shakur (2pac): All Eyez on Me (2/13/96) Celine Dion: Falling into You (3/11/96) Dave Matthews Band: Crash (4/12/96) Manic Street Preachers: Everything Must Go (5/20/96) Beck: Odelay (6/18/96) Toni Braxton: Secrets (6/18/96) R.E.M.: New Adventures in Hi-Fi (6/18/96) Tool: Ænima (10/1/96) Matchbox 20: Yourself or Someone Like You (10/1/96) Spice Girls: Spice (11/4/96) Belle & Sebastian: If You’re Feeling Sinister (11/18/96) DJ Shadow: Endtroducing… (11/19/96) 1997 Daft Punk: Homework (1/20/97) The Notorious B.I.G.: Life after Death (3/25/97) Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole (4/7/97) Spiritualized: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (6/14/97) Radiohead: OK Computer (6/16/97) Buena Vista Social Club: Buena Vista Social Club (6/21/97) The Prodigy: Fat of the Land (7/1/97) Sarah McLachlan: Surfacing (7/15/97) Backstreet Boys: Backstreet Boys (U.S. Version, 8/12/97) Oasis: Be Here Now (8/26/97) Mariah Carey: Butterfly (9/16/97) The Verve: Urban Hymns (9/30/97) Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind (9/30/97) Shania Twain: Come on Over (11/4/97) Celine Dion: Let’s Talk about Love (11/15/97) James Horner (composer): Titanic (soundtrack, 11/18/97) Garth Brooks: Sevens (11/25/97) 1998 Air: Moon Safari (1/19/98) Dixie Chicks: Wide Open Spaces (1/27/98) Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (2/10/98) Madonna: Ray of Light (3/3/98) Massive Attack: Mezzanine (4/20/98) Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (6/30/98) Kid Rock: Devil Without a Cause (8/18/98) Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (8/25/98) Phil Collins: Hits (compilation: 1981-98, released 10/5/98) Fatboy Slim: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby (10/12/98) George Michael: Ladies and Gentlemen – The Best of (compilation: 1984-98, released 11/10/98) Mariah Carey: #1’s (compilation: 1990-98, released 11/17/98) Garth Brooks: Double Live (live, 11/17/98) The Offspring: Americana (11/17/98) 1999 Britney Spears: …Baby One More Time (1/12/99) Eminem: The Slim Shady LP (2/23/99) TLC: Fanmail (2/23/99) Ricky Martin: Ricky Martin (5/11/99) Moby: Play (5/17/99) The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (5/17/99) Backstreet Boys: Millenium (5/18/99) Travis: The Man Who (5/24/99) Dido: No Angel (6/1/99) Blink-182: Enema of the State (6/1/99) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication (6/8/99) Santana: Supernatural (6/15/99) Destiny’s Child: The Writing’s on the Wall (7/27/99) Dixie Chicks: Fly (8/31/99) The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs (9/7/99) Creed: Human Clay (9/28/99) Faith Hill: Breathe (11/9/99) Celine Dion: All the Way…A Decade of Song (compilation: 1991-99, released 11/13/99) 2000 D’Angelo: Voodoo (1/11/00) N Sync: No Strings Attached (3/21/00) David Gray: White Ladder (5/13/00) Britney Spears: Oops!...I Did It Again (5/16/00) Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP (5/23/00) Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R (6/6/00) Nelly: Country Grammar (6/27/00) Coldplay: Parachutes (7/10/00) Madonna: Music (9/19/00) Radiohead: Kid A (10/3/00) Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory (10/24/00) U2: All That You Can’t Leave Behind (10/31/00) OutKast: Stankonia (10/31/00) PJ Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (10/31/00) Backstreet Boys: Black & Blue (11/21/00) Enya: A Day without Rain (11/21/00) Various Artists: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack, 12/5/00) 2001 Destiny’s Child: Survivor (5/1/01) Tool: Lateralus (5/15/01) Alicia Keys: Songs in A Minor (6/5/01) Radiohead: Amnesiac (6/5/01) Muse: Origin of Symmetry (charted 6/30/71) The White Stripes: White Blood Cells (7/3/01) The Strokes: Is This It (7/30/01) System of a Down: Toxicity (9/4/01) Bob Dylan: Love and Theft (9/11/01) Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (9/18/01) Jay-Z: The Blueprint (9/18/01) Pink: M!ssundaztood (11/20/01) 2002 Norah Jones: Come Away with Me (2/26/02) The Streets: Original Pirate Material (3/25/02) Eminem: The Eminem Show (5/26/02) Avril Lavigne: Let Go (6/4/02) Nelly: Nellyville (6/25/02) Maroon 5: Songs about Jane (6/25/02) Red Hot Chili Peppers: By the Way (7/9/02) The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (7/16/02) Bruce Springsteen: The Rising (7/30/02) Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head (8/27/02) Dixie Chicks: Home (8/27/02) Queens of the Stone Age: Songs for the Deaf (8/27/02) Elvis Presley: 30 #1 Hits (compilation: 1956-2002, released 9/24/02) Beck: Sea Change (9/24/02) The Libertines: Up the Bracket (10/21/02) David Bowie: Best of Bowie (compilation: 1969-2002, released 10/22/02) Various Artists (Eminem et al): 8 Mile (10/29/02) Justin Timberlake: Justified (11/5/02) Shania Twain: Up! (11/19/02) 2003 50 Cent: Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ (2/6/03) Evanescence: Fallen (3/4/03) Linkin Park: Meteora (3/25/03) The White Stripes: Elephant (4/1/03) Radiohead: Hail to the Thief (6/10/03) Beyoncé: Dangerously in Love (6/17/03) Dizzee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner (7/21/03) Muse: Absolution (9/21/03) OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (9/23/03) R.E.M.: In Time – The Best of 1988-2003 (compilation: 1988-2003, released 10/28/03) Alicia Keys: The Diary of… (12/2/03) 2004 Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand (2/9/04) Kanye West: The College Dropout (2/10/04) Norah Jones: Feels Like Home (2/10/04) Scissor Sisters: Scissor Sisters (3/9/04) Usher: Confessions (3/23/04) Modest Mouse: Good News for People Who Love Bad News (4/6/04) Loretta Lynn: Van Lear Rose (4/27/04) Keane: Hopes and Fears (5/10/04) Streets: A Grand Don’t Come for Free (5/10/04) The Killers: Hot Fuss (6/7/04) Ray Charles with various artists: Genius Loves Company (8/31/04) The Arcade Fire: Funeral (9/14/04) Green Day: American Idiot (9/21/04) Brian Wilson: Smile (9/28/04) James Blunt: Back to Bedlam (10/11/04) Robbie Williams: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1997-2004, released 10/12/04) Shania Twain: Greatest Hits (compilation: 1994-2004, released 11/8/04) Eminem: Encore (11/12/04) U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (11/23/04) Kelly Clarkson: Breakaway (11/30/04) 2005 Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (1/25/05) Antony & The Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now (2/1/05) Bloc Party: Silent Alarm (2/2/05) Jack Johnson: In Between Dreams (3/1/05) 50 Cent: The Massacre (3/3/05) Mariah Carey: The Emancipation of Mimi (4/12/05) Gorillaz: Demon Days (5/24/05) Coldplay: X&Y (6/6/05) Black Eyed Peas: Monkey Business (6/7/05) Sufjan Stevens: Illinois (7/4/05) Kanye West: Late Registration (8/30/05) Nickelback: All the Right Reasons (10/4/05) Carrie Underwood: Some Hearts (11/15/05) Madonna: Confessions on a Dance Floor (11/15/05) Eminem: Curtain Call: The Hits (compilation: 1999-2005, charted 12/4/05) 2006 Various Artists: High School Musical (TV soundtrack, 1/10/06) Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (1/23/06) Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium (5/9/06) Dixie Chicks: Taking the Long Way (5/23/06) Muse: Black Holes & Revelations (7/11/06) Bob Dylan: Modern Times (8/29/06) Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveSounds (9/12/06) Amy Winehouse: Back to Black (10/6/06) 2007 The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible (3/6/07) LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver (3/20/07) Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare (4/23/07) Rihanna: Good Girl Gone Bad (6/5/07) Kanye West: Graduation (9/11/07) Bruce Springsteen: Magic (10/2/07) Radiohead: In Rainbows (10/10/07) Robert Plant & Allison Krauss: Raising Sand (10/23/07) Alicia Keys: As I Am (11/13/07) 2008 Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend (1/28/08) Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago (2/19/08) Duffy: Rockferry (3/3/08) Lil’ Wayne: Tha Carter III (5/13/08) Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes (6/3/08) Coldplay: Viva La Vida (6/11/08) Lady Gaga: The Fame (8/19/08) Kings of Leon: Only by the Night (9/19/08) TV on the Radio: Dear Science (9/23/08) Taylor Swift: Fearless (11/11/08) Beyoncé: I Am…Sasha Fierce (11/11/08) 2009 Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion (1/20/09) U2: No Line on the Horizon (3/2/09) Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) (6/3/09) Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More (10/5/09) Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream (11/23/09) 2010 Eminem: Recovery (6/21/10) The Arcade Fire: The Suburbs (8/3/10) Katy Perry: Teenage Dream (8/24/10) Taylor Swift: Speak Now (10/25/10) 2011 Adele: 21 (1/19/11) PJ Harvey: Let England Shake (2/15/11) Lady Gaga: Born This Way (5/23/11) 2012 Mumford & Sons: Babel (9/21/12) Taylor Swift: Red (10/22/12) 2013 Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (5/17/13) Various Artists: Frozen (soundtrack, 11/25/13) 2014 Ed Sheeran: X (Multiply) (6/20/14) U2: Songs of Innocence (9/9/2014) Taylor Swift: 1989 (10/27/14) 2015 Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (3/15/15) Adele: 25 (11/20/15) 2016 Beyoncé: Lemonade (4/23/16) Drake: Views (4/29/16) 2017 Ed Sheeran: ÷ (Divide) (3/3/17) Kendrick Lamar: Damn. (4/14/17)

How This List Was Created: When I set out to create this list as the 20th century was drawing to a close, my aim was to compile a “best of the best” list; that is, combine all the other “best-of” lists out there into one. The goal in averaging multiple lists together was to weed out the idiocyncrisies of individual lists and create a more objective, definitive best-of list. Here are links to the lists, chart information, and sales data that went into the creation of the DMDB 1000: Best-Album Lists Sales data Chart information Back to Top Representing Multiple Genres: One of the huge bonuses in compiling lots of lists is the better representation of multiple genres of music. Most lists are very skewered toward post-‘50s rock and roll. By pooling lists from multiple sources, the DMDB 1000 represents classical, show tunes, jazz, folk, country, R&B, rock and roll, adult contemporary, pop, rap, and more. Back to Top Multiple Versions of the Same Album or Work: Representing multiple genres poses a challenge, however. There are cases where there are multiple versions of the same work. When that occurred, all versions are compiled into one entry. This possibility most likely occurred in one of three situations: classical works that are recorded multiple times (example: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations is listed as being composed by Bach in 1741 and no specific recordings of that work are noted). cast album recordings that later surfaced as soundtracks as well (example: 1959’s The Sound of Music cast album and 1965’s soundtrack version are listed as one entry under 1959 and credited to writers Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II). British rock albums in the mid-‘60s that were slightly altered when they hit American shores (example: The Beatles U.K. album With the Beatles was released in the U.S., with some alterations, as Meet the Beatles!. The first release is generally what is listed). Back to Top What Constitutes an Album: In addition to the aforementioned re-definings of what makes an album an album, the DMDB also wanted to be as inclusive as possible in different formats of albums. Some best-of lists, for example, disregard compilations or live recordings and focus only on studio efforts. As such, the DMDB 1000 list contains standard studio albums alongside “specialty albums,” such as compilations, box sets, live recordings, soundtracks, cast albums, various artist collections, classical works, operas, and Christmas recordings. Back to Top Why Chronological and Not Ranked: The more inclusive approaches described above diminished the merits of presenting this as a ranked list. Any list generates enough heat about what makes the cut and what doesn’t without a debate over why an album is ranked at #999 instead #998. However, a debate over whether Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is a more important work than Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is most likely to keep people firmly entrenched in their genre camps. By not focusing on where an album is on the list, the focus becomes, more appropriately, why it makes the list. Since all the albums link to individual DMDB pages, you can check out those justifications for yourself and see if you think the album is list worthy. Another benefit of presenting this list chronologically is how it shows the emergence of new public tastes and the development of the album over the years. Combined with the no-genres-excluded approach, this makes for a fascinating observation of how entire musical genres dominated at different times. In a nutshell, one can see the following trends: the dominance of classical works, which would later fit into an album-length format, from the pre-20th century era through the first quarter of the 20th century (Beethoven, Bach) the rise of cast recordings of hugely successful Broadway productions in roughly the second quarter of the 20th century (Rodgers & Hammerstein) the beginnings of “albums” recorded by single artists with the predominace of jazz recordings in the ‘40s and ‘50s (Miles Davis, John Coltrane) the birth of rock & roll in the mid-‘50s (led by Elvis Presley) through to the early-‘60s British Invasion (led by The Beatles) the explosion of the album as a true force in the ‘60s (The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones) the development of the album rock format in the late-‘60s and early-‘70s (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd) the rise of the superstar mega-selling albums of the late-‘70s and early-‘80s (Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen) the emergence of critically acclaimed indie and experimental albums in the ‘80s (U2, REM, Talking Heads) the move toward albums that seemed to launch their own genres in the ‘90s (Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day) the attempt to keep the album format alive in the 21st century with music that harkens back to earlier decades (The Strokes, The White Stripes) Listing albums chronologically is not as easy as it sounds. Even for conventional studio recordings, release dates aren’t always available so sometimes an album’s first chart appearance was used. Classical works are listed by the date they were composed and/or first performed. Dates for cast recordings and soundtracks may include the date a show opened on stage, the date a cast recording was made, and/or the first chart appearance. Compilations and live albums are listed by the date of recording instead of release. For example, The Beatles’ 1 is a greatest hits collection released in 2001, but it covers 1962-1970 so its date notation is (compilation: 1962-70, released 11/14/2000), meaning the album is listed under ‘1970.’ Back to Top Honorable Mention: These are albums formerly in the DMDB 1000 which have since been bumped, but are still acknowledged with an honorable mention. A Bryan Adams: Waking Up the Neighbours (9/24/91) King Sunny Ade: Juju Music (charted 4/9/83) Aerosmith: Get a Grip (4/20/93) Christina Aguilera: Christina Aguilera (8/24/99) B Erykah Badu: Baduizm (2/11/97) Beastie Boys: Check Your Head (4/21/92) Beastie Boys: Hello Nasty (7/4/98) The Beatles: 1962-1966 (aka The Red Album) (compilation: 1962-66, released 4/2/73) The Beatles: 1967-1970 (aka The Blue Album) (compilation: 1967-70, released 4/2/73) Beck: Mellow Gold (9/21/93) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Sonata No. 14 (“Moonlight”) (classical, composed 1798) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Sonata No 8 (“Pathetique”) (classical, composed 1799) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Concerto No. 3 (classical, composed 1800) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Sonata No. 23 (classical, composed 1805) Ludwig van Beethoven (composer): Piano Concerto No. 4 (classical, composed 1806) Vincenzo Bellini (composer): Norma (classical, composed 1831, performed 12/26/1831) George Benson: Breezin’ (1/6/76) Alban Berg (composer): Violin Concerto (classical, composed 1935) Clint Black: Killin’ Time (5/2/89) Black Sabbath: Vol. 4 (charted 9/23/72) Mary J. Blige: My Life (11/29/94) Mary J. Blige: The Breakthrough (12/20/05) Mary J. Blige: What’s the 411? (7/28/92) Andrea Bocelli: Romanza (charted 5/31/97) Michael Bolton: Time, Love and Tenderness (4/23/91) Boogie Down Productions: Criminal Minded (3/3/87) Boston: Don’t Look Back (charted 9/2/78) David Bowie: Young Americans (3/7/75) James Brown: Sex Machine (live, recorded 6/12/69 to 7/23/70, charted 9/12/70) Jackson Browne: The Pretender (11/10/76) Michael Bublé: Christmas (10/21/11) Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey (12/12/75) Kate Bush: The Kick Inside (2/17/78) C John Cale: Paris 1919 (3/73) Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Clear Spot (charted 12/23/72) Mary Chapin Carpenter: Come on, Come On (6/30/92) Chic: Risqué (charted 8/25/79) Eric Clapton with B.B. King: Riding with the King (6/13/00) The Clash: Sandinista! (12/12/80) Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Rattlesnakes (10/12/84) Phil Collins: Hello, I Must Be Going (11/1/82) John Coltrane: Giant Steps (recorded 4/1/59 to 12/2/59) The Commitments The Commitments (soundtrack/covers, 8/13/91) The Congos: The Heart of the Congos (1977) Aaron Copland (composer): Appalachian Spring (ballet, composed 1944, performed 5/45) The Corrs: Talk on Corners (10/20/97) Cranberries: No Need to Argue (10/4/94) Robert Cray: Strong Persuader (charted 11/15/86) Christopher Cross: Christopher Cross (charted 2/16/80) Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill (8/9/91) D Daft Punk: Discovery (3/13/01) D’Angelo: Brown Sugar (7/3/95) Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Miles Ahead (recorded 5/6/57 to 8/22/57) Claude Debussy (composer): La Mer (ballet, composed 1903-05) Dido: Life for Rent (9/30/03) Dire Straits: Love Over Gold (9/29/82) Ian Dury: New Boots and Panties!! (9/77) Antonin Dvorák (composer): Symphony No. 9 in E minor (“From the New World”) (classical, composed 1893, performed 5/24/1893) Antonin Dvorák (composer): Cello Concerto in B minor (classical, composed 1895, performed 2/9/1895) E Edward Elgar (composer): Enigma Variations (classical, composed 1899) Duke Ellington: Far East Suite (recorded 12/19–21/66) Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery (11/19/73) Brian Eno: Before and After Science (released 12/77, charted 5/27/78) En Vogue: Funky Divas (3/24/92) Enya: Watermark (9/19/88) Bill Evans Trio: Waltz for Debby (recorded 6/25/61) Bill Evans Trio: Sunday at the Village Vanguard (live, recorded 6/25/61) F Gabriel Faure (composer): Requiem (classical, composed 1900) Fine Young Cannibals: The Raw and the Cooked (2/18/89) Ella Fitzgerald: Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (covers, released 3/27/56) Foo Fighters: Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (9/25/07) Free: Fire and Water (charted 5/16/70) Nelly Furtado: Loose (6/20/06) G Erroll Garner: Concert by the Sea (live, recorded 9/19/55, charted 3/10/58) Marvin Gaye: Here, My Dear (12/15/78) Genesis: We Can’t Dance (10/28/91) Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere (5/9/06) Al Green: Let’s Stay Together (charted 2/12/72) H Herbie Hancock: Head Hunters (10/13/73) Jerry Herman (composer): Hello, Dolly! (cast recording, stage debut: 1/16/64) Gustav Holst (composer): The Planets (classical, 1986) Howlin’ Wolf: Moanin’ in the Moonlight (compilation: 1951-58, released 1959) I Incredible String Band: The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter (3/68) Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights (8/20/02) J Alan Jackson: A Lot about Livin’ and a Little ‘Bout Love (9/30/92) Michael Jackson: Number Ones (compilation: 1978-2003, released 11/17/03) The Jam: Sound Affects (11/28/80) Jamiroquai: Travelling without Moving (9/9/96) Al Jolson: Volume 1 (Songs He Made Famous) (soundtrack, charted 1/18/47) K Kaiser Chiefs: Employment (3/15/05) R. Kelly: R. (9/29/98) Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign (7/67) King Crimson: Red (charted 11/23/74) Korn: Follow the Leader (8/18/98) L Jonathan Larson (composer): Rent (cast recording, stage debut: 8/27/96) The La’s: The La’s (6/30/90) Annie Lennox: Diva (charted 4/18/92) Jerry Lee Lewis: Live at the Star Club, Hamburg (live, recorded 4/5/64) Limp Bizkit: Significant Other (6/22/99) Limp Bizkit: Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (10/17/00) Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus (live, recorded 8/4/77) Lynyrd Skynyrd: Street Survivors (charted 11/5/77) M Magic Sam: West Side Soul (1967) Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin: The Inner Mounting Flame (recorded 8/14/71) Gustav Mahler (composer): Symphony No. 1 in D major (“Titan”) (classical, composed 1884-88, performed 11/20/1889) Gustav Mahler (composer): Symphony No. 5 (composed 1902, p. 10/18/1904) Curtis Mayfield: Curtis (charted 10/3/70) Don McLean: American Pie (10/24/71) Metallica: Load (5/20/96) Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (recorded 1/20/63) Joni Mitchell: Hissing of Summer Lawns (charted 12/6/75) Joni Mitchell: Hejira (charted 12/11/76) Thelonious Monk: Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 1 (recorded 10/15/47 to 11/21/47) Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (recorded 12/23/56) Mötley Crüe: Dr. Feelgood (9/5/89) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Symphony No. 35 “Haffner” (classical, composed 1782) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Piano Concerto No. 20 (classical, composed 1785, performed 2/11/1785) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer): Piano Concerto No. 21 (classical, composed 1785, performed 3/10/1785) N Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth (recorded 2/23/61) Willie Nelson: Stardust (charted 5/13/78) New Kids on the Block: Hangin’ Tough (charted 8/27/88) O Frank Ocean: Channel Orange (7/10/12) The Orb: Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (4/91) Carl Orff (composer): Carmina Burana (classical, composed 1936) OutKast: Aquemini (9/29/98) P-Q Augustus Pablo: King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976) Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, & Jose Carreras: The Three Tenors in Concert/Mehta (live, recorded 7/7/90) Elvis Presley: Loving You (soundtrack, released 7/57) Elvis Presley: Golden Records (compilation: 1956-57, released 3/58) The Pretty Things: S.F. Sorrow (1968) Giacomo Puccini (composer): Tosca (opera, composed 1900, performed 1/14/1900) R Sergey Rachmaninov (composer): Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor (classical, composed 1909, performed 11/28/1909) Rage Against the Machine: Evil Empire (4/16/96) Lou Reed: New York (1/10/89) Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (classical, 1978) R.E.M.: Monster (9/27/94) LeAnn Rimes: Blue (7/9/96) The Rolling Stones: No. 2 (aka ‘Now!’) (1/30/65) Roxy Music: Stranded (charted 12/1/73) Run-D.M.C.: Run-D.M.C. (charted 6/23/84) S Sade: Promise (charted 12/21/85) Shaggy: Hotshot (8/8/00) Shakira: Laundry Service (11/13/01) Tupac Shakur (2pac): Me Against the World (3/14/95) Dmitry Shostakovich (composer): Symphony No. 5 in D minor (classical, composed 1937) Sigur Rós: Ágaetis Byrjun (6/12/99) Paul Simon: There Goes Rhymin’ Simon (charted 5/26/73) Elliott Smith: Either/Or (2/25/97) Will Smith: Big Willie Style (11/25/97) Frank Sinatra: A Swingin’ Affair (charted 5/27/57) The Smiths: Meat is Murder (charted 2/23/85) Stephen Sondheim/George Furth (composers): Company (cast recording, stage debut: 4/6/70) Sonic Youth: Sister (6/87) Alexander “Skip” Spence: Oar (10/69) Spice Girls: Spice (11/4/97) Sting: Nothing Like the Sun (charted 10/31/87) Sting: Ten Summoner’s Tales (3/9/93) Igor Stravinsky (composer): L’Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird) (ballet, composed 1910, performed 6/25/1910) Stone Temple Pilots: Purple (5/31/94) George Strait: Blue Clear Sky (charted 5/11/96) Richard Strauss (composer): Der Rosenkavalier (classical, composed 1911, performed 1/26/1911) Barbra Streisand: The Broadway Album (covers, charted 11/23/85) Sublime: Sublime (7/30/96) Suede (aka “London Suede”): Suede (charted 3/29/93) T Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky (composer): Symphony No. 6 (classical, composed 1893, performed 10/28/1893) Thin Lizzy: Live and Dangerous (live, recorded 11/14/76 and 10/28//77) Traffic: Mr. Fantasy (12/67) Randy Travis: Storms of Life (6/6/86) A Tribe Called Quest: People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythms (4/17/90) U-V Underworld: Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1/24/94) Van Halen: Van Halen II (charted 4/14/79) Giuseppe Verdi (composer): Aida (opera, composed 1871, performed 12/1871) W-X Weather Report: Heavy Weather (charted 4/2/77) Andrew Lloyd Webber/T.S. Eliot (composers): Cats (cast recording, stage debut: 5/11/81) Junior Wells: Hoodoo Man Blues (11/65) Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (11/22/10) Wham!: Make It Big (charted 11/10/84) John Williams (composer): Star Wars (soundtrack, charted 6/18/77) Wilco: Being There (10/29/96) Y-Z Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell (4/29/03) Dwight Yoakam: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc. (charted 4/19/86) Neil Young: Decade (compilation: 1966-77, charted 11/26/77) Neil Young: Live Rust (11/19/79) Various Artists The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1986) Back to Top

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