Excerpt of description on Amazon: This book “tells the fascinating stories behind the most groundbreaking, influential, and often controversial albums ever recorded, ranging from Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) to Elephant (2003) by The White Stripes.” “Selected on the basis of their popular appeal and influence on later genres, the albums included represent a wide variety of genres, such as blues, jazz, rock, reggae, rockabilly, folk, soul, hip-hop, and country.” “Organized chronologically to capture the flow of culture from one album to the next, this volume illuminates how these classic recordings reflected – and sometimes changed – the political, social, and economic culture of their eras.”
“Among the featured albums are releases from the hard-blues explosion of the ‘60s, including Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers, a landmark collection whose songs were later covered by the likes of Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones. Punk made its mark in the ‘70s with Patti Smith’s Horses and the Clash’s London Calling. In the ‘80s Michael Jackson’s blockbuster LP, Thriller, not only topped the charts, it became the best-selling record of all time. Diversity defined the ‘90s, with the most influential albums ranging from Garth Brooks’ No Fences, which made country one of the hottest musical genres of the decade, to Dr. Dre’s debut, Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
, a multi-platinum smash hit that brought West Coast hip hop into the mainstream.”
Check out other best-of album lists by individuals/critics here.
1. Various Artists compiled by Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (box set, recorded 1926-32, released 1952)
2. Elvis Presley Elvis Presley (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll) (1956)
3. Miles Davis Birth of the Cool (recorded 1949-50, released 1957)
4. The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (1957)
5. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959)
6. Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959)
7. Muddy Waters At Newport (live: 1960)
8. Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues Singers (archives: 1936-37, released 1961)
9. Ray Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962)
10. Bob Dylan The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
11. The Beatles Please Please Me (1963)
12. Bob Dylan Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
13. The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man (1965)
14. The Beatles Rubber Soul (1965)
15. Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention Freak Out! (1966)
16. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (1966)
17. The Doors The Doors (1967)
18. Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
19. Velvet Underground & Nico Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
20. The Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
21. The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced? (1967)
22. The Moody Blues Days of Future Passed (1967)
23. The Band Music from Big Pink (1968)
24. The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo (1968)
25. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin I (1969)
26. The MC5 Kick Out the Jams (live, 1969)
27. The Who Tommy (1969)
28. King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
29. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band Trout Mask Replica (1969)
30. James Taylor Sweet Baby James (1970)
31. Miles Davis Bitches Brew (1970)
32. Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970)
33. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
34. Marvin Gaye What’s Going On (1971)
35. Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
36. Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (box set: 1964-68, released 1972)
38. David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
39. The Stooges Raw Power (1973)
40. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
41. New York Dolls New York Dolls (1973)
42. Herbie Hancock Head Hunters (1973)
43. Kraftwerk Autobahn (1974)
44. Linda Ronstadt Heart Like a Wheel (1974)
45. Aerosmith Toys in the Attic (1975)
46. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
47. Kiss Alive! (1975)
48. Patti Smith Horses (1975)
49. Brian Eno Discreet Music (1975)
50. Queen A Night at the Opera (1975)
51. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, & Jessi Colter Wanted! The Outlaws (1976)
52. Parliament Mothership Connection (1975)
53. Ramones Ramones (1976)
54. Boston Boston (1976)
55. Bob Marley & the Wailers Exodus (1977)
56. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
57. Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)
58. Television Marquee Moon (1977)
59. Pere Ubu The Modern Dance (1978)
60. Van Halen Van Halen (1978)
61. Funkadelic One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
62. Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
63. The Clash London Calling (1979)
64. AC/DC Back in Black (1980)
65. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
66. Herbie Hancock Future Shock (1983)
67. Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
68. U2 War (1983)
69. R.E.M. Murmur (1983)
70. Stevie Ray Vaughn Texas Flood (1983)
71. Metallica Kill ‘Em All (1983)
72. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
73. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984)
74. Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade (1984)
75. Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)
76. Run-D.M.C. Raising Hell (1986)
77. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
78. Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill (1986)
79. Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing (1987)
80. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
81. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
82. Sonic Youth Daydream Nation (1988)
83. De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
84. N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton (1989)
85. Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
86. Uncle Tupelo No Depression (1990)
87. Garth Brooks No Fences (1990)
88. Ice-T O.G. – Original Gangster (1991)
89. Nirvana Nevermind (1991)
90. Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
91. Tori Amos Little Earthquakes (1992)
92. Dr. Dre The Chronic (1992)
93. Liz Phair Exile in Guyville (1993)
94. Wu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993)
95. Green Day Dookie (1994)
96. Ani DFranco Not a Pretty Girl (1995)
97. Beck Odelay (1996)
98. Spice Girls Spice (1996)
99. Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces (1998)
100. Eminem The Slim Shady LP (1999)
101. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
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First posted 3/15/2024 |
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