Everything is broken, am I really sinking this low? I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy? My fake plastic love, I don't want to be crippled and cracked. The sea would electrocute us all and that's what really hurts; a total waste of time. I wish that I was bulletproof, sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn. Immerse yourself in love.

Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.

Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.

Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.

After years of waiting, I jumped in the river and what did I see? Barn doors, revolving doors, sliding doors, secret doors and trap doors. Come on, come on Holy Roman Empire! Have yourself a good time, there's nothing at all. If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth. Cut the kids in half, be constructive with your blues. This just feels like spinning plates, that's a strange mistake to make.

Split into two parts, a greatly enjoyable collection of songs. Favorites are Get Ready for Love, Hiding All Away, Breathless, Babe, You Turn Me On, Easy Money, Supernatually, Carry Me & O Children.

Indeed, one of the best electronic albums of the Nineties and of all time. Favorites are Telephasic Workshop, Sixtyten, Turquoise Hexagon Sun, Roygbiv, Rue the Whirl, Aquarius & Happy Cycling.

Everything is broken, am I really sinking this low? I bet you think that's pretty clever, don't you boy? My fake plastic love, I don't want to be crippled and cracked. The sea would electrocute us all and that's what really hurts; a total waste of time. I wish that I was bulletproof, sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn. Immerse yourself in love.

Actually waited until Wednesday to listen to this. Was only familiar with Pet Shop Boys through West Side Girls and Always on My Mind. This is a really good 80's pop record. Favorites include What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Shopping, It's a Sin, Heart and King's Cross.

Yet another seminal electronic album, this time from the 70s. Six parts, all sublime. Utterly good stuff. Favorite is Oxygene, Pt. 5.

Fitting that I get this considering that the tenth anniversary of the album's release has passed. Very cool sounds all around. Favorites include Desire Lines, Helicopter, Fountain Scene and He Would Have Laughed.

Very exceptional stuff from the Youth, a precursor of monumental things to come. Favorites include Schizophrenia, Catholic Block, Tuff Gnarl and Pacific Coast Highway.

I Wanna Destroy You and Insanely Jealous are pretty good songs.

It's a pretty good album, you could hear the Stones come onto their own here. It could do without the poorly aged songs like Stupid Girl and Under My Thumb but the fact that they sound great is what makes them Stones classics. The boldest thing for them to do is to add an 11 minute track in the middle of the album and it pays off. Pretty good all around. Favorites: Going Home and Out of Time.

Having been aware of Cult of Personality for half of my life this far, I went into this album with high expectations and they were exceeded. Elements of this album remain relevant and impactful thirty plus years on and is thus essential listening. Favorites: Cult of Personality, I Want to Know, Desperate People, Broken Hearts and Glamour Boys.

One of the most enthralling, exhilarating, refreshing and outright rollicking hard rock albums of the 80s. Guns n' Roses put all of their eggs in one basket here and it produced brilliant results. No wonder why we all go back to it time and time again. Favorites: Welcome to the Jungle, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Sweet Child o' Mine, Rocket Queen.

A terrific tour-de-force of bright, bubbly, colorful sound, The Lips did no wrong with this album, yet another smash after The Soft Bulletin. Favorites: Fight Test, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Pts. 1 and 2), In the Morning of the Magicians, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, Are You a Hypnotist??, Do You Realize?? and Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon.

As I think back to the summer of 2012, I believe that it would have been utterly bleak if it weren't for this album. I don't remember much from this period of time but, what I do remember, this was the soundtrack. A path down the rabbit hole ensued with this band (I never ventured into the third album) and they are forever engrained, in my mind, in these sublime sounds they created. Thank you Stone Roses, you are adored indeed.

Whenever I come across the album and its title, I feel bad because I'm complicit in the death of these succulent creatures. The music, however, doesn't make me feel so bad. This is quite great from front to back, no filler. When the album features songs like The Headmaster's Ritual, This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore and Barbarism Begins at Home, there is no point in feeling that there's a wrong. Everything's just right here.

If there is a Mount Rushmore for live albums (and I'm assuming that there is), At Fillmore East by The Allman Brothers Band should very well be in it. The second half of the album is among the most fiery and magnetic moments in not just rock, but music, history. No wonder this shot up the charts rapidly unlike their previous efforts. Favorites: Hot 'Lanta, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post.

I would listen to this album all day, every day and never get tired of it. A top three R.E.M. album, flawless from top to bottom.

From start to finish, a wonderful collection of songs made by John. I was actually aware of this record for quite some time, but this is my first full listen and I enjoyed it throughout.

Always polarizing, always enthralling, always relevant. Startlingly precise on one hand (Stan, That's What I Am, Drug Ballad) and horribly dated on the other (I'm Back, Marshall Mathers, the skits), The Marshall Mathers LP is the quintessential Eminem album with cultural touchstones and an insight into the life and times of the soon to be Rap God. An essential listen. P.S., Kim is not for the fainthearted. Favorites: Stan, That's What I Am, The Real Slim Shady, Remember Me?, Drug Ballad, Amityville, Bitch Please II.

A fine selection of songs from one of Americana's most important singers. Favorites: The Pearl, Michelangelo, I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now, Tragedy, Bang the Drum Slowly.

Smooth, soothing rock with hidden layers of groove underneath. When it gets to you, it can get to you and you become more impressed as the album rolls on. Good stuff, don't underestimate it. Favorites: Setting Me Up, Six Blade Knife, Sultans of Swing, In the Gallery, Wild West End.

One of the most beautiful and powerful listening experiences from start to finish, an hour of sheer bliss and brilliance. If you want to hear the album as it was intended to be heard, listen to the Zomba promo version. It has one more song (With My Baby) and Extra Kings is fully realized as the streaming version is sorely lacking. Regardless, amazing album all the way.

Having been acquainted with the opening notes of the first part of Tubular Bells, I was quite surprised by the twists and turns the songs undertake. And the bonus tracks are rather special as well. Favorites: Tubular Bells (Pt. 2), Mike Oldfield's Single.

A new era for The Temptations as they dive into the freethinking, freewheeling psychedelic era of the late Sixties. They tackle far more serious topics like abuse and estrangement from families, alongside the standard love songs that put them on the map. This album is not an overt embrace of psychedelia, though (that comes later) and it can prove frustrating after the first three songs, but the love songs are top notch as well. Good stuff all around. Favorites: Cloud Nine, Runaway Child, Running Wild, Hey Girl, I Need Your Lovin'.

One of the more quintessential blueprints for what would be known as hip-hop/b-boy culture and it is perfect condensed and understood in the four minutes and fifty-four seconds of the first track (which I've just learned was a cover of a two decade old song). This is a pretty good collection of innovative songs and intriguing covers (the aforementioned Apache, In a Gadda da Vida, Satisfaction) and it's worth the time. Bongos have never sounded so funky.

English and French language versions of, quite frankly, my favorite album of the year that it was released. Chris found Christine and the Queens (and its focal point, Héloïse Letissier) at peak form, bending pop music to its absolute will with sheer technical ability and unmistakable brilliance in cultivating emotions from within. I love this album, I have great memories attached to this. It's nice to once again come across such wonderful sounds that stick to you and endears you to the point to going back to it again and again. Long may Chris reign!

A fine album from Elton that contained elements of what would carry him to his imperial phase later on in the decade. The first four songs load the album with consistent hooks and catchy melodies, the middle portion is a little forgettable and the last two songs end the album out with great ease. One of the few worthwhile introductions to Elton around this time if you want to get ahold of what he was about. Favorites: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Razorblade, Madman Across the Water, All the Nasties.

Whereas the rock bands of 1967 were submitting themselves to the bold, colorful psychedelic style of the Swinging Sixties, The Kinks were busy doing... Something Else. Remaining in their increasingly character driven world while others were exploring tantalizing terrains, The Kinks showed that they could still keep up with taut, often impressionistic compositions that highlighted the normal people that were left behind in the psychedelic boom. As the album cover suggests, they made quite the usage with the gray, drab lives led by those who were either idolized or sympathized and often wonders whether or not they deserved better. As an alternative to the much heralded Aquarian age, Something Else shines as an example of The Kinks' obvious greatness. Favorites: David Watts, Death of a Clown, Two Sisters, Harry Rag, Tin Soldier Man, Situation Vacant, Love Me Till the Sun Shines, Afternoon Tea, Waterloo Sunset.

Well, what can I say about this album that hasn't been said before....? If you haven't heard it before (which is implausible at this point), do so now. And, when you do, I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

Energetic folk-rock that sounds as if it came out yesterday. Emotive and revelatory in its approach to standard folk songs, Unhalfbricking sets the standard for what was to come for the genre in the 70s. Favorites: Genesis Hall, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life, Who Knows Where the Time Goes?, Percy's Song.

Innovative for the time, still sublime for any time, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music provided a blueprint that showcased that it was okay for black musicians to dip their toes in other facets of music, music that was (and, in some cases, still is) closed to them. And, as always, Ray Charles displays magnificent singing efforts towards some of the most melancholic material lain upon him and he does them justice. A recommended album for those who want to experience not just the brilliance of Ray but the often neglected stories in the songs.

An unrelenting bop fest from start to finish (apart from Elegia, a tribute to the late Ian Curtis). To those who say that this was the first proper New Order album whereas the first two were a collection of singles: I have to agree. The tracklist makes for a cohesive experience and everything clicks in the long run. Great album.

A little rough going at first (some sections of Brighton Rock) but eventually the album finds its swing with hard rocking familiarity (Killer Queen, Now I'm Here, Stone Cold Crazy) and unexpected gems (Flick of the Wrist, In the Lap of the Gods, Stormtrooper in Stilettos). A pivotal step forward for Queen as they get closer to legendary status. Favorites: Killer Queen, Flick of the Wrist, Now I'm Here, In the Lap of the Gods, Stone Cold Crazy).

Who says a jazz band can't play dance music? Who says a rock band can't play funk? Who says a funk band can't play rock? Real simple, real groovy, real funky. Fantastic Funkadelic music from front to back.

Following up the most important and powerful album in then-recent memory would be a daunting task but Marvin turned this album into an ode for sexual magnetism and raunchy good times. Yet another step in the right direction in a decade where R&B and Soul found its footing and stamped its legacy. Essential listening.

Set in the middle of the prosperous Soulquarian era (a moment in time that included the likes of Common, D'Angelo, The Roots, J Dilla, etc.), Mama's Gun finds Erykah at the peak of her powers and fulfilling the use of her abilities (and that of the musicians on the album) to the maximum. Great sounds all around and a fine example of one of the many facets of soul in the beginning of the 21st Century. Favorites: Penitentiary Philosophy, Didn't 'Cha Know, ...& On, Booty, In Love With You, Bag Lady.

I think it's safe to say that the 70s belonged to Stevie Wonder. Whereas any and all genres and trends and bands came, dominated, mutated and went, Stevie was that one nucleus that everyone relied on and said that he was worth the time spent listening to. After five albums in six years of sheer, relentless creativity unparalleled and unmatched in R&B/Soul, Songs in the Key of Life more than lives up to its title. There is hardly a bum note throughout the near two hours of audio bliss that is contained here. This album is ecstatic, triumphant, bold, colorful and even educational at points. If musicians listened to this album on the day of its release and realized that it wasn't worth matching up to or surpassing, therefore quitting their industry of choice, they wouldn't be blamed. If I had to give this ten stars, I would. Five doesn't do it justice. Spectacular album.

When I was first recommended this album, I had to turn my nose up a bit. Given Eric's idiocy as of late (and past display of racism), I wasn't looking forward to this album. And I also wasn't looking forward to how good this is. I went into this thinking that this is the start of a inevitable decline and that Eric's beat days were behind him; turns out that this is his best solo outing. Plenty of toe tapping and head bopping songs here, with moments of genuinely moving songs. Real good stuff. Favorites: Motherless Children, Give Me Strength, Willie and the Hand Jive, Get Ready, Please Be With Me, Let It Go.

Wasn't expecting to bump into Ray again after the goodness that was Modern Sounds but I can't complain. This is a fine collection of songs assembled here, not exactly genius level as portrayed in the title of the album but it's still Ray Charles in his element and that's always a good thing. Favorites: It Had to Be You, Alexander's Ragtime Band, Deed I Do, Just for a Thrill, Am I Blue.

I thought that, after Take on Me, this album was gonna slide down a slippery slope with songs that don't catch up to that wondrous song but no this album has some good songs. I want to shout out The Sun Always Shines on T.V.; that's the best song on the album. There is definitely some mid 80s material but it's not that bad; definitely something to sink your teeth into if you want to hear more from a-ha. Favorites: Take on Me, The Blue Sky, Living a Boy's Adventure Tale, The Sun Always Shines on T.V., I Dream Myself Alive.

An intriguingly eclectic batch of songs from the aftermath of the grunge boom in 1993. Sebadoh bring the goods as well as the strange and it should be appreciated for just how well-woven it can be. Favorites: Soul and Fire, Two Years Two Days, Happily Divided, Elixir is Zog, Homemade, Forced Love, No Way Out.

Energetic, insatiable, enjoyable electro-pop from some of the most enigmatic musicians around today. As a debut, they couldn't do worse and they bring about plenty of emotions and feelings to the tracks. All around pretty great album. Favorites: VCR, Crystallized, Islands, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, Infinity.

The first time I got around to listen to this album, I couldn't give it my full attention because I was distracted. The second go around, things began to click. I've avoided Bob Marley for quite a long while, seen his documentaries but never listened to his music. He was just a poster adorning college campuses and a shining beacon for good vibes. The deep cuts here in Natty Dread showcase the Bob Marley I'd like to encounter with more often, someone who possessed a need to tell about the happenings around him and it was makes Natty Dread a pivotal piece in the reggae puzzle. Favorites: Lively Up Yourself, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock), Natty Dread, Bend Down Low, Talkin' Blues.

From the title and album cover down, you may think that this is The Kinks at their most San Francisco in 1967 and you wouldn't be blamed. You also wouldn't be blamed if you think this is The Kinks at their absolute finest. One listen to the title track and you are transported into a time when things were simple and not even that description does this album justice. The Kinks' greatest forty minutes and forty minutes well spent.

Outside of Revolver, perhaps the greatest transitional album of all time. The Thin White Duke, in route from Philly to Berlin, throwing darts into the eyes of those who dare to question or call into doubt anything he could do. Ready to shake the scheme of things, indeed. Bad enough he couldn't remember making it.

A rather intriguing album from Queensland-via-Isle of Man's finest, just a few years before their disco heyday. The Brothers Gibb's songwriting chops are in full effect and they give plenty of good to great songs that brim with excellence. Favorites: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Israel, The Greatest Man in the World, It's Just the Way, Somebody Stop the Music, Trafalgar, Lion in Winter.

Delicate, exquisite, soulful, stirring, eloquent, elegant and a chock full of diamonds. No wonder why the first track was called smooth, hehe. Favorites: Smooth Operator, Your Love is King, Frankie's First Affair, When I Am Going to Make a Living, Cherry Pie.

The artifact of what could have been had Britpop not evolved (or degenerated) into Union Jack waving, lager swilling, anthemic anthems for the sake of anthemic anthems. Suede (or The London Suede 🤮) quite possibly made the thorniest, horninest, debauched, depraved album of 1993. Various songs on this album sounds as if it could have originated yesterday and the roughed up glam nature should still be seen as a blueprint for how to make a statement.

Dabbling into subject matters such as racial injustice, drug abuse, hypocritical leaders, empowerment and, of course, love, Innervisions stands as perhaps Stevie Wonder's answer to What's Goin' On; equally as immersive and innovative musically, Innervisions captures Stevie in the turning point of his career as he completes the transformation from prodigy to prolific genius. An incredible chapter in his incomprehensible 70s era.

Quintessential progressive rock. Not a bad place to start if you want to understand the fascinating world of Rush. Favorites: 2112 Melody, A Passage to Bangkok, Something for Nothing.

A pretty solid outing from Bob Marley & the Wailers until it falls off a cliff with two of the most annoying (and misrepresentative) songs in their discography. The fact that it actually ends the original release (not including the two bonus tracks) is mind boggling in and of itself. Good thing Punky Reggae Party exists in the bonus edition. Favorites: Everything except One Love/People Get Ready and Three Little Birds.

What more can be said other than it's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll? It's some good ol' fashioned rock and roll! Favorites: Twice as Hard, Jealous Again, Sister Luck, Could I've Been So Blind, Seeing Things, Stare It Cold.

Thin Lizzy live up to the live album's name with some of the most ferocious, flat out rocking tunes that came out of 1970s Ireland. The live cut of Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song is stupendously great and the segue from Cowboy Song to The Boys Are Back in Town is godly. Good times abound here! Favorites: Southbound, Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song, Still in Love With You, Cowboy Song, The Boys Are Back in Town, Warrior, Sha-La-La.

Perhaps the most danceable album I've come across on this list. Forget language barriers, this transcends all. If this won't get you moving, what will? Favorites: Plástico, Buscando Guayaba, Dime, Siembra.

When Karma Chameleon hit the eardrums, I suspected that the rest of the album will hit the same lane: poppy, accessible, carefree. And it is that, but it can also reach areas that you wouldn't expect Culture Club to talk about. Maybe I'm dumb, maybe I'm ill informed about this band, maybe I should do more research. But this album is great. Culture Club can be more than expected. Favorites: Karma Chameleon, Black Money, Changing Every Day, That's the Way - I'm Only Trying to Help You, Church of the Poison Mind, Miss Me Blind, Stormkeeper, Victims, Colour by Numbers, Romance Revisited.

Serviceable post-Britpop tunes from the end of the decade with some songs that are better than expected or anticipated. Favorites: Comedy, Pull Together, Streets of Kenny, Re-Instated, I Want You, Cornish Town.

Quite frankly the best entry point to Metallica and their music. What more can be said about this excellent display of riffage, sheer tenacity, brute force and one of the four pillars of thrash metal being at their early, hungry best? A must listen for anyone who either love and hate Metallica and understand what they mean to not only the genre of metal but music as a whole. Excellent.

The first of what would be many of Miles' groundbreaking stylistic changes in jazz, leading the genre through some uncertain yet inevitable shifts that would eventually lead to it being the status quo for music. Don't miss out on the Royal Rooster live set from this time period as well, it captures the songs too well in its warm, steady quality.

One of a few brief forays into a joyous, jovial yet biting Family Stone, this is one of the more impactful albums that came of the late Sixties and most of the blueprint that soul and funk offered in the eventual decade can be traced to this album. Indispensable.

One of the main architects of this thing called rock and roll comes forth with a relentlessly raucous album filled with some of the most important songs in music history. Be sure to also check out the bonus tracks that delve into how the songs become shaped into what they would eventually sound like, the demo version of Baby, take 8 of Can't Believe You Wanna Leave and takes 1 to 6 of Long Tall Sally are worth the listen.

With neverending gusto, chutzpah and bravado, Too-Rye-Ay is home to Dexy's Midnight Runners' most endearing hit and several of hidden gems that does more than expected in sweeping the listener off their feet. While not their greatest hour (that would be Don't Stand Me Down), it's perhaps their most assured and finest. Favorites: Let's Make This Precious, All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz), Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile), Plan B, Until I Believe in My Soul, Come on Eileen, Reminisce (Pt. 1)

A concept album of sorts about New York in regards to contemporary life, the four essences of hip-hop and punk rock lifestyles amid the surfaces of electronic music (samples of James Bond's theme abound in Radio 7). One of the more imaginative cinematic albums of its time period. Favorites: Let's Get Killed, Gritty Shaker, Radio 7, Slashers Revenge, Don't Die Just Yet.

A really pleasant listening experience that unleashes its penchant for standout moments in every song, therefore making them memorable. A necessary step forward from the impossible to follow Astral Weeks and is thus an essential part in the story of Van the Man. Favorites: And It Stoned Me, Crazy Love, Caravan, Into the Mystic, These Dreams of You, Brand New Day.

Perhaps the most consequential album in the metal genre in the past thirty years and for Metallica. While not every song hits the mark, for the most part it is a solid, neverending barrage of peak Metallica; the everlasting hour in which the band took the reins and dominated the landscape for all eternity. As always, an essential listen. Favorites: Enter Sandman, Holier Than Thou, The Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam, Through the Never, Nothing Else Matters, Of Wolf and Man, My Friend of Misery.

Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?

Some of the most depraved, diseased, disorienting pieces of Aussie rock and roll from what would eventually be one of the country's greatest bards of the last forty plus years. And you wonder why they named the band The Birthday Party..... a junkyard indeed. Favorites: Blast Off, She's Hit, Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow), Big Jesus Trash Can, Kiss Me Black, 6" Gold Blade, Kewpie Doll, Junkyard.

Beep beep.... Missy Elliott's debut album is a perfect introduction for those who want to dig into why she remains a influential figure in pop, R&B and hip-hop nearly twenty-five years on. Apart from the Busta Rhymes stuff and the spoken word outro, almost every song here is a banger from the hits to the deep cuts. An essential listen all around. Favorites: Hit 'Em With da Hee, Sock It 2 Me, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), Beep Me 911, Pass da Blunt, Best Friends, Don't Be Comin' (In My Face), Why You Hurt Me, I'm Talkin'.

Although the mood of the album can feel interminably conservative to the point of bleeding and blurring into each other, 25 showcases Adele doing what Adele does best: conveying heart, soul, emotion and regalia in her music. One can understand why this became a smash once it dropped six and a half years ago. Favorites: Hello, Send My Love (To Your New Lover), Remedy, River Lea, Love in the Dark, A Million Years Ago.

A respectable set of songs from The Cardigans that includes their biggest hit and some better than expected material like Happy Meal II and Great Divide, not to mention a reimagined Black Sabbath cover. Favorites: Your New Cuckoo, Happy Meal II, Step on Me, Lovefool, Losers, Great Divide.

The precursor to Love Forever Changes roars with all the might of its proto-punk attitudes and the rollicking saga of its 19 minute long Revelation. Do not overlook this part of Love if you want to understand how they came into being what they were on their way towards their masterpiece. Favorites: Stephanie Knows Who, Orange Skies, Seven and Seven Is, She Comes in Colors, Revelation.

I didn't listen to the album recommended to me. Instead, I listened to a Greatest Hits compilation called Walking to New Orleans, which includes the majority of the songs from this album. Going through the record, you can sense and hear the self-proclaimed Fat Man's influence on what would eventually be rock and roll. Despite the majority of the songs containing a set formula, that formula is consistent and gives off an aura of genuine greatness throughout; thus that can give the listener a song or two from his catalog to cherish. Favorites: The Fat Man, Going to the River, Please Don't Leave Me, Ain't That a Shame, I Can't Go On (Rosalie), Don't Blame It on Me, Blue Monday, I'm Walkin', I Want to Walk You Home, I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday, Walking to New Orleans.

A delightful, utterly charming set of covers that would make you believe that they were Willie originals. On an impeccable run during his immersive outlaw country era, Stardust finds Willie at the top of his game. Seek this out when you have the chance. Favorites: Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, Blue Skies, All of Me, Unchained Melody, September Song.

Rod Stewart's energetic and electric vocal performance is what makes this album throughly great. From the title track on down, it is an unrelenting showcase of passion, inspiration and fusing of the past and then present. There is a reason why most people consider this Rod's highest creative peak, listen when you can. Favorites: Every Picture Tells a Story, Seems Like a Long Time, That's All Right, Maggie May, Mandolin Wind.

A neverending rush of bombastic, jangly, at times serious early alternative rock that deserves its distinction as the Femmes' best. Favorites: Blister in the Sun, Please Do Not Go, Add It Up, Confessions, Prove My Love, To the Kill, Gone Daddy Gone, Gimme the Car.

If you love (this album) less, you deserve to have love (in your life) less. Easily the most influential independent album of the last thirty years. Play it loud.

When this album came across the generator, I hadn't listened to it in a while. I was initially excited but then worry crept in. What if this album wasn't as good as I remember? Was the hype and adoration overblown? Is this album a victim of the pandemic, where the uncertainty of everything in our lives and the abrupt upending of plans have tainted our views of various aspects of media? Well, despite all of those factors creeping in, this album remains an excellent viewpoint of Fiona Apple and what she means to us. Songs that were seen as been somewhat grating in retrospect (Shameika, Ladies, Heavy Balloon) hit even harder than before and songs that weren't given space to be remembered suddenly galloped with an intensity and fervor that sticks after it ends (Newspaper, Cosmonauts, Drumset). Is the album as good as I remember? Yes. Was the hype and adulation overblown? Yes, but it was deserved. Is it a victim of the early pandemic? For me, not anymore.

Respectable African guitar music from Ali, you wouldn't tell that this was his final effort. The minimal arrangements in the songs makes it stand out at times. Favorites: Erdi, Beto, Soya, Soko Yhinka.

"The news today will be the movies for tomorrow..." One of, if not the, greatest documents of 60s psychedelia. Nearly fifty-five years on, this album remains as seductive, influential, impactful, memorable and vital as ever. Even some of the more forgettable songs on here, which there aren't much of, maintain a punch that lasts past its last second. Never has the ugliness of the flower power era been illustrated with such beauty. If you haven't come across this album, that needs to be rectified. Love Forever Changes.

Don't let the peeled banana fool you, this is a divine collection of songs that do not guarantee spoiling upon neglect. Leonard works surprisingly well with the synth sounds, rather bending it to his will as opposed to the other way around. Is he our man? With this album, he sure is. Favorites: First We Take Manhattan, Ain't No Cure for Love, Everybody Knows, Jazz Police, Tower of Song.

Leaping into a new record label after over a decade in others, 3+3 finds The Isley Brothers finding themselves tangled with some of their most recognizable songs and most effective hidden gems. You may find them pointless, but the interviews tacked at the end helps get The Isleys and their impact on music across and serves as an insight to their trajectories and progress. 3+3 indeed. Favorites: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, You Walk Your Way, Listen to the Music, Sunshine (Go Away Today), Summer Breeze (Pts 1& 2), The Highways of My Life.

With one foot out the punk door and one foot in what would become the alternative scene, The Replacements provided a template for what would happen when a band gets captured not in the throes of dissolution but in the moment where things begin to look up. 33 minutes of pendulum swinging punk ferocity and pensive perspective that's rightly regarded as one of the best examples of 80s rock. Favorites: I Will Dare, Androgynous, Black Diamond, Unsatisfied, Seen Your Video, Sixteen Blue.

Critics didn't know what to do in regards to Duran Duran. Did they not expect them to be utterly influential to the point of being considered one of the first standard bearers of a nascent music video channel? I don't know about you but this album is a good example of not believing everything you read. Favorites: Rio, Lonely in Your Nightmare, Hungry Like the Wolf, Push Back the Rain, Last Chance on the Subway.

Mods and Rockers assemble! Actually Rockers, just go away because the last thing you want is to get pummeled at the beach! This is the kind of Who that I like: short, concise, powerful, meaty songs that pack the punch. Sure, some of these are covers (Please, Please, Please, I Don't Mind and I'm a Man) but the originals are enough to convince someone that 60s Who were a genuine, honest to God special breed of madness that was put together at the proper moment. They'd improve and they'd get better and bigger and bouncier but man, what a way to make a impressionable debut. Favorites: Out in the Street, The Good's Gone, La-La-La-Lies, My Generation, The Kids Are Alright, A Legal Matter, The Ox.

Seems fitting that this came out in 1989 along with the other great hip-hop records from the period. Done by the Forces of Nature showcases the Native Tongues movement at its brightest and ceaselessly innovative, giving us a glimpse of what was to come with hip-hop in the 90s. Favorites: Beyond This World, Feelin' Alright, Sunshine, What U Waitin' 4, U Make Me Sweat, Acknowledge Your Own History, Good Newz Comin', Tribe Vibes, Black Woman, Doin' Our Own Dang.

Alluring folk music that could have undoubtedly scratched a persistent itch in the time that it came out, mediating between short guitar noodling and thoughtful, lyrical performances. Favorites: Strolling Down the Highway, Needle of Death, Do You Hear Me Now, Running From Home, Courting Blues, Casbah, Angie.

When this album was first announced almost ten years ago, I took notice but a very, very long time to listen. The open letter, I'm ashamed to admit, drove me away. I wasn't prepared to face the fact that there were changes in the way musicians openly detailed relationships with the same sex and that it would inevitably, eventually, change the way we view ourselves. Channel Orange is the nucleus of which the way music (and Frank Ocean) is viewed upon as a beyond comprehensible experience. It's near hour odyssey is worthy of being considered the abundance of accolades it's been given. An essential listen. Favorites: Thinkin Bout You, Sierra Leone, Sweet Life, Super Rich Kids, Pilot Jones, Crack Rock, Pyramids, Bad Religion, Forrest Gump.

At times danceable and at times reflective, It's Blitz! sees Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the precipice of a change in their careers, with an album cover that's representative of the sounds inside. Favorites: Zero, Heads Will Roll, Soft Shock, Skeletons, Dull Life, Shame and Fortune, Runaway.

Coming off the tail end of the Britpop wave, Urban Hymns operates as some sort of final scene before the end credits. All of The Verve's history was captured and crystallized with this album, keeping one foot in the populist, swaggering sounds of the moment while keeping the other foot in the psychedelic universe they once solely occupied. While this album does feel a bit bloated with the album length, there are moments where the songs prop up the album with its immediacy and accessibility. It may not be anyone's cup of tea but this is still something to go out of one's way to listen to if there is any particular interest in where British music was in 1997. Favorites: Bitter Sweet Symphony, Sonnet, The Drugs Don't Work, Catching the Butterfly, Space and Time, Lucky Man, This Time, Come On.

Short, concise, sweet and precise: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers makes their mark upon the music world with this all killer, no filler collection of songs that uses its strengths to the best of their ability. Thirty minutes was all they needed to get their point across and they didn't waste any second of it. Delightful stuff, wonderful.

Undoubtedly The Smiths finest moment. The Queen is Dead is where they go balls to the wall with their sound and ambition. Just when you think they have peaked with one song or two (the title track, Never Had No One Ever), they go ahead and whack you with another set of songs (Bigmouth Strikes Again, The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, There is a Light That Never Goes Out) that just obliterates whatever your preconceptions are of what's possible. This is rightly considered to be the absolute best album The Smiths ever made and it's an essential album of the 80s.

With rather bizarre topics and angular, bombastic and boisterous instrumentation, it's no wonder why Pixies became darlings in the late 80s. They were a breath of fresh air yet a precursor of what was to come in the coming decade. With songs that wiggle around your brain with such ease, Surfer Rosa marks Pixies' ascent up the influential sphere of indie/alternative rock. Favorites: Bone Machine, Break My Bones, Broken Face, Gigantic, River Euphrates, Where is My Mind?, Tony's Theme, Vamos (Surfer Rosa).

Refugees from a war-torn country, the words Music in Exile has never felt more apt here as the talents of Songhoy Blues are on full display, showcasing what they are capable of. Favorites: Soubour, Irganda, Nick, Wayei, Jolie, Mali.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall (or an audience member in attendance) at the time of this performance. Apparently the last show of the trio to include bassist Scott LaFaro, this live set gave us two albums and plenty of stellar moments sprinkled throughout (from the takes of Alice in Wonderland, All of You, My Man's Gone Now, Porgy, etc.) Go out of your way to listen to whatever variation you prefer (Sunday, Waltz for Debby and/or the Complete) and immerse yourself in one of the more important nights (out of many) in jazz history.

This is where the mythologizing of Bob Dylan begins. In only fifty minutes, he conveys the spirit of an upcoming tidal wave of deep seated unrest, rebellion and questioning of authority figures and anointed deities. This album is just one of the cracks in the facade that was the conceived aura of the then-present, Bob's voice being the thundering sensation that roused the generation that venerated him. Essential listening.

The first album from the soon to be kings of sophisticated rock music. While it's not a wholly Donald Fagen sing-along (some of the vocals are done by other singers), it obtains characteristics that would soon define the Dan as a polarizing band in the decades to come. One shouldn't look at this album and steer clear, it's still worth a listen; just know that the best is yet to come. Favorites: Do It Again, Dirty Work, Only a Fool Would Say That, Reelin' in the Years, Changing of the Guard, Turn That Heartbeat Over Again.

Fela Kuti and Ginger Baker were both on the cusp of something when they paired up for this seismic album back in 1971. One of the many shining gems in a discography full of them, Fela and his Africa 70 showcases the euphoric yet political pull of Afrobeat with Ginger more than holding his own. If only we knew then what would come next.... Favorites: Let's Start, Black Man's Cry, Ye Ye De Smell.

Have you ever encountered a track that, while great, makes you wonder when it will end? Makes you wonder how long the track actually is as it is going on? Then you see and it's beyond ten minutes and you don't mind it at all as the song is rather great from start to finish. That was me with Street Life. The other songs are good too, those aren't to be missed as well. Favorites: Street Life, Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'), Carnival of the Night.

With increasingly sprawling and sparkling efficiency and effectively (and a mega dose of inventiveness), the last album from The Jimi Hendrix Experience went all out to capture the moods and turbulence of the year 1968. Fire red moon and skies, burned down houses, temperature shifting seasons, strange women, the epochal cover of an essential Dylan classic and alliances with voodoo all coagulate to form what is, perhaps, the quintessential album from the groundbreaking British/American trio. Don't let the extended jams placed at the start and middle of the album scare you, they are just as part of the, uh... experience as well. In fact, they enhance it and are the best parts of the album. One listen, five listens, a thousand listens and you'll come to understand why it's a classic of not only it's era but for future generations.

Featuring some of the most memorable riffs and drum fills in heavy metal history, Paranoid is nothing more than a relentless, balls to the wall masterwork. And to believe that this is Black Sabbath's second record! They continued to define and refine what would be the heaviest and most impactful genre in rock and influence many bands in their wake.

Teenager of the Year is too much long for it's own good. There are songs strewn throughout the album where there are moments that stick long enough to be memorable and where songs can be utterly forgettable. If this were split into two albums, maybe it could be a better overall achievement by Frank Black but, as one whole, it's okay. Favorites: Whatever Happened to Pong?, (I Want to Live on an) Abstract Plain, Calistan, Freedom Rock, Fiddle Riddle, Olé Mulholland, I Could Stay Here Forever, Pure Denizens of the Citizens Band.

There had been bits of pieces here and there (collabs with Robert Fripp, Discreet Music, the majority of Another Green World) but this is it. The start of the main chapter of Brian Eno's career and the main thing that most people associate him with. This is the perfect collection for unwinding, mellowing out after a tough day. It seems quite ironic that this was considered made for airports, given the rather chaotic nature of those places. Maybe that was what Eno envisioned. I don't know but what I do know is that this is essential to the Brian Eno discography. It would be incomplete without it. Favorites: 1/1, 2/2.

Perhaps the absolute best representation of the jazz fusion era of Frank's career. He was an enigma, a one of a kind talent. He could dabble in many genres and could produce stellar albums in those styles. This is one of them. From Peaches en Regalia onwards, Hot Rats is a relentless force that sounds as fresh now as it did in 1969. There are plenty of memorable moments throughout, peaking at The Gumbo Variations: twelve minutes of some of the finest playing Zappa ever did. Highly recommended. Favorites: Peaches en Regalia, Son of Willie the Pimp, The Gumbo Variations, It Must Be a Camel.

The start of the third act in Green Day's saga and their finest hour, American Idiot serves as a particularly potent and relevant source of musical ferocity, intensity, inspiration and passion the likes of which wasn't expected from the band back in 2004 but is now seen as a modern classic. Fusing together elements of bombastic rock operatics with simplistic punk force, it's no wonder why Green Day returned to being a beloved cornerstone of the rock genre after a steady downward slope and that things weren't going to be the same from here on out. A new kind of tension, indeed. Favorites: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Are We the Waiting/St. Jimmy, Wake Me Up When September Ends.

Digging through the ditch can have a effect on somebody, especially when that person has experienced trauma whilst flying close to the sun. It isn't pretty. That was probably intentional. One can come out of it only one way, not the way that can be associated with clarity and optimism. That way can only be relentlessly bleak weariness. Many artists have looked towards this ditch and can gleam various things to attach to their art, but they don't go in; there's no reason to. Only one had done the work for them, they just need to learn. Favorites: Tonight's the Night (Pt. 1 & 2), Borrowed Tune, Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown, Mellow Mind, Roll Another Number (For the Road), Tired Eyes.

A harbinger of what was to come in the chaotic year that was 1968, White Light/White Heat remains not only the antithesis of the Summer of Love but a crucial turning point in the world of The Velvet Underground. With John Cale one foot out the door and Nico and Andy Warhol completely gone, Lou, Sterling and Moe paint a wholly bleak picture of grisly proportions; death via good intentions, botched entries into a more comfortable being and a seventeen minute romp whose most memorable refrain refers to fellatio. Sgt. Pepper's, Majesty's Request and whatever The Monkees' latest was this was not. The punk movement had arrived early and White Light/White Heat was the first of the few flag bearers.

One listen to The Score by Fugees and you would immediately understand why. Why, for the past twenty-five plus years, fans of hip-hop and all genres of music essentially clamor for any crumb of material from the trio that turned everything upside down with their sophomore masterstroke. In a time where alienation, coastal divide and violence reined supreme, three MCs took it upon themselves to not only step up to the best of them but obliterate any doubt in the process. The Score is, perhaps, the prime example of lightning in a bottle; a moment in time that can neither be duplicated nor repeated. And, with that, you will understand why.

Hey, this is the album that birthed Elastica! But, in all seriousness, I struggle to classify Wire as a full on punk band. More like an art rock group that saw the punk explosion as an opportunity to get their foot in the door and get their foot in the door they did. Mixing short songs with harbingers of what they would later come up with, Pink Flag remains Wire's defining statement forty-five years on through sheer invention and aplomb. Yet another example of 1977 being a sublime year for music. Favorites: Reuters, Three Girl Rumba, Ex Lion Tamer, Lowdown, Pink Flag, Strange, Fragile, Mannequin, Feeling Called Love, 12 X U.

From pleasant start to ghostly end, Richard Hawley takes the listener through trips of life in Sheffield in Coles Corner. What sticks out is the numerous nods made towards the pre-Sixties era of music such as traditional pop and country and it keeps the album interesting from beginning to end. Do not ignore this collection. Favorites: Coles Corner, Just Like the Rain, The Ocean, I Sleep Alone, Tonight, (Wading Through) The Waters of Times, Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Feet?, Last Orders.

The electronic dream starts here. There have been fits and starts, promising beginnings and premature ends but this is where it starts to solidify itself. Before the suits, the haircuts, the dummies, cycling obsessions, etc., Kraftwerk focused on the joys of the road and the beauty of the automobile as they wax sonic miracle that continues to enliven and enlighten nearly fifty years on. Fahren! Fahren! Fahren!

Whenever there is a phase in Madonna's career, no matter how brief and noteworthy, it all serves a use for a section of the fanbase to hang their hats on. Ray of Light is the culmination of a return to the public's good graces that began with Bedtime Stories and peaked with her starring role in Evita. Crafting compositions about enlightenment and motherhood, this is Madonna's most mature outing; a record that positions her as a sage for all things groundbreaking and revelatory (not that she wasn't beforehand). Sooner or later, she'll slide back down into dangerous waters of irrelevancy but, for a while, Madonna became someone to love again. This album is proof.

Marvin Gaye had asked "What's Goin' On"; a few months later, he had his answer. With a few exceptions, this is perhaps the murkiest, most drug-addled, most fucked up form of pop music in the 70s. No depth of hell would or could equate to whatever hell Sly Stone had conjured up from thin air (or whatever air that involved drugs). A defining statement that also became the beginning of the end, There's a Riot Goin' On is Sly's masterpiece.

The calm before the storm, Selling England by the Pound features Genesis at a moment of transition. While there are ferociously awesome progressive noodling permeating the album, there are also moments of accessibility that forecasts what would eventually happen to the group in the ensuing years. An essential album in the prog rock era of Genesis' career. Favorites: Dancing with the Moonlit Knights, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), Firth of Fifth, The Battle of Epping Forest, The Cinema Show.

A heartfelt rumination on the very thought of comes with living in America, Bookends finds Simon & Garfunkel at their reflective, pensive and innovative best. Scouring many lifetimes in under half an hour, Bookends accomplished more at that timespan in tugging at the minds and heartstrings of those looking for meaning in where their futures lie. Favorites: Save the Life of My Child, America, Overs, Old Friends, Fakin' It, Mrs. Robinson, A Hazy Shade of Winter, At the Zoo.

One thing listeners tend to learn about Bob Dylan is to never count him out. When he seems to be at his lowest ebb creatively, to the point of no return, he would come back with something so potent, so pure, so reaffirming that it would seem ridiculous to have ever doubted him. On Time Out of Mind, Bob (with the help of Daniel Lanois) once more turns all perceptions upside down and begins keeping up with a wave that hasn't subsided since, offering a continuation of the ever mystifying path taking that makes Bob Dylan well... you know. One of the more intriguing, interesting yet under the radar comebacks in music history.

At first, I went into this record genuinely curious and was left feeling that this was mostly okay. Sounds samey at points but don't discard the craft that went into this album; the bright sounds that come out of this are worth the listen. Favorites: Papa Bonheur, Désespoir, Koweït, Rive Gauche.

A spirited, fun collection of songs that aims and succeeds at targeting the every day comings and goings of love, gossip, heartbreak and the minutia of life. Favorites: More Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, See That Girl, The Way Girls Talk, Hard Luck, My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week, What's With Terry?

"Sam brought you cake and ice cream, and he called you cherry pie. Ray Charles called you his sunshine, but you never mind. I ain't let nobody let love you, like I'm loving you right now. 'Cause they don't know how, to love you like I do...." Favorites: Cry to Me, Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye), Can't Nobody Love You, Hard, Ain't It Hard, You Can't Love 'Em All, Beautiful Brown Eyes, He'll Have to Go.

What's fascinating about Private Dancer was the overall unlikelihood of Tina Turner ever being a household name in the 80s. She was seen as someone who didn't have a good track record and was largely described as being better off with her abusive husband; not one to be taken seriously as a long overdue solo juggernaut. Private Dancer changed that. It is a little strange hearing cover versions of songs that sound good in it's original configuration being tooled up for 80s showcasing and some of it works (Let's Stay Together) while others are best left untouched (I Can't Stand the Rain, Help!). Overall, while not a perfect record, Private Dancer gives insight into how Tina became the rock legend she is today and beyond. Favorites: I Should Have Been Queen, What's Love Got to Do With It, Show Some Respect, Private Dancer, Let's Stay Together, Better Be Good to Me, Steel Claw.

With one foot in the psychedelic soil and one foot out the folksy door, Sunshine Superman showcases Donovan coming into the potential of his musical strengths. While of its time in some respects, it comes armored with fanciful tales and a song that would come to define him more or less; yet it doesn't mean it isn't a good collection of material. More would come from Donovan soon and he'll get better. Favorites: Sunshine Superman, Legend of a Girl Child Linda, Bert's Blues, Season of the Witch, The Fat Angel, Celeste.

I was curious when this was recommended to me: an album I've never heard of, that apparently sold a boatload of copies in the U.K. and became part of the zeitgeist. And, guess what? I can understand why. This album is fantastic, every song on here sounds as though it would have been a single. I was actually a bit sad that this album ended with the last track, as I would have wanted it to continue. It seems crazy to me that it took only a few years for it to completely take off but it was worth it. This is worthy of a repeat listen somewhere down the line.

1969 was a great year for Elektra Records and the rumblings of punk rock in a state largely known at that point for Motown. With one record, MC5 grabbed the collars of every and any prude that stood in front of them and shook their foundations with only five words: words that everyone knows by heart but is unfortunately edited out here. It's not all woeful here, though, as the rest of the music contained here is flat out incendiary in its approach to rock and roll and bits of jazz; one could see and hear where they would end up in a year's time. MC5 were a rock and roll band at heart, they just so happened to provide the blueprint for one of the more consequential genres of music to come. Kick out the jams, motherfuckers! Favorites: Ramblin' Rose, Kick Out the Jams, Come Together, Rocket Reducer No. 62, Motor City is Burning.

Pop goes the Sixties. The doves weren't the only things that flew up the uncertain skies that July afternoon in Hyde Park after Brian Jones passed the mortal coil. Gone were the hopes and dreams of a generation who designated themselves to the ones who changed things, whose dalliances with all the things that had served to lift them up had come to warp and muddy their senses. It was time to get real. This is as real as it gets when it comes to The Rolling Stones, who had come to their senses a year beforehand and began digging deep into the ditches in the quest for gold. Bookending Let It Bleed with two of the most prescient songs of their career, the Stones seem to know what was coming in the decade ahead and the decade that was about to end. Let It Bleed, indeed. Shelter won't be found here. An essential album, one of the Rolling Stones' greatest.

The beginning of the mid-life 90s renaissance of one of Britain's more compelling singer-songwriters. Seemingly taking his trajectories (the failure of what was to be The Style Council's early 90s Madchester album) to heart, Paul Weller looked inward and turned up with a collection that ruminated on his prior and then-present fusions of his musicality. One can see where he would go with his next record, the timely and rollicking Stanley Road and one can't help but become entrenched by the ambition that some of the songs on Wild Wood inhabits, if they let it. A nice new chapter in a career full of them. Favorites: Can You Heal Us (Holy Man), All the Pictures on the Wall, Has My Fire Really Gone Out?, 5th Season, The Weaver, Foot of the Mountain, Shadow of the Sun, Moon on Your Pyjamas.

Damon and Jamie, Jamie and Damon. Who could have thought that an agreement to live in an apartment after breakups in their relationships, ranting about the state of the music business and plasticity on TV, would lead into one of the more consequential and influential groups on music history. Never before had their been a virtual group (shrouded in mystery before the jig was up) making music as though the 22nd Century was on their front door and have it be the basis for complete and utterly eclecticism. It shouldn't have worked (in lesser hands, it wouldn't have) but, thankfully, it did and provided its creators a new springboard for their creativity after years of being acknowledged (rightfully) for who and what they were. Their albums would get more ambitious, more hit-laden, more guest-starring but this is where it starts and what a start it is.

One of the more important proto-emo albums of all time; with every hook that a guitar riff would bring and the yearning and screaming that comes from the vocal, Yank Crime should be considered as one of the greatest punk albums of the 90s. If there was one album to end things on and plant a flag into the ground of what was to be the future of punk, this is the one.

75 years ago, an aspiring bandleader assembled a band to provide joy and happiness to those who needed it. Twenty years after that, a world conquering pop group (in need to reinvent themselves and be something else for a change) took that bandleader's ambitions and turned it into Technicolor. The music world hasn't been the same since. As Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles gave the world a whole new vision as they fully transitioned out of the mop-top era into a being more mystical and surreal than anything they conjured up beforehand. This is where most hats are tipped as the moment where The Beatles became, if they weren't already, the nucleus of a generation whose dreams are dayglo and that nothing would ever stop them on the path for fulfillment of a better, more wonderful world. Of course, like most things in life, things didn't turn out that way but Sgt. Pepper's didn't forsee that time. Neither did anyone else but the then-future is not important. What is important is the impact that this album made on the Fab Four, fellow musicians, aspiring musicians and the world over. A splendid time has been guaranteed when it comes to the album and it has been for the past 55 years. Whether it is the greatest album of all time or not, there is no denying that Sgt. Pepper had set the benchmark for what is possible then, now and forever. An eternal classic.

Like a simultaneous breath of fresh air and a bolt of lightning, Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys blazed their way towards the well travelled roads of British indie and added new perspectives in dizzying wordplay and tightly constructed instrumentation, whilst using the novel advantage of the internet to the lexicon of how to create lasting impacts. What followed is a career that has led towards twists and turns that only the Monkeys can take, with the aplomb and ambition that few groups of their ilk could muster and master and they wouldn't have gotten there if they hadn't made this album. What a stellar debut album, what a band they'll be.

As polarizing as Michael Jackson may be at the moment (when is he not be such?), you cannot deny that his music has become part of our DNA. The very idea of popular culture is centered around the then-living King of Pop and three albums support that theory very much. Off the Wall is the first of those albums. Made during the height of the disco era, Off the Wall finds Michael honing and refining his skills after years of maturing under the spotlight. This album is all killer, no filler from beginning to end and it is a effective teaser for what was to come later on. If we only knew...

This is where the buck stops here. This is it. The crystallization of the aura that Steely Dan were hoping to possess is on here. Aja would make most bands careers but for Steely Dan, not only was it a Tuesday but yet another stop on their road to glory. Phenomenal album, best listened to with either quality headphones or a quality sound system. As probably best intentioned.

New York, 2001. So many so-called kings of the borough but only one looked as if he needed something to prove. And, for that, he laid out the blueprint and wound up making history. Not even the world shifting, beyond tragic events of the album's release date could halt JAY Z's inevitable trajectory as the true successor of Biggie's throne. Some may call this his greatest album (though others before or since have the right to assume that position) and it cannot be denied that The Blueprint set in motion a chain of events that would end up defining its makers and its genre for better or for worse.

A dub and reggae album with flourishes of the then-contemporary sounds; this is a rather ambitious and auspicious debut album from 1997, a year chock full of ambitious albums that looked toward the future rather than mine from the past. Maverick A Strike seems to have gone under the radar, which is a shame seeing as though it is looking to be re-discovered and re-evaluated as it should. A hidden gem, for sure. Favorites: Ultra Stimulation, It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, The Way of the Explosive, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Sweet and Loving Man.

This is rather timely for me, seeing as how the Elvis biopic is coming out soon (or is out? I don't know, I only keep tabs on arthouse films). It had to be him. You know how things were in the 50s when it came to nascent rock and roll. The prime originators of the genre, who happened to be Black, wouldn't get the most out of the notoriety that Elvis put forth. So he had to be the blueprint. Rock and roll had to be molded in his image and it's an image that still captivates in these two centuries, from album cover on down. Sure, the songs are all covers but there is also conviction and purpose and Elvis had that in spades. If it wasn't for this album, who knows how the next several years would turn out. Maybe it'd be dismal, maybe nothing would change. We'll never know because the path forward only takes less than thirty minutes.

"People talk about this trilogy of Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape... we didn't plan it that way" - Graham Coxon "It was, kind of, the birth of what became known as the modern Blur" - Dave Rowntree Getting rid of the baggy aesthetic that was forced upon them by their record label, Blur looked forward whilst looking back in the creation of their first great album. Anglophile musings and seething resentment of the downtrodden grunge movement spurred Blur to craft pop songs that dealt with esoteric characters and everyday dealings of life and that path would sustain (and define) them as they became the biggest band in Britain. Modern Life is Rubbish? It still is.

Impending death has never sounded this hectic, manic, romantic; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds offered ten songs of grisly demise in the ways that only they can, finding new routes towards these ironically called ballads and giving them new life. This is, also, perhaps the only album that contains the talents of Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey either on the same or different track. The only way for this band to go after this is up and up they will go. Favorites: Stagger Lee, Henry Lee, Lovely Creatures, Where the Wild Roses Grow, The Curse of Millhaven, O'Malley's Bar, Death is Not the End.

The victory lap in a golden race, Exile on Main Street is generally considered by most music fans as the last all time great Rolling Stones album; the one with the most mythical status, a most gargantuan collection of songs so bountiful it had to be split into two records. Here is where the band were at their most boisterous, most rollicking like true outlaws. There are moments where they could have veered down a strange path but always find a way to get back up to where they excelled best. It can't all be loved, which is what makes it still appealing fifty years on. Essential listening. Favorites: Rocks Off, Shake Your Hips, Tumbling Dice, Sweet Virginia, Torn and Frayed, Loving Cup, Happy, Let It Loose, All Down the Line, Shine a Light.

The album that made America get bit by the Blaxploitation bug. Despite not getting the part of the suave, cooler than cool John Shaft, Isaac Hayes still embodied the spirit and swagger that the character had in spades. A blueprint for how Black music would sound throughout the 70s and what it would mine through and pine to recreate in the decades afterward, Shaft is stellar as a standalone but one would need to see the original movie to full assess its impact. Favorites: Theme from Shaft, Café Regio's, Early Sunday Morning, Be Yourself, A Friend's Place, No Name Bar, Do Your Thing.

It was slow at first but, then, it began to open up. The National's High Violet continues the band's seamless path towards indie rock glory that began with Alligator as they churned out some of their most impassioned and revelatory performances. Songs that don't look like much at first glance would soon consume you and turn you inside out the more it advances towards the finish line and unveils its layers that it is capable of making. The expanded version of the album builds upon this as well, with extra tracks that flow from one to the next with seemingly no end. High Violet is deserving of high praise. Favorites: Anyone's Ghost, Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, Conversation 16, England, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, Terrible Love (alternate version), Wake Up Your Saints, Sin-Eater.

At this point, what needs to be said about this album that hasn't already been said? Miles knew where he was going to go, where the future of jazz was going to go and gave us an album so chock full of uncharted waters that, to this day, sounds futuristic and forward thinking despite it being made in the age of Aquarius. The first great album of the 70s, Bitches Brew gave us a cinematic worldview of who and what Miles would become in this electric era and we would be all the worse off if he didn't go down this route and get loose. We all need to thank Betty Davis for this one.

By the fall of 1995, the smoke of the Battle of Britpop had yet to fade out properly and there was plenty more where that came from on the Blur and Oasis sides. But if you were tired of it all and were looking for something a little more stimulating, then Pulp were ready to sweep you away. They'd always been ready, they were looking for the proper time to strike and 1995 was that time. First with Common People, the Britpop anthem and Pulp's brightest moment and then Different Class, Pulp's finest hour. Horny escapades, kitchen sink tales of moments and memories past and present, the possibilities that come from connections. They're all laid out here. The minds were definitely at work here and millions were blown away by the suave swagger of Jarvis and Co. They just wanted a right to be different and, for fifty-one minutes, they showed us how.

Folk at it's most freakishly psychedelic, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter sees The Incredible String Band beginning to assemble the pieces of what would be intriguing and enticing puzzle, taking the once barren soundscapes of a tired sound and dousing it in mythology and spiritualism. An important part of the story of what would become "freak folk" in the years to come. Favorites: Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, A Very Cellular Song, Waltz of the New Moon, The Water Song, There is a Green Crown.

In the hunt for a climate where his muses can be indulged without question and judgment, before he tilted down the drift where mediocrity reigned, the final album in the Scott tetralogy sees the Boy Genius start paving the road that would lead down to what would become wicked, demented and all together unlikely brilliant. War heroes, European art films and invasions of countries coalesce in an album that sees the 30 Century Man operate at his finest. A fine album to understand who Scott was and who he would become. Favorites: The Seventh Seal, On Your Own Again, The World's Strongest Man, Boy Child, Hero of the War, The Old Man's Back Again, Get Behind Me.

Sound affects? Haven't really come across any on this album. But what was evident was the fact that The Jam were riding a wave that nobody knew was coming to a stop, and it is particularly noticeable to hear them fire on all cylinders on what was to be their penultimate record. Dreaming of Monday, dreaming of Monday.... Favorites: Pretty Green, Monday, Set the House Ablaze, Start!, That's Entertainment, Man in the Corner Shop, Scrape Away.

Van the Man's all time greatest statement, the back story of which is one of the wildest and most batshit insane in all of music. That shouldn't detract from the beauty that still emanates from this album almost fifty-five years on. From the first verse uttered to the last verse sung, Van's voice flows with such grace and effortlessness that one can only wonder... and listen in awe. I still do.

One of the more lesser known but integral albums of the East Coast Rap Renaissance of the 90s, The Sun Rises in the East builds and lives up to its title with its minimal yet impactful instrumentation and potent rhymes from the original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel. Although overshadowed by what came before and afterward, this is an album that's not to be ignored and does more than it's required to hold its own. Favorites: D. Original, Brooklyn Took It, Mental Stamina, Da Bichez, You Can't Stop the Prophet, Ain't the Devil Happy, Mind Spray.

The last hurrah of the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, and perhaps the progressive rock era in general, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway never settles for less; a continual bombast of epic proportions involving a street kid named Rael and his kaleidoscopic adventures along the way. Perhaps the band's greatest outing, they grab the listener through the twists and turns that the story requires, soaring with the highs and rumbling with the lows. But, as mentioned, all good things must come to an end and both Peter and the band set off toward different paths. At least we have this to hold on to. Favorites: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Cuckoo Cocoon, In the Cage, Back in NYC, Counting Down Time, The Carpet Crawlers, The Chamber of 32 Doors, Lillywhite Lilith, Anyway, Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist, Ravine, The Light Dies Down on Broadway, In the Rapids, It.

The bobbysoxers had to stop the screams at some time. The jubilence and hysteria couldn't last forever. Hearts were made to be broken, as the soon to be Ol' Blue Eyes found out on the path to making In the Wee Small Hours. Sixteen tracks of sheer, unrelenting sadness, backed up by a ready and game orchestra, can seem daunting but Frank does what he can to give his all with each track. Of course, we have this album to thank for not only popularizing the 12" record but also concept albums; separate entities that would come together in greater detail in ensuing decades. As for Frank, he had finally found a niche and a formula to cultivate and refine from time to time. Favorites: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, Mood Indigo, Glad to be Unhappy, I Get Along Without You Very Well, Can't We Be Friends?, I'll Be Around, Ill Wind, This Love of Mine.

The older I get, the more love I have for this album. It seems to be of a place and no place simultaneously. Fully leaving post-bop behind but not yet caught up in the funky, mythical and mystical chaos of Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way seems like a transitional effort. But it isn't, it's it's own thing; it's own special oasis. To me, this is the perfect Miles Davis album. Just short of forty minutes, two tracks that just whisks you into its orbit and a bonafide classic album cover on top of it. A relentless, endless cool that still radiates to this day. Yet another defining touchstone and turning point in the jazz genre, of course one of many and not the last.

After years of waiting, I jumped in the river and what did I see? Barn doors, revolving doors, sliding doors, secret doors and trap doors. Come on, come on Holy Roman Empire! Have yourself a good time, there's nothing at all. If you'd been a dog, they would have drowned you at birth. Cut the kids in half, be constructive with your blues. This just feels like spinning plates, that's a strange mistake to make.

The essential follow-up to Paul's Boutique (granted it was made with The Dust Brothers), Odelay showcases Beck's ascension from post-grunge slacker idealism to something far more eclectic and less predictable. Without this album, it becomes somewhat strange to envision a music atmosphere where indie rock musicians wouldn't pivot to two turntables and a microphone and remain complacent with their guitars and drums. We'd be doing sad hot dog dances in Houston at the thought of it. Good thing we don't have to. Favorites: Devils Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Novacane, Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Minus, Sissyneck, High 5 (Rock the Catskills).

An eclectic multi-cultural, multilingual experience, Clandestino is a tour-de-force of rambunctious ideas that, regardless of the language barrier, burst through with vigor and intrigue. Manu Chao's patchwork of sounds benefit from never staying past its welcome and largely blends from one song to the next and keeping the listener attentive with each step. Favorites: Clandestino, Bongo Bong, Je ne t'aime plus, Mentira, Mama Call, Welcome to Tijuana, Malegìra, La ve à 2.

Regardless of the album's title, The Last Broadcast sees Doves approaching their peak, with optimistic sounding singalongs that signaled their powers which led them to the top of the British charts. There are plenty of moments on this album that captures ones interest and doesn't let go and that attention becomes rewarded throughout. If this is considered Doves' best album, there's a reason why. Favorites: Words, There Goes the Fear, M62 Song, N.Y., Satellites, Last Broadcast, Caught by the River.

Fisherman's Blues shall be in consideration for one of the all time greatest albums of the 1980s. Apparently it is also one of the best artistic reinventions for a band, given that The Waterboys were a full on rocking band. That fully rocking band still exists, it is now welding Irish jigs and poets as opposed to what came before. One will soon find themselves swayed by the passion and creativity that possessed the band on its quest to create this masterpiece. Favorites: Fisherman's Blues, We Will Not Be Lovers, Strange Boat, Sweet Thing, And a Bang on the Ear, When Will We Get Married, The Stolen Child, Killing My Heart, You in the Sky, Rattle My Bones and Shiver My Soul, Let Me Feel Holy Again, Meet Me at the Station, Soon as I Get Home.

2009 was a very beneficial year for the ever changing indie landscape and Grizzly Bear was one of the many bands that saw their fortunes change with Veckatimest. Rock and baroque collide to make a never ending kaleidoscope of experimental genre blending. This comes highly recommended.

On White Light, Gene Clark provides further proof that he was the backbone of the revolutionary Byrds immersion into country music, as he uses his compositional skill to good use and hone his craft on the road to making his masterpiece No Other. Favorites: The Virgin, White Light, One in a Hundred, For a Spanish Guitar, Tears of Rage.

What was, until Voyage forty years later, the last curtain call for ABBA remains a masterclass in bowing out with grace and integrity without looking and sounding as if they're running on fumes. The Visitors will always be ABBA's gloomiest album, as encapsulated by the spaces inhabited in the album cover by the once happily in love, now separated duos of Agnetha and Björn and Anni-Frid and Benny and the topics of the songs being sung for the first and, perhaps, only time. The Visitors shall be welcome without prejudices and fear, they shall do as they please and leave you wondering how they'd remain silent, having allowed the music to speak, for over forty years. Favorites: The Visitors, Head Over Heels, When All is Said and Done, Soldiers, I Let the Music Speak, One of Us, Two for the Price of One, Slipping Through My Fingers, Under Attack.

Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon, standing in the shadows at the end of my bed. Everyone is so near, I'm not here. I'd really like to help you man, I'm on your side. We're not scaremongering, this is really happening. I wanted to tell you but you never listen, so I'll keep walking. I will see you in the next life.

It wasn't just the doves that flew out in Hyde Park on that fateful July day in 1969. With them went the blueprint of a genre that would come to define, for better or worse, the sounds coming from Britain in the ensuing decade that was pouring out of many aspiring bands that favored complex time signatures, ambitious concepts and grandiose statements. And, if it weren't for King Crimson and their epochal debut In the Court of the Crimson King, I surely believe that progressive rock wouldn't have had the headstart that it needed to produce the Yes's and Genesis's and Emerson, Lake and Palmer's of the world. Sure, those bands would arrive eventually but they would have Robert Fripp and his mad genius to thank for the heads up. Perhaps one of the all time greatest debuts to have an all time great opening track, it's incredible to think that we allowed one band (or one man) to have all that power. But we did and we're thankful for that. By the way, Godspeed Barry Godber and thank you for an immortal album cover. Never has a sleeve defined a sound so well.

For those who have been Mailered, Taylored, O'Hara'd, McNamara'd, Stoned, Beatled, Ayn Randed, Spectored, Adlered, Sadlered, Jaggered, silver daggered and Garfunkeled all while being nearly branded a left-handed Communist for learning the truth from Lenny Bruce and mixing up Dylan's Bob and Thomas, this album is for you. For close to half an hour, Simon & Garfunkel command your attention with their ever flawless vocal combination and attention to musical detail all the while combing through the increasingly complex and challenging landscape that was America in the mid to approaching late Sixties. To think that they would continue peaking all the way to troubled waters is quite captivating stuff.

Jane says she had a dad who would sing a mountain song while standing in the shower... thinking about pigs in zen. She would say Ted, just admit it... idiots rule. Summertime rolls up the beach as an ocean sized thumbs up is given to this album. Thank you boys. In other words, as good enough of a wake up call as a cup of coffee. Favorites: Up the Beach, Ocean Size, Ted, Just Admit It..., Summertime Rolls, Mountain Song, Jane Says.

Amongst some of the great "what could have been" musical events of the 20th Century, Smile exceeds its expectations simply by finally being created. One can wonder what would have happened had Brian Wilson been given the encouragement and the proper support needed to see Smile through and gave the world its "teenage homage to God" in the year of Sgt. Pepper and Surrealistic Pillow. Instead, all that was showcased was blueprints and scattered songs across their later discography and visions of the supposed masterpiece that never came. Good thing Brian finally found the courage, support and care necessary to finally bring this monument to it's most complete structure; for its existence does bring about a smile amongst this listener. Favorites: Heroes and Villains, Roll Plymouth Rock, Cabin Essence, Wonderful, Song for Children, Child is the Father of the Man, Surf's Up, Vega-Tables, Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, In Blue Hawaii, Good Vibrations.

A Seat at the Table arrived at a neverending turning point in the discussion of what it means to be Black in America, especially a Black woman. Featuring poignant stories told by relatives and out of the box narrators (No Limit's Master P), A Seat at the Table serves as Solange's long overdue coming out party as an artist whose merits and credentials are worthy of appraisal, appreciation and anticipation for what comes next. Favorites: Rise, Weary, Cranes in the Sky, Don't You Wait, Interlude: Tina Taught Me, Don't Touch My Hair, F.U.B.U., Junie, Don't Wish Me Hair, Scales.

All it takes is one guitar riff to turn a band into rock royalty and that's what The White Stripes became with Elephant. A searing, boisterous collection of 21st Century blues and pure rock and roll, Elephant sees the Stripes approach the peak of their powers with the aura of a confident tag team ready to take home the championships. Perhaps if one needs a proper introduction to Meg and Jack, this is the best bet for a good choice; a moment in time where they became the best American rock band in the world. Favorites: Seven Nation Army, Black Math, There's No Home for You, Here, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, In the Cold, Cold Night, You've Got Her in Your Pocket, Ball and Biscuit,The Hardest Button to Button, Little Acorns, Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine.

Fuck it, here we go. It's time. I've avoided this album for a while now. I've read the reviews, I've read all the accolades, I've read most of the accounts of what happened. Yet, when it was time for me to dig into the Mac, I've avoided this album. I mostly dig head over heels for its successor and it's become one of my all time favorite albums. And, yet, this album still rang its ubiquitous cultural bell. It seemed easy to steer clear from yet it never went away. So, when it came time to finally listen to this, I grabbed onto the chain. I didn't think I'd cling on this hard. I finally get what the fuss is all about. Rumours is the preparation for, and confirmation of, everything that is the complex nature of love and relationships. Even since its creation, its impact upon the creators and its listeners can be (and should be) studied on for however much time we have (even though it's not rocket science). So the rumours are true, I guess.... this is a fantastic album.

The Pharcyde make their mark upon hip-hop with this aptly titled album, taking strange twists and turns through subjects and soundscapes that serve as a calm before the storm that would soon infiltrate the genre for the next couple of years. Favorites: Oh Shit, It's Jiggaboo Time, 4 Better or 4 Worse, Soul Flower, Officer, Ya Mama, Passin' Me By, Otha Fish, Return of the B-Boy.

A pop punk masterstroke, a true demonstration of all killer and no filler. With sheer exuberance and ebullient charisma that blasts throughout, Dookie sees Green Day come to terms with their potential and its use to fill in a vaccum that was occupying the alternative scene. Every note was played perfectly and its positions were well crafted as some songs transitioned into another with ease. No wonder why Green Day took off with this era and career defining album, one of the best of the 90s.

So... this is where it all begins, huh? Not as bombastic as I was expecting it to be, but it still does the job well. Question, though: Where does the rot start? Is this, truly, Coldplay's best album? Should I go ahead and delve into the rest of their discography to find out? Plenty of potential to be seen and heard here. Favorites: Don't Panic, Shiver, Sparks, Yellow, High Speed, Everything's Not Lost - Life is for Living.

If the remainder of Disraeli Gears had been a shambolic shitshow following the colossal one-two punch of Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, it wouldn't be remembered as fondly as it is now. Thankfully the eight songs (nine if you want to count Mother's Lament) that follow Sunshine does more than what's required to uphold its weight and become equally memorable and quality songs that justify its position as the absolute peak of the sweet yet sour, shortlived lather of guitar/bass/drum combo that was Cream.

Manchester had proven itself to be the nucleus for innovative music by the late 70s and its status was further confirmed by the release of one of the all time greatest debut albums and one of the more essential pillars of the post-punk sound, Unknown Pleasure. Almost 45 years on, it's still providing the blueprint on how to execute ice cold emotion and abstract, unconventional rhythms that convey meaning that goes beyond t-shirts and thousands of notes of the album cover gif on Tumblr. Regardless, if the band had never made another album they would still be classified as one of the most important bands that ever came out of Manchester. Godspeed Ian Curtis, Godspeed Martin Hannett and Godspeed Tony Wilson.

Like a refreshing sip of iced cool water, an immense breath of fresh air, a much needed sigh after undergoing a repetitious round of heavy lifting. No amount of language barriers can contain the musical synchronicity present in this album, a complete blessing from a country that was once forbidden and sequestered. No club is cooler than the Buena Vista Social Club.

Breezy, inoffensive sophisticated pop from one of the 80s more understated yet substantial bands. Crazy to think that, within a couple of years, they'd be instrumental in the rise of emotive dance music but we've all got to have a head start somewhere. This could have a bit more variety but, overall, not a bad thing. Favorites: I Don't Want to Talk About, Love is Here Where I Live, These Early Days, Oxford Street, The Night I Heard Caruso Sing, Goodbye Sunday, Shadow on a Harvest Moon, Lonesome for a Place I Know.

Boasting some of the soon-to-be biggest icons in rock, Jeff Beck's Truth is a good representation of where the blues was heading towards at the end of the 60s, with passionate vocal performances and attention grabbing instrumentals that does the songs that contain them justice. Favorites: Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, Morning Dew, Ol' Man River, Beck's Bolero, Blues Deluxe.

The thin, wild mercury sound.... the culmination of a year and a half that changed not just Bob Dylan's trajectory but the face of rock music. Never has it become so literary, so surreal, so grounded in it's New York meets Nashville trek. A undeniable peak on a mountain that would contain many peaks, Blonde on Blonde is one of the few descriptors of the year 1966 that can be seen as accurate; such was the sprawling scenes shown in the songs that felt lived in from the moment it was heard. Bob may have been hopped up on whatever poppers that came his way but even that version of Bob was miles and leagues ahead of almost anybody in the ever changing rock and roll landscape. I hate to say that it was a good thing that he crashed his motorcycle and retreated into the radical world of homespun sparseness because, if he hadn't, we would have been treated to a world of diminishing returns in the follow-up to Blonde on Blonde. Change was imminent but nobody knew it at the time, not even Bob, which was why he gave us his then-best. Nearly sixty years and we remain in awe. Everybody must get stoned!

Quite a comforting route down the ever expanding worldview of one John Martyn. With this listen, I can see what the fuss is all about whenever this record was concerned and its dive into proto-dub experimentation is an all together worthwhile experience. Solid, indeed. Favorites: Solid Air, Over the Hill, Don't Want to Know, Go Down Easy, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never, I'd Rather Be the Devil (Devil Got My Woman) - Live.

Upon first glance, a funk album made by a troubled folk rock troubadour screams all sorts of thoughts: an act of artistic desperation, an awkward attempt to fit in with then-prevailing trends, a curious case of cashing in. Yet, when one come across Greetings From L.A., one finds Tim Buckley once again finding a genre and making it fit on his terms. Yeah, he helps and grovells and becomes frankly sexual in a strange fashion but at least he is honest about where he is. A missive from one of the more curious musicians of his era, this is a postcard that shall be reexamined and reevaluated in due time. Favorites: Move With Me, Get on Top, Sweet Surrender, Devil Eyes, Hong Kong Bar.

As a huge U2 fan, and as someone who would go out of the way to defend them whenever possible, revisiting this album has caused a reckoning. I respect this album for propping U2 back into the good graces of the record buying public who were disillusioned with the dizzying yet complex experimentations of the mid-late 90s, but that facet of U2 is sorely missing here. After twenty years of constant searching for sonic diversity that took them from post-punk to Eurodance, U2 chose to settle and the results are mixed. There are moments throughout where the band approach their best but would soon become weighed down by mediocre musings that sound simplistic. Which was probably the point of the album but it would be more palatable if the material were executed better. A strange album for me, a U2 album that doesn't improve on where they left off and where they become complacent, which is what they've been ever since. Favorites: Beautiful Day, Kite, In a Little While, Peace on Earth, When I Look at the World, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

With Janis' passing prior to the album's release, it felt as though the continuing descent of the Sixties Aquarian Dream had revised its apogee (Jimi had passed not long before her). Which is a shame because, with Pearl, Janis sounded ready to break through and plant herself throughly into the mainstream (if she wasn't already). We would never have a chance to live out what she would have done or would have been like had she continued to live on but this is a pretty good representation of what could have been. Favorites: Move Over, Cry Baby, A Woman Left Lonely, Buried Alive in the Blues, Me & Bobby McGee, Mercedes Benz, Get It While You Can.

If one comes off of, perhaps, the first great three album run in hip-hop then chances are it's time for the steep decline in quality to commence. That's not what happens here. With Apocalypse '91, Public Enemy continue to refine their revolutionary political message and heart on sleeve mottos that propelled them towards legendary status and they remain a bulldozer of bombastic sonic innovation, regardless of what others may have thought at the time given other members' exploits. Although not as memorable as the first three albums, Apocalypse '91 stands on its own either way. Favorites: Lost at Birth, Nighttrain, Can't Truss It, I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Nigga, By the Time I Get to Arizona, 1 Million Bottlebags, Shut Em Down, Get the F... Outta Dodge, Bring Da Noize.

Although he had several albums under his belt, Either/Or is considered to be Elliott's true breakthrough; a genuine introduction to a talent that was allowed only a decade or so to shine but who looked and sounded as though he was up there already with the greats. Favorites: Speed Trails, Ballad of Big Nothing, Between the Bars, Pictures of Me, Rose Parade, Punch and Judy, Angeles, 2:45 AM, My New Freedom - Live, Pictures of Me - Live, I Don't Think I'm Ever Gonna Figure It Out, I Figured You Out, Bottle Up and Explode - Alternate Version.

Gang of Four saw what was happening with the ever evolving musical landscape and thought "Maybe there shall be movement". Entertainment sees the band brandish their mission statement with intent and the urge to groove, with the angular spike of post-punk mingling with the funk flavors that flow through them. An essential album of the era and a statement only they could make. Favorites: Ether, Natural's Not In It, Not Great Men, Damaged Goods, I Found That Essence Rare, Contract, At Home He's a Tourist, Love Like Anthrax.

Unceremoniously and unfairly thrown away and underappreciated by the record buying public, No Other is Gene Clark's rightful masterpiece. This is the perfect example of letting it all hang out and letting your muses take you to your greatest potential. If only everyone had seen what Gene had seen and embraced this record for what it was and what it is; an incredible tapestry of sound that would have been weakened if left to lesser hands. The power of perfection, indeed.

When this album came up on the generator, I knew what rating I had to give it. A quintessential classic in the hip-hop genre and a all time classic album of the 90s. Being introduced to this record all those years ago whilst confused about my musical tips (hehe) was the push I needed to not only get into hip-hop but into jazz as well, as Tribe's cutting up, sampling and incorporating of various jazz legends (Ron Carter is on the bass!) does more than the work necessary and required for the album. From the 91 decade to the 2000 decade and beyond, The Low End Theory remains a significant part of the Tribe lore and one of the greatest albums of all time.

On their way to see the light, The Velvet Underground had found a way forward, however short-lived. On their third, perhaps most straightforward, outing Lou, Sterling, Moe and new recruit Doug Yule shed the skin of their avant-garde, Warholian past and began to paint their corners into somewhat brighter colors (thus, this being The Gray Album). Gone were the transgressive songs about prostitutes, drug users and dealers, grisly deaths via well intended acts of love and sucking on ding-dongs. What we're dealing with here is a set of songs whose most shocking attribute is that you can hum to them; that it's accessible and approachable. That it didn't tilt the world on its axis, as most VU records didn't, is mostly the worlds' fault; as it always is. But maybe it's best that it didn't, that it didn't garner the infamy that the first record did. Maybe it's better that way? It's quite loaded but there are plenty of people that feel the same as me.

With a mixture of short tales and epic tomes, Red Headed Stranger is a exploration of infidelity, murder and desertion in a manner made sparsely and simply that can only benefit Shotgun Willie; any minute longer and it would have been sabotage. It is not surprising to know how this became a beloved album in Willie's canon and an enduring hallmark in country. The complex feelings of the outlaw, encapsulated by the songs that expresses his feelings that flowed through his heart; a tale as old and well told as time.

1976 was a weird place, musically; disco was tightening its grip, punk was an inconceivable thought, hip-hop was still in its nascent phase and the lone rock representative to conquer the world was a guitar player with dashing good looks that, after many trials and errors, gave us an album that was a greatest hits album in live performance mode. It had to be Peter, for Frampton Comes Alive! is the perfect capsule into who and what he stands for as a musician. Deep cuts and pop gems combine to make a tantalizing package that leaves little to the imagination when it came to its slow but eventual dominance. Favorites: Doobie Wah, Show Me the Way, It's a Plain Shame, All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side), Baby, I Love Your Way, I Wanna Go to the Sun, (I'll Give You) Money, Do You Feel Like We Do.

For a short period of time, everything Otis Redding did was perfect. Regardless of the song topics that occupied an album titled Otis Blue, the music within it is some of the more boisterous and euphoric of the entire mid to late era of Sixties soul. From the track that held the key to Aretha's longevity to the honored yet wholly redefined covers of already bonafide classics as well as songs that can guarantee a movement or two on kitchen floors, Otis Blue seems as though it were a misnomer yet it is indicative of what we, sadly, briefly had to bare witness when it came to the overwhelming power of the man himself.

From the slums of Shaolin, Wu-Tang Clan's back again. The RZA, the GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon the Chef, U-God, Ghostface Killah and the Method Man.... a seismic shift occurred in hip-hop when the Killa Bees were on the swarm. We've seen solo rappers, duos, trios and quartets but never a ennead. Nine hungry dudes, some of whom were burned by the industry beforehand, storming through with innovative soul samples, endless nods to kung-fu movies of the 70s and a keen eye out for the the bigger picture. One of the most consequential, influential and greatest albums ever.

It is, perhaps, the most appropriate introduction of perhaps the four most important contributors to the rock genre of the upcoming decade. Whereas John, Paul, George and Ringo were winding down, Robert, Jimmy, John Paul and John usurped the mantle and, along the way, became the standard bearers of a multitude of genres that would be refined and perfected; at times by them too. This is where it all begins and what all the fuss is about. A perfect blend of blues, hard rock and folk that caused an explosion not unlike one on the album cover. Tremendous!

PJ Harvey, rock trio and PJ Harvey, rock goddess, barreled through the senses with reckless abandon on this epochal debut. Thirty years on and this is still a searing, full on showcase for who would become one of the more chameleonic and captivating musicians of her era. No wonder why she thought this would be her only album and dared to go all out. May I say that the gambit worked pretty damn well.

The thrill of it all is just so overwhelming. It came out of the blue, my enjoyment of this record. I cannot rate this from anything between three and nine. There was no way they would have stopped their prior triptych but they did. It was bittersweet knowing that it had to end, for Country Life made this casanova had a really good time and I ended up feeling as though I were a prairie rose. I would be more than happy to tell one of the ladies on the cover that "all I want is you", even if it takes all night.

Indian representation had a fleeting thing in the British music scene since the 60s yet hardly any Indians were making waves that could be considered equals to the groups that were poaching their sounds. That's were Cornership come in. Their 1997 masterstroke When I Was Born for the 7th Time sees them rise up to the now 60s fawning Britpop gauntlet and not only turn it on its head but give it new textures and shapes unmistakable in its originality. They cap it off with a faithful cover of a song that kickstarted the raga influenced craze of decades before. Hopefully people would familiarize themselves with this album when they get ahold of it, it's worth it. It'll make you feel born for the 7th time.

A modest effort from a band on the way towards greatness. Despite teetering off towards the end, The Seldom Seen Kid has plenty of gems throughout. Kind of front loaded with memorable songs but those songs are worthwhile. Seek this one out when you can. Favorites: Starlings, The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, Weather to Fly, The Fix, One Day Like This.

My first exposure to Gil Scott-Heron was on the documentary about Weather Underground, as Winter in America soundtracked the downfall of the movement and its ideals as the 70s progressed. And while the song isn't featured on the album, the titular project isn't lacking in interesting soundscapes. As much of it is Gil's album, the backbone of it is Brian Jackson, who serves as the integral piece of the Scott-Heron puzzle and whose absence from the eventual later records becomes too pronounced. But here the duo are operating at the peak of their powers and it is a pretty solid album to dive into. Favorites: Rivers of My Fathers, Back Home, The Bottle, Your Daddy Loves You, H20 Gate Blues.

The only album truly recorded in Berlin, "Heroes" is David Bowie at his most inspired and inspiring. From hopeful lovers up against the wall to denizens of a bygone film era, leading us down the road of Krautrock inspired instrumentals that forecasted the ambient wave that would soon come, there's a reason why "Heroes" remains amongst Bowie's absolute greatest efforts. There's Old Wave, There's New Wave and there's....

Coming across this album, I had low expectations. Turns out I was plenty surprised by how consistent the band were throughout. It's not the greatest album in the world but Incubus did good with what they had to offer. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess! Favorites: Privilege, Nowhere Fast, Consequence, The Warmth, Make Yourself, Drive, I Miss You.

If John Lennon thinks your milk is safe enough to be placed on his fridge doors, then it's good enough for the rest of us. Safe as Milk provides a plentiful introduction into the madness that occupied the brain of one Don Van Vliet; a madness that would coagulate into creating one of the most infamous albums ever recorded. But that had yet to be seen as this album fits into neat pockets of R&B musings and fledgling psychedelic rock, showcasing that the Magic Band can remain in the game while being simultaneously out of it. This milk is safe enough for me. Favorites: Sure 'Nuff 'n' Yes, I Do, Zig Zag Wanderer, Call on Me, I'm Glad, Abba Zaba, Where There's Woman, Grown So Ugly, Autumn Child, Safe as Milk - Take 5, On Tomorrow, Trust Us - Take 9.

Wilco! The story of one of America's premier 21st Century bands begins at earnest with this once single album priced double album and no corner is left untouched, making the best out of their adopted scenario. At times it can be sprawling and a bit bloated for it's own good but, when one has the gumption to let the world know of their abilities, just being there will be worth it. Favorites: Misunderstood, Far, Far Away, Outtasite (Outta Mind), I Got You (At the End of the Century), What the World Got in Store, Say You Miss Me, Sunken Treasure, Outta Mind (Outta Sight), Kingpin, Why Would You Wanna Live, Dreamer in My Dreams.