One of the most classic albums of the 1970s and Elton John at his finest. Jam packed with hit songs including the title track, Candle in the Wind, Benny and the Jets, and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. Stylistically, Elton John covers a lot of ground but the album itself feels unified, as if there was a plan. Finally, this is the classic lineup at it's height. Caribou, which follows this album, seems like outtakes from it. Afterwards, Elton John began to steer into adult oriented music, leaving the hard rocking behind. If you only own one Elton John album, this is the one.

What can you say. It's iconic? Sure is. Utterly irreverent? That's obvious. It changed the music we know today? Wait really. Oh yeah. Without the New York Dolls, there is no punk and new wave. Without punk and new wave, we're still listening to arena rock and suffering through endless drum solos. This album changed everything.

This is Coldplay before they started acting like ridiculous rock stars. The songs are tight and refreshing. The syncopation of Clocks is a standout and brought a wider audience to the band. Afterwards, Coldplay became self-absorbed, experimental (not in a good way) and phone-it-home dull.

A true classic. The deep baritone of singer Hugh Cornwall, alongside the Farfifa organ sells the album.

No need to even listen to this album - I listened to it a hundred times before. If only for Kashmir, this would be a classic. Of course, there is much more than Kashmir on this classic rock album.

Nope. Hated it then, hate it now.

A true classic of 80s techno. Everyone knows "Don't You Want Me (Baby)?" but there are many other great 80s club hits on this album, starting with the lead off "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of".

Starts strong with You Wanna Be a Rock And Roll Star. Love Roger McGuinn's jangly guitar. My Back Pages is also a classic. What strikes me is how much albums like this set the stage for 80s jangle rock.

The penultimate Pink Floyd album. It's intense moments mix well with it's more pop songs to create a true concept album that works.

On the one hand, it's hard not to like this brand of retro (even for the time) blues rock. It's reminiscent of so much blues inspired, sloppy, classic rock such as early 70s Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, or The Faces. On the other hand, I find the singer's voice irritating. It's vocal fry without the growl that makes that kind of singing interesting. After awhile, I just can't listen to it any more.

If the only two songs of worth were American Girl and Breakdown, the debut from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would have been a classic. There is, however, so much more here. At the time this was released, Petty's brand of roots-oriented rock didn't really fit with most AOR or even Southern Rock stations. At least in the Metro NYC area, his music was heard on the emerging New Wave stations such as WNEW. As southern fried as he was, he appealed more to the punks and new wave crowd for his fresh sound.

I'm still angry at the person who borrowed and never returned this album from me. I picked up a copy on CD later. This album was unlike any other record of the time. Where's as new music was getting light and frothy (Cindy Lauper, Nena) this was dark and mysterious. If anything it presaged later music from Depeche Mode, whose lighter weight Construction Time Again came out about the same time.

This is an amazing album. It's blend of rock and roots, especially Celtic, was common at the time but also superior to other albums. Only the Pogues were really comparable but their Punk leaning made them very different. The songwriting is superb. I bought this in 1988 and still listen to it with regularity.

Morrissey takes whining to new heights. After leaving the Smiths, it was like the control rods cam out of the reactor and the proto-emo machine went into overdrive. This is the beginning of the whining, complaining, diva Morrissey we see today.

This is what old school hip hop is all about. Solid music, great rapping, and not too much of that misogynist crap.

An absolute classic and a debut album to boot. It introduces the Dire Straits signature sound of smooth jazz infused rock. It's just an amazing record.

The songs are amazing, the album cover iconic, and the band at it's height. What's not to love? This is Joy Division at it's best and the beginning of punk/new wave's transformation into what the 80s will be.

The Boss is back. Between 1992's Human Touch and Lucky Town, both uneven albums, Springsteen's only studio record was the folk album "The Ghost of Tom Joad." All the others else were live albums or compilations. For twenty years, there was no Boss album. Then The Rising was released. It was Springsteen back in his old form. The best songs include the title track, lead off track "Lonesome Day", and fun "Mary's Place". While not as good as 2007's Magic and on par with 2012's Wrecking Ball, The Rising is a great late career album for Springsteen, bringing back that old Boss energy.

Band on the Run is a mixed bag. It's best songs are great and it's lesser songs, mediocre to outright bad. The title track and it's immediate followup, Jet, are amazing tracks - probably some of the best of McCartney's solo work or with Wings. Helen Wheels, Let Me Roll It, Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five are good but a little pedestrian. Bluebird sounds like a Beatles reject from the White Album, and Mrs. Vanderbilt, Picasso's Last Words, and Mamunia are just stupid. Overall, it's an album worth listening to on Spotify and I'm glad to have original vinyl. Would I suggest spending a lot of money on a CD or vinyl reissue? Nope. Of course, McCartney/Wings albums are always uneven. Listen to the Wings at the Speed of Sound if you doubt that. If you are a fan, seek out a cheap copy of the original vinyl or just listen to it on the streaming service of your choice.

Classic album from Jane's Addiction. Been Caught Stealing is the highlight but the entire album just drips with angst. The CD version I have has the white cover. Jane's Addiction label didn't allow them to release the cover they wanted.

It's a classic. Cash gets so much love and energy from the convicts of Folsom Prison that it propels him to o0ne of his best performances. It is the definitive Johnny Cash album, let alone live album.

Why even ask? Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most classic of classic albums. It's innovative use of tape loops and samples (typically only seen in experimental music at the time) set the pattern for music today. It also rocks hard. Half the album is still in heavy rotation on most classic rock stations and college and high school students still buy it. Dark Side of the Moon still holds the current record for most YEARS on the Billboard Top 100 Album list. It is literally the stoner soundtrack of the 70s and beyond.

The first rock opera, Tommy set the stage for mainstream rock (as opposed to more niche prog rock ) to get serious and expansive. The original is vastly superior to the movie soundtrack despite the latter's star cast.

Setting the stage for 80s techno and, eventually, EDM, The Man-Machine is a tour de force in electronic music. More pop and dance-oriented than many of their previous albums, they set the pattern for club music with drum machines, sequencers, and voice synthesizers.

Classic grunge. This is one of the albums - along with Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten - that moved grunge from the Pacific Northwest into the mainstream. Singles such as Spoonman, Fell On Black Days, and Black Hole Sun propelled the album up the charts and are still mainstreams of Alt Rock Stations and classic rock stations alike.

Weird? You bet. Excellent? Yep. Full of both wit and wisdom with old school punk attitude. Dripping with sarcasm and commentary, it deserved more attention in the U.S. at the time it was released than it got. Only "Sex and Drugs and Rock & Roll" got airplay in the U.S. on nascent punk radio channels such as WNED in NYC.

One of the more iconic Byrds albums, it includes some of there better known songs. It also leans heavily into covers including Hey Joe and the traditional folk song Wild Mountain Thyme. There renditions are good but with the Byrds, you want to see more original music. Still, you can hear the beginnings of 80s jangle rock and present day indie folk in this album from the mid-60s. That's something worth celebrating.

The first of three eponymous Peter Gabriel albums, this was his first after leaving Genesis. In many ways it's a transitional album, as Gabriel moved from the prog rock of his former band to what would become his 70s art rock style. Nothing exemplifies this more than the jaunty, prog song Solsbury Hill and the brooding Here Comes The Flood. Overall, though uneven, the album provides a great listening experience.

One of the most classic albums of the 1970s and Elton John at his finest. Jam packed with hit songs including the title track, Candle in the Wind, Benny and the Jets, and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting. Stylistically, Elton John covers a lot of ground but the album itself feels unified, as if there was a plan. Finally, this is the classic lineup at it's height. Caribou, which follows this album, seems like outtakes from it. Afterwards, Elton John began to steer into adult oriented music, leaving the hard rocking behind. If you only own one Elton John album, this is the one.

More pop and, hence, more accessible than any of Hole's earlier work, Celebrity Skin is mainly an indictment of the music industry that chews up bands and spits them out. The anger is there but not the angst. This is a band that finally decided to turn that anger outward instead of inward. If you want to hear the Hole that everyone talked about, the Hole that was truly grunge, then this isn't it. Otherwise, it's a great late grunge/punk album.

One of THE classic of the new wave era, The Pretenders eponymous debut is nothing but spectacular. Songs like Brass in Pocket and Precious played well at college parties while the rest of the album is just one great song after another. What makes this album so great is Crissie Hynde. Her deep alto perfectlt fits the band's big basket of punk attitude. Unlike other new wave/punk bands of the era, that attitude is tempered with an underlying sensuality that even Blondie (the original new wave sex kitten) couldn't muster. This is a true gem. Listen to it on vinyl to get the same visceral feel that late 70s' punk rockers did.

What can you say. It's iconic? Sure is. Utterly irreverent? That's obvious. It changed the music we know today? Wait really. Oh yeah. Without the New York Dolls, there is no punk and new wave. Without punk and new wave, we're still listening to arena rock and suffering through endless drum solos. This album changed everything.

Nope. The music of emotionally stunted frat boys who think they can rap. Nope nope nope.

What can I say. Either you like the Circle Jerks brand of aggressive and puerile punk rock or you don't. Even for some punks, there high school boy style lyrics are a bridge too far. Others enjoy the satire. Think of the songs on this album as self referential commentary on punk itself, not to mention American culture, and you will find it brilliant.

The best of Elvis Costello's albums, it is dripping with irony and social commentary. It's also just fun to listen to. By this point, Costello had figured out the formula and refined his songwriting and music. It's just a great listen. After this point, Costello starts to take himself too seriously. This is the high point of New Wave Costello before he becomes "I Don't Know What I'm Doing Anymore" Costello followed by "I'm a Serious Musician Who Like Torch Songs, Jazz, and Classical" Costello. If you can only own one Elvis Costello album, this is the one, if only for Accidents Will Happen, Oliver's Army, and (What's So Funny About) Peace Love and Understanding.

So smooth. Sinatra still sings in his original smooth style, prevalent during his big band era, rather than the later staccato (punchy) cadence he adopted as his voice waned. The choice of songs is marvelous too. Some are sad or full of longing; All give that sense of being alone late at night, walking the streets of NYC.

This is an amazing bit of the 70s. The song "Toys in the Attic" alone makes it worthwhile. Really, Aerosmith v1 at its height

This album includes their classic new wave song, Another Girl, Another Planet. Unfortunately, the songs alternate between frothy late 70s new waves and late 60s/early 70s underground psychedelia. Songs such as Breaking Down, are like Zombies outtakes. It produces this slow-fast-slow tempo to the album. Ultimately, it sounds like two good albums, smashed together into one odd (and not in a good way) album. As singles, it's great. As an album, it's like sonic whiplash.

One of the most classic synthpop albums of the 1980s, Sweet Dreams helped to create and establish the genre. Unlike some of their contemporaries, Annie Lenox's R&B vocals shine, refusing to get lost in the techno beat. A great listen even 40 years later and jam packed full of dance tunes, this album is part of the origin story of modern club and dance music. Without Sweat Dreams, as well as late era Donna Summers and New Order's Blue Monday, we wouldn't have modern EDM.

Kid A was a worthy followup to OK Computer. The latter album represented a serious departure from previous Radiohead. It's a sonic landscape.

Probably one of the most hit filled albums ever, Thriller is jam packed with top 40 and top 100 hits. Production is exquisite and the songs iconic. Even people who didn't like Michael Jackson's previous albums or style, liked this album. It made him the King of Pop. It is the album that drove wider acceptance of black artists on MTV and among white audiences. About the only complaint is that packaging is bland. The cover image looks backwards toward the late 70s and not to the future of music that this album helped create.

Not just a classic Led Zeppelin album Zeppelin IV is one of the most iconic classic albums of all time. It's jam packed with great songs, not the least of which is "Stairway to Heaven". Their blues chops are truly on display on "When the Levee Breaks" and they go flat out prog rock on "The Battle of Evermore". "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll" are hard rockers and "Going to California" is quiet and sweet. This is the full package. Some people might eschew this album because "Stairway" has been violently overplayed. It's still a great song from one of the best rock albums of all time. Don't let overindulgence keep you from a near perfect rock album experience.

THE classic album of Two Tone Ska. This is the album that kicked off the entire 80s Ska revival. In the U.S. reggae went mainstream first but led to interest in earlier Jamaican music. When this crossed the pond, all the Punks and New Wave types added Two Tone Ska to our repertoire. Do the Dog alone makes this album worthwhile, but the whole album is great.

If you were around in 1982 and old enough to know what music you were hearing (in other words, an old person), it was impossible to ignore Run To The Hills. This album, along with Judas Priest's 1980 album British Steel, took heavy metal into the mainstream, much to the delight of college and high school chuckleheads. The Number of the Beast is emblematic of the shift in heavy metal from amped up arena rock to what would become Hair Bands. Loud, rude, and full of imagery that your mother would hate. A true classic.

Whether you were a college or high school student in the 1970s, Tapestry was everywhere. Full of incredibly well crafted pop, it's songs were inescapable on the radio at that time. Even though it was seen as "chick" music, guys had this album too, if for no other reason than their girlfriends liked it. Probably the best singer-songwriter album of the era (James Taylor sucked in comparison), King avoids the narcissism and melodrama of sop many of her contemporaries. While she remained a brilliant songwriter, King never reached the heights, in both quality and popularity, of this album. How could she when it's damn near perfect.

Part of the new folk revival of the mid-80s (along with Suzanne Vega, Billy Bragg, and a bunch of lesser known bands like the Chesterfield Kings), Chapman was on of the few artists to attain real stardom. That's not surprising given the quality of the songs and tunes on this, her debut album. Best known for Fast Car and Talkin' About a Revolution, the album is full of songs that are tough, sweet, sad, and insightful, often at the same time. Pretty much every indie folk artist today owes their career to this album which made folk mainstream again.

A classic of Electronica, Orbital 2 contains some of their best work including HALCYON+ON+ON. Besides the obligatory beats and samples (the first song samples Worf from Star Trek TNG, current at the time), Orbital 2 includes the type of driving rhythms more associated with EDM. A pioneer in 90s electronic music, Orbital helped create the template for modern Electronica in large part with this album.

While all the Alt-Rock fanboys gushed over Gish, Siamese Dream was the album that made Smashing Pumpkins superstars. Cherub Rock alone is still played on alternative stations and even Classic Rock stations. Today still shows up on playlists more than 30 years later. Overall, it's a blast of noise on top of singable tunes and loud punk-metal. A true classic fo the era.

A true prog rock classic. Though not as well-known as Brain Salad Surgery, Tarkus is one of the best albums of the prog rock era. It has everything the prog rocker wants - sweeping and grand, album-half compositions (Tarkus), long-form storytelling, incredible synthesizer work, and serious musicianship. Even the smaller pieces such as Bitches Crystal, The Only Way (Hymn), Infinite Place (Conclusion), and A Time and a Place, suggest a story arc rather than just a bunch of songs. The album even holds together better than Brain Salad Surgery which starts with a bunch of smaller pieces that do not relate to each other or Karn Evil 9. The only songs that don't match the rest of the album are Jeremy Bender, story about a western outlaw driven by a barroom piano, and Are You Ready, Eddy? The latter especially seems out of place, given its prosaic theme of 50s rock and roll. It's not a bad song; It just doesn't belong on this album. Tarkus is a masterpiece of prog rock and one of the highlights of the ELP catalog. While Brain Salad Surgery is the natural starting point for the ELP newcomer, this should be the next waypoint on the ELP journey.

This is Coldplay before they started acting like ridiculous rock stars. The songs are tight and refreshing. The syncopation of Clocks is a standout and brought a wider audience to the band. Afterwards, Coldplay became self-absorbed, experimental (not in a good way) and phone-it-home dull.

Having established themselves within the genre of chucklehead power punk, American Idiot was a complete surprise from Green Day. It has intelligent social commentary, much of which is sadly still true, coupled with a more sophisticated power pop (not punk). Easily the best album from Green Day and a classic of the early 2000s.

The first album from the King of Rock and Roll. It's mostly covers of other rock and roll or rhythm and blues songs (Blue Suede Shoes, Tutti Frutti); Elvis' greatest singles are not to be found here. It's iconic, it's fun, it's historic. It captures Elvis in his youth. It just doesn't have any of the truly Elvis songs you are probably looking for.

Coming on the heels of Fleetwood Mac and Rumors, one would have hoped that Fleetwood Mac would put out another masterpiece. Perhaps that was too much to ask. Whether it was because of the fractures in the band that had created the incredible Rumors had abated and there was a loss of creative tension, or they simply didn't care, Tusk was not the follow up we would have hoped for. Angel and Sara are quintessential Stevie Nicks songs but come across as outtakes from Rumors. Her solo album Bella Donna, released two years later, showed more growth musically. The song Tusk is so silly, especially the marching band accompaniment, that it borders on inaccessible. Everything else is dull and uninspired. Tusk is also a 2 LP record. This is an example of where more is less. It's bloated with mostly second rate (by Fleetwood Mac standards) songs. I can still remember the collective yawn that accompanied this release. 1979 was the year punk and new wave broke out, disco was everywhere, and rap and hip hop emerging. Fleetwood Mac's response was to phone it in.

The debut album from the Talking Heads, is a true classic of the NYC OG new wave error. This is stripped down, artsy, new wave at its best. It's weird and quirky at times, but that's what Talking Heads in 1977 were all about. By the time the 80s rolled around, the Heads had adopted world music pretenses and, while producing classics of the MTV era, were a very different kind of band. This is the Talking Heads at their most raw and most pure.

The Undertones were one of those underappreciated British (Northern Irish actually) bands from the UK New Wave scene of the 1970s. They created excellent power pop. Their most famous song, Teenage Kicks, is on this album.

One of the true classics of late stage OG punk rock. London Calling by The Clash sits on the border of 70s punk rock and 80s new music. It's political but not without whimsey. It's hard core with tuneful pop songs. London Calling is full of Clash standards and is their best album. A two record set, it is best heard on the original vinyl (not a remastered reissue) so that you can hear its original intent. The last song on the album, Train in Vain, was not in the original song listing, instead being a sort of Easter Egg. Just when you thing the album is done, there is this awesome extra song to close out the album.

A radical departure from the original art house style new wave of the Talking Heads. Remain in Light generated one of their early mainstream hits and MTV staples Once in a Lifetime. The use of Roots, African, and Latin rhythms had been used sparingly (hinted at really) on Fear of Music in 1979, especially on Life During Wartime. That album, for the most part, just carried through their classic era styles. Remain in Light was a dramatic departure and not all Talking Heads fans were thrilled at the time. Remain in Light is, all in all, a transitional album. Their new direction wasn't fully realized until Speaking in Tongues in 1983, which propelled them into mainstream stardom.

In the U.S., ABC was basically a one-hit MTV wonder (ok two hits-The Look of Love and Poison Arrow were both hits) in 1982. They were a constant in the clubs at the time. That's not to say that that is all there is to this album. Overall, it's a fine example of early 80s techno influenced new romantics movement music. They were classy, fun, and great to dance to. If you own only one ABC album, this is the obvious choice. After this, they mostly faded away in the U.S.

Chris is the first predominantly English language album by Christine and the Queens. It is an advance over the debut but does not represent the fully realized vision of the band. The last two plus the first are connected as a triptych and this is not. It's a great album in of itself but an outlier in the Christine and the Queens canon.

This will probably generate some hate but here goes: Imagine is just not that great an album. It's full of drippy odes to Yoko Ono (Jealous Guy) and hippy dippy pseudo-philosophical claptrap like Imagine. Meanwhile his bandmate George Harrison had just recently released the brilliant "All Things Must Pass" and Paul Mc Cartney pushed out the weird and quirky Ram. This album is just dull in comparison. It's a Beatle trying to be James Taylor. Imagine is one of the high points of Lennon's post-Beatles career, which doesn't say much for his post-Beatles career.

The funk-alternative fusion of Blood Sugar Sex Magik was unprecedented at the time. A true alternative classic, all of the songs are great, with only the degree of greatness to be debated. The funky Suck My Kiss? The proto-rapcore of Give It Away? The melancholy but sweet ballad, Under the Bridge? The frightening abuse described in the sweeping strains of Breaking the Girl? Everything else? I can't decide. Despite the differences between songs, the album hangs together as a whole, a testament to the production of Rick Rubin. So many bands followed the Peppers after this album, but none equaled the album or band.

One of the best country/Americana albums of the 1980s, and perhaps ever, Trio combines the power of Linda Ronstadt, EmmyLou Harris, and Dolly Parton in their prime. Parton especially had had a string of crossover pop hits at this time, making this something of a back-to-basics album for her. Their combined talents always complement and never compete. The song selection is spectacular. It's easier to point out the very few lesser songs (To Know Him is to Love Him? Really?) than suggest the gems. It's so full of gems that it sparkles like a tiara. Parton's contributions are especially wonderful though, especially Wildflowers and Rosewood Casket which feature Dolly's exquisite dulcimer playing. There was a follow up (Trio II) that, while good, doesn't rise to the lofty heights of this album. This is a rare oppurtunity to see three amazing songwriters and performers at their best, made better by their collaboration.

Ill Communication was something of a comeback album for the Beasties. After a string of hit records which produced iconic singles, 1994's Ill Communication only generated one single of worth, Sabotage. It's a good album but not up to the standards of Paul's Boutique or Licensed to Ill. By 94, The Beasties seem to have run out of steam and were behind the curve musically. Their brand of hip hop, especially with its humorous b-boy overtones. was passe in the age of West Coast Gangsta rap. It would come back, albeit in a modified form, as rapcore at the end of the 90s but by then The Beastie Boys were more like the old men of OG white rap. This is the last gasp of the golden age of The Beasties.

In the early 2000s, alternative (basically anything but pop) was languishing. Grunge had run its course, rapcore was making us ill, and EDM was something for the clubs but not the radio. Then, along comes the Strokes. Raw like punk but with songs like OG pop, they were a breath of fresh air and kicked off the retro revival movement of the 2000s. Soon after bands like the White Stripes, Kaiser Chiefs, and Hives were reminding us of what rock music was supposed to be, Besides being influential, it's also just packed with great songs. Last Night, the best known song on the album, is the story many of us have lived. "Is This It" is raw, unadulterated, and vital.

I don't understand the obsession critics and reviewers (and perhaps self styled aficionados) have with Steely Dan. They have a modicum of hits, but much of what they produce is too precious and esoteric for much of the audience. I suspect they are acceptable to people who style themselves "serious" music lovers just because they have some jazz overtones. This album is a great example of why Steely Dan is overrated. My Old School was a minor hit (emphasis on minor), but most of it is just unmelodic. As art rock, it's fine, but art rock is even a smaller niche than prog rock. If you love Steely Dan, then you do you. You'll love this album. If you are everyone else, move on to something less pretentious.

One of the best debut albums ever in the history of rock music, Led Zepplin introduced the world to the harder blues rock of the band with the same name. The album is a sonic blast right from the start but is never a one trick pony. Hard as hell songs such as Communication Breakdown co-exist with psychedelic blues like Dazed and Confused. At least four songs are staples of classic rock to this day. An amazing debut but only the start.

The best of the post Joy Division albums, Low Life is mid-80s college radio in encapsulated form. It's pop and dance music (just before that was no longer possible) and full of great songs. This is the album that made New Order MTV stars.