Learn these and make yer mama proud*. 
(I’ve left out the Beatles, Stones, Santana, Hendrix, Dylan, Allman Brothers, Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Yes, Zappa and probably others because I’d consider them canon.)
Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue, Return To Forever’s Romantic Warrior, (Jazz) Crusaders’ Southern Comfort, Mahavishnu Orchestra’s Apocalypse, Al DiMeola’s Elegant Gypsy, Stanley Clarke’s School Days, Passport’s Lookin’ Thru (if you can find it)
Little Feat’s Waiting For Columbus, Thin Lizzy’s Alive And Dangerous, Frampton Comes Alive, Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll Animal, Leon (Russell) Live, Blue Öyster Cult’s On Your Feet Or On Your Knees, Traffic’s On The Road
Tommy Bolin’s Teaser, Robin Trower’s Bridge Of Sighs, Derek Trucks Band’s Songlines, Who’s Next (at least), Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow, Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Trilogy, ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres, Dixie Dregs’ Dregs Of The Earth, Eric Johnson’s ah via musicon, King Crimson’s In The Court Of The Crimson King
Widespread Panic’s Space Wrangler and Ain’t Life Grand, moe.'s no doy, String Cheese Incident’s ‘Round The Wheel, Screaming Cheetah Wheelies’ Magnolia
That should get you started. Next semester we’ll get you versed in Black Sabbath, Steely Dan, The Doors, Deep Purple, Kansas, James Gang…
If you have to have something from this century, you could try Transatlantic or Spock’s Beard. I’ve heard good things about the Flower Kings’ new CD, Sum Of No Evil and the Tangent have a new release scheduled for the near future.
*assuming yer mama is an old hippie like me. As for criteria, these are mostly albums I’m still listening to thirty-some years later (some more than others, of course.) I assume (rightly or not) that anyone near my age (50) that is serious about music will be at least passingly familiar with most of these and happy to learn about any they are not. That’s not to say they have to like any of them…
