Try The Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico, which was released a couple of months before Sgt Peppers. It’s often considered a true classic these days, but it didn’t sell a whole load on first release. It’s a rather darker take on 1967 than some of the other stuff from that era that has stood the test of time.
You meant to say Boy.
Boston’s first one and AC/DC back in black don’t have a bad song on all four sides.
I have sort of done this. I first started getting into music as a teenager in the 1980s, and there was a lot of stuff from the 1960s and 70s I had to discover on my own, since I didn’t have older siblings, and my parents’ musical tastes, though fairly eclectic, were pretty much pre-rock. Thanks to publications like The Rolling Stone Record Guide and The All-Music Guide (which was a book before it was a website), I was able to research some of the older stuff, and explore it with the help of the public library’s album collection and the local record stores (including their discount bins). I’ve been gradually filling in the holes in my exposure to music (for instance, it was only within the last year or two that I first heard a Rolling Stones album in its entirety), but it’s been a fun journey.
(Oh, and speaking of Journey, I consider myself fortunate that there are certain artists/bands I encountered before I learned that I wasn’t supposed to like them.)
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Update:
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London Calling by the Clash:
Listened to the whole album, as always, with eager ears.
Thumbs down. Zero interesting songs. Boring album. Forgive me if it is massively influential, but I don’t hear it. Just a bunch of jumbled sounds, nothing too special. I’d give it a 3/10 if pressed. Go back to the song-writing phase, boys.
This is an album that didn’t really “do it” for me, either.
However, in case it needs saying, it’s not always possible—for me at least—to judge an album fairly after only one or two listens. There are certainly albums that have struck me as kind of blah the first time through, but which I later came to really appreciate.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - “Are You Experienced”.
Cream - “Disreali Gears”
Traffic - “John Barleycorn Must Die”
Moody Blues - “In Search Of The Lost Chord”
The Who - “Tommy”
Derek & the Dominoes - “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”
The Allman Brothers Band - “At Fillmore East”
Big Brother & The Holding Company - “Cheap Thrills”
Jefferson Airplane - “Volunteers”
Crosby, Stills, & Nash - “Crosby, Stills, & Nash”
That’ll get you started. “Best Of” albums are a good way to get a taste of a recording artist.
Agree that “Best of” collections can often be a good source for a solid overview (depending on the quality of the specific collection). A good source of information is Allmusic.com – they have a very good database that includes biographies, discographies, and reviews of selected (most) albums. I’ve used the site many times to determine which collection to get if I was looking for an “essential” set.
They also have a “Related Artists” section that could lead you to a heretofore unknown band or artist just by clicking around the site.
Wow. I realize music is subjective but you are completely wrong on this one. Some of the best songwriting ever performed flawlessly. You should listen again and if you still don’t like it you may want to try something else. Like pottery.
Listen to the Joshua Tree again. A nearly flawless piece of art.
The Velvet Underground is a good example of a band I didn’t dig right away. Took a few listens before the genius of it hit me hard. I doubt you would like it but prove me wrong.
Try *Transformer *by Lou Reed, and don’t let the bad vocal/instrumental balance on the first couple tracks put you off. It’s a truly amazing album and people will think you’re smart when you drop lyrics from it.
The first favorites that come to mind for me, some of which none of you have probably heard, which is too bad:
“Murmur”, R.E.M.
Boston’s self-titled debut album
“All The World’s A Stage”, Rush
“Forever Changes”, Love (see footnote)
“Fun?”, The Candy Skins
“Copper Blue”, Sugar
“The Yes Album”, Yes
“Workbook”, Bob Mould
When I was 16, I thought Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” was the greatest piece of music ever made, and now I cannot stand to hear anything from it. :o
Footnote: Whenever lists of the top 10, 20, or whatever albums of the rock era come out, “Forever Changes” is almost always on it. And deservedly so.
Huh. It strikes me that the recommendations I was about to make won’t work so well for you. But I’d still second Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
The Beatles – Abbey Road
The Grateful Dead – Live Dead
Yes, again, I’ve heard it. I feel like I’ve said that.
Primus - Frizzle Fry. You’ve never heard anything like Primus.
Re London Calling not being good: They came to that sound after listening to lots of other music, and finding it lacking. You might not ever get to the place that they got to, but give it another chance one afternoon when you think you’ve already listened to everything.
My picks for your near future:
Neil Young: Both After the Gold Rush and Rust Never Sleeps
AC/DC: Back in Black
Cheap Trick: At Budokan
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin
Dick Dale and his Del-Tones: Almost any best-of will do.
Later, when all that stuff has lost its luster:
Devo: Q: Are we not Men? A: We are Devo!
Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation
Ramones: Ramones
And take out that Clash album again, give it another whirl.
What is it with Back in Black? To be clear: a great, totally respect-worthy album. But compared to Highway to Hell? With Bon Scott’s lyrics and delivery? Girls’ Got Rhythm? Shot Down in Flames? It doesn’t get any better.
It’s like comparing Woodstock with Monterey Pop - one is the mainstream, popular breakout - deservedly so - but the other is just that much…better.
I’ll update again in the next few days. I have some music loaded on my Ipod that you folks recommended and I’ll give an update when I can. 
Music is very personal. I’ll take Bon Scott over Brian Johnson too, but Back in Black was fabulous when it first came out.
Some albums I really like that haven’t been mentioned are:
The Doors - Eponymous first album.
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Carole King - Tapestry (for the most part mellow pop, but very talented song writing.)
The Who - Quadrophenia
Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
ELO - A New World Record
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Frank Zappa - Overnight Sensation
Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
The Cars - Eponymous first album.
Supertramp - Crime of the Century.
Van Halen - Van Halen (I’m tired of writing eponymous!)
To name a few.
Most ACDC up to and including Back in Black was awesome. But boy did they drop off in quality after that. Brian Johnson I think was a worthy replacement for Bon.
And a big yes to Cheap Trick live at Budokon.
Hah! This strikes me as funny, not as a criticism of your taste ( I don’t really like Rush, which to many members of this board is probably a hanging offense ), but just because I have recently been listening to this and the rest of The Clash’s output on more or less a continuous loop in my car the last week or so :D. Obviously I adore it - a few so-so cuts, but overall one of the best double albums ever made. For me ;).
Sorry it didn’t do anything for you, I hope your next experiment works out better. It’s a good idea trying to explore new things like this. Sadly I’m not up on much modern music since the 1990’s myself. White Stripes is probably about as modern as I get in regular rotation.