Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
World Party - Bang
The Pretenders - The Pretenders
What business do you have with that album anyway? 
Bloody autocorrect.
Same here. “Damn The Torpedoes” and “Full Moon Fever” are outstanding, but “Wildflowers” was Tom Petty’s masterpiece.
I guess I don’t quite get what we are going for… it doesn’t seem to be an album that is miles above everything else the band ever put out, since the OP put in Madonna and Eric Clapton and even two Springsteen albums.
So if it’s just albums that define a group’s output or somehow stand above the crowd as albums I’ll nominate two from the same year (1993)
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
Nirvana - In Utero
Lots of good ones here, many of which I own. I’d also add:
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
David Bowie - Space Oddity
We already had a nomination for “Ziggy Stardust”, but in my mind “Hunky Dory” is Bowie’s outstanding album.
Aside on Space Oddity - the title track is the one that gets the most airplay, but it’s far from my favorite on the album.
Otherwise, well, I think we can all agree that Bowie had plenty of watts of brilliance to spare on multiple outstanding albums!
You’re so right, even “Station To Station”, an album the artist attested 30 years later to have no memories of recording it, is a gem.
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Ramones - Ramones
Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
Taking Tiger Mountain for me.
Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black was outstanding, but she didn’t manage to make any more after that.
The Monkees: Headquarters
Wishbone Ash: Argus
SANTANA ABRAXAS
Nitpick: it’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
And I agree, as a massive Bowie fan, that this one is a notch above the rest (including Hunky Dory)
R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant
It’s one of the best debut albums ever, but it doesn’t beat “Rocket To Russia”.
I came in to mention Carol King- Tapestry, but I see it already has two mentions.
If you are a guitar player or just like a good guitar album you should consider Robin Trower- Bridge of Sighs. Hendrix level right there. Not a bad song. An often overlooked album is Super Session. Al Cooper (not Alice), Steve Stills, and some Mike BloomField. half is very good.
Kooper.
Brings to mind a friend of mine talking about the recent movie “A Complete Unknown”. He was really surprised to learn Alice Cooper was in Bob’s backing band.
ZZ Top, Eliminator
Def Leppard, Pyromania
Iron Maiden, Piece of Mind (sorry @Loach )
Sepultura - Roots
It really was the culmination of all their growth.