# The SDMB Essential Album List **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432 "2017-05-25T18:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/21 "2017-05-26T00:13:26Z")
Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust Moby - Play Daft Punk - Homework Massive Attack - Mezzanine The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms Portishead - Dummy The Orb - The Orb, Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld New Order - Substance Underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman Kraftwerk - Autobahn ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/22 "2017-05-26T00:31:31Z")
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan: Beethoven – The Nine Symphonies Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues Singers, Volumes 1 & 2 Muddy Waters: The Chess Box Chuck Berry: The Chess Box Elvis Presley: The Sun Sessions James Brown: Star Time Phil Spector: Back to Mono, 1958-1969 Various Artists: Hitsville USA – The Motown Singles Collection, 1959-1971 Otis Redding: Live in Europe Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/23 "2017-05-26T02:04:30Z")
Are greatest hits and/or various artist albums acceptable? “O Brother Where Art Thou” Soundtrack “Repo Man” Soundtrack Best of Chess Blues Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Blood Sweat & Tears - Child Is Father To The Man Richard Thompson - Mock Tudor (tough call, so many good albums to choose from) Genesis - Seconds Out Peter Tosh - Equal Rights Old 97s - Too Far To Care Holst - The Planets ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/24 "2017-05-26T03:03:59Z")
Lots of my choices already listed, but I would add these: Joe Jackson - Night and Day Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily Kansas - Song For America Gerry Rafferty - City To City Drive By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, It’s the Sex Pistols ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/25 "2017-05-26T03:20:01Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > snipsnip > Thank You Thank You Thank You! Happy to help. Enjoy the album, it’s fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/26 "2017-05-26T03:42:54Z")
Beatles, _Revolver_ The Band, _The Band_ Rolling Stones, _Exile on Main Street_ Grateful Dead, _American Beauty_ Elvis Costello, _This Year’s Model_ Talking Heads, _Fear of Music_ Pretenders, _Pretenders_ Depeche Mode, _Violator_ Massive Attack, _Mezzanine_ Boards of Canada, _Music has the Right to Children_ ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/27 "2017-05-26T03:50:45Z")
Sorry, missed the part about no duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/28 "2017-05-26T04:14:41Z")
Finishing my set: > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust > Sting -Ten Summoner’s Tales > Grateful Dead - American Rose > Eric Clapton - Unplugged > Santana - Supernatural > Imagine Dragons - Night Visions Various artists - The complete Jerome Kern Songbooks (I’m partial to Ella Fitzgerald and All the Things You Are) Handel’s Messiah John Hiatt - The A&M Years '87-'94 Oingo Boingo - Best o’Boingo ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/29 "2017-05-26T04:25:05Z")
Green Day “Dookie” Dr. Dre “The Chronic” Steve Miller Band “Greatest Hits 1974-78” Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water” The Fratellis “Costello Music” Michael Jackson “Thriller” ABBA “Gold” Eminem “The Marshall Mathers LP” The Doors “The Doors” Dwight Yoakam “A Long Way Home” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/30 "2017-05-26T04:52:24Z")
1. Stevie Wonder: “Songs in the Key of Life” 2. Paul Simon: “Graceland” 3. The Beach Boys: “Endless Summer” 4. The Beatles: “Rubber Soul” 5. Queen: “Greatest Hits” 6. The Traveling Wilburys: “Vol. 1” 7. Billy Joel: “An Innocent Man” 8. Madness: “One Step Beyond” 9. The Kinks: “Arthur” 10. The Moody Blues: “Seventh Sojourn” (or one of their others; I can’t decide) (There are others I definitely would have listed instead if I were going for _personal_ landmarks/favorites/greatest, though I did stick with albums that I personally appreciate. And, of course, some I would have listed if they hadn’t already been listed by others. And I assumed from the OP’s mention of “history of popular music since Bill Haley and the Comets” that that’s what we were going for, and so I didn’t even consider, say, Beethoven.) ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/31 "2017-05-26T05:27:15Z")
Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter - The Incredible String Band Ladies of the Canyon - Joni Mitchell Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan Rubber Soul - The Beatles Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane The Lady and the Unicorn - John Renbourn Living With Ghosts - Patty Griffin Liege and Lief - Fairport Convention Stand Up - Jethro Tull I’m Your Man - Leonard Cohen ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/32 "2017-05-26T05:32:33Z")
In no particular order, and realising that I have many more I’d love to slip into this list: 1. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Her third release, and the second where she really had creative control.) 2. Great Big Sea - Up (Pure East Coaster delight) 3. Our Lady Peace - Gravity (Probably one of their more mainstream sounding albums, Naveed or Clumsy might be more of an acquired taste) 4. Matthew Good Band - Underdogs (Some of the singles were put onto an American release of Beautiful Midnight. If you can, get the original releases of both) 5. Jonny Lang - Lie to Me ( The first Blues album I ever bought) 6. Chris Isaak - Forever Blue (I Prefer it to Blue Spanish Sky) 7. U2 - Achtung Baby - (I like this album better overall than Joshua Tree [already taken]) 8. Beth Orton - SuperPinkyMandy - (More of her early Pop and EDM type stuff, much less folky than her more recent stuff, really hard to find an official copy now.) 9. The Black Crowes - Shake your Money Maker 10. The Cardigans - Long Gone Before Daylight - (I haven’t heard two of their albums that sound the same. This one is downbeat and almost county-esque and I think it’s a better album than Gran Turismo, and not nearly as saccharine as the song Love Fool which everyone thinks of) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/33 "2017-05-26T08:44:11Z")
A little taster of all that’s been great and good in UK-based post-punk, Goth and indie (and so much left out…) Isn’t Anything : My Bloody Valentine Psychocandy: Jesus and Mary Chain Unknown Pleasures: Joy Division Mask: Bauhaus Aion: Dead Can Dance The Smiths: The Smiths Tender Prey: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Kaleidoscope: Siouxsie and the Banshees Stone Roses: Stone Roses Demon Days: Gorillaz ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/34 "2017-05-26T10:36:34Z")
**The Jeff Beck Group** , Truth **Miles Davis** , Kind of Blue **Thelonious Monk** , Underground **Grant Green** , Matador **The Rolling Stones** , The Brussels Affair (live, formerly a bootleg - best version of Tumbling Dice ever!!) **Big Star** , Radio City **UFO** , Strangers in the Night **Aerosmith** , Rocks **Chris Isaak** , Heart-Shaped World **Aretha Franklin** , best of Aretha Franklin **AC/DC** , Powerage ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/35 "2017-05-26T13:30:19Z")
_ **We’re Only in It for the Money** _ by the Mothers of Invention _ **Ramones** _ by The Ramones _ **Not Available** _ by The Residents _ **The Piper at the Gates of Dawn** _ by Pink Floyd _ **The Velvet Underground** _ by The Velvet Underground (3[sup]rd[/sup] album) _ **Paranoid** _ by Black Sabbath _ **Court and Spark** _ by Joni Mitchell _ **20 Jazz Funk Greats** _ by Throbbing Gristle _ **Big Lizard in My Backyard** _ by The Dead Milkmen _ **In the Court of the Crimson King** _ by King Crimson ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/36 "2017-05-26T13:34:01Z")
I’m enjoying reading these lists. Some repeats but that’s OK. 1. “So,” Peter Gabriel 2. “White Light / White Heat,” The Velvet Underground 3. “Speakerboxx / The Love Below,” OutKast 4. “Back in Black,” AC/DC 5. “More Hits By The Supremes,” The Supremes 6. “Harvest,” Neil Young 7. “The Score,” The Fugees 8. “Eye in the Sky,” Alan Parsons Project 9. “Syncronicity,” The Police 10. “Miami Vice” Official soundtrack; Jan Hammer, Glenn Frey et al. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/37 "2017-05-26T14:35:07Z")
1. Dylan, Blonde on Blonde. 2. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs. 3. Van Morrison, Astral Weeks. 4. Elvis Costello, This Year’s Model. 5. Rolling Stones, Between The Buttons. 6. Laura Nyro, Eli and the 13th Confession. 7. The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead. 8. The Fall, The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall. 9. Ryan Adams, Cold Roses. 10. John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band. 10a. Velvet Underground and Nico. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/38 "2017-05-26T16:44:14Z")
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/39 "2017-05-26T16:58:51Z")
Great albums so far. I will add: 1. Sketches of Spain – Miles Davis / Gil Evans 2. Lady in Satin – Billie Holliday 3. Rubber Soul – the Beatles 4. Crown of Creation – Jefferson Airplane 5. School Daze – Stanley Clarke 6. Horses – Patti Smith 7. London Calling – the Clash 8. Reggatta de Blanc – the Police 9. Clouds About Mercury – David Torn 10. In My Tribe – 10,000 Maniacs ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432/40 "2017-05-26T17:12:01Z")
Can’t think of ten, since there are already so many that I would have mentioned already listed. Hotel California - The Eagles You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic - Ian Hunter Pearl - Janis Joplin [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-essential-album-list/787432.md?page=3)