100 Albums That Rocked My World (1960–2020)
A highly subjective, genre-agnostic list of inspiring, trail-blazing records
House rules
Only one album per artist/band. Many on this list have made several outstanding albums, but for the sake of diversity, I settled for my favorite out of their catalogue – or the one I listened to the most.
This list is not ranked, but chronologically ordered. It makes no sense for me to rank music from different genres at this level.
Every single one of the albums below still excites me today. Many other albums were important to me once, but I wouldn’t bother sitting through them now. These albums don’t show up in this list.
No compilations, soundtracks, DJ mixes or posthumously released albums. They’re not comparable to me, as they usually won’t have the same intention behind them as a regular artist album.
The oldest record in this list is from 1960. The stereo LP as we know it was introduced in the late 1950s. There are great older recordings, but they don’t qualify as “albums” in my book.
The newest is from 2020. Yes, albums still rock my world, every once in a while, but you need to let a few years pass to know if a record really stands the test of time.
This is my subjective take and not designed as a general greatest albums list, so don’t get mad. Have fun with it – I certainly did.
Ornette Coleman Free Jazz (Atlantic, 1961)
Jackie McLean Let Freedom Ring (Blue Note, 1962)
Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch! (Blue Note, 1964)
John Coltrane A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965)
Herbie Hancock Maiden Voyage (Blue Note, 1965)
Sun Ra The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1 (ESP-Disk, 1965)
Don Cherry Complete Communion (Blue Note, 1966)
The Doors The Doors (Elektra, 1967)
The Velvet Underground & Nico The Velvet Underground & Nico (Verve, 1967)
David Axelrod Song of Innocence (Capitol, 1968)
Pharoah Sanders Karma (Impulse!, 1969)
Miles Davis In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969)
Alice Coltrane Ptah, The El Daoud (Impulse!, 1970)
Popul Vuh In den Gärten Pharaos (Cherry Red, 1971)
Neu! Neu! (Brain, 1972)
Arthur Verocai Arthur Verocai (Continental, 1972)
Chick Corea Return to Forever (ECM, 1972)
Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol, 1973)
Can Future Days (United Artists, 1973)
Cluster Zuckerzeit (Brain, 1974)
Harmonia Musik von Harmonia (Brain, 1974)
Fela Kuti & Africa 70 Expensive Shit (Editions Makossa, 1975)
Brian Eno Another Green World (Island, 1975)
Weather Report Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1976)
The Upsetters Super Ape (Island, 1976)
Augustus Pablo & King Tubby King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (Clocktower, 1976)
David Bowie Low (RCA, 1977)
Harold Budd The Pavilion of Dreams (Obscure, 1978)
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures (Factory, 1979)
Throbbing Gristle 20 Jazz Funk Greats (Industrial, 1979)
Talking Heads Remain in Light (Sire, 1980)
Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth (Rough Trade, 1980)
Cabaret Voltaire Red Mecca (Mute, 1981)
Grace Jones Nightclubbing (Island, 1981)
The Cure Pornography (Fiction, 1982)
Roxy Music Avalon (Virgin, 1982)
Meat Puppets Meat Puppets II (SST, 1984)
Kate Bush Hounds of Love (EMI, 1985)
Depeche Mode Black Celebration (Mute, 1986)
Sisters of Mercy Floodland (Merciful, 1987)
Talk Talk Spirit of Eden (Parlophone, 1988)
Dead Can Dance The Serpent’s Egg (4AD, 1988)
Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988)
Ministry The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste (Sire, 1989)
Fugazi Repeater (Dischord, 1990)
Jane’s Addiction Ritual De Lo Habitual (Warner, 1990)
Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas (4AD, 1990)
Nirvana Nevermind (Geffen, 1991)
Slint Spiderland (Touch & Go, 1991)
A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory (Jive, 1991)
Massive Attack Blue Lines (Virgin, 1991)
Sonic Youth Dirty (Geffen, 1992)
Beastie Boys Check Your Head (Capitol, 1992)
Björk Debut (One Little Independent, 1993)
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (Warp, 1994)
Nas Illmatic (Columbia, 1994)
Portishead Dummy (Go! Beat, 1994)
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (Loud, 1995)
Tricky Maxinquaye (4th & B’way, 1995)
A Guy Called Gerald Black Secret Technology (Juice Box, 1995)
Goldie Timeless (FFRR, 1995)
DJ Shadow Endtroducing… (Mo Wax, 1996)
Photek Modus Operandi (Virgin, 1997)
Company Flow Funcrusher Plus (Rawkus, 1997)
Stereolab Dots and Loops (Elektra, 1997)
Outkast Aquemini (Arista, 1998)
Tortoise TNT (Thrill Jockey, 1998)
Mos Def Black On Both Sides (Rawkus, 1999)
Radiohead Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
Erykah Badu Mama’s Gun (Motown, 2000)
St. Germain Tourist (Blue Note, 2000)
Rhythm & Sound Rhythm & Sound (Rhythm & Sound, 2001)
Cannibal Ox The Cold Vein (Definitive Jux, 2001)
Autechre Confield (Warp, 2001)
William Basinski The Disintegration Loops (2062, 2002)
Metro Area Metro Area (Source, 2002)
Dizzee Rascal Boy in da Corner (XL, 2003)
Madvillain Madvillainy (Stones Throw, 2004)
Boards of Canada The Campfire Headphase (Warp, 2005)
J Dilla Donuts (Stones Throw, 2006)
Burial Untrue (Hyperdub, 2007)
Grouper Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (Type, 2008)
Roc Marciano Marcberg (Fat Beats, 2010)
Flying Lotus Cosmogramma (Brainfeeder, 2010)
Mount Kimbie Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush, 2010)
Oneohtrix Point Never Replica (Warp, 2011)
James Ferraro Far Side Virtual (Hippos In Tanks, 2011)
Frank Ocean Channel Orange (Def Jam, 2012)
Beach House Bloom (Sub Pop, 2012)
King Krule 6 Feet Beneath The Moon (XL, 2013)
Warpaint Warpaint (Rough Trade, 2014)
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly (Interscope, 2015)
2814 Birth of a New Day (Dream Catalogue, 2015)
Huerco S. For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) (Proibito, 2016)
Solange A Seat At The Table (Columbia, 2016)
Four Tet New Energy (Text, 2017)
Tirzah Devotion (Domino, 2018)
Rezzett Rezzett LP (The Trilogy Tapes, 2018)
billy woods & Kenny Segal Hiding Place (backwoodz, 2019)
Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & London Contemporary Orchestra Promises (Luaka Bop, 2020)
Fantastic list, loads of stuff I’ve never listened to but will check out now.
So glad to see the s/t by Warpaint on there, it’s a classic in my books.
Very excited to listen to all of them! For my list, I'd have a really hard time deciding whether my favorite Brian Eno album is Another Green World, Taking Tiger Mountain, or Here Come The Warm Jets.