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)
Albert Ayler Spiritual Unity (ESP-Disk, 1964)
John Coltrane A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965)
Don Cherry Complete Communion (Blue Note, 1966)
Cecil Taylor Unit Structures (Blue Note, 1966)
David Axelrod Song of Innocence (Capitol, 1968)
Miles Davis In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969)
Alice Coltrane Ptah, The El Daoud (Impulse!, 1970)
Pharoah Sanders Thembi (Impulse!, 1971)
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)
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)
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)
Grace Jones Nightclubbing (Island, 1981)
The Cure Pornography (Fiction, 1982)
Roxy Music Avalon (Virgin, 1982)
Bad Brains Rock For Light (Caroline, 1983)
Meat Puppets Meat Puppets II (SST, 1984)
Tears For Fears Songs From The Big Chair (Mercury, 1985)
Kate Bush Hounds of Love (EMI, 1985)
Depeche Mode Black Celebration (Mute, 1986)
Metallica Master Of Puppets (Elektra, 1986)
Sisters of Mercy Floodland (Merciful, 1987)
Talk Talk Spirit of Eden (Parlophone, 1988)
Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam, 1988)
Slayer South Of Heaven (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)
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)
Current 93 Thunder Perfect Mind (Durtro, 1992)
Björk Debut (One Little Independent, 1993)
Dead Can Dance Into The Labyrinth (4AD, 1993)
Aphex Twin Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (Warp, 1994)
Nas Illmatic (Columbia, 1994)
Portishead Dummy (Go! Beat, 1994)
The Prodigy Music For The Jilted Generation (XL, 1994)
Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (Loud, 1995)
Tricky Maxinquaye (4th & B’way, 1995)
Chemical Brothers Exit Planet Dust (Virgin, 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)
Radiohead Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
Mos Def Black On Both Sides (Rawkus, 1999)
Erykah Badu Mama’s Gun (Motown, 2000)
St. Germain Tourist (Blue Note, 2000)
Daft Punk Discovery (Virgin, 2001)
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)
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion (Domino, 2009)
Flying Lotus Cosmogramma (Brainfeeder, 2010)
Mount Kimbie Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush, 2010)
Tim Hecker Ravedeath, 1972 (kranky, 2011)
James Ferraro Far Side Virtual (Hippos In Tanks, 2011)
Macintosh Plus Floral Shoppe (Beer On The Rug, 2011)
Frank Ocean Channel Orange (Def Jam, 2012)
Beach House Bloom (Sub Pop, 2012)
Oneohtrix Point Never R Plus Seven (Warp, 2013)
식료품groceries 슈퍼마켓Yes! We’re Open (self-released, 2014)
Tycho Awake (Ghostly, 2014)
2814 Birth of a New Day (Dream Catalogue, 2015)
Luxury Elite World Class (self-released, 2015)
猫 シ Corp. – News at 11 (self-released, 2016)
Four Tet New Energy (Text, 2017)
Infinity Frequencies Between Two Worlds (self-released, 2018)
Armand Hammer Paraffin (backwoodz, 2018)
HTRK Venus In Leo (Ghostly, 2019)
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The 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.