When our twenty-something son mentioned he had compiled a list of several sources top albums of all time, we were intrigued. And thus started a project to listen to albums that I have not heard in a long time – or in many cases, ever! Honestly, I didn’t really buy many albums or CDs or cassette tapes (even though I lived through them all). I usually just listened to the radio and hoped to hear a favorite.
But you realize when you listen to the whole album that they often tell a fuller story or are related to one another. It has been an interesting experience. While we haven’t gotten far – only through the top 10 – I am determined to listen even to albums out of my normal genres. I was very surprised to find myself enjoying Kendrick Lamar!
Check back in a few months to see if I finished the project or abandoned it!
How many of you enjoyed as an album? Which are your favorites? Please tell me in comments if your favorite or one you feel I really need to listen to isn’t on the list.
| Rank | Year | Genre | Artist | Album |
| 1 | 1971 | Soul/R&B | Marvin Gaye | What’s Going On |
| 2 | 2015 | Hip-Hop/Alternative | Kendrick Lamar | To Pimp A Butterfly |
| 3 | 1997 | Psychedeclic Rock/Pop Rock | Radiohead | OK Computer |
| 4 | 1966 | Psychedeclic Rock/Pop Rock | The Beatles | Revolver |
| 5 | 1965 | Folk Rock/Blues Rock | Bob Dylan | Highway 61 Revisted |
| 6 | 1966 | Art Pop/Pop Rock | The Beach Boys | Pet Sounds |
| 7 | 1969 | Art Pop/Pop Rock | The Beatles | Abbey Road |
| 8 | 1991 | Grunge/Alternative Rock | Nirvana | Nevermind |
| 9 | 1977 | Pop Rock/Soft Rock | Fleetwood Mac | Rumours |
| 10 | 1971 | Folk/Singer-Songwriter | Joni Mitchell | Blue |
| 11 | 1973 | Progressive Rock | Pink Floyd | The Dark Side of the Moon |
| 12 | 1967 | Psychedeclic Rock/Pop Rock | The Beatles | Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band |
| 13 | 1976 | Soul/R&B/Funk | Stevie Wonder | Songs in the Key of Life |
| 14 | 1998 | R&B/Hip-Hop/Neo-Soul | Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill |
| 15 | 1966 | Folk Rock/Blues Rock | Bob Dylan | Blonde on Blonde |
| 16 | 1982 | Pop/ R&B/Funk | Michael Jackson | Thriller |
| 17 | 1984 | Pop/Rock/R&B | Prince | Purple Rain |
| 18 | 2012 | Hip-Hop/West Coast Rap | Kendrick Lamar | good kid, m.A.A.d city |
| 19 | 1972 | Rock/Blues Rock | The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St |
| 20 | 1971 | Hard Rock/Heavy Metal | Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV |
| 21 | 2016 | R&B/Art Pop/Neo-Soul | Frank Ocean | Blonde |
| 22 | 2010 | Hip-Hop/Art Rap | Kanye West | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy |
| 23 | 1972 | Glam Rock/Art Rock | David Bowie | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Starduct |
| 24 | 1975 | Rock/Heartland Rock | Bruce Springstreen | Born to Run |
| 25 | 1979 | Punk Rock/Post-Punk | The Clash | London Calling |
| 26 | 2016 | Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop | Beyonce | Lemonade |
| 27 | 2000 | Art Rock/Electronic/Ambien | Radiohead | Kid A |
| 28 | 1967 | Art Rock/Experimental | The Velvet Underground | The Velvet Underground & Nico |
| 29 | 1973 | Soul/ R&B/ Funk | Stevie Wonder | Innervisions |
| 30 | 1988 | Hip-Hop | Public Enemy | It Takes a Nation of Millions |
| 31 | 1991 | Shoegaze/Alternative Rock | My Bloody Valentine | Loveless |
| 32 | 1994 | Hip-Hop/East Coast Rap | Nas | Illmatic |
| 33 | 1968 | Folk/ Jazz/ R&B | Van Morrison | Astral Weeks |
| 34 | 1972 | Folk Rock/ Country Rock | Neil Young | Harvest |
| 35 | 1979 | Post-Punk/ Gothic Rock | Joy Division | Unknown Pleasures |
| 36 | 1959 | Jazz/ Modal Jazz | Miles Davis | Kind of Blue |
| 37 | 1975 | Folk Rock/ Singer-Songwriter | Bob Dylan | Blood on the Tracks |
| 38 | 1975 | Punk Rock/ Art Rock | Patti Smith | Horses |
| 39 | 1977 | Post-Punk/ Art Rock | Television | Marquee Moon |
| 40 | 1989 | Alternative Rock/ Art Punk | Pixies | Doolittle |
| 41 | 1991 | Hip-Hop/ Jazz Rap | A Tribe Called Quest | The Low End Theory |
| 42 | 1980 | New Wave/ Post-Punk/ Afrot | Talking Heads | Remain in Light |
| 43 | 1967 | Soul/ R&B/ Gospel | Aretha Franklin | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You |
| 44 | 1987 | Pop/ Rock/ R&B/ Funk | Prince | Sign O the Times |
| 45 | 1997 | Art Pop/ Electronic/ Ambient | Bjork | Homogenic |
| 46 | 1985 | Art Pop/ Synth-Pop | Kate Bush | Hounds of Love |
| 47 | 1994 | Hip-Hop/ East Coast Rap | Notorious B.I.G. | Ready to Die |
| 48 | 1988 | Alternative Rock/ Noise Rock | Sonic Youth | Daydream Nation |
| 49 | 1977 | Art Rock/ Ambient/ Electronic | David Bowie | Low |
| 50 | 2014 | Post-Rock/ Noise Rock/ Drone | Swans | To Be Kind |
| 51 | 2001 | Hip-Hop/ East Coast Rap | Jay-Z | The Blueprint |
| 52 | 1967 | Psychedelic Rock/Pop Rock | The Jimi Hendrix Exp | Are You Experienced |
| 53 | 2006 | Soul/ R&B/Pop | Amy Winehouse | Back to Black |
| 54 | 1971 | Singer-Songwriter/Pop/Soul | Carole King | Tapestry |
| 55 | 2004 | Hip-Hop/ Soul Rap | Kanye West | The College Dropout |
| 56 | 2007 | Art Rock/ Alternative | Radiohead | In Rainbows |
| 57 | 2007 | Dance-Punk/ Electronic | LCD Soundsystem | Sound of Silver |
| 58 | 2018 | Hip-Hop/ Psychedelic | Kids See Ghosts | KIDS SEE GHOSTS |
| 59 | 2000 | Post Rock/ Ambient | Godspeed You! Black Emperor | Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven |
| 60 | 1998 | Indie Folk/Lo-Fi/ Psych Folk | Neutral Milk Hotel | In the Aeroplane over the Sea |
| 61 | 2018 | Noise Rock/Industrial Rock | Daughters | You Won’t Get What You Want |
| 62 | 1975 | Progressive Rock/ Art Rock | Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here |
| 63 | 1969 | Rock/ Blues Rock | The Rolling Stones | Let It Bleed |
| 64 | 1998 | Hip-Hop/ Southern Rap | Outkast | Aquemini |
| 65 | 1992 | Hip-Hop/ G-Funk | Dr. Dre | The Chronic |
| 66 | 1970 | Folk Rock/ Country Rock | Neil Young | After the Gold Rush |
| 67 | 2004 | Indie Rock/ Art Rock | Arcade Fire | Funeral |
| 68 | 1994 | Trip-Hop/ Electronic | Portishead | Dummy |
| 69 | 1991 | Trip-Hop/ Electronic | Massive Attack | Blue Lines |
| 70 | 2000 | Neo-Soul/R&B/ Funk | D’Angelo | Voodoo |
| 71 | 2001 | Indie Rock/ Post-Punk Revival | The Strokes | Is This It |
| 72 | 1993 | Hip-Hop/ East Coast Rap | Wu-Tang Clan | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) |
| 73 | 1973 | Pop/Glam rock/ Piano Rock | Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road |
| 74 | 1999 | Art Pop/ Singer-Songwriter | Fiona Apple | When the Pawn |
| 75 | 2021 | Avant-Folk/Noise/Spiritual | Lingua Ignota | Sinner Get Ready |
| 76 | 2000 | Hip-Hop/ Southern Rap/Funk | Outkast | Stankonia |
| 77 | 1988 | Hip-Hop/Gangsta Rap | N.W.A. | Straight Outta Compton |
| 78 | 1963 | Soul/Funk/R&B | James Brown | Live at the Apollo |
| 79 | 1986 | Alternative Rock/ Jangle Pop | The Smiths | The Queen is Dead |
| 80 | 1992 | Ambient Techno/ Electronic | Aphex Twin | Selected Ambient Works 85-92 |
| 81 | 1998 | Trip-Hop/ Electronic | Massive Attack | Mezzanine |
| 82 | 1989 | Goth Rock/ Post-Punk | The Cure | Disintegration |
| 83 | 2024 | Hyperpop/Synth-Pop/Dance | Charli XCX | BRAT |
| 84 | 1982 | Heartland Rock/Folk Rock | Bruce Springstreen | Nebraska |
| 85 | 2005 | Indie Folk/ Art Folk/ Chamber | Sufjan Stevens | Illinois |
| 86 | 2012 | R&B/ Neo-Soul/ Art Pop | Frank Ocean | Channel Orange |
| 87 | 2017 | Hip-Hop/ West Coast Rap | Kendrick Lamar | DAMN |
| 88 | 2007 | UK Garage/ Dubstep/Electronic | Burial | Untrue |
| 89 | 2001 | Electronic/House/French | Daft Punk | Discovery |
| 90 | 1992 | Indie Rock/ Lo-Fi | Pavement | Slanted and Enchanted |
| 91 | 2021 | Art Pop/Orchestral Popl | Spellling | The Turning Wheel |
| 92 | 2017 | Art Pop/ Synth-Pop/ Indie Pop | Lorde | Melodrama |
| 93 | 2010 | R&B/ Funk/ Concept Art Pop | Jay-Z | Reasonable Doubt |
| 94 | 1996 | Hip-Hop/ East Coast Rap | Janelle Monae | The ArchAndroid |
| 95 | 2015 | Psychdelic Pop/ Indie Rock | Tame Impala | Currents |
| 96 | 1977 | Reggae/ Roots Reggae | Bob Marley & Wailers | Exodus |
| 97 | 1972 | Glam Rock/ Art Rock | Lou Reed | Transformer |
| 98 | 1983 | Alternative Rock/ Jangle Pop | R.E.M. | Murmur |
| 99 | 1997 | Indie Folk/Singer-Songwriter | Elliott Smith | Either/Or |
| 100 | 1985 | Avant-Folk/Noise/Spiritual | Tom Waits | Rain Dogs |
