Albums – remember those? No, not necessarily vinyl – I prefer CDs. But I’m talking about a well thought-out and well put-together set of songs by a single artist or group. This is an evolving list of albums that I recommend you check out. These are the “best of the best” – it’s a bit of a cop out to just say “everything by Bob Dylan”, etc. They are ranked (somewhat roughly) within the year of release. If you have a recommendation, let me know!
1970
Miles Davis – A Tribute to Jack Johnson
The Move – Shazam
Spirit – Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
The Velvet Underground – Loaded
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
The Stooges – Fun House
The Beatles – Let It Be
The Who – Live at Leeds
Jethro Tull – Benefit
John Cale – Vintage Violence
Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs
John McLaughlin – Devotion
Can – Tago Mago
Grateful Dead – American Beauty
George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
Kris Kristofferson – Kristofferson
Emitt Rhodes – “
The Kinks – Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother
Van Der Graaf Generator – H to He, Who Am the Only One
Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead
Magma – Magma
Nick Drake – Bryter Layter
Popol Vuh – Affenstunde
Tangerine Dream – Electronic Meditation
Yes – Time and a Word
Led Zeppelin – III
Syd Barrett – Barrett
Tim Buckley – Starsailor
1971
Led Zeppelin – IV
Jethro Tull – Aqualung
John Cale – Church of Anthrax
Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
Eugene McDaniels – Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse
Flower Travellin’ Band – Satori
Van Der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts
David Bowie – Hunky Dory
Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire de Melody Nelson
Roy Harper – Stormcock
Genesis – Nursery Cryme
The Who – Who’s Next
Brainticket – Cottonwoodhill
Pink Fairies – Neverneverland
Kevin Ayers – Whatevershebringswesing
T. Rex – Electric Warrior
Leo Kottke – 6- and 12- String Guitar
Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Kraftwerk – 1
Faust – Faust
Leo Kottke – Mudlark
Ash Ra Tempel – Ash Ra Tempel
TONTO’s Expanding Head Band – Zero Time
1972
David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
Faust – So Far
Big Star – #1 Record
Jethro Tull – Thick as a Brick
Matching Mole – Matching Mole
Aphrodite’s Child – 666
Lou Reed – Transformer
Wendy Carlos – A Clockwork Orange
Yes – Fragile
Budgie – Squawk
Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds of Fire
Lou Reed – Lou Reed
Can – Ege Bamyasi
T. Rex – The Slider
Deep Purple – Machine Head
Miles Davis – On the Corner
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Roxy Music – Roxy Music
Neu! – Neu!
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Cluster II
Van Dyke Parks – Discover America
1973
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon
Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells
Lou Reed – Berlin
King Crimson – Larks’ Tongues in Aspic
Jethro Tull – A Passion Play
Robert Fripp and Brian Eno – No Pussyfooting
Hawkwind – Space Ritual
Gong – Flying Teapot
Todd Rundgren – A Wizard/A True Star
The Who – Quadrophenia
Magma – Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh
The Stooges – Raw Power
Genesis – Selling England by the Pound
Faust – Faust IV
Vangelis – Earth
John Martyn – Solid Air
The Cosmic Jokers – The Cosmic Jokers
Faust – The Faust Tapes
Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
Kevin Ayers – Bananamour
Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company – “
Gong – Angel’s Egg
Shaun Harris – Shaun Harris
1974
King Crimson – Red
Robert Wyatt – Rock Bottom
Peter Hammill – In Camera
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Yes – Relayer
Jorma Kaukonen – Quah
Harmonia – Musik Von Harmonia
Roxy Music – Country Life
Yahowha 13 – I’m Gonna Take You Home
Utopia – Todd Rundgren’s Utopia
Big Star – Radio City
Miles Davis – Dark Magus
Yahowha 13 – Penetration: An Aquarian Symphony
Be Bop Deluxe – Axe Victim
Popol Vuh – Einsjager & Siebenjager
Brian Eno – Here Come the Warm Jets
Gong – You
Jackson Browne – Late for the Sky
Magma – Kohntarkosz
Father Yod and the Spirit of ’76 – Contraction
Glen Campbell – Reunion: The Songs of Jimmy Webb
pretty good list! My heart was warmed to see that I had quite a few of these, and quite a few that I wish that I still had. A wonderful trip down memory lane anyway. Many Thanks!
An awesome collection since i have start to play records in the old Sony Turnable of my dad. He had the Walter/Wendy Carlos Electronic Bach. I like to buy the 2 Kraftwerks!!!!