The best albums ever : The top 100 albums of all time

100. Ramones, Ramones (1976)

Take teen angst and heartbreak, add glue sniffing, then repeat-repeat-repeat until the neighbors complain. Now, that's rock & roll!

99. Erykah Badu, Mama's Gun (2000)

A freethinking, all-weirdos-welcome basement confessional, buoyed by backroom-juke jazz ("Green Eyes"), guitar heroics ("Penitentiary Philosophy"), and Badu's slinky warble.

98. Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf (2002)

Calling it "stoner rock" is reductive, but it's also apropos: Songs for the Deaf offers all the brain-buzzing joys of a peyote-fueled walkabout — without the sunburn or scorpion stings.

97. Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis (1969)

So much more than "Son of a Preacher Man." Dusty is a husky-honeyed Tennessee postcard as sun-dappled and bittersweet as anything. When she cooed lines like "Just a little lovin'/Early in the mornin'/Beats a cup of coffee/For starting off the day," you knew you'd never need Folgers again.

96. Dixie Chicks, Home (2002)

Their fiddle-sawing, flag-waving neo-bluegrass masterpiece holds up so goddarn well, we'll bet George W. Bush is secretly harmonizing along with it right now.

95. Various artists, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977)

The definitive disco album, heavy on latter-day Bee Gees hip-shakers: "Stayin' Alive." "Night Fever." "Juve Talkin'." Polyester melts, but this Fever still burns.

94. Beyoncé, B'Day (2006)

Sasha was two years away from achieving her full official Fierce-ness, but here, she has something even funkier: a killer mix of dance-floor scorchers ("Déjà Vu," "Ring the Alarm") and to-the-left-kiss-offs ("Irreplaceable").

93. N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton (1988)

"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge..." And with those words, gangsta rap was born. A profrane, rat-a-tat distress call from South Central.

92. Elliott Smith, Either/Or (1997)

In a voice barely louder than a whisper, the preternaturally gifted, emotionally fragile folkie (in 2003, he died at 34 in a possible suicide, though the circumstances of his death remain murky) unfurled one of the most quietly devastating bedroom records ever made.

91. Sly and the Family Stone, There's a Riot Going On (1971)

This zonked-out funk bummer is full of bad vibes and molasses tempos—the sound of a tattered genius trying hard to keep it together.

90. The White Stripes, White Blood Cells (2001)

A 16-song rampage of bleeding-raw guitar riffs and carnal rhythms honored the roots of blues rock while dragging it into the 21st century by the seat of its red-and-white pants.

89. Sleater-Kinner, Dig Me Out (1997)

How do you start a grrrl-punk riot? With just words, drums, and guitars, the Olympia, Wash., trio delivered an underground classic that sounds as ferocious as the day it was made.

88. New Order, Power Corruption and Lies (1983)

Shimmering hooks + lingering Joy Division moodiness= a definitive dance-punk classic.

87. Dolly Parton, A Coat of Many Colors (1971)

Never mind the wigs and sequins; Parton could dazzle with nothing but hard-won tales of joy and heartbreak, sung in a voice as high and clear as Appalachian mountain air.

86. PJ Harvey, Stories From The City, Stories From the Sea (2000)

Lush orchestration. Backup vocals by Thom Yorke. Alove song for Vincent Gallo. Of all this album's great surprises, the best one is this: Harvey never sounded so happy.

85. Tom Waits, Rain Dogs (1985)

Not just a collection of lovingly battered cabaret jams, Dogs gave birth to Waits' oft-copied archetype: the shape-shifting troubadour always on the hunt for a cigarette and a bad idea.

84. Patti Smith, Horses (1975)

Insisting that Jesus died for somebody's sins but not hers, Smith treats rock & roll like the only true religion — with all the agony and ecstasy that implies.

83. James Brown, In the Jungle Groove (1986)

This speaker-rattling compilation features some of the Godfather of Soul's absolute funkiest work, including the endlessly sampled ''Funky Drummer.'' Download it: Amazon Download it iTunes

This speaker-rattling comp has some of the Godfather of Soul's best work, including the endlessly sampled ''Funky Drummer."

82. Pavement, Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Slacker savants armed with a dog-eared thesaurus and non sequiturs about ''fruit-covered nails'' turn a so-sloppy-it's-tight sound into indie-rock art.

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81. Pixies, Doolittle (1989)

Black Francis shreds his larynx on lines about brimstone and heaven-bound monkeys while loud/quiet guitar squalls inspire a thousand alt-rock wannabes to start their own bands.

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80. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

Elton at the peak of his powers—"Candle in the Wind," "Bennie and the Jets," and the title track are all stacked in the first 20 minutes—on this sprawling opus of an album.

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79. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

''Stairway to Heaven.'' ''Black Dog.'' ''When the Levee Breaks.'' It's been a long time — been a long time! — since anyone rock & rolled quite like this.

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78. Björk, Post (1995)

The heart of both a musical anarchist and a pop virtuoso beat beneath her elfin Icelandic skin; Post may be the weirdest, wildest Billboard 200 outlier ever to go platinum.

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77. My Bloody Valentine, Loveless (1991)

A front-runner for Loudest Album Ever, the Irish alterna-gods' second LP redefined the sonic boundaries of indie rock by setting bitter love poems afloat in

A front-runner for Loudest Album Ever, the Irish alterna-gods' redefined the sonic boundaries of indie rock by setting bitter love poems afloat in a swirling ectoplasm of guitar distortion.

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76. Talking Heads, Remain in Light (1980)

Hypnotic and haunting, David Byrne & Co.'s polyrhythmic art-rock odyssey is like the soundtrack to the weirdest (and funkiest) sci-fi film never made.

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75. Elvis Costello, My Aim is True (1977)

He wasn't the first singer who couldn't get no satisfaction, but few wore their bitterness like a badge the way Costello did on his debut.

He wasn't the first singer who couldn't get no satisfaction, but few wore their bitterness like a badge the way the quintessential new-wave misfit did on his prickly, indelible debut.

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74. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (2006)

The album that captured Winehouse in her too-short prime, coiling that once-in-a-generation voice — Billie Holiday with a beehive and a self-aware smirk — around

Winehouse in her too-short prime, coiling that once-in-a-generation voice — Billie Holiday with a beehive and a self-aware smirk — around timeless blues-pop melodies.

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73. Various artists, The Harder They Come soundtrack (1972)

The ultimate early-reggae primer, and a near-perfect sonic postcard from 1970s Jamaica.

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72. Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique (1989)

The Beasties didn't invent sampling, but they did elevate it into an art form that still has crate diggers in awe of the trio's Brooklyn-bred

The Beasties didn't invent sampling, but they did elevate it into an art form that still has crate diggers in awe of the trio's to-the-boroughs-born chutzpah.

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71. The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

Though considered a British Invasion band, the Kinks never yearned for musical imperialism like some of their louder peers. Instead, their deft pop quietly looked

Though considered a British Invasion band, the Kinks never yearned for musical imperialism like some of their louder, showier peers. Instead, their prettily crafted pop quietly looked inward, simultaneously lampooning and honoring the English culture that made them, like the best kind of satirists.

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70. Iggy and the Stooges, Raw Power (1973)

''I'm a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm,'' Iggy Pop snarls at the beginning of this ferocious blast of proto-punk energy. Nihilism doesn't

''I'm a street-walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm,'' the inimitable rock animal Iggy Pop snarls at the beginning of this ferocious blast of proto-punk energy (a brief sampling of parent-terrifying song titles: "Search and Destroy," "Penetration," "Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell"). Nihilism doesn't get any better.

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69. Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation (1988)

The brainy post-punks took their scene's cornerstones — art rock, college radio, avant-garde, no-wave, hardcore, and other hip compound nouns — and distilled them into

The brainy post-punks took their downtown scene's cornerstones — art rock, college radio, avant-garde, No Wave, hardcore, and other hip compound nouns — and distilled them into one powerful, blissfully noisy whole.

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68. Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)

Chuck D's righteous indignation does the driving, but this boom-bap juggernaut is ignited by the aptly named Bomb Squad's sample-heavy, gloriously discordant rocket fuel.

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67. Neil Young, After the Gold Rush (1970)

Young's third solo album emphasizes delicate acoustic warbling with a dark hue; ''Birds'' just might be his loveliest song.

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66. Hole, Live Through This (1994)

Nice girls don't write blistering grunge anthems about rape, bulimia, and the dirty kind of ''milk'' that doesn't come from a bottle. Luckily for us, Courtney Love's not a nice girl.

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65. Love, Forever Changes (1967)

The L.A. iconoclasts' swirling, string-laden psychedelic masterpiece hardly made a dent when it was released; time has corrected that oversight, though still not as much

The L.A. iconoclasts' swirling, string-laden psychedelic beauty hardly made a dent when it was released; time has corrected that oversight, though still not as much as it should.

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64. Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral (1994)

He may have an Oscar and a Golden Globe for The Social Network, but Trent Reznor's greatest score remains this pounding soundtrack to the drug-fueled psychosexual persecution drama that played out in his head.

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63. Television, Marquee Moon (1977)

CBGB's dueling guitar gods Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine plug in and crank out an angular six-string symphony. Wonky, weird, and wonderful. Download it: Amazon

Yet another album whose sales are inversely proportional to the outsize influence it had on generations of disillusioned youth. CBGB's dueling guitar gods Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine plug in and crank out an a fantastically wonky punk classic.

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62. The Replacements, Let It Be (1984)

Mixing scrap-metal guitars with tenderhearted melodies, this bar-punk classic makes it okay to shotgun your beer and cry in it, too. "Look me in the eye/Then tell me that I'm satisfied," Paul Westerberg howled hoarsely on "Unsatisfied." We wouldn't dare.

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61. De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

Who knew that what hip-hop really needed during the ascendance of gangsta rap was an album that sampled Hall & Oates and the Commodores and riffed on game shows and dandruff? These Native Tongues champs did.

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60. Beck, Odelay (1996)

The kitchen-sink gem that transformed a kooky ''Loser'' folkie into the mad scientist of all-inclusive alt musicality.

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59. Metallica, Master of Puppets (1986)

Impossibly fast, menacingly intense, and truly fantastic for freaking out your neighbors.

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58. Dr. Dre, The Chronic (1992)

When Dre first stepped out from his N.W.A crew, he turned gangsta rap into a mainstream phenomenon and made G-funk a cultural byword. The intro

The album that brough gangsta rap to the mainstream and made G-funk a cultural byword. The intro to ''Lyrical Gangbang'' says it all: ''This should be played at high volume, preferably in a residential area.''

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57. Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor (2001)

Songs contained multitudes — of Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Prince, Billie Holiday, and countless other icons of cool — all wrapped in the form of

Songs wove the DNA of Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Prince, Billie Holiday, and countless other icons of cool into the form of one classically trained 20-year-old prodigy.

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56. Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)

On their disarmingly emotional, unapologetically grand debut, these Canadian upstarts swam against the tide of indie irony. The result was a clattering symphony of piano, strings, and Big Ideas.

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55. Nas, Illmatic (1994)

Chuck D called rap ''the CNN of the streets,'' but a hungry kid from Queens took it upon himself to elevate the game with thematically

Chuck D once called rap ''the CNN of the streets,'' but a hungry kid from Queens took it upon himself to elevate the game with thematically complex storytelling and production, proving that hip-hop could also be the HBO of the hood.

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54. R.E.M., Life's Rich Pageant (1986)

From the first sonic blastoff of Peter Buck's opening riff on ''Begin the Begin,'' it's clear this was the moment when the darlings of college radio decided: To hell with student unions, we want to fill arenas!

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53. The Flaming Lips, Soft Bulletin (1999)

Who knew that the crew of Oklahoma weirdos best known for the novelty hit ''She Don't Use Jelly'' could produce an alt-rock opus with so

Who could have guessed that the crew of Oklahoma weirdos best known for the novelty hit ''She Don't Use Jelly'' would produce an alt-rock opus with so much beauty and heart?

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52. A Tribe Called Quest, Low End Theory (1991)

Stuffy-nose-Casanova Q-Tip and five-foot assassin Phife Dawg dug deep into their vinyl collections for a bouncy bebop response to gangsta rap. Download it: Amazon Download

Stuffy-nose-lothario Q-Tip and "five-foot assassin" Phife Dawg dug deep into their vinyl collections for a bouncy bebop response to gangsta rap.

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51. Chuck Berry, The Great Twenty-Eight (1982)

The man practically invented rock & roll; it took this late-arriving compilation to put the evidence of his impact in one raw, electrifying place.

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50. The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead (1986)

With serrated guitar hooks and wry lyrical wit, Morrissey and Marr sent a Bat-Signal to the Reagan-Thatcher era's youth, letting them (and generations hence) know

With serrated guitar hooks and wry lyrical wit, Morrissey and Marr sent a bat signal to the Reagan/Thatcher-era youth on stunners like "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side," letting them (and generations hence) know that their angst and alienation had a voice — an aching, unforgettable voice.

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49. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (2007)

James Murphy's poignant elegy to losing your indie-rock cred, this dance-punk heartbreaker dares to ask a generation of aging hipsters: Are we growing old before we grow up?

48. OutKast, Stankonia (2000)

A gloriously sweaty, barbecue-stankin' guide to war (''B.O.B''), peace (''So Fresh, So Clean''), and keeping your baby mama's mama from smacking you upside the head (''Ms. Jackson'').

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47. The Cure, Disintegration (1989)

Robert Smith's moody masterpiece is a gorgeous sonic bath of lush soundscapes and lovesick nostalgia.

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46. The Beatles, Rubber Soul (1965)

From the sitar drone of ''Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'' to the sweet French nothings of ''Michelle,'' Soul is a trip, literally...and a near-flawless

From the undulating sitar shimmer of ''Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'' to the sweet French nothings of ''Michelle,'' Soul is a trip, literally...and a near-flawless pop offering to boot.

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45. Radiohead, OK Computer (1997)

From the jagged guitar menace of "Paranoid Android" to the grand orchestral sweep of "Karma Police," this is the sound of the biggest rock band of its time becoming the most important one.

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44. Michael Jackson, Off the Wall (1979)

Transcendent singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" provided the perfect union of pure pop genius and disco glitter— and indisputable proof that MJ was plenty thrilling before Thriller.

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43. Madonna, Madonna (1983)

Of all her iterations — fame martyr, yoga mascot, electro queen — the Material Girl's best is still her first: the tough-talking Michigan native who

Of all her iterations — fame martyr, yoga mascot, ABBA-sampling electro queen — the Material Girl's best is still her first: the tough-talking Michigan native—turned downtown NYC minx, jerry-rigging shimmering R&B beats and Casio-pop hooks into ageless party jams like ''Holiday'' and ''Lucky Star.''

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42. AC/DC, Back in Black (1980)

''You Shook Me All Night Long.'' ''Hells Bells.'' ''Shoot to Thrill.'' This is the goes-to-11 playlist of men behaving badly the world over...schoolboy uniforms and

''You Shook Me All Night Long.'' ''Hells Bells.'' ''Shoot to Thrill.'' This is the goes-to-11 playlist of men behaving badly the world over...Angus Young short-pantsed schoolboy uniforms and heartfelt tributes to American thighs optional.

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41. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Possibly the best battle-rap gauntlent ever thrown down — on classics including "Stan" and "The Way I Am," Em's bipolar flow dots between clownish bons mot, cinematic psycho-dramas, and hair-trigger rage too immediate to be a put-on.

40. John Lennon, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)

Recorded in the aftermath of the Beatles' breakup, this raw nerve of an album finds Lennon tackling small stuff like class, religion, and being abandoned by his parents.

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39. The Who, Who's Next (1971)

Drums? Bigger! Vocals? Bolder! On top of hard-edged guitar riffs and bottom-heavy bass, the Who's crowning achievement — bookended with career bests ''Baba O'Riley'' and

The Who's crowning achievement — bookended with career bests ''Baba O'Riley'' and ''Won't Get Fooled Again'' — set the stage for the band to becomone of the most explosive (and certainly the loudest) arena act of the decade.

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38. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

Brewed in New York's seedy alleys and Andy Warhol's wild Pop-art Factory scene, VU's lyrically unforgiving, sonically mesmerizing debut all but invented the concept of alternative music.

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37. Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

The greatest (and most black-light-friendly) headphones album of all time, hands down.

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36. Jay-Z, The Blueprint (2001)

It took a then-unknown Kanye West's lush production style (and ingenious samples ranging from the Doors and David Bowie to the late Bobby "Blue" Bland) to elevate Jigga from a rap player to a true kingpin.

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35. The Rolling Stones, Some Girls (1978)

New guitarist Ron Wood helped inject Some Girls with a welcome friskiness, and the likes of "Miss You" showcase the band at its post-Exile best.

34. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)

Three years after the canine-eyed curiosity made his name with "Space Odyssey," he turned himself into one. As Ziggy Stardust, Bowie embodied the kind of alien rock god he'd himself become — a boundary-pushing, truly out-of-this-world archetype of pop excess.

33. Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)

The multi-borough New York crew's immortal debut didn't just ''bring da motherf---ing ruckus'' — it also brought inventive samples, a widescreen cinematic sensibility, and unassailable

The New York crew's immortal first album didn't just ''bring da motherf---ing ruckus''; — it also brought inventive samples, a wide-screen sensibility, and unassailable cred to the '90s rap game.

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32. Guns N' Roses, Appetite for Destruction (1987)

The best rock debut ever is all six-string buzz saws and Axl's wails about the awesome terribleness of life in the L.A. gutter.

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31. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994)

''If you don't know, now you know'' — Biggie, to anyone who's ever crossed paths with this East Coast rap classic. And indeed it's hard to find a first album that delivered a superstar more fully formed.

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30. Otis Redding, Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)

Two years later he'd be gone, killed in a plane crash at 26. But classics like ''I've Been Loving You Too Long'' capture Redding's legendary

Within two years later he'd be gone, killed in a plane crash at 26. But gems like ''I've Been Loving You Too Long'' and "Change Gonna Come" capture Redding's legendary voice at its raspy, endlessly expressive peak.

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29. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (1977)

Forget the fact that you've heard these songs (''Go Your Own Way,'' ''Dreams'') a million times — the emotionally stormy, immaculately produced Rumours remains the near-perfect apex of dissolute 1970s Jacuzzi rock.

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28. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

A state of the union for the young, black, and double-X chromosomed at the end of the millenium, delivered with chest-thumping raps and achingly vulnerable

A state of the union for the young, black, and female at the end of the millenium, split between boldly assured raps and achingly vulnerable R&B confessions.

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27. Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

A dizzying flood of intricately stitched words and blazing sound that kicks off with ''Like a Rolling Stone'' and ends with the 11-minute-plus ''Desolation Row.''

A dizzying flood of intricately stitched words and blazing sounds that kicks off with ''Like a Rolling Stone'' and ends with the 11-minute-plus ''Desolation Row.''

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26. Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced (1967)

Guitar fireworks and Hendrix's under-recognized ear for pop animate barn-burners like ''Foxy Lady,'' ''Manic Depression,'' and ''Fire.''

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25. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Catch a Fire (1973)

The reggae godhead added a bit of rock instrumentation to the Wailers' tough, tight sound, somehow making them sound even tougher and tighter.

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24. Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)

Just two French guys in robot helmets, pumping out electro-funk anthems so Rick James?meets--R2-D2 magnifique, the dance floor could hardly stand it.

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23. U2, Achtung Baby (1991)

They could've coasted on the sort of clean anthems they delivered on The Joshua Tree (see entry number 45) forever. Instead, Bono and the boys

They could've coasted forever on the cinematic storytelling they mastered on the excellently righteous The Joshua Tree. Instead, Bono and the boys ripped up the rule book and assembled a dozen songs that rattle, hum, and pop.

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22. The Beatles, Abbey Road (1969)

Ambitious experimentation (Medley), irresistible pop (''Something''), and goofball humor (''Octopus's Garden'') all come together on the last album the band ever recorded together. Download it:

Ambitious experimentation (the medley), irresistible pop (''Something''), and goofball humor (''Octopus's Garden'') all come together on the last album the band ever recorded together.

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21. Stevie Wonder, Innervisions (1973)

Motown's definitive surrealist road trip, even as it's also a pinnacle of real-world storytelling (see the still-untouchable urban chronicle ''Living for the City'). Download it:

Motown's definitive surrealist road trip (see: the choogling "Higher Ground" and "Jesus Children of America") is also a paragon of real-world storytelling (the classic urban chronicle ''Living for the City').

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20. The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet (1968)

Full of savage riffage and Mick Jagger's lascivious yelp, Beggars is the pure, concentrated sound of sex, violence, and sympathy for the devil.

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19. Al Green, Call Me (1973)

With his voice at the height of its biscuit-buttery power, Green effortlessly entwined the sensual and the sacred.

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18. Paul Simon, Graceland (1986)

Before blending Western pop with African rhythms was a ''thing,'' Simon made it so — and set the bar almost impossibly high for everyone who

Long before blending Western pop with African rhythms became a thing, Simon made it so — and set the bar almost impossibly high for everyone who came after.

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17. Adele, 21 (2011)

Dude who did Adele wrong, we salute you; if you'd been a better man, we wouldn't have this towering contribution to the Breakup Hall of

Dude who did Adele wrong, we salute you; if you'd been at all a better man, we wouldn't have this towering contribution to the Breakup Hall of Fame.

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16. Elvis Presley, Sun Recordings (1999)

Sure, Elvis' early recordings with Sam Phillips at the Sun Records studio in Memphis changed the world. They also sound great decades later, full of raw vitality and youthful attitude.

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15. Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run (1975)

Forget Edward Hopper and his static diner patrons: The Boss' breakthrough album, starring optimistic tramps and engine-revving sax solos, is the greatest living embodiment of the American dream.

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14. Johnny Cash, At Folsom Prison (1968)

The country star (and recovering addict) plays to a packed house of hardened criminals and delivers a maximum-security meditation on sin and forgiveness.

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13. Marvin Gaye, What's Going On (1971)

Perhaps the truest melding of social commentary and swooning musicality ever achieved — a triumph of substance and soul.

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12. The Beatles, The White Album (1968)

After heading to India to search for answers, John, Paul, George, and Ringo could barely stand to be in the same room. But if you

After heading to India to search for answers, John, Paul, George, and Ringo could barely stand to be in the same room. But somehow, it still yielded some of the band's most beautiful and honest moments (''While My Guitar Gently Weeps,'' ''Cry Baby Cry'').

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11. Joni Mitchell, Blue (1971)

Her follow-up to the also lovely Ladies of the Canyon was a revelation: as simultaneously rigorous and freewheeling as jazz, and as lyrically resonant as the Bard.

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10. Nirvana, Nevermind (1991)

In which three punk underdogs conquered mainstream America, destroyed hair metal, and defined a generation.

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9. The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (1966)

The Boys could have cruised forever on Surfin' Safaris and Little Deuce Coupes; instead, they dove into the deep end of the ocean (and Brian

The Boys could have cruised forever on surfin' safaris and little deuce coupes; instead, they dove into the deep end of the Pacific (and into Brian Wilson's often-untethered psyche) on this impeccably layered, gorgeously woebegone pop masterwork.

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8. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)

It starts with a question: ?Can we get much higher?? After 70 minutes of towering hip-hop anthems, prog-rock bliss-outs, acid-trip electronics, and Immaletyoufinish bravura, you

It starts with a question: "Can we get much higher?" After 70 thunderous minutes of hip-hop anthems, prog-rock bliss-outs, and I'ma-let-you-finish bravura, you have your answer: No. No, we cannot.

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7. Aretha Franklin, Lady Soul (1968)

''Lady'' is a too-modest honorific: She was and always will be the queen, whether suffering a ''Chain of Fools,'' making hot-footed horns follow in her

''Lady'' is a too-modest honorific: She's forever the Queen, whether suffering a ''Chain of Fools,'' making hotfooted horns follow in her wake on ''(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You Been Gone,'' or feeling like a natural woman (woman!).

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6. Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Supposedly inspired by the collapse of his marriage, Dylan's 15th album is a mellow-dude detonation of anger, regret, and acceptance that features some of his most soulful singing and enduring melodies. ''It's hard for me to relate to...people enjoying that type of pain,'' he later said in an interview. But it's harder to imagine anyone not getting swept up in this masterpiece of deeply emotional songwriting.

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5. The Clash, London Calling (1979)

A lot of punks sneered about rebellion back then, but these boyos gave 'em a real revolution — musical and political — with the eternally urgent, genre-defying document that earned them the sobriquet the Only Band That Matters.

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4. Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982)

If you grew up in the '80s, this is more than just an album; it's the soundtrack to the first half of your life. Your

If you grew up in the '80s, this isn't just an album; it's the soundtrack to the first half of your life. Your first dance, your first summer romance, your first (and, rest assured, not your last) heartbreak. Thank you, Michael. Signed, everyone.

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3. The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street (1972)

Given the legendarily louche circumstances in which Exile was made (Heroin! French villa! More heroin!), it's a miracle this double set of blues-, country-, and

Given the legendarily louche circumstances in which Exile on Main Street was made (heroin! French villa! More heroin!), it's a miracle this double set of blues-, country-, and gospel-infused rock contains any great songs. In fact, they're all great songs — even the one called ''Turd on the Run.''

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2. Prince, Purple Rain (1984)

Sexiest album ever? The PMRC thought so. The watchdog group was formed in response to this paisley-funk heavy-breather, which builds to one awesome climax after

Sexiest album ever? The PMRC thought so. The watchdog group was literally formed in response to this paisley-funk heavy breather, which builds to one awesome climax after another. How fitting that the movie the album was made for charts the Kid's rise to fame: The moment Prince sang ''Baby I'm a Star,'' he was one.

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1. The Beatles, Revolver (1966)

This is the album that found the greatest band of all time at their creative and melodic peak, stretching from the all-enthusiasm garage jam ''Taxman''

Not only did Revolver establish the enduring rules for the long-players (hot stuff up front, difficult tunes in the back, swirly ones just before you flip it over), it also conveyed the full narrative of the Beatles over 14 songs, from the hands-up garage jam ''Taxman'' to the sunny beach romp "Good Day Sunshine" to the churning psychedelic space walk that is ''Tomorrow Never Knows.'' Most important, Revolver pioneered the idea of a rock album as a singular, complete entity, one that made the transition from short bursts of teenage sugar to a cohesive whole that could be analyzed, dissected, obsessed over, and indulged in — you know, art.

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