I have a pretty solid, all-purpose list that use for situations like this, but I'm going to throw that out for now and go with what I'm really feeling lately:
1. The Beatles - Abbey Road
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. U2 - Zooropa
4. Steely Dan - Aja
5. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
6. David Bowie - Station to Station
7. Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
8. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
10. Big Star - Radio City
11. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
“Hello, can I take a moment to tell you about Big Star”?
One of my favorite memes!! Love Radio City!
Many great lists, fun to read! Sounds like I need to check out The National!
This was really tough:
1. Beach Boys-Pet Sounds
2. Nirvana- In Utero
3. Big Star-#1 Record
4. Bruce Springsteen-Nebraska
5. The Beatles- Revolver
6. U2- Achtung Baby
7. Rolling Stones- Beggars Banquet
8. Stevie Wonder-Innervisions
9. Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On
10. Mother Love Bone- Apple
11. Van Morrison- Astral Weeks
Achtung Baby and Nebraska are amazing all around, but they make my top ten because they have some of the greatest lyrics ever written.
Honorable mentions: REM and The Smiths are two of my favorite bands, but it’s cumulative, not any one album. The Beach Boys’ Smile Sessions are some of the most amazing, visionary music I’ve ever heard, but was not a completed album.
If I had more room: Velvet Underground & Nico, Replacements- Pleased to Meet Me, Fleetwood Mac- Rumours, Tim Buckley- Blue Afternoon, John Coltrane- A Love Supreme