List Your Top 20 Albums, Of All Time, By 20 Different Artists

This is gonna be impossible, OP, but i'll try to give it a shot anyways. Here we go:

The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
XTC - Skylarking
Metallica - Load
U2 - Achtung Baby
Bob Dylan - Blood On the Tracks
Frank Zappa - Overnite Sensation
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind
Beck - Mutations
Prince - Dream Factory/Sign O The Times/Crystal Ball
Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory
KISS - Unmasked
Collective Soul - Dosage
Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory
Manic Street Preachers - Gold Against the Soul
Mastodon - The Hunter
Megadeth - So Far, So Good, So What!
Neil Young - Harvest Moon
Paul Weller - Paul Weller
Scorpions - Taken By Force
Sloan - Between the Bridges
Yes - 90125

Ok, 20 was impossible, but I managed to do 25.

 

The Beatles - Revolver (US originally, both now)
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Bob Dylan - Bring It All Back Home
The Flying Burrito Brothers - Guilded Palace of Sin
The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge of Town
John Hiatt - Bring The Family
Jackson Browne - Late For The Sky
Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down The Wind
The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
The Band - The Band
The Bee Gees - First
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
Neil Young - On The Beach
Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners
Poco - From The Inside
Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus
Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
Nick Lowe - Labor of Lust
Emmylou Harris - Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town

 

I didn't include anything that that I did not have on vinyl. Another list would be 20 CDs by 20 different artists.

 

Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
Otis Redding Otis Blue
Beatles: Revolver
Jimi Hendrix Electric Landland
Kinks Village Green Preservation Society
Rolling Stones Let it Bleed
The Band The Band
Marvin Gaye What's Going On
The Who Who's Nest
David Bowie Ziggy Stardust
Nick Drake Pink Moon
Iggy and the Stooges Raw Power
Stevie Wonder Innervisions
Joni Mitchell Hissing of Summer Lawns
Steely Dan Katy Lied
Ramones Rocket to Russia
Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town
Talking Heads Fear of Music
REM Murmur
Replacements Let it Be

 

1. The Beatles-Revolver
2. The Doors - The Doors
3. Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
4. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II
5. Pink Floyd - Dark side of the moon
6. The Who Who's Next
7. Steely Dan, Aja
8. Cream - Disraeli Gears
9. Tom Petty - Damn the Torpedoes
10. Rush 2112
11. Prince Purple Rain
12 The Monkees Headquarters
13. Van Halen Fair Warning
14. Kiss Alive
15. Ozzy Osbourne Diary of A Madman
16. Frank Zappa (') Apostrophe
17. James Taylor Mud Slide Slim
18. The Band The Last Waltz
19. Queen Jazz
20. Yes Fragile

 

I picked my top 20 artists in order (which was more difficult than picking a favorite LP):
Phish | A Picture of Nectar (I should choose a live one but don't have an absolute favorite)
Widespread Panic | Panic in the Streets
The Hold Steady | Boys and Girls in America
Hillsong United | Empires
Joe Jackson | Night & Day
Guy Clark | Old No. 1
Jason Isbell | Southeastern
Igor Stravinsky | Le sacre du printemps
Manu Chao | Radio Bemba Sound System
Steely Dan | The Royal Scam
Lyle Lovett | The Road to Ensenada
Tom Russell | Blood and Candle Smoke
Bela Bartok | Concerto for 2 Pianos, Percussion & Orchestra
Charles Mingus | Mingus Ah Um
Robert Earl Keen | No. 2 Live Dinner
Cowboy Junkies | Lay It Down
Bob Marley | Exodus
Calexico | Feast of Wire
Cheap Trick | Heaven Tonight
The Gaslight Anthem | The '59 Sound

 

Do you have a favorite version of the Stravinsky or Bartok?

 

I do, yes:
Stravinsky Le sacre du printemps Charles Dutoit & Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (London, 1984). I think Dutoit is the master when it comes to Stravinsky.
Bartok Concerto for 2 Pianos... Leonard Bernstein, Gold & Fitzdale, NY Philharmonic (Columbia, 1967). Oddly enough, I hardly consider Bernstein the master of Bartok (I prefer him with Copland or Gershwin), but this one hits me. It's also one my best sounding records. (Actually both sound terrific on vinyl.)

 

I don't think I've heard any of Dutoit's Stravinsky. I have the Bernstein in the Concertos box but I haven't listened to it yet. I have too many mega boxes.

 

Nina Simone - At Carnegie Hall (1963)
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (1969)
Genesis - Trespass (1970)
Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music (1972)
Roxy Music - Stranded (1973)
Queen - Queen II (1974)
King Crimson - Red (1974)
Yes - Relayer (1974)
Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)
Miles Davis - Dark Magus (1977)
Rush - A Farewell to Kings (1977)
National Health - Of Queues and Cures (1978)
Bruford - One of a Kind (1979)
Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)
Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages (1991)
David Bowie - Earthling (1997)
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
Adrian Belew - e (2009)
Tigran Hamasyan - Shadow Theater (2013)

 

"All-Time"?! Impossible - I spent "all time" learning to appreciate all these artists, and what I think is the best, is not neccessarily my go-to album anymore, because throughout "all time", obviously I've been listening to some longer than others.

By the way, this list should give you an idea of why I haven't had time to listen to much rock...

Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti
The Guess Who - Runnin' Back Through Canada
Paul Winter Consort - Missa Gaia
Sarah McLachlan - Solace
Everything But The Girl - The Language of Life (or Walking Wounded; they're really two different approaches separating the eras of their significance)
Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs
Indigo Girls - Nomads - Indians - Saints
The Singers Unlimited - Christmas
Chicago - V
Delerium - Chimeera
Mouth Music - Shorelife
Afro-Celt Sound System - Anatomic
Basia - The Sweetest Illusion
The Roches - s/t ("Hammond Song" puts it over the top every time)
Swing Out Sister - Get In Touch With Yourself (somehow I thought it would be Somewhere Deep In The Night, then I started counting "slam-dunk" tracks...)
The Manhattan Transfer - The Offbeat Of Avenues (or Brasil)
Henry Mancini - with The Boston Pops
Vangelis - Beaubourg
Focus - Focus
Santana - Moonflower
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn
Carrie Newcomer - The Bird Or The Wing
Cris Williamson - Strange Paradise

-what-? ...huh? "stop writing"?! B-but I haven't gotten to...oh, alright...

 

Run-D.M.C.--Raising Hell
Public Enemy--Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black
Anthrax--Spreading the Disease
R.E.M.--Document
Iron Maiden--The Number of the Beast
Tori Amos--From The Choirgirl Hotel
Judas Priest--Painkiller
Ozzy Osbourne--Tribute
Simon and Garfunkel--Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme
Metallica--Ride The Lightning
Motley Crue--Shout At The Devil
Helloween--Walls of Jericho
Black Sabbath--Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Gamma Ray--No World Order
Blind Guardian--Somewhere Far Beyond
Red Hot Chili Peppers--Californication
Queensryche--Operation: Mindcrime
Nightwish--Oceanborn
In Flames--Reroute To Remain
HammerFall--Glory To The Brave

 

Mouth Music

 

R.E.M. Automatic For The People
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here
Talking Heads Remain In Light
Beatles - Abbey Road
Prince - Parade
Roxy Music - Avalon
Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
Pet Shop Boys Behaviour
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love
The Eagles - Hotel California
David Bowie - Station To Station
Steely Dan - Aja
Boards Of Canada - Campfire Headphase
Rush - Hold Your Fire
Talk Talk - Colour Of Spring
The Rolling Stones - Goat Heads Soup
Dire Straits - Making Movies
Simple Minds - New Gold Dream
Neil Young - On The Beach

 

this was pretty quick, not sure if these are all of my favorites of all time but they're my most-loved at the time of posting this:


edit: edited to change to alphabetical order by artist; replaced an album.

 

Off the top of my head (in no particular order and subject to change):

• Bee Gees--Main Course
• Poco--Head Over Heels
• Rare Earth--Get Ready
• Red--Until We Have Faces
• Peter Frampton--Wind of Change
• Eagles--The Long Run
• Timothy B. Schmit--Expando
• Steely Dan--Aja
• Linkin Park--Hybrid Theory
• Dashboard Confessional--MTV Unplugged 2.0
• Kaleo--A/B
• Loretta Lynn--Van Lear Rose
• Foo Fighters--There Is Nothing Left to Lose
• Jason Castro--Only a Mountain
• The All-American Rejects--s/t
• 3 Doors Down--The Better Life
• Elton John--Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
• The Sheepdogs--Learn & Burn
• The Silent Comedy--Common Faults
• The Parlor Mob--And You Were a Crow

 

Elvis Presley - The Complete 50s Masters
Tindersticks 2
The Fall - The Unutterable
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Nina Nastasia - Dogs
The Beatles - Rubber Soul UK
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
The Velvet Underground & Nico
Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Nirvana - In Utero
Big Black - Songs About F***ing
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
The Clash - London Calling
The Who - Live At Leeds
Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot
Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound
Public Image Ltd - Metal Box
Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs

 

Nina Nastasia, Tindersticks and Sparklehorse, very well done, all excellent records that I love as much as any. Can't argue with most of the rest either

 

1. The Velvet Underground & Nico - S/T
2. The Stooges - Funhouse
3. Big Star - #1 Record
4. Patti Smith - Horses
5. Can - Future Days
6. Jacob Miller - Who Say Jah No Dread
7. Songs: Ohia - The Magnolia Electric Co.
8. Sonic Youth - Sister
9. Television - Marquee Moon
10. Karen Dalton - In My Own Time
11. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
12. David Bowie - Station to Station
13. Joy Division - Closer
14. PiL - Metal Box
15. Galaxie 500 - On Fire
16. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream
17. The Replacements - Let it Be
18. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
19. The Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
20. Prince - Dirty Mind

 

1. The Beatles - Rubber Soul (U.K. version)
2. KISS - Rock And Roll Over
3. Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
5. Van Halen - Van Halen II
6. Badlands - Badlands
7. Alice Cooper - Killer
8. Rush - Permanent Waves
9.The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
10. Ten Years After - Cricklewood Green
11. Savoy Brown - Blue Matter
12. Dokken - Under Lock and Key
13. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn The Torpedoes
14. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (U.S. version)
15. The Rolling Stones - Flowers
16. UFO - Strangers in the Night
17. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
18. AC/DC - Let There Be Rock (North American version)
19. Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil
20. Motorhead - Overkill

 

My favorite Collective Soul album.

 

I left room for artists who joined a band to have solo and a band album. Dominoes album is awesome.

 

I need to replace Nightwish "Oceanborn" with Rush "2112".

 

Haha.... GTR jumped out at me also.
Another 80's one album wonder would be ELP (Emerson Lake & Powell).

 

1. ELO - A New World Record
2. Rush - 2112
3. Foghat - Stone Blue
4. Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
5. Aerosmith - Toys In The Attic

6. Cars - Candy-O
7. Jimi Hendrix - Axis Bold As Love
8. Chicago - Chicago VII
9. Peter Gabriel - 3 (Melt)
10. The Hooters - Amore'

11. J. Geils Band - Live (Full House)
12. Jethro Tull - Stand Up
13. Kinks - To The Bone (Live)
14. Led Zeppelin - III
15. Little Feat - Time Loves A Hero

16. Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever
17. Alan Parsons Project - I Robot
18. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - The Live Anthology
19. Pretenders - Pretenders
20. Lou Reed - Rock n Roll Animal (Live)..........

Only made it to "R" and skipped a bunch.
First 5 were play over and over and over, back when I was a young punk.
Got back at my sister for her constantly playing Three Dog Night. LOL

20 just isn't enough. there are so many and taste's are forever changing.