Top Fifteen Albums You Can List In A Hurry

Someone on Facebook asked for lists of fifteen albums that came right off the top of our heads, no excess thinking or planning. Not like a “desert island” list, but albums that were important, or indispensable, or some such thing. So here goes:

“Exile on Main Street,” The Rolling Stones;

“Girls Talk,” Dave Edmonds;

“London Calling,” The Clash;

“So What?” Miles Davis;

“The Sound of Music By . . .” Pizzicato 5 (technically a CD);

“16 All Time Greatest Hits,” Bo Diddley;

“There’s a Riot Going On,” Sly and the Family Stone;

“Blond on Blond,” Bob Dylan;

“Pet Sounds,” The Beach Boys;

“Flow Motion,” Can;

“Here Come the Warm Jets,” Eno;

“White Light/White Heat,” The Velvet Underground;

“After the Gold Rush,” Neil Young;

“Eli and the Thirteenth Confession,” Laura Nyro; and

“For Your Pleasure,” Roxy Music.


I consider all of these albums, vinyl except for the P5 CD, to have been musically important, very ambitious, and artistically successful upon their release. (No offense meant to Beatles fans, but your discomfort is noted in advance! There should probably be more jazz too. But this is only me, no cosmic truth implied.)