Beginner's Albums

[Joe Avezzano]

I was listening to Ron & Fez today, and they did that segment where the guy has never listened to good music before. I found myself in the same situation as I never got into music at all until about 1998 (I was 20 at the time) and music had pretty much turned to shit by then. I really have no frame of reference for most of the bands Ron or Earl talk about.

So, I heard the R&F show, but I don't remember all the albums that were suggested. Help me out here to remember some, or suggest some of your own.... list away!

[BaLZaC~308]

depends on what genre you are into

[Nate666]

These are all old... and pretty much comprise every "must listen to" list ever made, but here goes:

The Beatles - Revolver (No, not the White Album, ESD's a retard)
The Clash - London Calling
The Stones - Exile on Main Street
Hendrix - Are you experienced?

Bob Dylan - Desire
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies (really, any of their albums)
Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff
Springsteen - Nebraska
Ramones - All the Stuff & More (vols. I & II)

[Joe Avezzano]

depends on what genre you are into

Pretty much everything except metal (I've got a pretty good grip on metal anyway.) Nate666 is on the right track.
Mostly like the stuff Ron B. and Earl would listen to, or what you would hear during the show openings. Classic rock I guess you would call it.

[Slow Bollards]

Grateful Dead - Europe '72
Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk & Trout Mask Replica (not easy listening, but invaluable in the long run)
The Who - Who's Next
Beatles - Sgt. Pepper & Let it Be & the White Album (anything after '65, really)
Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (good start, going deeper would do Ronnie B proud)

I'll post more as they occur to me.

[mikeybot]

Misfits - Static Age
Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
nin - Broken
Placebo - Black Market Music

[Kugzilla]

What's Goin on: Marvin Gaye
Kind of Blue: Miles Davis
Pet Sounds: Beach Boys, and then listen immediately to:
Sgt. Pepper: The Beatles
Synchronicity: The Police
Folk Singer: Muddy Waters
Live in Newport: Duke Ellington
In the Wee, Small Hours: Frank Sinatra

These are some of the best and most important albums of the 20th century-a good start. You may not love them all, but they'll clue you in to what else you might like.

I'm a vinyl guy myself...

[queeby]

Lou Reed: Transformer

I like Hunky Dory by David Bowie

I know that Ronnie said that live albums don't count but

The Band: The Last Waltz

[Kugzilla]

Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run
The Band: Songs from the Big Pink
Allman Brothers: Live at the Filmore West

I'll post em as they occur to me. I'm rearranging my records this week anyway.

[Kugzilla]

Dave Brubeck: Take Five

[Absolutely]

If you're counting live albums, I personally think "Rock Of Ages" is better than the "Last Waltz". "Last Waltz" has too many guests to be a real Band album I say. It's great, but I still like "Rock of Ages" better either way.

Just look at Rolling Stones top 500 albums of all time, it'll basically list anything that'll be posted on here. Hopefully with the exception of any Placebo album.

If you heard Nick Cave on the show yesterday, and haven't heard him or haven't heard "Murder Ballads" check it out, it's great.

Again I don't really think live albums are "cheating".
For instance Little Feat, if I was trying to turn someone on to them I'd give them Waiting For Columbus.
Same with Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs

Grateful Dead - I guess American Beauty, although i don't think I've listened to one of their studio albums in years. I'd go with "Ladies and Gentleman"

[Kugzilla]

Here's Rolling Stones top 500 list. There's some great albums there and some big omissions and boners in my opinion, but its a great source list for any collection and/or person interested in the album concept:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time

[Budyzir]

Cool thread. Im always looking for something new.

[Joe Avezzano]

Here's Rolling Stones top 500 list. There's some great albums there and some big omissions and boners in my opinion, but its a great source list for any collection and/or person interested in the album concept:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time

No no, this exactly what I don't want. Rolling Stone has zero credibility with me and I'd rather get my music straight from folks like these. (Besides, weren't the Dixie Chicks on that list 3 times?)

[Kugzilla]

Sure-as I said, I aint nuts about the list, but its there if people want it-it's an interesting conversation starter.

And, the Dixie Chicks have a couple decent songs. No homo.

Oh, and if you don't have Johnny Cash "Live at Folsom" run and get it.

[WhiteHonkyDevil]

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack or News of the World. Sheer Heart Attack is better, in my opinion. Songs go from rock to ragtime, and is a good look at the range of the band, pre-synthesizer.

Alice Cooper - Love it to Death. The first big album by the Alice Cooper Group. Excellent. Also, try Billion Dollar Babies or Killer. Solo Alice - Welcome to My Nightmare, Goes to Hell, and The Last Temptation.

Pink Floyd - Animals. Nuff said.

Gwar - This Toilet Earth or America Must be Destroyed. Most people, when I say Gwar, just give me a disgusted look. They're actually a very good band. Better than most would think

Mr Bungle - Mr Bungle. Some of the best work Mike Patton has ever put out, and that says a LOT. Patton is a goddamn genius.

Bobby Darin - Just pick up one of the thousand different greatest hits discs.

[Absolutely]

No no, this exactly what I don't want. Rolling Stone has zero credibility with me and I'd rather get my music straight from folks like these. (Besides, weren't the Dixie Chicks on that list 3 times?)

I bet 90% of albums mentioned in this thread on on this list.
Even if Rolling Stone is only 50% right that's still 250 Albums that are actually great.

[Kugzilla]

Do you have a turntable?

[BCH]

Here's one : Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

I think it makes the list of all time great live albums.

Another live Album I love is Bob Dylan's Hard Rain

[Joe Avezzano]

Do you have a turntable?

Yes, but the needle is currently broken. I'm a huge fan of the vinyl sound, but I realized that I can't afford to buy all my favorite albums on vinyl. They're very expensive because LPs are kind of the trendy thing right now.

[Joe Avezzano]

On a related note, I was thumbing through an old Guitar World magazine from June of 1999. In it, they declared 1969 to be "The Greatest Year In Rock." This list is their evidence of their boastful claim. I present it for more fuel for the discussion, and it's kind of interesting to see an album list from a guitar player's perspective.

"Led Zeppelin" - Led Zeppelin
"Goodbye" - Cream
"Bayou Country" - CCR
"Kick Out the Jams" - MC5
"The Allman Brothers Band" - The Allman Brothers Band
"The Velvet Underground" - The Velvet Underground
"Stand!" - Sly and the Family Stone
"Tommy" - The Who
"Stand Up" - Jethro Tull
"Crosby, Stills & Nash" - CSN
"Uncle Meat" - Frank Zappa
"Beck-Ola" - The Jeff Beck Group
"The Soft Parade" - The Doors
"On Time" - Grand Funk Railroad
"Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud" - James Brown
"Green River" - CCR
"Santana" - Santana
"The Stooges" - The Stooges
"The Beatles" - Abbey Road
"The Band" - The Band
"Arthur" - The Kinks
"Second Winter" - Johnny Winter
"In the Court of the Crimson King" - King Crimson
"Willy and the Poor Boys" - CCR
"Led Zeppelin II" - Led Zeppelin
"Live/Dead" - The Grateful Dead
"Volunteers" - The Jefferson Airplane
"Trout Mask Replica" - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
"Let It Bleed" - The Rolling Stones
"Live at the Filmore East" - Jimi Hendrix

Like I said, I don't know much about music, but that's a pretty strong year for rock albums.

[flyerfan116]

Alot of my essentials have been listed but here's a few more

Aerosmith - Rocks
Al Green - Let's Stay Together
Bill Withers - Just As I Am & Still Bill
Janis Joplin - Pearl & Live at Winterland
Led Zepplin - Physical Graffiti
King PLeasure - Moody's Mood for Love

[Mort]

Well, I grew up in the Seattle area in the 90's, so my list is a bit biased, so here goes...

Nirvana - Bleach - The best pure Nirvana album.
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York - The best live album ever recorded.
Alice in Chains - Dirt - Drips with raw emotion. I still get shivers whenever I hear "Down in a Hole."
Soundgarden - Superunknown - It just fuckin' rocks.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Suger Sex Magik - Their last good album, unfortunately. Still funky, with a few softies.
Stone Temple Pilots - Core - Again, it just fuckin' rocks. I like all their albums, but for a beginner, this is where to start.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Any of his albums. Not a dud in the bunch, greatest guitar player to ever walk the face of the earth.
Pearl Jam - Ten - Love it or hate it, it's inspired more bands than pretty much any other album of the 90's.

[AJellyDonut]

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Suger Sex Magik - Their last good album, unfortunately.

That's absurd.

[Standby]

A few days ago, Ron mentioned an email from a listener who got all of his music selection from the show, and that he could use some recommendations for good starter albums.

Now I'm in the same boat, knowing a lot of basic songs by artists, but not really owning a lot of classic albums. Maybe this can help get some ideas flowing and build a nice list.

If nothing else, here's everything I was able to get from the show, which is every album mentioned (except one from Traffic that Ronnie recommended, did not get that name). Mixed in are some good suggestions from the show (all members, not just Ron's), callers that Ronnie could hear that day, and good suggestions from the Listening Thread that day... here goes (pardon the spelling on some, had to jot down as I heard them):

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde, Positively
New York Dolls - (first album)
Harold Melvin - Wake up Everybody
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - (first album)
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks, Moondance
The Band - The Big Pink
Stones - Let it Bleed, Get Your Ya Yas Out
Replacements - Let it Be
Lou Reed - Transformer
Elvis Costello - This Year's Model, My Aim is True
The Who - By Numbers
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush, Rust Never Sleeps, Harvest
Rush - Moving Pictures
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Spirit - The Family that Plays Together
Public Enemy - Nation of Millions, Bumrush the Show
Television - Marquis Moon
REM - Murmur, Automatic for the People, Document
Pixies - Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa (Ronnie says all of them)
Grateful Dead - American Beauty
Traffic - John Barleycorn must die
Parliament - Mothership
Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
Clash - London Calling
Little Feat - Don't Fail Me Now
Love - Forever Changes
Tom Waits - Small Change, Hardest Saturday Night
Prince - Purple Rain
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

[zerofischer]

never heard the pixies album 'Come On Surfer' but 'Come on Pilgrim' and 'Surfer Rosa' are great.

[EvilHomerJ666]

Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ

[Slow Bollards]

Pretty good list

Some additions or substitutions, from a life of trying to turn my dullard friends onto good music.

V.Morrison - Tupelo Honey instead of Moondance, Astral Weeks is a must

G. Dead - American Beauty has trite versions of great songs, always go live with the dead-it's where they shine, Europe '72 & Grateful Dead (aka skullfuck aka the one with the skeleton with roses for hair) these are both double albums from the same era as American Beauty

P. Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet

U2 - Rattle & Hum

Dylan - Blood on the Tracks or Highway 61 are both much better starters than Blonde on Blonde, B on B is great though. Desire has my fave song, Isis, R&F started the show with it a year or so and I almost wept with joy.

E. Costello - Armed Forces, c'mon its got Oliver's Army

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus (perhaps the best live album ever, 2nd maybe to...)

Bob Marley - Babylon by Bus (fucking incredible energy), & Talkin' Blues has some cool versions of songs you've alredy heard and more songs you should hear.)

The Who - Who's Next, Meaty, beaty, big & bouncy (haven't heard this one in years so the exact title escapes me, but its good)

[Slow Bollards]

Here's one : Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

I think it makes the list of all time great live albums.

Another live Album I love is Bob Dylan's Hard Rain

Goddamn, how did I forget Stop Making Sense?

FANTASTIC live album.

More live greatness:
Bob Marley - Babylon by Bus
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
Roger Water's performing The Wall in Berlin

And whoever recommended Gwar is right, for some reason they are often overlooked and have some great music.

[GorilaBoyNorton]

Tom Waits - Closing Time (this is the album that had the lady luck line)

[BCH]

Should we merge this one with the one in Music? :wavey:

[Joe Avezzano]

Someone's ripping me of? Hoo Hoo! I'm flattered.


http://www.wackbag.com/showthread.php?t=72087

[mikeybot]

Dinosaur Jr - Where You Been?
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Don't Know How to Party
KMFDM - Nihil

[LiddyRules]

Tom Waits - Closing Time (this is the album that had the lady luck line) Sweet! That was the Tom Waits album they had left at Tower Records when all the CDs were like 80% off and I finally started my CD collection.

Also Velvet Underground- Velvet Underground and Nico.

[Kugzilla]

Someone's ripping me of? Hoo Hoo! I'm flattered.


http://www.wackbag.com/showthread.php?t=72087

Go to this one-we were there first!

[Kugzilla]

I jsut got a new needle off teh sony website.

And a good vintage record store will have a section where you can get some good albums pretty cheap. I can recommend several in NJ area

[cokelogic]

never heard the pixies album 'Come On Surfer' but 'Come on Pilgrim' and 'Surfer Rosa' are great.Since Come On Pilgrim is only 8 tracks, it was reissued with Surfer Rosa, altogether.

Which Surfer Rosa should be heard separately, as it's a perfect album.

Other starter albums
Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins (bypass Gish)
Ten by Pearl Jam
World of Noise by Everclear
Suffer by Bad Religion (bypass 80-85)
Turn On the Bright Light by Interpol

[cokelogic]

With REM, I think even if people like the albums previous to Automatic for the People, Automatic for the People is the album to start with. Then work backwards and forwards in two different directions, listening to the other albums with past and onto the present.

[maz]

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus (perhaps the best live album ever, 2nd maybe to...)

The Who - Who's Next, Meaty, beaty, big & bouncy (haven't heard this one in years so the exact title escapes me, but its good)

good calls my friend
had meaty beaty big and bouncy when i was a teenager
long time ago
a little quirky , but cool
boris the spider?

who's next may be the best album of all time
and i ain't talkin' bout the hits
solid all the way through
waiting for columbus is great too

[maz]

Sweet! That was the Tom Waits album they had left at Tower Records when all the CDs were like 80% off and I finally started my CD collection.

Also Velvet Underground- Velvet Underground and Nico.

Liddy
i have a mobile fidelity sound labs gold disc of this
one of the old guys at work got me into this company
think they may be out of business now
also got who's next
stevie ray vaughn-sky is crying
and gnr-appetite for destruction
and jeff beck- blow by blow
from them
some people say they're worth some money
i ain't selling , though

[ShavedLebaneseBear]

Rock/metal off the top of my head...

Beatles - Abbey Road
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin through Physical Graffiti
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds
Rush - Moving Pictures
Guns and Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Van Halen - Van Halen
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
The Who - Who's Next
Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
U2 - Boy

[pure_waves]

For anyone interested in harder stuff, I'd like to add Metallica "Master of Puppets", AC/DC "Back in Black", Judas Priest "British Steel", Megadeth "Peace Sells", Slayer "Reign in Blood", Kiss "Alive", Anthrax "Among The Living", Motorhead "Ace of Spades", and Iron Maiden "Piece of Mind".

[BIV]

For anyone interested in harder stuff, I'd like to add Metallica "Master of Puppets", AC/DC "Back in Black", Judas Priest "British Steel", Megadeth "Peace Sells", Slayer "Reign in Blood", Kiss "Alive", Anthrax "Among The Living", Motorhead "Ace of Spades", and Iron Maiden "Piece of Mind".
Ah someone who likes real music:
Corrosion of Conformity.. "Wiseblood"
Pantera...Either "Far Beyond Driven" or the live album "101 Proof"

What do you think for Testament. They went through so many style changes it's hard to decide. "Live at the Fillmore" may be the way to go.

[pure_waves]

Testament? Gotta go with The New Order.

Pantera... Im going with Vulgar Display. One of the first really hard albums I ever got. Still a favorite. Far Beyond Driven and Great Southern Trendkill are awesome (I almost want to pick Great Southern Trendkill for the first 10 seconds of the opening song), but for a starter album, you cant miss with Vulgar Display of Power.

COC, the only album Ive ever heard is Blind so I pick that :)

What about Sepultura...Arise, Chaos AD, Roots?

[Hog's Big Ben]

For anyone interested in harder stuff, I'd like to add Metallica "Master of Puppets", AC/DC "Back in Black", Judas Priest "British Steel", Megadeth "Peace Sells", Slayer "Reign in Blood", Kiss "Alive", Anthrax "Among The Living", Motorhead "Ace of Spades", and Iron Maiden "Piece of Mind".


Fourteen posts before we get to albums with some hair on their little ballies. :icon_mrgr

21 Guns - 21 Guns
Accept - Balls To The Wall
Annihilator - Carnival Diablos
Anvil - Metal On Metal
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Danzig - Danzig
Def Leppard - On Through The Night
Diamond Head - Lightning To The Nations
Dio - The Last In Line
Drivin' N Cryin' - The Whisper Tames The Lion
Exodus - Bonded By Blood
Fastway - Fastway
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Head East - Flat As A Pancake
Helix - Walkin' The Razor's Edge
Honeymoon Suite - Honeymoon Suite
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather
Kick Axe - Vices
Kiss - Hotter Than Hell
Krokus - Metal Rendez-Vous
Love/Hate - Blackout In The Red Room
Manowar - Battle Hymns
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love
Ted Nugent - Free For All
Ozzy - Diary Of A Madman
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell
Primal Fear - Primal Fear
Salive - Every Six Seconds
Saxon - Crusader
Sepultura - Arise
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Billy Squier - Don't Say No
System Of A Down - Toxicity
Triumph - Allied Forces
Trouble - Manic Frustration
Van Halen - Van Halen
Y&T - Black Tiger

[7cent]

Green Day- Dookie
Ramones- Ramones

[queeby]

Lou Reed-Transformer
The Mars Volta-DeLoused In the Comatorium
Rage Against The Machine-Self Titled
Wu Tang Clan-Wu Tang Forever
Marilyn Manson-Antichrist Superstar

And If we are going to talk about a Pantera album it has to be Far Beyond Driven. All Of the songs on it are good, and heavy.

[badorties]

Tom Waits - Small Change, Hardest Saturday Night

it's heart of saturday night

the perfect tom waits starter is big time a perfect collection of his staples and really captures his wit ... the version of train song is the best example

for any venture into the alt.country realm, i'd recommend uncle tupelo's anodyne ... it pretty much laid out the eventual careers of farrar and tweedy and

sonic youth - washing machine
tv on the radio - young liars (ep)
morphine - cure for pain
pogues - rum, sodomy & the lash
pavement - slanted & enchanted
nirvana - in utero
beasties - check your head
hüsker dü - zen arcade
minutemen - double nickels on the dime
luna - bewitched

[earlshog]

sublime 40 oz
beasite boys, pauls botique and check your head

[cokelogic]

Green Day- Dookie
Have to disagree. I think Kreplunk is a better starter album.


nirvana - in utero
Insanity! I can understand bypassing Bleach because it's a very different, sloppy-metalish sound. But to say Nevermind or Incesticide is not the starter album is nuts. Need to start with Nevermind.

[BeerBelly]

Zeppelin1, no brainer

[BIV]

I think some people are confusing the difference between a starter album and what they think is the best album.

Nirvana has to be Nevermind. It's the easiest album for a "virgin" to take.
Same reason I chose Far Beyond Driven for Pantera.

In fact, I'd put the black album for Metallica's starter album as well.

And Pure Waves, you gotta listen to wiseblood, it's good shit.

[pure_waves]

I think some people are confusing the difference between a starter album and what they think is the best album.

Nirvana has to be Nevermind. It's the easiest album for a "virgin" to take.
Same reason I chose Far Beyond Driven for Pantera.

In fact, I'd put the black album for Metallica's starter album as well.

And Pure Waves, you gotta listen to wiseblood, it's good shit.

ill check it out for sure, just added their discography to my bittorrent client. :D

[7cent]

Have to disagree. I think Kreplunk is a better starter album.


I don't disagree...either way you start will eventually get you to the same places...just need to spark the interest..

[CaneDewey]

I'm so glad that someone remembered this topic from the show and created a thread for it. I heard the first part of the conversation and then had to leave. From that point on, I've tried to listen for that part of the show to no avail.

I'm in the same boat as the guy who send the email. I'm ecstatic for all the recommendations.

[ChimneyFish]

Faith No More - The Real Thing

Melvins - Houdini

Ministry - The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Fugazi - Steady Diet Of Nothing

John Frusciante - To Record Only Water For Ten Days

Godflesh - Us And Them

Isis - Celestial

Primus - Sialing The Seas Of Cheese

Queens Of The Stone Age - R

NIN - With Teeth or The Downward Spiral(can't decide)

Tweaker - 2 AM Wakeup Call

Clutch - Clutch

Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension

Gangstarr - Daily Operation

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??!

Revolting Cocks - Linger Ficken' Good

Lard - Pure Chewing Satisfaction

As for a few of the other posts;

I've got to go with Vulgar Display Of Power and Chaos A.D. for Pantera and Sepultura.
Even though the albums after those were far superior(opinion), I think they are easier listens to the uninitiated.

[Joe Avezzano]

Still no merge?

[badorties]

Have to disagree. I think Kreplunk is a better starter album.

Insanity! I can understand bypassing Bleach because it's a very different, sloppy-metalish sound. But to say Nevermind or Incesticide is not the starter album is nuts. Need to start with Nevermind.

nevermind is so overly produced with the those horrible canned drums that those tracks really stand out among the rest of the catalog

incesticide is a little too all over the place (not really an album, much more of a compilation of b-sides and covers)

the songs on in utero have polish of nevermind and sheer power of bleach with the random quirks of incesticide

[Standby]

Okay, my bad for not seeing this one created in "Music". Merged! (Hopefully the merge doesn't fuck up the conversation, since this was mostly a listing thread anyway...)

[Kugzilla]

With REM, I think even if people like the albums previous to Automatic for the People, Automatic for the People is the album to start with. Then work backwards and forwards in two different directions, listening to the other albums with past and onto the present.

I think I like Monster better for REM modern albums.

[peopleselbow]

Any of the first four Aerosmith LP's/CD's. They did a lot of drugs and were great back then.

[LectrickShockOJ]

I've been reading and I realized that a certain genre was being ignored (maybe it should be but I'll represent anyways)


Uncle Tupelo --- Anodyne

Wilco --- Being There

Drive-By Truckers --- Southern Rock Opera

Eddie Hinton --- Hard Luck Guy

Son Volt --- Trace

Love --- Forever Changes

Whiskeytown --- Stranger's Almanac



and after you listen to all of the albums on this thread, you can sit back (with cigar in mouth) and read Ron Bennington's "I Like An Old Chicago".

It's really a brilliant novel

[The Stormrider]

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th symphonies.
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly

[Garyisajoke]

You have to cover the bases and hit every type of rock. Here is your definitive list:

Elvis Costello - "My Aim is True"
Van Morrison - "Moondance"
King Crimson - "In the Court of the Crimson King" (Take that, Pink Floyd)
Cat Stevens - "Tea for the Tillerman"
David Bowie - "Hunky Dory" (Take that Ziggy Stardust!)
Lou Reed - "Transformer"
The Smiths - "The Queen is Dead"
Gang of Four - "Entertainment" (Take that, London Calling!)
The Beatles - "The White Album" (Basically a toss-up)

and it's not classic or anything, but "Up the Bracket" by The Libertines ought to be considered essential listening.

[RENFIELD]

not really looking for abuse....

but MY lou reed additional pick would be one of the ones overlooked by most..
CONEY ISLAND BABY

"want to win it for the coach"

and a guilty pleasure...
from my personal top 5...
JACKSON BROWNE - SATURATE BEFORE USING

that one was the beginning...
before the 'deluge' (the burnout)