loborojo

20th Century Essentials

Fifties: the Last Gasp of Swing and the Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll
· Presley, Elvis – Elvis Presley
· Sinatra, Frank – Songs for Swinging Lovers
· Haley, Bill – Rock Around the Clock
· Burnette, Johnny – and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio
· Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard
· Berry, Chuck – One Dozen Berrys
· Perkins, Carl – Dance Album of
· Crickets – the Chirpin’ Crickets
· Richard, Cliff – Cliff
· Lewis, Jerry Lee – Rockin’ up a Storm (1972 compilation on Mercury)

Sixties: the Greatest Musical Decade of Them All?
· Beatles – With the Beatles
· Byrds – Mr Tambourine Man
· Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
· Dylan, Bob – Blonde on Blonde
· Who – Sell Out
· Love – Forever Changes
· Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground & Nico
· Hendrix, Jimi – Electric Ladyland
· Doors – Doors
· Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet

Seventies: From Singer-Songwriter Angst to Glam and the Disco Age
· Lennon, John – Plastic Ono Band
· Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà vu
· Mitchell, Joni – Blue
· Bowie, David – Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
· Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
· Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
· Queen – A Night at the Opera
· Eagles – Hotel California
· Various Artists – Saturday Night Fever
· Blondie – Parallel Lines

Eighties: Synth-Pop, Arena Rock and the Michael Jackson Phenomenon
· Human League – Dare
· Jackson, Michael – Thriller
· U2 – War
· Springsteen, Bruce – Born in the USA
· Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
· Smiths – the Queen is Dead
· Pet Shop Boys – Actually
· Prince – Sign o’ the Times
· Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
· Madonna – Like a Prayer

Nineties: the Most Confused Decade Yet? Grunge, Brit-Pop and Girl Power
· Primal Scream – Screamadelica
· Nirvana – Nevermind
· REM – Out of Time
· Blur – Parklife
· Portishead – Dummy
· Oasis – What’s the Story (Morning Glory)
· Morissette, Alanis – Jagged Little Pill
· Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
· Spice Girls – Go

Avant-Garde: Challenging Music that Extended the Boundaries of Rock
· Mothers of Invention – We’re Only in it for the Money
· Riley, Terry – In C
· Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
· Ono, Yoko – Plastic Ono Band
· Can – Tago Mago
· Eno, Brian – Here Comes the Warm Jets
· Throbbing Gristle – Second Annual Report
· Public Image Ltd – Metal Box
· Branca, Glenn – the Ascension
· Slint – Spiderland

Blues: From 30s Country Blues to Chicago’s Electric Cauldron of R&B
· King, Freddie – Let’s Hideaway & Dance Away with
· Muddy Waters & V/A – Folk Festival of the Blues
· Wells, Junior Chicago Blues Band – Hoodoo Man Blues
· Mayall, John – Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
· Magic Sam – West Side Soul
· King, Albert – King of the Blues Guitar
· King, BB – Live at the Regal
· Johnson, Robert – Complete Recordings
· Smith, Bessie – Complete Recordings Volumes 1-4
· Walker, T-Bone – Complete Imperial Recordings

Country: the White Man’s Blues, which Became the American Mainstream
· Everly Brothers – Roots
· Cash, Johnny – At Folsom Prison & San Quentin
· Wynette, Tammy – Greatest Hits
· Flying Burrito Brothers – Gilded Palace of Sin
· Kristofferson, Kris – Me & Bobby McGee (aka Kris Kristofferson)
· Jennings, Waylon – Dreaming my Dreams
· Nelson, Willie – Red Headed Stranger
· Williams, Hank – 40 Greatest Hits
· Travis, Randy – Storms of Life
· Brooks, Garth – No Fences

Dance: How Computers Conquered the Dancefloor
· Kraftwerk – Computer World
· 808 State – Newbuild
· New Order – Technique
· KLF – Chill Out
· Massive Attack – Blue Lines
· Orb – Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
· Leftfield – Leftism
· Plastikman – Sheet One
· Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation
· Goldie – Presents Metalheadz: Timeless

Folk: the Traditional Voices of Britain and America
· Dylan, Bob – Freewheelin’
· Graham, Davy – Folk, Blues & Beyond
· Drake, Nick – Five Leaves Left
· Fairport Convention – Liege & Lief
· Carthy, Martin & Dave Swarbrick – Prince Heathen
· Baez, Joan – Diamonds & Rust
· Guthrie, Woody – Legend of the American Folk Blues (1992 Smithsonian compilation)
· Jansch, Bert – Blackwater Side (1997 compilation on Recall)
· Carthy, Eliza – Red Rice
· Seeger, Pete – If I had a Hammer, Songs of Hope & Struggle (1998 Smithsonian compilation)

Hip Hop: the American Urban Ghetto Finally Finds its Voice
· Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – the Message
· Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
· Run DMC – Raising Hell
· Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
· NWA – Straight Outta Compton
· De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising
· Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels…
· Wu Tang Clan – Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
· DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
· Fugees – the Score

Indie: Independent in the Truest Sense, They Captured the Spirit of Freedom
· Joy Division – Closer
· Happy Mondays – Bummed
· Stone Roses – Stone Roses
· Pixies – Doolittle
· La’s – La’s
· Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk
· My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
· PJ Harvey – Dry
· Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace
· Stereolab – Transient Random Noise-Bursts with Announcements

Jazz: From Louis Armstrong’s Trad to John Coltrane’s Improvisations
· Monk, Thelonious – Brilliant Corners
· Brubeck, Dave Quartet – Time Out
· Mingus, Charles – Mingus Ah-Um
· Davis, Miles – Kind of Blue
· Evans, Bill – Waltz for Debby/Sunday at the Village Vanguard
· Dolphy, Eric – Out to Lunch
· Coltrane, John – A Love Supreme
· Various Artists – Best of Blue Note (1985 compilation)
· Ellington, Duke – Blanton/Webster Band
· Armstrong, Louis – Best of the Hot Fives and Sevens Vols 1-4

Metal: They Came, They Saw, They Plugged in and Turned it up to Eleven
· Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
· Kiss – Destroyer
· AC/DC – Back in Black
· Motorhead – No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith
· Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
· Metallica – Master of Puppets
· Guns ‘n’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
· Scorpions – Crazy World
· Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
· Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar

Pop: Fun was the Key Word, Music Not to be Taken Seriously
· Richard, Cliff – Summer Holiday
· Beach Boys – All Summer Long
· Various Artists – Motown Chartbusters Vol 5
· T. Rex – Slider
· Slade – Sladest
· Abba – Arrival
· Jackson 5 – Anthology
· Duran Duran – Rio
· Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome
· Williams, Robbie – Life Thru a Lens

Prog: Concept Albums, Crimson Kings & Rock Operas
· Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord
· King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
· Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Pictures at an Exhibition
· Jethro Tull – Aqualung
· Van der Graaf Generator – Pawn Hearts
· Yes – Close to the Edge
· Genesis – Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
· Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
· Gong – Angel’s Egg
· Marillion – Misplaced Childhood

Psychedelia: the True Spirit of ’67, from English Whimsy to San Franciscan Acid-Rock
· Beatles – Revolver
· Traffic – Mr Fantasy
· Country Joe & the Fish – Electric Music for the Mind & Body
· Cream – Disraeli Gears
· Jefferson Airplane – After Bathing at Baxter’s
· Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
· Pretty Things – SF Sorrow
· Soft Machine – Soft Machine
· Big Brother & the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
· Grateful Dead – Live Dead

Punk: Three-chord Anthems by Overnight Heroes
· Smith, Patti – Horses
· Ramones – Ramones
· Damned – Damned, Damned, Damned
· Saints – I’m Stranded
· Stranglers – IV: Rattus Norvegicus
· Clash – Clash
· Pere Ubu – Modern Dance
· Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the…
· Wire – Pink Flag
· Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen

Reggae: From Marley to Madness, it was the Most Infectious Groove Around
· Various Artists – Ocean’s Eleven/All Star Top Hits (Ska Bonanza includes all this)
· Various Artists – Greatest Jamaican Beat (1967 Doctor Bird compilation)
· Skatalites – Ska Authentic
· Prince Buster – Fabulous Greatest Hits
· U Roy – Version Galore
· Andy, Bob – Songbook
· Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Catch a Fire
· Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
· Pablo, Augustus – King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
· Perry, Lee & the Upsetters – Super Ape

Rock: Raw Riffs, Guitar Heroes and Stadium Superstars
· Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
· Deep Purple – Machine Head
· Frampton, Peter – Comes Alive
· Boston – Boston
· UFO – Lights Out
· Rainbow – Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll
· Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous
· Asia – Asia
· Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
· Def Leppard – Hysteria

Soul & Funk: Rhythm & Blues Hit the Big City
· Cooke, Sam – Night Beat
· Temptations – Sing Smokey
· Redding, Otis – Otis Blue
· Gaye, Marvin – What’s Going On
· Mayfield, Curtis – Curtis
· Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
· Green, Al – Let’s Stay Together
· Wonder, Stevie – Innervisions
· Brown, James – Payback
· Charles, Ray – Best of the Atlantic Years (1994 compilation)