According to Wire magazine, these are the 100 Most Important Records Ever Made. Album covers and write-ups can be found here. I found the list so interesting, I decided to re-post it here:
- Various Artists – On the Halls (1930)
- Anton Webern – Complete Webern, Op. 1-31 (1991)
- Various Artists – Earliest Negro Vocal Quartets, 1894-1928 (1991)
- Igor Stravinsky – Petrouchka; Le Sacre du Printemps: Boulez (1992)
- Bartok Plays Bartok: Bartok at the Piano, 1929-41 (1995)
- Bessie Smith – The Complete Recordings Vol. 1 (1991)
- Jelly Roll Morton – The Jelly Roll Morton Centennial: His Complete Victor Recordings (1990)
- Louis Armstrong – Hot Fives and Sevens (1999)
- Charley Patton – Founder of the Delta Blues (1969)
- Blind Willie Johnson – Praise God I’m Satisfied (1977)
- Really! The Country Blues, 1927-1933 (1962)
- Dziga Vertov – Enthusiasm: Symphony of the Donbas (film with soundtrack)
- Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings (1990)
- Billie Holiday – Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia, 1933-1944 (2001)
- Count Basie – The Complete Original American Decca Recordings (2001)
- Muggsy Spanier’s Ragtime Band – The Great 16 (1956)
- Coleman Hawkins – Body and Soul (1958)
- Duke Ellington – The Blanton-Webster Band (1986)
- Charlie Parker – The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions (1978)
- Thelonious Monk – Genius of Modern Music (1951)
- Woody Herman – Four Brothers (1988)
- Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh – Intuition (1996)
- Olivier Messiaen – Turangalila-Symphonie + Lutoslawski – Symphony No. 3, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen (1986) - Various Artists – Folk Music of the Mediterranean (1952)
- Art Tatum – The Complete Pablo Solo Masterpieces (1991)
- Elvis Presley – That’s All Right/Blue Moon of Kentucky/That’s All Right [alternate take] (2004)
- Julie London – Julie Is Her Name (1955)
- Frank Sinatraa – Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1956)
- Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus (1957)
- The 5 Royales – Dedicated to the One I Love/Don’t Be Ashamed (1957 single)
- Chuck Berry – Sweet Little Sixteen/Reelin’ and Rockin’ (1958 single)
- Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
- Bo Diddley – Go Bo Diddley (1959)
- Karlheinz Stockhausen – Gesang der Junglinge; Kontakte (1966)
- Ornette Coleman – Change of the Century (1960)
- Gil Evans – Out of the Cool (1961)
- Bill Evans – Complete Village Vanguard 1961 (2005)
- Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961)
- Green Onions – Booker T. and the MGs (1962)
- Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)
- La Monte Young – Sunday Morning Blues (1992)
- Ezz Reco & the Launchers – Blue Beat Dance/King of Kings (1964 single)
- Albert Ayler – Spiritual Unity (1964)
- The Kingsmen – Louie Louie/Haunted Castle (1963 single)
- Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch (1964)
- Various Artists – The Motown Sound: A Collection of 16 Original Bit Hits, Vol. 9 (1967)
- The Kinks – See My Friend/Never Met a Girl Like You Before (1965 single)
- James Brown – Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, Parts 1 & 2 (1965 single)
- Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
- Alegre All Stars (Charlie Palmieri) – Best of the Alegre All Stars (2005)
- Morton Subotnick – Silver Apples of the Moon (1967)
- John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (1965)
- The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
- Frank Zappa – We’re Only In It for the Money (1968)
- Jimi Hendrix – Axis: Bold as Love (1967)
- Sly and the Family Stone – Dance to the Music (1968)
- The Melodians – Pre-Meditation (1986)
- Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica (1969)
- The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat (1968)
- The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed (1969)
- Scott Walker – Scott 3 (1969)
- The Meters – Look-Ka Py Py (1969)
- The Stooges – Fun House (1970)
- The Soft Machine – Third (1970)
- Dr. Roger Payne (producer) – Songs of the Humpback Whale (1970)
- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
- Philip Glass – Music in Twelve Parts (1988)
- Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan – In Concert 1972 (1973)
- Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (1973)
- Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On (1973)
- Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill (1972)
- Joni Mitchell – Ladies of the Canyon (1970)
- Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-68 (1972)
- Bob Marley – Catch a Fire (1973)
- Can – Soon Over Babaluma (1974)
- Grupo Folklorico Y Experimental Nuevayorquino – Concepts in Unity (1975)
- Patti Smith – Horses (1975)
- Fela Kuti – Kalakuta Show (1975)
- Brian Eno – Another Green World (1975)
- The Clash – The Clash (1977)
- Hans Jurgen Syberberg – Hitler, A Film from Germany (film with soundtrack)
- Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express (1977)
- Evan Parker – Monoceros (1978)
- Pere Ubu – Dub Housing (1978)
- Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box (1979)
- The Pop Group – Y (1979)
- Alban Berg – Lulu; DG; Boulez (1986)
- The Fall – Slates (1981)
- Grandmaster Flash – The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel (1981 single)
- King Sunny Ade – Juju Music (1982)
- Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)
- Husker Du – Zen Arcade (1984)
- Minor Threat – Complete Discography (2003)
- Madonna – Into the Groove/Shoo-Bee-Doo (1985 single)
- Various Artists – The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1987)
- Christian Marclay – Record Without a Cover (1985)
- Mr. Fingers – Washing Machine (1986 single)
- Amy Koita – Best of Amy Koita (2004)
- Cecil Taylor – Cecil Taylor in Berlin ‘88 (1989)
- Public Enemy – Bring the Noise (1987 single)
I am the creator and site administrator at The Basement Rug. I have been collecting LP's and CD's for more than 30 years. I