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100 Albums Everyone Should Own On Vinyl

Every album on this list earned its place for multiple reasons. First, these are records that shine on vinyl, albums recorded and mastered during the analog era or with techniques that particularly benefit from the warmth and dynamics of vinyl playback. You'll hear details, depth, and dimension that digital formats often miss.

 

Each selection also represents a pivotal moment in music history. These aren't just great albums; they're the records that changed everything. These are the ones that launched movements, defined genres, and influenced generations of musicians. From Robert Johnson's foundational blues to Kendrick Lamar's modern hip-hop mastery, these albums tell the story of popular music.

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Most importantly, these are albums with serious replay value. The true test of any record is whether you'll want to spin it again and again. Every album here rewards repeated listening, revealing new layers and nuances each time the needle drops.

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If you like what you read and find yourself interested in acquiring a specific vinyl pressing or have interest in trying other artists from one of our "Greatest" review pages such as The 200 Greatest Albums of All Time, The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time, The 50 Greatest Blues Albums of All Time, The 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, or  The 50 Greatest Country Albums of All Time, please click the "Buy Now" button next to each vinyl record review. It is there that you can complete your journey. That is until you discover your next vinyl record treasure or our list of the 100 Audiophile Albums Worth A Listen​.​

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​At the Warped Vinyl Aficionado, we believe that music is God's gift to humanity, and great artists are stewards of divine talent. We are here to help you invest your hard-earned money wisely in pressings that honor both. After all, excellence matters as much in the medium chosen to communicate the gift as does the talent that creates it.

​100 Albums To Own On Vinyl

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Rock (25)

  1. The Beatles | 🇬🇧 | Abbey Road

  2. Pink Floyd | 🇬🇧 | The Dark Side of the Moon

  3. Led Zeppelin | 🇬🇧 | IV

  4. The Rolling Stones | 🇬🇧 | Exile on Main Street

  5. Nirvana | 🇺🇸 | Nevermind

  6. David Bowie | 🇬🇧 | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

  7. The Velvet Underground & Nico | 🇺🇸 | The Velvet Underground & Nico

  8. Radiohead | 🇬🇧 | OK Computer

  9. Fleetwood Mac | 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 | Rumours

  10. The Who | 🇬🇧 | Who's Next

  11. Bruce Springsteen | 🇺🇸 | Born to Run

  12. The Clash | 🇬🇧 | London Calling

  13. Television | 🇺🇸 | Marquee Moon

  14. Talking Heads | 🇺🇸 | Remain in Light

  15. Sonic Youth | 🇺🇸 | Daydream Nation

  16. The Strokes | 🇺🇸 | Is This It

  17. Arcade Fire - Funeral

  18. Pearl Jam | 🇺🇸 | Ten

  19. Guns N' Roses | 🇺🇸 | Appetite for Destruction

  20. Queen | 🇬🇧 | A Night at the Opera

  21. AC/DC | 🇦🇺 | Back in Black

  22. Black Sabbath | 🇬🇧 | Paranoid

  23. Metallica | 🇺🇸 | Master of Puppets

  24. Van Halen | 🇺🇸 | Van Halen

  25. Neil Young | 🇨🇦 | After the Gold Rush

 

Blues & Blues-Rock (15)

  1. Robert Johnson | 🇺🇸 | King of the Delta Blues Singers

  2. Muddy Waters | 🇺🇸 | The Best of Muddy Waters

  3. B.B. King | 🇺🇸 | Live at the Regal

  4. The Allman Brothers Band | 🇺🇸 | At Fillmore East

  5. Derek and the Dominos | 🇺🇸 | Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

  6. Stevie Ray Vaughan | 🇺🇸 | Texas Flood

  7. The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 🇺🇸 | Are You Experienced

  8. Cream | 🇬🇧 | Disraeli Gears

  9. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers | 🇬🇧 | Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton

  10. Albert King | 🇺🇸 | Born Under a Bad Sign

  11. Howlin' Wolf | 🇺🇸 | Moanin' in the Moonlight

  12. Bessie Smith | 🇺🇸 | The Essential Bessie Smith

  13. Big Brother & The Holding Company | 🇺🇸 | Cheap Thrills

  14. T-Bone Walker | 🇺🇸 | T-Bone Blues

  15. Etta James | 🇺🇸 | At Last!

 

Jazz (15)

  1. Miles Davis | 🇺🇸 | Kind of Blue

  2. John Coltrane | 🇺🇸 | A Love Supreme

  3. Dave Brubeck | 🇺🇸 | Time Out

  4. Bill Evans | 🇺🇸 | Sunday at the Village Vanguard

  5. Thelonious Monk | 🇺🇸 | Monk's Dream

  6. Charles Mingus | 🇺🇸 | The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

  7. Cannonball Adderley | 🇺🇸 | Somethin' Else

  8. Art Blakey | 🇺🇸 | Moanin'

  9. Duke Ellington | 🇺🇸 | Ellington at Newport

  10. Count Basie | 🇺🇸 | The Atomic Mr. Basie

  11. Billie Holiday | 🇺🇸 | Lady in Satin

  12. Charlie Parker | 🇺🇸 | Bird and Diz

  13. Stan Getz & João Gilberto | 🇺🇸 🇧🇷 | Getz/Gilberto

  14. Herbie Hancock | 🇺🇸 | Head Hunters

  15. Weather Report | 🇺🇸 | Heavy Weather

 

Standards & Vocal Jazz (10)

  1. Frank Sinatra | 🇺🇸 | In the Wee Small Hours

  2. Ella Fitzgerald | 🇺🇸 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book

  3. Tony Bennett | 🇺🇸 | I Left My Heart in San Francisco

  4. Sarah Vaughan | 🇺🇸 | Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown

  5. Nat King Cole | 🇺🇸 | After Midnight

  6. Dean Martin | 🇺🇸 | Dream with Dean

  7. Nina Simone | 🇺🇸 | Pastel Blues

  8. Peggy Lee | 🇺🇸 | Black Coffee

  9. Louis Armstrong | 🇺🇸 | Ella and Louis

  10. Art Tatum | 🇺🇸 | The Complete Capitol Recordings

 

R&B/Soul (15)

  1. Marvin Gaye | 🇺🇸 | What's Going On

  2. Aretha Franklin | 🇺🇸 | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

  3. James Brown | 🇺🇸 | Live at the Apollo

  4. Stevie Wonder | 🇺🇸 | Songs in the Key of Life

  5. Prince | 🇺🇸 | Purple Rain

  6. Al Green | 🇺🇸 | Let's Stay Together

  7. Curtis Mayfield | 🇺🇸 | Super Fly

  8. Otis Redding | 🇺🇸 | Otis Blue

  9. Sam Cooke | 🇺🇸 | Live at the Harlem Square Club

  10. Isaac Hayes | 🇺🇸 | Hot Buttered Soul

  11. Michael Jackson | 🇺🇸 | Thriller

  12. D'Angelo | 🇺🇸 | Voodoo

  13. Erykah Badu | 🇺🇸 | Baduizm

  14. Lauryn Hill  | 🇺🇸 | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

  15. Sly & The Family Stone | 🇺🇸 | Stand!

 

Hip Hop (10)

  1. Public Enemy | 🇺🇸 | It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

  2. N.W.A | 🇺🇸 | Straight Outta Compton

  3. Wu-Tang Clan | 🇺🇸 | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

  4. Nas | 🇺🇸 | Illmatic

  5. The Notorious B.I.G. | 🇺🇸 | Ready to Die

  6. Dr. Dre | 🇺🇸 | The Chronic

  7. Kendrick Lamar | 🇺🇸 | To Pimp a Butterfly

  8. A Tribe Called Quest | 🇺🇸 | The Low End Theory

  9. OutKast | 🇺🇸 | Aquemini

  10. De La Soul | 🇺🇸 | 3 Feet High and Rising

 

Country & Americana (10)

  1. Johnny Cash | 🇺🇸 | At Folsom Prison

  2. Willie Nelson | 🇺🇸 | Red Headed Stranger

  3. Patsy Cline | 🇺🇸 | Showcase

  4. Hank Williams | 🇺🇸 | 40 Greatest Hits

  5. Dolly Parton | 🇺🇸 | Coat of Many Colors

  6. Emmylou Harris | 🇺🇸 | Wrecking Ball

  7. Gram Parsons | 🇺🇸 | Grievous Angel

  8. Waylon Jennings | 🇺🇸 | Honky Tonk Heroes

  9. George Jones | 🇺🇸 | The Grand Tour

  10. The Band | 🇨🇦 | Music from Big Pink

 

Honorable Mention

These 10 albums nearly made the top 100 and are essential additions for any serious collector:

  1. The Beach Boys | 🇺🇸 | Pet Sounds

  2. Bob Dylan | 🇺🇸 | Blood on the Tracks

  3. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

  4. Patti Smith | 🇺🇸 | Horses

  5. Ramones | 🇺🇸 | Ramones

  6. Joy Division | 🇬🇧 | Closer

  7. Funkadelic | 🇺🇸 | Maggot Brain

  8. Beastie Boys | 🇺🇸 | Paul's Boutique

  9. The Smiths | 🇬🇧 | The Queen Is Dead

  10. Loretta Lynn | 🇺🇸 | Coal Miner's Daughter

 

25 Essential First Purchases:

If you're just starting your vinyl collection, these albums offer the perfect foundation:

 

Rock Essentials:

  1. The Beatles | 🇬🇧 | Abbey Road

  2. Pink Floyd | 🇬🇧 | The Dark Side of the Moon

  3. Led Zeppelin | 🇬🇧 | IV

  4. Fleetwood Mac | 🇬🇧 | Rumours

  5. The Rolling Stones | 🇬🇧 | Exile on Main Street

  6. David Bowie | 🇬🇧 | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

  7. The Beach Boys | 🇺🇸 | Pet Sounds

 

Soul/R&B:

8. Marvin Gaye | 🇺🇸 | What's Going On

9. Stevie Wonder | 🇺🇸 | Songs in the Key of Life

10. Aretha Franklin | 🇺🇸 | I Never Loved a Man

11. Prince | 🇺🇸 | Purple Rain

12. Al Green | 🇺🇸 | Let's Stay Together

 

Jazz:

13. Miles Davis | 🇺🇸 | Kind of Blue 

14. John Coltrane | 🇺🇸 | A Love Supreme

15. Bill Evans | 🇺🇸 | Sunday at the Village Vanguard

 

Blues/Blues-Rock:

16. B.B. King | 🇺🇸 | Live at the Regal 

17. The Allman Brothers Band | 🇺🇸 | At Fillmore East

 

Country:

18. Johnny Cash | 🇺🇸 | At Folsom Prison

19. Willie Nelson | 🇺🇸 | Red Headed Stranger

 

Alternative/Indie:

20. Nirvana | 🇺🇸 | Nevermind 

21. Radiohead | 🇬🇧 | OK Computer 

22. The Velvet Underground & Nico | 🇺🇸 | The Velvet Underground & Nico

 

Standards:

23. Frank Sinatra | 🇺🇸 | In the Wee Small Hours

 

Hip Hop:

24. Nas | 🇺🇸 | Illmatic

25. A Tribe Called Quest | 🇺🇸 | The Low End Theory

 

At the Warped Vinyl Aficionado, we believe that music is God's gift to humanity, and great artists are stewards of divine talent. We are here to help you invest your hard-earned money wisely in pressings that honor both. After all, excellence matters as much in the medium chosen to communicate the gift as does the talent that creates it.

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©2022 by The Warped Vinyl Slant

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