Top 10 Albums That Need to Be Listened to Entirely In One Sitting

These albums are masterpieces! Many songs on them are wonderful on their own! But when put in order, one after another, like the artists intended them be, these albums become celestial.
The Top Ten
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

Just about every song on this classic album is memorable and wonderful, but they all blend together in such a way that, after sitting and listening for so long, the final chord of "Eclipse" is enlightening.

Abbey Road - The Beatles

The last album by the greatest band of all time. In fact, Golden Slumbers and on is meant to be played in succession.

The B-side medley that starts at You Never Give Me Your Money and goes all the way to the end of the album is one of my favorite pieces of music ever.

The Wall - Pink Floyd

Literally one of the best albums to listen to in order. You hear a story, and the songs are strung together so well from beginning to end that you get taken on a ride. By the end, you understand the concept of "The Wall."

This is the quintessential concept album. Listen to this one all the way through, and you'll realize that every song on it is important.

If you don't listen to the whole album, it doesn't connect. It's like skipping through a novel.

What's Going On - Marvin Gaye

The two popular songs to come from this album were "What's Going On" and "Mercy Mercy Me." The other songs lack the catchiness to become singles. But all put together, the album gives a bleak but hopeful view of our times and future.

Smile - Brian Wilson

This is an incredibly tough decision, as I love every album on this list, especially Dark Side and Abbey Road. But this is an album that needs to be taken in one dose. The recurring themes running through it - bits of melody, snatches of lyrics - all culminate in the band's mega-hit, "Good Vibrations." We waited almost forty years for this album. It wasn't a disappointment.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles
To Our Children's Children's Children - The Moody Blues
Sea Change - Beck

Beck's first leap into transcendence was a bleak one, with an album all about heartbreak due to his breakup at the time.

18 - Moby
Random Album Title - Deadmau5

Yes, the further you get into the album, the more isolated it feels. I used to listen to this album several times a week to keep me going through school. It never fails to cheer me up and make my day better.

The Newcomers

? Kid A - Radiohead
? School of Fish - School of Fish

Listening to the album start to finish is awesome. It's a little-known gem of an album from a little-known group. It really is a great album.

The Contenders
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Innuendo - Queen

This is the final Queen album of Freddie Mercury's lifetime. You may not hear it, but Mercury was slowly dying throughout the recording of this entire album, and it makes the final song, "The Show Must Go On," all the more pressing.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour - The Moody Blues
In the Air - Morgan Page
Play - Moby
The Rhythm of the Saints - Paul Simon
4x4=12 - Deadmau5
Metamodern Sounds In Country Music - Sturgill Simpson

Although less known than the other artists here, Sturgill Simpson is an emerging classic country artist, with songs that break the boundaries of modern and classic country music, culminating in a psychedelic finale in "It Ain't All Flowers."

The Who Sell Out - The Who
Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Destroyed - Moby
The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
Mirage - Armin Van Buuren
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