Top 10 Albums You Must Own

1. Thriller - Michael Jackson

   

   Any music collection is incomplete without this masterpiece! Haters keep whining about it because nobody does it better when it comes to the quality of albums. It's not like an album has two or three good songs. Every song on this album is a potential chartbuster, and Michael Jackson knew how to make it that way!

   If anything is overrated, it has to be Nevermind. Sure, it broke ground for grunge, but it's not even the best grunge album of all time - Pearl Jam did it better.

   Whoever says this gem is overrated knows nothing about music, or their taste in music is pure crap. Nobody makes albums like the "King." Every song on this album is both adorable and brilliant. I believe Nevermind is the world's most overrated album. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a milestone record, I totally agree, but as an album, it is highly inconsistent.

2. Dark Side of The Moon - Pink Floyd

   

   One of the longest-charting best-sellers isn't in the top 10. WOW! Some people just have no taste. Dark Side is not an album. It's an experience. It's also an experience everyone needs to have.

   It's a timeless classic and will never get old. It was on the charts for 15 years, which is a record. I listen to it almost every week. And it's the best album to get high to!

   The last two tracks, Brain Damage and Eclipse, are literally the most perfect ending an album could ever have. Pink Floyd's best work.

3. Master of Puppets - Metallica

   

   One of the greatest albums by one of the greatest bands in the history of music. It has the original Metallica feel. There's not a person in the world who wouldn't recognize at least one song from it. If you don't own it - shame on you!

   Definitely the greatest heavy album of all time. And since heavy metal is the greatest genre, logic demands that this is the best album.

   This is definitely the best album of all time. Everybody should own it! The second-best is Nevermind by Nirvana.

4. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin

   

   Every song on this album is incredible. You have one of the greatest riffs, an adventure song, Stairway to Heaven, some catchy tunes, a powerful drum track, and more.

   A classic LP with 8 of the greatest songs ever written. People knew what Led Zep 1, 2, and 3 sounded like, but 4 was a mysterious album. Mysterious artwork, untitled name. When it came out, I never knew it was Led Zep. I just saw a mystery that had the 8 greatest songs ever on it.

   This album has everything - the essence of Led Zeppelin. It's definitely better than anything Cobain or Nirvana could ever dream of producing.

5. Nevermind - Nirvana

   

   Every song is an effortless masterpiece. Take out Smells Like Teen Spirit, and you still have a perfect album. As time goes on, I have grown to prefer In Utero, but this album turned me on to new music, art, and poetry. It manages to encompass exactly how I feel. It makes me cry, scream, and dance. I love you, Kurt Cobain.

   Nevermind needs to be in everybody's music collection because it is amazing! I have it on vinyl and on my iTunes, and I never go a day without listening to at least one song from this iconic album.

   My favorites on this one are Come As You Are, On a Plain, and In Bloom. It's just a masterpiece.

6. Abbey Road - The Beatles

   

   The people who voted for any of the albums above probably did so because they're their favorites or because they're "popular" right now. But when the Beatles released an album, everyone loved it. Never has there been a band or artist that even comes close to the Beatles' level of brilliance.

   This is the album when John said they were trying to be non-experimental. Coming from the most experimental, innovative band of all time, that proved impossible. It was The Beatles' swan song.

   A landmark of modern music. Nothing has even come close to this album, either before or after. It was the beginning as well as the end of an era.

7. Every Picture Tell's a Story - Rod Stewart

   

   Every artist on this list, from Abba to Zappa, has this album at home. This album is essential.

8. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I - Michael Jackson

   

   It has some of my favorite songs:

   - They Don't Care About Us (the best ever)

   - You Are Not Alone

   - Scream

   - Earth Song

   Childhood and Tabloid Junkie are both excellent.

9. Paranoid - Black Sabbath

   

   I love all sorts of music. I can listen to The Beach Boys to Metallica. I'm not just a metalhead raving for heavy metal, but this album really is special. Every song just works. If you have never heard Black Sabbath, then just play this. It's better than a Best of!

   If you call yourself a true metal or rock fan, you have to own this album! How is all this pop and rap junk ahead of Black Sabbath? You people have no knowledge of music.

   Definitely needs a spot in the top 10.

10. Moving Pictures - Rush

    

    Moving Pictures should be number one - or number two, if you want to put 2112 ahead of it. It's just three guys playing instruments, unlike other bands or artists with massive groups or solo performers who don't even write their own music. I'm not going to name names, but you know who I'm talking about.

    Eh, personally, I think 2112 and Permanent Waves beat this one. Possibly even Clockwork Angels, Hemispheres, and A Farewell to Kings as well.

    Their greatest album, and thus one of the greatest albums ever.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Hand. Cannot. Erase - Steven Wilson

    

    Sorry, yes. Listened to it time and again while driving home from my sister's funeral. Just brilliant.

    The trains passed by like time. I waved, but they didn't slow down.

12. ?

    Adventure - Madeon

    

    Just an electronic masterpiece.

The Contenders

13. Combat Rock - The Clash

    

    Best band, because they never betrayed their way of thinking. I'm not Marxist, but I believe, like them, in a better world. "Clash" means true politics.

14. Dream With Me - Jackie Evancho

    

    David "The Hitman" Foster, who produced this album, described Jackie as an 11-year-old with the musical mind of a 50-year-old. Listeners say she sounds like a 25- or 30-year-old. That's why she's ranked so high on this list and deserves an even higher rank. Don't just take my word for it - believe the accomplished musicians, singers, and conductors who have worked with her. Better yet, listen to her yourself and trust your own ears.

    This poll is not about how old the performer is or how long the performer's resume is. It's about whether you are missing something very special if you don't own this album. You are.

15. Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses

    

    Welcome to the Jungle - this track shows exactly why this band is on top. It's an all-around top-tier song.

    Night Train - an awesome track that really gets you going.

    Paradise City - a fun song with a quick beat and catchy chorus.

    Mr. Brownstone - a great song that focuses on addiction.

    Sweet Child O' Mine - yes, it's famous and a bit overblown compared to some of their other songs, but it's famous for a reason.

    You're Crazy - I prefer the Lies version, but this one is still fun to listen to.

    Rocket Queen - a highly underrated song. I highly recommend this album to anyone.

    This is my album, and I believe everyone should own it by the time they are 25, along with Slippery When Wet, New Jersey, Back in Black, plus many more, including some I probably haven't even heard.

16. Ride the Lightning - Metallica

    

    Way better than Master of Puppets.

17. A Night at the Opera - Queen

    

    Queen tried every trick in the book with this album, crossing all genres of music. Gone is the heavy rock sound of their first two albums. A Night at the Opera is an album you simply must hear to believe.

    It has the quirkiness of Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, the folky sound of '39, the 1930s vibe of Good Company/Seaside Rendezvous, and, of course, the majestic sound of Bohemian Rhapsody. Throw in the epic Prophet's Song and some rock with Death on Two Legs, and you have a masterpiece that still sounds great today. There's only one dud track, but we can forgive Queen for that - you can figure it out.

    Not only about the greatest hits, but some hidden gems are in there, too! Seaside Rendezvous, Death on Two Legs, Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon, '39, Good Company... Fantastic! A must-have.

18. Awakening - Jackie Evancho

    Also available as a PBS pledge-gift DVD, every song on this album is outstanding. Her duet of "Say Something" with Cheyenne Jackson is simply marvelous. Jackie playing piano and singing "My Immortal" showcases yet another facet of this young lady.

    Four years ago, Jackie stunned everyone who heard her sing. Today, Jackie captures the soul so perfectly that every other singer we hear, no matter how wonderful they may be, fails to rise to the level of "The Voice."

    Your Love is probably my favorite track, but so many are excellent on this album.

19. Another Music In a Different Kitchen - The Buzzcocks

    

20. The White Album - The Beatles

    

    Yes, I agree. Definitely the best band ever! How can anyone better this album? Truly brilliant. What a tragedy that John is no longer with us. He and Paul were prolific songwriters, so talented. Their music will always stand the test of time.

    The best album by one of the best bands of all time!

21. Inflammable Material - Stiff Little Fingers

    

    Heartfelt punk. Loved it in the day and still do.

22. Van Halen - Van Halen

    

    Possibly the greatest debut of all time and one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

23. Dive - Sarah Brightman

    

24. The Wall - Pink Floyd

    

    Okay, Michael Jackson's Thriller can't measure up to The Wall. Although I would listen to The Dark Side of the Moon over The Wall, I would still own this over anything on here. This is the greatest concept album of all time.

    One of the greatest albums of all time! An album that you have to listen to before you die.

    The only album that makes you truly feel the author's pain in it. My favorite album ever.

25. Nevermind the Bollocks - The Sex Pistols

    

    The best punk album of all time.

26. The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden

    

    It's not Maiden's best album, Powerslave, and it's by far not their worst, The X Factor, but it sure as hell is better than Michael Jackson and Nirvana!

    I love all the songs on this album. You should definitely take the time to listen to it. Up the Irons!

    If you are a metalhead or simply just diggin' hard rock and heavy metal in general, you need this album!

27. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys

    

    Beautiful songs sung with beautiful voices. The Beach Boys' Sgt. Pepper album.