Top Ten Most Influential Albums

The Top Ten
1 Thriller - Michael Jackson

The other albums did NOT unite black people and white people. There's a Wikipedia page of List of artist influence by Michael Jackson and Cultural impact of Michael Jackson. If you do nor like it, LEAVE IT ALONE. Tell me if thete'a Wikipedia page about Cultural impact of Metal Music. I 'll wait. I respect Metal music and you should respect pop too.

Ok, I love this album, and this influenced a lot of pop and hard rock to follow. But why is Metallica's Kill 'Em All, or Ride the Lightning, or Master of Puppets on this list, but the Black Album is? Come on, those three were so influenticial, they were the blueprint for a lot of metal and rock after them, including many other legends like Slayer and Korn and Testament and Avenged Sevenfold.
But back to this, this album had so many tunes that became the blueprint for a lot of pop and hard rock, especially the title tack. If this album were here today, all the songs would be playing in the top 40 and could at least enjoy a fourth of the radio, rather than only two songs. Love this album.

If you see the state of modern music we are in ( pop, rap, r&b, Bieber, Cyrus etc... ) nowadays, you can only take the conclusion that this album influenced many bad artists and changed music for the worst. How can this the most influential album of all time if everything after that became less interesting in the music field? It had his highlight in the 80's and it sold the most, but influential? Really? Elvis first album, The Beatles Sgt. pepper's, the first and second Black Sabbath album, Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde etc.. those are the albums that contributed on social, cultural levels and that were influential in music. Thriller is a very good album ( I even bought it when it came out at the time. I was 18 years old. ) but it don't deserve the number one rank of most influential album of all time. It was only influential at a certain moment in time but nowadays it's only a very popular album ( that many people like and some don't like. ).

This album is fantastic, but influential to what? Everything after this album was mediocre appart from Nevermind from Nirvana and they are surely not influenced by Michael Jackson. SSo; fantastic album "Triller" but pittyfully never influenced any other.

2 Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd

One of those rare albums where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, must be listened to from beginning to end. A prog rock masterpiece!

My favorite album of all time! Thriller is nit the most influential album of all time! People just vote for it cause he's dead.

Better than all the rest. A true masterpiece! Stands the test of time, it envelopes you & strikes a chord with of every passage!

To me this album is less of a group of songs and more of one singular piece of music. DSOTM is the best piece of music ever written.

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

There are two albums that changed music on a social and cultural level. The first Elvis Presley album ( the album that made Rock popular not only in the States but all over the world ) and this one from The Beatles ( the album that changed the late 60's and all what came after that ). It's certainly not " Thriller " from Michael Jackson that changed the eighties and the music on a social and cultural level. Eddie Van Halen, Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones etc... all contributed to the " Thriller " album but people treat Michael Jackson as the one and only genius who influenced and changed everything in music.

While you could say that Pet Sounds inspired Sgt Pepper, Pet Sounds was inspired by Rubber Soul but that is another subject. Sgt Pepper created the concept album in the sense as it is known today.

Is this poll a joke. This album deserves the #1 spot, and it sits here residing at 2nd. The Beatles are the most influential band of all time. This album however changed everything, and it is a showcase of The Beatles talent. Maybe I am just incapable of understanding retards.

Most important album. Music was never the same after this. The Beatles deserve the top 5 spots with the white album at 5, abbey road at 4, rubber soul at 3, revolver at 2, and sgt pepper at 1. The Beatles will always be the greatest band ever everyone else is fighting for second

4 Every Picture Tells a Story - Rod Stewart

First album in history that reached simultaniously the number one spot in the USA and UK.
Also the single "Maggie May" was number one at the same time in the USA and UK, sweden, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany, Australia, Chili, France, Greece, Israƫl, SA and Ireland.

5 Dream With Me - Jackie Evancho

In this, her debut album, Jackie enlightened the world about what Classical Crossover is, and should be, about. With her head in the music and her heart on her sleeve, this young lady uses her gently powerful vocal instrument to set the bar for fine performances.

In an era where almost the only thing being listened to is auto-tuned pop and gutter-level rap, along comes the purest voice in more than a century.

How is this influential? I've never heard anyone mention it. Ever.

Most influential album in my life, so gets my vote.

6 Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols - The Sex Pistols

It was totally a revolutionary for punk music industry. I believe its their only album but you can still its effect on todays teenagers... Great album from the punk GREAts..

There are so many bands that wouldn't exist if this band and this album would not have happened.

7 Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan

Really? 47? This deserves probably in the top 5.

8 Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys

Pet Sounds is by far the most innovative, experimental, and influential album of all time. Despite the fact that many claim Sgt. Pepper to be this album, Without Pet Sounds there would be no Sgt. Pepper. A truly masterful work of musical beauty.

Can't respect any list that doesn't have pet sounds in the top 5 as most influential album of all time.

Yes, should be in the top three at least. If SMILE had been released in 1966 or '67, it would be in the top three, also

This is the most important album,
It goes Bob Dylan Bringing it All Back Home to
Rubber Soul to
Pet Sounds to
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to
Popular music in general

9 Awakening - Jackie Evancho

Jackie continues to enlarge the tent of the "classical crossover" genre with this mix of sacred, classical and pop covers and some startling original songs. Something for everyone, and all of it done in grand style.

Surrender to this voice and you will fly.

Get ready to be influenced.

10 Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) - Led Zeppelin

Proof that hard rock bands could be more than blaring guitars and pounding drums.

The Contenders
11 Nevermind - Nirvana

This album has inspired many artists around today, some good, some bad (Miley Cyrus comes to mind with that insulting cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit) and also if it wasn't for Nirvana we wouldn't have Foo Fighters. So not only most influential album, but one of the most influential bands

This album represents more than just music, it represents a whole generation, albums are not only excellent by their music, it's more the context at the moment they were released and what evoque to any person who lived listening it.

Thriller is the greatest. But Nevermind is the most influential, it brought not only grunge to mainstream music but also shaped the whole idea of alternative rock. Long live KKD.

This album started the grunge movement and also brought alternative rock back into the mainstream. If this album wasnt around many of todays bands wouldn't exisit

12 Paranoid - Black Sabbath

For pioneering music that mom's screamed at their sons for listening to, and doing it successfully at that, this album outta have a spot in the top 10 somewhere. After all, this list is for albums that re invented music, best-seller or not.

13 London Calling - The Clash

The ammount of different sub genres of rock this album bought to the mainstream definitely falls under most influential albums category. Might not be the most influential but deserves to be higher than 24

14 Play - Moby
15 Autobahn - Kraftwerk

It started something completely new in music.

16 It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
17 Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley

I don't know what was the first album of all time, which obviously influenced EVERY other album and therefore is objectively THE most influential album of all time...
...so I'll just vote for the earliest album with pop cultural influence that came to my mind.
Albums of the 21st century should not be on such a list. They fit on genre-specific lists, but not on lists about influential music in general.

Say whatever you like about the album. Covers which do nothing special... Vocal tweaking but this album influences every teen at that time to become a rebellious force like Elvis. Rock and roll is finally liberated from racial stereotypes. The charts embrace a new form of music which alters pop culture until the end of time.

He should be rated higher. The Man is the biggest selling ARTIST of all-time.

I don't think this is a masterpiece, but without it thriller never would exist

18 Dangerous - Michael Jackson

I love this album so much! This is the first album of Michael from wich I immediately loved every song. It's one of the best albums of all time, together with all the other Mj albums..

19 Queen II - Queen

Brilliant album. The diehard Queen fans and music fans get it... (which is why it's so influential). while everyone else is worried about grabbing the Greatest Hits album.

I think that this album is pretty underrated.

20 5 Years of Mau5 - Deadmau5
21 18 - Moby
22 Invincible - Michael Jackson
23 Off the Wall - Michael Jackson

This was his first debut album as a solo artist. What a start he had... This was a mix of the past with the future... Michael presented it perfectly... love 4 mj

Wow 5 Michael Jackson albums in the top 10! Amazing! And well deserved! Michael still is the best!

24 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I - Michael Jackson
25 Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
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