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Favorite Albums

Posted by Jason Tate

Looking for some great music and not sure where to start? Here’s a list of some of my favorite albums of all time. This list spans almost all genres and eras and is by no means “complete” — but if you haven’t heard these albums, I recommend getting on that.

Favorite Albums

  • A Wilhelm Scream – Career Suicide
  • A Wilhelm Scream – Partycrasher
  • A Wilhelm Scream – Ruiner
  • Aaron Sprinkle – Lackluster
  • Acceptance – Phantoms
  • AFI – Decemberunderground
  • Against Me! – As the Eternal Cowboy
  • Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
  • Alkaline Trio – From Here to Infirmary
  • Anberlin – Cities
  • Anti-Flag – For Blood and America
  • Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
  • Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You
  • Armor for Sleep – What to Do When You Are Dead
  • Astronautalis – Pomegranate
  • Augustana – Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt
  • Autopilot Off – Make a Sound
  • Betty Who – Take Me When You Go
  • Bigwig – An Invitation to Tragedy
  • Bikini Kill – The Singles
  • Billy Joel – The Stranger
  • Bleachers – Strange Desire
  • Blink-182 – Dude Ranch
  • Blink-182 – Untitled
  • Blondie – Parallel Lines
  • Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
  • Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
  • Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
  • Bob Marley and the Wailers – Legend
  • Bodyjar – How It Works
  • Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver
  • Brand New – Deja Entendu
  • Brand New – Leaked Demos 2006
  • Brand New – The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
  • Brandtson – Send Us a Signal
  • Brian Wilson – Brian Wilson
  • Bright Eyes – Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil
  • Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
  • Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
  • Buddy Holly – 20 Golden Greats
  • Butch Walker – Letters
  • Butch Walker – Sycamore Meadows
  • Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion
  • Carole King – Tapestry
  • Cartel – Chroma
  • Cary Brothers – Who You Are
  • Charlie Simpson – Young Pilgrim
  • Chuck Berry – The Great Twenty-Eight
  • Coldplay – X&Y
  • Copeland – In Motion
  • Counting Crows – August and Everything After
  • Craig’s Brother – Homecoming
  • Cursive – The Ugly Organ
  • Cut Copy – Zonoscope
  • Daft Punk – Discovery
  • Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
  • David Bowie – Hunky Dory
  • David Bowie – Just Dance
  • Days Away – Mapping an Invisible World
  • Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
  • Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism
  • Descendents – Everything Sucks
  • Descendents – Milo Goes to College
  • Dessa – A Badly Broken Code
  • Dessa – Parts of Speech
  • Doomtree – False Hopes
  • Dustin Kensrue – Please Come Home
  • Eisley – Room Noises
  • Elliot Smith – Either/Or
  • Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  • Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model
  • Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley
  • Etta James – At Last!
  • Eve 6 – Horrorscope
  • Every Time I Die – Gutter Phenomenon
  • Evgeny Kissin – The Essentials
  • Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone
  • Face to Face – Reactionary
  • Fall Out Boy – From Under the Cork Tree
  • Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
  • Feist – The Reminder
  • Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
  • Foo Fighters – One By One
  • Foo Fighters – The Colour And the Shape
  • Foxing – Dealer
  • Foxing – Nearer My God
  • Frank Ocean – Channel ORANGE
  • Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones
  • Frou Frou – Details
  • Further Seems Forever – How to Start a Fire
  • Gatsbys American Dream – Volcano
  • Good Old War – Come Back as Rain
  • Green Day – Dookie
  • Green Day – Warning
  • HAIM – Days Are Gone
  • Hellogoodbye – Would It Kill You?
  • Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost!
  • Home Grown – Act Your Age
  • House of Heroes – The End is Not The End
  • I Am Arrows – Sun Comes Up Again
  • Imogen Heap – Speak For Yourself
  • Interpol – Antics
  • Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days
  • Jack’s Mannequin – Everything in Transit
  • James Brown – Star Time
  • Janis Joplin – Pearl
  • Japandroids – Celebration Rock
  • Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
  • Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light
  • Jimmy Eat World – Clarity
  • Jimmy Eat World – Futures
  • John Lennon – Imagine
  • John Mayer – Continuum
  • John Mayer – Heavier Things
  • Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
  • Josh Ritter – The Animal Years
  • Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle
  • Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds
  • Kanye West – 808s and Heartbreak
  • Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
  • Keane – Under the Iron Sea
  • Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
  • Kevin Devine – Split The Country Split The Street
  • Latterman – No Matter Where We Go!
  • Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation Of…
  • Less Than Jake – Hello, Rockview
  • Lifetime – Jersey’s Best Dancers
  • Limbeck – Hey, Everything’s Great
  • Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard
  • Lucky Boys Confusion – Commitment
  • Lydia – Illuminate
  • Madonna – Like a Prayer
  • Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything to Nothing
  • Maritime – Human Hearts
  • Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
  • Meg & Dia – Here, Here and Here
  • Mew – Frengers
  • mewithoutYou – A to B Life
  • Michael Jackson – Bad
  • Michael Jackson – Thriller
  • Midtown – Forget What You Know
  • Midtown – Living Well is the Best Revenge
  • Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
  • Minus the Bear – Menos El Oso
  • Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News
  • Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
  • Morrissey – Bona Drag
  • Morrissey – Viva Hate
  • Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory
  • Motion City Soundtrack – Even If it Kills Me
  • Mute Math – Armistice
  • MxPx – Life in General
  • MxPx – Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
  • My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
  • Name Taken – Hold On
  • Nas – Illmatic
  • Neil Young – Harvest
  • New Found Glory – Sticks & Stones
  • Nightmare Of You – Nightmare of You
  • Nirvana – Nevermind
  • No Motiv – And the Sadness Prevails
  • No Use For a Name – More Betterness
  • Noah Gundersen – Carry The Ghost
  • Noah Gundersen – Ledges
  • Northstar – Pollyanna
  • Now, Now – Saved
  • Over It – Silverstrand
  • P.O.S. – Never Better
  • Paramore – Riot!
  • Paramore – After Laughter
  • Patti Smith – Horses
  • Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted
  • Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps
  • Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
  • Prince – Sign ‘o’ the Times
  • Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain
  • Radiohead – Kid A
  • Relient K – Mmhmm
  • Rise Against – Siren Song of the Counter Culture
  • Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings
  • Rock Kills Kid – Are You Nervous?
  • RX Bandits – The Resignation
  • Ryan Adams – Gold
  • Saosin – Translating The Name
  • Saves the Day – Stay What You Are
  • Saves the Day – Through Being Cool
  • Say Anything – …Is a Real Boy
  • Shad – Flying Colours
  • Sigur Ros – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
  • Sigrid – Suckerpunch
  • Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends
  • Slick Shoes – Burn Out
  • Something Corporate – Leaving Through The Window
  • Something Corporate – North
  • Stars – In Our Bedroom After the War
  • Stars of Track and Field – A Time For Lions
  • Steel Train – Trampoline
  • Student Rick – Soundtrack For A Generation
  • Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
  • Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends
  • Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
  • The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
  • The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
  • The 1975 – The 1975
  • The Ataris – Blue Skies, Broken Hearts .. Next 12 Exits
  • The Band – Music From Big Pink
  • The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
  • The Beatles – Abbey Road
  • The Beatles – Revolver
  • The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
  • The Clash – London Calling
  • The Cure – Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
  • The Doors – The Doors
  • The Format – Dog Problems
  • The Format – Inventions and Lullabies
  • The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
  • The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
  • The Get Up Kids – Something to Write Home About
  • The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
  • The Japanese House – Good at Falling
  • The Killers – Hot Fuss
  • The Lawrence Arms – The Greatest Story Ever Told
  • The Living End – The Living End
  • The Maine – Lovely Little Lonely
  • The Matches – Decomposer
  • The Menzingers – On The Impossible Past
  • The Movielife – This Time Next Year
  • The National – High Violet
  • The New Frontiers – Mending
  • The Night Game – The Night Game
  • The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die
  • The Postal Service – Give Up
  • The Replacements – Tim
  • The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street
  • The Rolling Stones – Let It Bleed
  • The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
  • The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
  • The Starting Line – Direction
  • The Stryder – Masquerade in the Key of Crime
  • The xx – xx
  • Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind
  • Thrice – The Artist in the Ambulance
  • Thrice – The Illusion of Safety
  • Thrice – Vheissu
  • Thursday – Full Collapse
  • Thursday – No Devolución
  • Underoath – Define the Great Line
  • Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
  • Wolftron – Flesh & Fears
  • Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue
  • Yellowcard – Paper Walls
  • Yellowcard – Southern Air
  • Ólafur Arnalds – …And They Have Escape the Weight of Darkness

I’m sure you can find all of these on Apple Music or Spotify but if you decide to pick up physical copies on Amazon you can use my affiliate link.

UPDATE • Jul 13, 2020