Album that a fan of any particular genre should absolutely own and if you don't you are missing the boat. Some of these albums may cover all music in general, not just a particular style. Groundbreaking, revolutionary, eye opening, blah , blah , blah.
I'll do one

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Jeff Beck - Truth

beat the dead Horse.....Quadrophenia - The Who

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Jethro Tull - Aqualung

for a live album...Deep Purple - Made in Japan

Kind of Blue and Truth - excellent choices!

Pearl Jam - Ten
Metallica - S&M

3rd that kind of blue

outkast - Aquemini

Anthem of the Sun or Blues for Allah- GD
Live At Red Rocks 8.15.95 - DMB
Untitled-commonly known as Zofo or Led Zeppelin IV,

Beatles....White Album!

Cream....Disraeli Gears! Wheels of Fire!

Hendrix....Any of his albums prior to his death!

Derek and the Dominos....Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs!

Allman Brothers......Live at the Fillmore East!

Stevie Ray Vaughn.....Couldn't Stand the Weather!

Robert Cray....Strong Persuader!

Van Halen....Van Halen!

I big time agree with Deep Purple TDF!!!

Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Stellar album......:kewl: His best.....followed by Diamond Dogs

Tenacious D :love:

Dave Mason - Alone Together and Headkeeper
Joe Walsh - Barnstorm

ELO- Out of the Blue:smokin:I listen to that endlessly while my wife taugh night classes at Nauset in the mid 70's.....

Iron Maiden- Fear Of The Dark or Powerslave

Yngwie Malmsteen- Marching Out

If I had to pick just one to be able to encompass an entire band's talent it would have to be Maiden's live album "Rock in Rio".

I must admit Surfcaster2884's choices are fine ones,FOTD and PS are the best studio representations of Bruce's vocals along with Seventh Son of a Seventh Son imo.Though I must also admit that he still has it going on a A Matter of Life and Death.

Can ya tell I'm an insane Maiden fan?!!!

Chris Whitley -- Living With The Law

Chris Whitley -- Dirt Floor

Neutral Milk Hotel -- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Jellyfish -- Spilt Milk

Rolling Stones -- Exile on Main Street

John Coltrane -- Giant Steps

Sun Ra -- Lanquidity

Pink Floyd, Dark side of the moon & The wall
Steely Dan, Aja
Beach Boys, Pet sounds
Beatles, White album
Rush, Exit stage left
Eagles, Hotel California
Elton John, Goodbye Yellow brick road
Tower of power, live & in living color

Chris Whitley -- Living With The Law

Oh my god! Cant beleive you know this record! I git this free while working at a record company and loved it, still listen to it all the time. Big Sky Country!

Counting Crows - August and Everything After

Bob Marley - Songs of Freedom(it is a box set not an album but a must have) - The discs are arranged in order from his early years to his later years. It is amazing to listen to his transition when he was very young playing ska to his later years. What a talented man he was!

My list would have to be:

Hendrix - Axis Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland

Van Morrison - Moondance

Cream - Disraeli Gears

Stones - Beggar's Banquet and Jagger's She's The Boss

Stevie Wonder - The Original Musiquarium

John Lee Hooker - Hooker and Heat, The Healer

Bonnie Raitt - Home Plate

Etta James - Pick one

SRV - Ditto

Allmans - Eat a Peach, Live at the Fillmore, Brothers and Sisters

That's it for now - gotta check my vinyl and re-issues, thank God I got the day off...:hihi:

RI Jimmy--

I was a bit of a Chris Whitley fanatic--I have all studio albums and had seen him live probably 7 or 8 times including right before he passed 3 or 4 years ago now. Living With the Law is a stone cold classic in my view. Sadly he never gained wide acclaim.

(Alcohol and other personal demons didn't help that cause either.)

You won't regret picking up Dirt Floor and War Crime Blues if you don't have them.

Dirt Floor the title track with video stills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRbU5_KV7es

To Joy--more electric sounding, more modern approach to blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCb77oMW4XM&feature=related



Howard

Great list so far, I'd like to add more (sorry if some repeated)

Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
The Clash - London Calling
Derek and the Dominoes - Layla album
Eric Clapton - 1st album
XTC - Skylarking
The band - Music from big pink
Van Morrison - Moondance
Neil Young - Live Rust

XTC -- Skylarking

Awesome call on that one.

I love English Settlement and Apple Venus I & II as well.