Without a doubt, my list would be a little different if I could use box sets (Howlin' Wolf, James Brown, Ornette, etc.) or best ofs (Creedence, George Jones, etc.) and would be subject to endless editing upon closer inspection, but this was nevertheless a fun exercise of compiling a hundred albums I will always play fondly and that have shaped me, for better or worse:
- Big Star – “Radio City”
- Beatles -- “Rubber Soul”
- Flying Burrito Brothers – “The Gilded Palace of Sin”
- Yo La Tengo – “I Can Still Hear the Heart Beating as One”
- Miles Davis – “In a Silent Way”
- Miles Davis – “Kind of Blue”
- Television – “Marquee Moon”
- Rolling Stones—“Sticky Fingers”
- Rolling Stones – “Exile on Main Street”
- Thelonious Monk – “Brilliant Corners
- James Carter – “Chasin’ the Gypsy”
- Billie Holiday – “Lady Day”
- Lucinda Williams – “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
- Lucinda Williams – “Sweet Old World”
- R.E.M – “Murmur
- R.E.M – “Automatic for the People”
- Joni Mitchell – “Blue”
- Los Lobos – “Colossal Head”
- Richard and Linda Thompson – “Hokey Pokey”
- R/L Thompson – “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight”
- R/L Thompson – “Shoot Out the Lights”
- The Replacements – “Pleased to Meet Me”
- The Feelies – “The Good Earth”
- X – “Wild Gift”
- New York Dolls – S/T
- Sonic Youth – “Daydream Nation”
- Jason and the Scorchers – “Fervor” (EP)
- Ornette Coleman – “Of Human Feelings”
- Ornette Coleman – “In All Languages”
- Wussy – “Attica”
- Massive Attack – “No Protection”
- James McMurtry – “It’s Complicated”
- George Jones – “Tenth Anniversary”
- Minutemen – “Double Nickels on the Dime”
- The Greencards – “Viridian”
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Vol.1
- Neil Young – “Decade”
- Neil Young – “Rust Never Sleeps”
- Neil Young – “Tonight’s the Night”
- Sparklehorse – “It’s a Wonderful Life”
- Bob Marley and the Wailers – “Legend”
- Steely Dan – “Can’t Buy a Thrill”
- Steely Dan – “Pretzel Logic”
- Tom Waits – “SwordfishTrombones”
- Velvet Underground – S/T (third album)
- Velvet Underground and Nico
- Lou Reed – “The Blue Mask”
- Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – “Rabbit Fur Coat”
- Pavement – “Brighten the Corners”
- Sleater Kinney – “Dig Me Out”
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Cosmo’s Factory”
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Willy and the Poor Boys”
- Howlin’ Wolf – “Moanin’ in the Moonlight”
- Leonard Cohen – “Songs of Leonard Cohen”
- Leonard Cohen – “Ten New Songs”
- John Prine – S/T
- Richard Hell and the Voidoids —“Blank Generation”
- Iris Dement – “My Life”
- Silos – “Cuba”
- Gram Parsons – “Grievous Angel”
- Husker Du – “New Day Rising”
- Husker Du – “Zen Arcade”
- Bill Evans – “Sunday at the Village Vanguard”
- Sonny Rollins – “Silver City”
- Charlie Parker – “The Legendary Dial Masters”
- Professor Longhair – “Crawfish Fiesta”
- The Ramones – “Road to Ruin”
- Elvis Costello – “King of America”
- Oliver Nelson – “Blues and the Abstract Truth”
- Willie Nelson – “Spirit”
- The Jayhawks – “Rainy Day Music”
- Fleetwood Mac – “Rumours”
- Dave Holland – “Conference of the Birds”
- John Coltrane – “Live at the Village Vanguard”
- John Coltrane – “A Love Supreme”
- Fountains of Wayne – “Welcome Interstate Managers”
- The Go-Betweens – “Liberty Belle and the Diamond Express”
- The Go-Betweens – “Tallulah”
- Grant McLennan – “Horsebreaker Star”
- The Band – S/T
- The Band – “Music from Big Pink”
- Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here”
- The Pixies – “Bossanova”
- Van Morrison – “Moondance”
- Van Morrison – “Astral Weeks”
- Luna – “Penthouse”
- Led Zeppelin – “III”
- Archers of Loaf – “Vee Vee”
- Prince – “The Gold Experience”
- Prince – “Sign o’ the Times”
- The Pretenders – S/T
- Nirvana – “MTV Unplugged Live in New York”
- Bob Dylan – “Highway 61 Revisited”
- Bob Dylan – “Blonde on Blonde”
- Freedy Johnston – “Can You Fly?”
- The Stooges – “Funhouse”
- The Modern Lovers – S/T
- Old 97s – “Fight Songs”
- Talking Heads – “Remain in Light”
- The Wrens – “The Meadowlands”