My favorite albums of all time

KEXP kept prompting me to submit my favorite albums of all time. It was harder to compile this list than I thought.

Before we get to the list, be forewarned, this is purely an “albums that have had the most impact ON ME” list, not an “albums that have had the most impact on the world of music EVER” list. My criteria here were to pick albums that I remember as having changed the way I thought of music and albums that I could still play now, no questions asked.

In no particular order, here they are:

1. Bob Marley – Legend
   I remember listening to this album on headphones while in high school and just feeling joy. This is the album that introduced me to reggae. I still play it regularly.
2. The Beatles – Rubber Soul
   Amazingly catchy tunes. Perfect length. Reminds me of listening to the oldies radio stations as a kid, but just as good now.
3. The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
   The first time I heard The Beach Boys was as a kid, and I remember thinking how unique the vocals were and that this was something special. Still is.
4. A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders (but basically a tie with Beats, Rhymes, and Life)
   ATCQ, OutKast, and The Roots all belong in a category of their own as my favorite groups/bands of all time and deserve their own Top 20 just of their work. The best ever, no question.
5. Outkast – Aquemini (but basically a tie with ATLiens)
   See above…
6. The Roots – Things Fall Apart (but basically a tie with Illadeph Halflife)
   See above…
7. DJ Shadow – Entroducing…
   I remember listening to this album in the midst of my hiphop obsession and realizing that instrumental albums not only matter but they can be better, much better, than albums with vocals.
8. Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek – Reflection Eternal
   A watershed moment of beats and rhymes. This album changed how I looked at hiphop when it came out.
9. The Pharcyde – Labcabincalifornia
   The beats, the humor, the singing, and the rhyming—it was all so different. I didn’t know who J Dilla was, but I listened to him through this and ATCQ and was entranced.
10. Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
    I can recite almost every rhyme on this album verbatim.
11. Radiohead – Kid A
    I remember not really listening to Radiohead much until a late night viewing of a live performance of this album that I happened upon and was mesmerized by.
12. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt
    One of the coolest hiphop albums to this day.
13. Little Brother – The Listening
    This came at a time when no one was making beats anything like this and the whole Justice League crew around these guys was and is as strong as any other.
14. Michael Jackson – Thriller
    There was a time in my life when I listened to basically nothing other than Mike. Still the GOAT.
15. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the 36 Chambers
    One of the hardest, craziest debut albums by an artist (or artists) ever.
16. Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue
    This was my gateway to jazz, and I still come back to it often.
17. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
    In my opinion, the best combination of the Chili Peppers funkiness and songwriting.
18. Pearl Jam – Ten
    I was so young when I first experienced Pearl Jam, and it made me a devotee of rock/grunge/indie for the rest of my life.
19. Metallica – Black Album
    It kicked off my hard rock-focused phase of my listening life and still is at the top of my list.
20. Beastie Boys – Ill Communication (tied with Hello Nasty)
    They pioneered the rap rock thing, and this record shows how it is done.