Caffé Latté presents the all-time
200
MOST ESSENTIAL
ALBUMS
Frank Sinatra is generally credited as the
first artist to release a concept album. Until then, the pop market was focused
almost exclusively on the single. Albums merely consisted of a compilation of
recently issued product with filler to capitalize on a successful hit song.
During the 1960s, albums gradually built up credibility and by the 1970s, had
become as integral as the single. The era of ‘classic albums’ had emerged, led
by acts such as The Beatles, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin and David
Bowie.
This Top 200 list includes albums that broke
new ground; expanded the sonic landscape and influenced the music that
followed. They have been ranked according to impact on the sound of rock and
pop music, popularity, sales and timeless quality.
I was too young to make my own purchases during the 1960s and was barely aware of the songs that were on the radio at the time. The main music I recall from that decade was by The Beatles.
During the 1970s, I began to notice albums. There were cast recordings, such as 'Jesus Christ Superstar', but I didn't buy my first album until my teens in the mid-70s. That first LP was Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours', followed by the 'Saturday Night Fever' movie soundtrack. By now, I was an avid ABBA fan and this was the first act whose entire catalogue (upto 1976) I had to own.
Over the subsequent decades, we've bought albums on vinyl, cassette, compact disc and mini-disc. Today, we can stream and download albums in a variety of ways.
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