Best First Vinyl Records — Gifts for New Collectors

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   RumoursFleetwood Mac

   Rumours

   Fleetwood Mac · 1977 · Rock

   Recorded as the band members' relationships disintegrated, the tension fuels every track, turning heartbreak into impossibly hooky soft-rock. The harmonies, the songwriting balance across three writers and the crystalline production made it one of the best-selling albums ever. Comfort listening with real emotional undertow.

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   Abbey RoadThe Beatles

   Abbey Road

   The Beatles · 1969 · Rock

   The Beatles' last recorded album and arguably their most polished, balancing Lennon's bite, McCartney's melody and a side-two medley that ties loose song fragments into one sweeping finale. Harrison contributes two of his finest in 'Something' and 'Here Comes the Sun'. A warm, confident farewell from a band at the peak of its studio craft.

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   The Dark Side of the MoonPink Floyd

   The Dark Side of the Moon

   Pink Floyd · 1973 · Rock

   A seamless suite on time, money, madness and mortality, built from sighing synths, saxophone, heartbeat pulses and tape collage. It spent years on the charts for good reason: the production still sounds vast and the sequencing flows as one continuous piece. The benchmark for hi-fi demonstration and a cornerstone of any collection.

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4. 4
   Back to BlackAmy Winehouse

   Back to Black

   Amy Winehouse · 2006 · Pop

   A modern soul classic that fused 1960s girl-group sound with brutally honest, contemporary lyrics, produced with Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi. Winehouse's voice carries genuine ache throughout. Brief, perfect and bittersweet in hindsight.

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5. 5
   Kind of BlueMiles Davis

   Kind of Blue

   Miles Davis · 1959 · Jazz

   The best-selling jazz album of all time and the gateway record for countless listeners, built on modal improvisation and an unmatched band. Cool, spacious and endlessly calming, it never wears out. If you own one jazz record, start here.

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   NevermindNirvana

   Nevermind

   Nirvana · 1991 · Alternative & Indie

   The record that dragged underground rock into the mainstream overnight, marrying punk energy to pop hooks and Butch Vig's clean production. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is the calling card, but the album runs deep. Its impact on the 1990s is impossible to overstate.

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   The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from MarsDavid Bowie

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

   David Bowie · 1972 · Rock

   Bowie's glam-rock concept album about a doomed alien rock star turned him into a superstar and changed what a pop performer could be. The songs are tight and theatrical, the playing sharp, the whole thing over in 38 thrilling minutes. The essential entry point to his catalogue.

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   OK ComputerRadiohead

   OK Computer

   Radiohead · 1997 · Alternative & Indie

   A prescient album about alienation in a wired, accelerating world, expanding rock with electronics, odd time signatures and dread. 'Paranoid Android' and 'No Surprises' anchor a record that still sounds like the future arriving. Frequently named among the greatest ever made.

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   ThrillerMichael Jackson

   Thriller

   Michael Jackson · 1982 · Pop

   The best-selling album of all time and a flawless run of pop, funk, rock and balladry produced with Quincy Jones. Every single became a standard, and the craft holds up decades on. The benchmark for mainstream pop ambition.

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