Best Heartbreak Albums

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1. 1
   Blood on the TracksBob Dylan

   Blood on the Tracks

   Bob Dylan · 1975 · Rock

   Often called the great break-up album, its songs of love gone wrong are among the most affecting Dylan ever wrote. The arrangements are spare and the storytelling extraordinary, especially 'Tangled Up in Blue'. Mature, wounded and beautiful.

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2. 2
   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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3. 3
   21Adele

   21

   Adele · 2011 · Pop

   The record that made Adele a global phenomenon, turning a break-up into soaring, soulful pop with 'Rolling in the Deep' and 'Someone Like You'. Big voice, bigger songs, broad appeal. A modern blockbuster that earned its sales.

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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
   LemonadeBeyoncé

   Lemonade

   Beyoncé · 2016 · Pop

   A visual album and emotional reckoning that moves through country, rock, hip-hop and gospel, blending the personal and the political. Ambitious in scope and immaculate in execution. Widely regarded as her masterpiece.

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6. 6
   BlueJoni Mitchell

   Blue

   Joni Mitchell · 1971 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   An intimate, confessional landmark of singer-songwriter craft, spare in arrangement and emotionally fearless. Mitchell's melodies and open tunings are extraordinary throughout. Routinely named one of the greatest albums ever made.

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7. 7
   BlondeFrank Ocean

   Blonde

   Frank Ocean · 2016 · Soul & R&B

   An elliptical, gorgeous album of fragmented memory and feeling, stripped of obvious hooks in favour of mood and texture. Initially elusive, it becomes a favourite. A defining record of the 2010s.

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8. 8
   For Emma, Forever AgoBon Iver

   For Emma, Forever Ago

   Bon Iver · 2007 · Folk & Singer-Songwriter

   Recorded alone in a remote winter cabin, its falsetto and layered harmonies feel both raw and otherworldly. The origin myth fits the music. A quietly influential debut.

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9. 9
   Here, My DearMarvin Gaye

   Here, My Dear

   Marvin Gaye · 1978 · Soul & R&B

   A raw, sprawling divorce concept album of startling candour. Bold and reappraised. A cult favourite.

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10. 10
    PunisherPhoebe Bridgers

    Punisher

    Phoebe Bridgers · 2020 · Alternative & Indie

    A hushed, devastating indie-folk record of wit and dread, building to the cathartic 'I Know the End'. Intimate and acclaimed. A defining album of its moment.

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