Best Albums for Starting a Vinyl Collection

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1. 1
   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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2. 2
   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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3. 3
   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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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
   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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6. 6
   DiscoveryDaft Punk

   Discovery

   Daft Punk · 2001 · Electronic

   A euphoric, nostalgic blend of house, disco and filtered French touch, home to 'One More Time' and 'Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger'. Glossy, joyful and impeccably sequenced. The duo's most beloved record.

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7. 7
   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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8. 8
   What's Going OnMarvin Gaye

   What's Going On

   Marvin Gaye · 1971 · Soul & R&B

   A seamless song-suite on war, poverty and the environment, Gaye's defiant break from Motown's hit factory. Lush, jazzy and politically urgent, it reframed what soul could address. Often called the greatest soul album ever.

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9. 9
   AMArctic Monkeys

   AM

   Arctic Monkeys · 2013 · Alternative & Indie

   A sleek, hip-hop-influenced reinvention of heavy riffs and falsetto hooks. Cool and huge. Their biggest crossover record.

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10. 10
    CurrentsTame Impala

    Currents

    Tame Impala · 2015 · Alternative & Indie

    The pivot from psych-rock to glossy synth-pop, introspective and danceable. 'Let It Happen' anchors it. A crossover triumph.

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11. 11
    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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