“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like.”
– Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (1995)
Readers who have enjoyed our interviews from time to time know that we typically ask artists to share their five favorite albums of all time at the end of our conversations with them. No matter who the artist is, it’s always fascinating to discover which long players have impacted their personal and professional lives. A few of our interview subjects have even scoffed at the standard five-album limit, rattling off upwards of a dozen or so titles and second-guessing if they’ve made the right choices.
Today, and considering that we’re still in the midst of the year 2020, we’re excited to reveal our writers’ respective lists of their 20 all-time favorite albums. We all reserve the right to change our minds about these choices in the future, but for now, here are the indispensable albums that we can’t live without and the reasons why.
Explore Patrick Corcoran’s 20 favorites below, click the “Next” button at the bottom of the page to browse the lists or return to the main index.
The Beatles | Revolver
Parlophone (1966)
Having spent most of my formative years shunning The Beatles, this album and Abbey Road (1969) kicked the doors in, grabbed me and shook me to attention. Melody after melody entered my mind and never left.
Björk | Vespertine
One Little Indian/Elektra (2001)
Though her previous albums had always had moments of beauty, this is her most hauntingly beautiful work. Subtle electronica, twinkling celestial keys and her crystalline voice create a heart-swelling, incandescent delight.
Jeff Buckley | Grace
Columbia (1994)
A jaw-dropping falsetto and nerve-shredding guitar work combine to create an album that thrills and consoles in equal measure. A tear-soaked, cherubic masterpiece that stands as a testament to a brief yet brilliant life.
Terry Callier | What Color Is Love
Cadet (1973)
Unheralded at the time but adored by a fresh wave of fans in the 1990s, this radiates the warmth and humanity that characterized Callier’s unforgettable live performances during his second bite at the musical career cherry. Romantic, lush and carried by his earthy tones, it seems ridiculous that he ever left the business.
John Coltrane | Blue Train
Blue Note (1957)
Recorded before Coltrane would fly to fresh astral planes, this finds him leading a band for the only time on iconic label Blue Note. Others may prefer the new ground broken in future releases, but his hard bop band swung harder than Mike Tyson in his prime.
D’Angelo And The Vanguard | Black Messiah
RCA (2014)
More accessible, rounded and mature than his two previous brilliant albums, it exudes a warmth that they lacked. Adding a much-needed layer of social commentary, it arrived long overdue but perfectly on time.
Miles Davis | Kind of Blue
Columbia (1959)
This record changed my life and opened the doors in my mind. When folks have written entire books about it, it seems pointless to try and sum up in a couple of sentences. Jazz heads might yawn at the cliché of choosing it, but it remains as transformative as ever to me.
Marvin Gaye | What’s Going On
Tamla (1971)
While Marvin’s voice had always been divine, here the divinity of God shone through in a way that few, if any, could match. It was a state of the nation address as relevant today as it was on release in 1971—Vietnam, environmental vandalism and the plight of the inner city combined with the sanctity of the church to create perfection.
Curtis Mayfield | Curtis
Curtom (1970)
In just 40 minutes, Curtis manages to hit every single sweet spot. There’s the unbeatable urgent positivity of “Move On Up,” the grimy funk of “(Don’t Worry) If There’s Hell Below” and the sweet tenderness of “The Makings Of You.” Frankly, it is impossible to imagine a better 40 minutes of music.
McAlmont & Butler | The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler
Hut (1995)
Hidden away amongst the ruins of Britpop lies this perfect marriage of David McAlmont’s impeccable soul falsetto and Bernard Butler’s raging indie guitar. Euphoria and heartbreak ooze from the intense wall of sound Butler created.
Nas | Illmatic
Columbia (1994)
Not a word wasted, nor a beat undercooked lies on this lean, mean lyrical machine of an album. The sound of a newcomer ascending to god-like status over an inspired set of crunching New York beats.
Meshell Ndegeocello | Bitter
Maverick (1999)
Her previous two albums helped establish “neo-soul” and righteously ruffled feathers along the way, but this third album was a different matter entirely. Musically it was a comfort blanket, but lyrically it told of heartbreak and the dynamic wrung every tiny bit of pain from her soul.
Prince and The Revolution | Purple Rain
Warner Bros. (1984)
A cultural juggernaut, an “all killer, no filler” nine-song track list and an icon-creating album—it would be churlish not to include this from my favorite artist. Despite (annoyingly) being the “go-to” album for most radio stations, these songs still sound as fresh and vital as they did in 1984.
Prince | Sign O’ the Times
Paisley Park/Warner Bros. (1987)
A glorious mélange of every pre-hip-hop style of popular black music forged in virtual isolation into a tour de force of unparalleled quality. A summation of everything that had gone before, wrapped in Princely finery.
Radiohead | OK Computer
Parlophone/Capitol (1997)
No “Cool Britannia” inspired jollity here, just an embryonic electronic edge to the gnarled, twisted guitar beauty from the Oxford band. A primal scream of rage that revealed the world to be as utterly damaged as it had always been—despite the change in political landscape in the UK. Turns out they were right about that.
Otis Redding | Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Volt (1965)
An album that manages to marry songs of the very highest quality to the voice that epitomizes soul, covering an enormous amount of ground, both musically and lyrically, inside 33 minutes. The epitome of ‘60s soul music.
A Tribe Called Quest | People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
Jive (1990)
The fun, funky and ridiculously brilliant debut that ushered in my love for hip-hop. The sound of young urban America that I could relate to, filled with wit, style and social commentary.
Bill Withers | Live at Carnegie Hall
Sussex (1973)
Way funkier than on record and radiating such warmth and humanity, this album is the greatest live album of all time. It encapsulates all that is good and righteous about this oft-overlooked genius.
Jimmy Witherspoon | Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival
HiFi Jazz (1959)
Some might label Witherspoon a “blues shouter,” but he deserves better than that and this album shows why. Sure, he possessed a booming voice, but he was capable of more subtlety than that. He had a towering stage presence and a band that could swing hard as well as wring the blues out of every note.
Stevie Wonder | Innervisions
Tamla (1973)
A tautly focused masterpiece from the middle of a barely equaled golden run—it is at once joyously unconfined and heartbreakingly affecting. It is a masterpiece from start to finish.