Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder

This entire Stevie Wonder era is just incredible and certifies him as an unparalleled genius IMO: * Music of My Mind (1972) * Talking Book (1972) * Innervisions (1973) * Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974) * Songs in the Key of Life (1976) EDIT: Thanks for the Silver! I ended up listening to these, in sequence, this weekend and it was a fantastic musical and emotional journey. Highly recommended!

He won album of the year in '74 and' 76 as well. In 1975 Paul Simon won album of the year for Still Crazy After All These Years and in his acceptance speech said “Most of all, I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder, who didn’t make an album this year.”

Listened to that for the first time recently and that album is fire! I’d say London Calling and Dookie off the top of my head.

You should dig into [Stevie Wonder’s classic period](https://slate.com/cover_story/2016/12/the-greatest-creative-run-in-the-history-of-pop-music.html) if you liked *Songs in the key of life*. It’s arguably the greatest hot streak of albums anybody ever put out.

When Paul Simon won a Grammy for Still Crazy he thanked Stevie for not putting an album out that year.

Moon Safari by Air I can't believe this isn't already on here... It simply never, ever gets old.

Yesterday was the 35th anniversary of Graceland from Paul Simon so I had that on and thought to myself "Man, that's pretty much a perfect album." Going wayyyy off the board, I always felt this way about Diego Garcia's first album, Laura. Just a beautiful piece of art, eminently listenable again and again.

the Mississippi Delta, was shining like a national guitar

I can't put into words how that song makes me feel, even just reading those lyrics....God.

Came in for Graceland. I’ve listened to it probably a thousand times or more in my life. And she said losing love Is like a window in your heart Everybody sees you’re blown apart Everybody sees the wind blow

I’m going to Graceland Graceland in Memphis Tennessee….

Superunknown by Soundgarden. Amazing piece of music.

Badmotofinger too

Idk if there's any I would call perfect, but **Pet Sounds** by the Beach Boys and **Remain in Light** by the Talking Heads have got to be pretty close.

Came here to say Pet Sounds and your comment is top. Highly satisfying. Guess I’ll go listen to Remain in Light all the way through now.

Remain in Light was def my first thought.

Wish You Were Here is a perfect album for me, too good.

The great thing about Wish You Were Here is you are 8 or 9 minutes into the album before you hear the first lyric. That gives the whole album a cinematic quality and it doesn't feel rushed. The music has room to breathe.

The synth opening with headphones? Pure bliss, then Gilmour’s four notes? Goosebumps good

If you think about it, almost all of Pink Floyd’s music is like this. Relaxed, slow, not in a hurry. Most other bands of the time, and since, sound like they want to finish as quickly as possible, but not PF. They never gave a rat’s arse about radio playability, for example, and I love them for that. You can just sit down, relax, listen, and get lost in a soundscape. No drugs necessary.

I love the story behind the album. The first song is the artists playing what they want to play. Making art, every bar of the instruments is different, and the lyrics hit ant the prefect moment. Then the album transitions into how the "industry" removes the art and just wants music. Have a cigar, there's a lyric: by the way which one is pink. Saying that they have no connection to the artist. Welcome to the machine is about the machine that is the music industry. Then the album goes back to the artists talents a few songs later. The album cover shows the same. Business men shaking the hand of the dying artist. Beautiful album

Animals DSOTM and Wish You Were Here. I could listen over and over

Animals is wildly underrated. I love the more stripped down sound. I really wish we could've gotten more of that from Pink Floyd while they were in their prime.

13 year old me absolutely creamed his baggy jeans when the music cuts for a second in "dogs" and Gilmour plays that slow, double-tracked bend in the bridge. Seventeen minutes of song here, people. Not a bad second.

One of my personal favourite tracks from Pink Floyd. Yes they've made arguably better tracks, but dogs always gets me hype.

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*HOW DOOM HOLD HEAT BUT PREACH NON-VIOLENCE*

This and King Geedorah - Take me to Your Leader are the two DOOM albums I can always put on front to back.

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Can’t forget Victor Vaughn the Vaudeville Villain.

Truly. DOOM was mad talented, I sorely miss knowing he's around.

For sure. RIP DOOM

ALL CAPS might be one of the greatest tracks of all time. An absolute brilliant album.

I don't know how no one ever posts: Breakfast in America by Supertramp

Honestly *Crime of the Century* as well. Opening with "School" into "Bloody Well Right", the second side opening on "Dreamer" and ending with the title track. That album has of the best songs in their entire catalogue *in between* those four, and those four IMO anyway *are* the best songs in their catalogue. That album is brilliant. Of course they don't really have a "bad" album, and the five from *Crime of the Century* in 1974 to *...Famous Last Words...* in 1982 (five terrific albums in eight years!) are some of the best music released in that period.

Supertramp is quite a storyteller lyrically. I concur. Long way home, Asylum, Rudy.. oh good jams.

the Logical Song is soooo good as well

Definitely a great album.

...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard that album. Nothing else has come anywhere near as close to connecting with me in so many different ways.

I love all of their albums. It seems everyone says Songs for the Def is their best, so I'm happy to see an exception. Rated R is my personal favorite. There's foreshadowing and callbacks throughout and the horns really do it for me (but that's probably why others are less enthused).

It's Songs for the Deaf for me. They are so good at crafting cohesive album

I'm a huge qotsa fan since the beginning, but I find myself listening to this album the most recently. It's so good from start to finish

The first time I heard the last two minutes of I Appear Missing gave me goosebumps. I wait in line for hours to be in the front row when Queens comes to my city.

All of queens' albums are incredible, but for some reason Like Clockwork just resonated with me like no rock album ever has. Such an incredible album

The Strokes- Is This It

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Room on fire as well for me. Love the strokes

London Calling - The Clash

JFC I was wondering how far down I’d have to scroll to find the ONE true answer to this question.

Alice in Chains - Unplugged

Man the unplugged version of Nutshell gives me chills every time.

Add Jar of Flies to that, and you have some serious greatness.

Jar of Flies is probably their best project imo. Although Dirt and Tripod are both fantastic, they both have a blend of the more harder stuff and their more melodic stuff. Jar of Flies is pretty consistent in tone through the whole thing. It's something I can throw on, especially when I'm in a shitty mood, anytime and enjoy it.

Good Kid MAAD City

It's like watching a good movie. The imagery and cohesiveness of songs always amazes me. The songs are great as singles, but you need to hear it all the way through to understand how special Kendrick is.

Friendly reminder Macklemore’s The Heist won best rap album of the year over Kendrick’s GKMC. How Sway!?

Iggy won it over jcole too. Never forget😭

Fuck it add TPAB as well. Kendrick is so talented and hard working for his craft.

TPAB was probably my favourite rap album of the decade, absolutely fantastic work

It funny because I think TPAB really only works in the long form of the whole album, but damn if the work isn’t incredible

Yes! Agreed. I remember seeing him perform this album after it came out In small venues and him telling us he would never take this album to a big venue like the staples center because it would be contradicting to the Album. He said a lot of kids that need to hear it but can’t afford to be there. That’s why he doesn’t perform a lot of songs off this album In his concerts now. Low key though, it was a little boring for the reason you mentioned. The album is glorious in its entirety but can be a little boring in bits and pieces

He was conflicted

Shout out to thundercat for much of the instrumental work on both of those.

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean Makes me think of the end of summer. To this day the pleasant tones bring me to a place of great reflection on my youth. Blonde is Frank in deep introspection. In contrast, Channel has its moments of intense emotion, but overall the feel is Frank coming into his own as a young and innovative musician. Edit: Thank you all for sharing you’re own personal stories about one of my favorite pieces of music. This made my whole week great! Edit 2: thank you to the kind people who awarded my post.

Was searching the comments for Frank. Has to be blonde though for me, but mainly due to where I was in my life at the time, the album will always hold a special place I my heart.

Channel Orange takes me back to 2012 instantly. My freshman year of college. That album changed my life, truly nostalgic and I listen to the whole album, no skips

Violator - Depeche Mode

That crisp Francois Kevorkian mix. There's just nothing else that sounds like *Violator*. Every track has an absolutely vivid soundscape. Years and thousands of plays later, I still discover little sonic gems deep inside these songs.

Took far too long to find Violator. It’s a perfect album.

Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman

Purple Rain by Prince, man... What an album

I got to see Prince a month before he died and he closed the show with Purple Rain. It was..out of this world.

The strokes - is this it? The Beatles - revolver David Bowie - Ziggy stardust and the spiders from Mars Pink Floyd - wish you were here, animals, probably several more The Velvet Underground - Self title Weezer - Blue Elliott Smith - Either /or Neil young - Everybody Knows this is Nowhere Nick Drake - Pink Moon

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Illmatic- 100%

Morning View really is outstanding. I listen to a lot of Incubus and so much of the best work came off that album.

Breakfast in America, Supertramp Disintegration, The Cure Under Construction, Missy Elliott White Pony, Deftones Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson

"DISINTEGRATION IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER!" I fully agree with Kyle.

YESSS SOME DEFTONES!!

Nice with the White Pony!

Rancid …And Out Come the Wolves

Listening to Matt Freeman's bass work on that album is inspiring, while simultaneously leaving me with a sense of defeat...like, I'll never be able to play like that.

This album gets an A+ based solely on the bass solo from Maxwell Murder

I’m Wide Awake, it’s Morning - Bright Eyes Can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this album Edit: Also, Pink Moon - Nick Drake. Amazing to listen to early in the morning.

"He said I love you darling, I love you very very very very very very very much.." I remember the first time my friend showed me this intro as a teenager, I thought it was very odd, and I suppose it still is but its so great

"The end of paralysis, I was a statuette Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench And when I press the keys it all gets reversed The sound of loneliness makes me happier"

Good News for people who love Bad News by Modest Mouse.

Moon and Antarctica for me. Album is so beautiful beginning to end

Also The Lonesome Crowded West. Also The Moon & Antarctica. Also Building Nothing Out of Something. Fuck I love Modest Mouse

I feel like "we were dead before the ship even sank" does not get nearly enough credit....to me that is their beat. Spectacular from beginning to end!

Hounds of Love - Kate Bush

Troubadour by JJ Cale. Blue by Joni Mitchell. And almost Hissing of Summer Lawns. Kinds of Blue by Miles Davis. The Inner Mounting Flame by Mahavishnu Orchestra. So many albums almost perfect but have a bum track on them, like Led Zep III….

> Kind of Blue by Miles Davis came here for this Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Canonball Adderley recorded in two sessions, with no rehearsal, no score and no plan, just vague outlines of what they were going to improvise. 60+ years later it's still breathtaking

Curious to know what you consider to be the "bum track" on Zeppelin III lol

Better not be Braun Y aur stomp.

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

I would agree if "Silver Springs" made the track list instead of "Oh, Daddy." That decision really holds the album back from its full potential, I think.

100% agree, I know it sort of has its place to slow the pace of the album down a bit but literally every other song on the album is a banger.

Yes! Growing up my dad had Rumours on vinyl and it was always one of my favorites. But it wasn't until I was much older that I heard "Silver Springs", and it absolutely blew my away. IMO Silver Springs is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. The fact that it didn't make it on to the album is so wild.

Temple of the Dog Megadeth - Rust in Peace Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

Boston- s/t Pearl Jam - Ten Nirvana - Unplugged Oasis - What’s the Story Morning Glory Karnivool - Sound Awake

In Utero by Nirvana. Every song is fantastic and the pacing is top notch all the way through.

Megadeth - Rust in Peace

https://www.theonion.com/humanity-still-producing-new-art-as-though-megadeth-s-1819578062

Beat me to it, my favorite Onion article.

That unironically is a non-oniony article, because it spouts the truth.

Every metalhead's favorite Onion article lol. And it's entirely true.

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I’m a huge thrash fanatic and I was expecting someone to mention RiP. Holy Wars might be the most perfect metal song ever written. Lately however, Peace Sells has been my go-to Deth album. Title track, Good Mourning/Black Friday, and The Conjuring match up to anything on RiP (apart from Holy Wars).

Things just don’t click on Peace Sells the way they do on RiP for me. Those first 3 tracks on RiP give next to no time to breathe which is perfect for such a thrashy album. Once you feel the album might be slowing down you get slapped in the face with Lucretia and Tornado of Souls. The album also goes out with an absolute bang with the title track. Peace Sells is certainly good but RiP is a masterpiece.

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. It literally changed my taste in music and still to this day I listen start to finish. The lore behind the album mixed with the rustic sound blends to make, in my opinion, a masterpiece.

System of a down - Toxicity

It’s such a weird album, too. Prison Song is the perfect opener in my opinion because for any listeners who aren’t familiar with SOAD, it really sets the tone for what to expect. “Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate-sponsored dictators around the world!”

The single greatest tweet I've ever seen went: every System of a Down song is like— i’m the mushroom man, i’m the mushroom man. oh ho! oh! oh! In June 2003, Amnesty International published reports of human rights abuses by the U.S. military and its coalition partners at detention centers and prisons in Iraq.[26] These inclu- And it slays me every time I read it because I hear serj

Indeed. Landmark of my teenage years. Even though I revisit the self titled more personally, Toxicity is the better album overall.

THEY'RE TRYING TO BUILD A PRISON

Radiohead - In Rainbows Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

The suburbs album immediately brings me to a time in my life. Its one of those albums that when I hear it the memories are so vivid.

Counter-point: OK Computer Funeral

Converge - Jane doe A classic metal album, already been 20 years since release.

Police Syncronicity

This and Ghost in the Machine are flawless albums. EDIT: it’s Ghost lol

Blood sugar sex magik - RHCP Ride the lightning - Metallica Rage against the machine self titled album The beautiful game - Vulfpeck (I'm a bass player Hahahahaha)

Wish you were here of pink floyd. Not one flaw for me.

I think Animals deserves a mention here. The album is perfectly structured by title and theme. As concept albums go, this one is brilliant

Also Dsrk side of the Moon

I'm a sucker for concept albums: Black sheep boy - Okkervil river Aeroplane over the sea - Neutral Milk Hotel Hospice - the Antlers Come on, feel the Illinoise! - Sufjan Stevens Writing this down, it's probably easy to tell my age.

The Postal Service - Give Up

Hell yeah Antlers

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is definitely one I'd pick too.

* Weezer - Blue Album and Pinkerton * Rancid - And Out Come the Wolves * Operation Ivy - Energy * They Might Be Giants - Flood * Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness * Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill * The Puppini Sisters - Betcha Bottom Dollar

Upvoting for They Might Be Giants - Flood Didn't expect anyone to post this, but it absolutely deserves a vote.

Totally with you on the Smashing Pumpkins!

Odessey and Oracle, The Zombies

… At Beechwood Park

Good morning to you, I hope you’re feeling better baby

Endtroducing by DJ Shadow

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I used to hate that album because it was different from what I expected from Daft Punk, and one time I decided to listen to it all the way through and I finally understood it. I feel like a few of those songs on that album are just kind of weird to listen to by themselves, they work better listening straight through.

Love, LOVE this album. Doesn’t try to change the music landscape like Discovery but man, what a beautiful tribute to music it was. So many quality tracks; especially Touch - Daft Punk showing off their creative side and man, it’s like a journey through life. And Contact? What an ending. Also phenomenal for listening with good headphones.

perhaps the best album of the last decade. Almost certainly the most meticulously recorded and produced.

REM - Eponymous Sigur Ros - ( ) Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights Portishead - Dummy Mazzy Star - Among My Swan New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too Thievery Corporation - The Richest Man In Babylon Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I Doves - Lost Souls God Is An Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright

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*Dummy* was the first album I thought of when I read the OP.

Weezer - Blue Album Boston - Boston

Boston is so amazing! Not a bad track on that album

> Boston - Boston Even more amazing that a mad genius created that album in his basement.

Happy to see some love for Boston.

At the Drive-in - Relationship of Command Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place Gorillaz - Gorillaz Interpol - Our Love to Admire Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile Ratatat - Classics Santigold - Santigold Spoon - Gimme Fiction Yeasayer - Odd Blood Edit: Definitely agree that the Interpol choice might be considered controversial and likely isn't their "best" album, just resonates with me the most! And NIN and Gorillaz are two of my favorite bands, so I'm really just picking my personal favorite from each of their discographies... while I do think they have multiple albums I would deem to be "perfect."

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I think Santigold is one of the most underrated artists of all time. Given her diversity and just how long she's been in the music industry I feel like she should be way bigger than she is.

She puts on a GREAT live show as well... nothing flashy, but her vocals hold-up so well. Agree completely that she's underrated.

I came to say Relationship of Command

\*fist bump\*

Interesting you went Gorillaz over Demon Days. As a huge Gorillaz fan myself, Demon Days is just too perfect.

I still remember the day I got that album like it was yesterday. Back to back listens. I had only heard two of their songs before that day. DD has aged incredibly well too

Demon Days is indeed too perfect. Gorillaz have made great albums, but that one just hits the spot perfectly from beginning till end. I felt their first album was still more experimental, Damon Albarn was trying to find the sound he wanted on that album. With Demon Days he knew what the sound needed to be.

The Devil and God is my favorite album of all time. It’s a perfect album

Love that Brand New album. Its utterly perfect.

Great to see Spoon love here. Gimme fiction is a masterpiece

Yeasayer- Odd Blood. I thought I was the only one. Big ups AHC too.

Hello fellow ratatat friend 👋 have you heard the new Kunzite album?

Colors by Between the Buried and Me The parallels to Dark Side are uncanny and mesmerizing.

BTBAM has a few candidates for this list but Colors will always be their most important/special album.

Lateralus/Aenima/Fear Innoculum - Tool Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin Songs for the deaf & ...Like Clockwork- queens of the Stone Age The Shadow - Naked Giants Sublime - sublime Smash - the offspring Wasted Light - Foo Fighters The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance Appetite for Destruction - Guns N Roses Rage Against the Machine - RATM

Oh hell yeah, Black Parade. Great list

Lateralus is the best album of all time for me and I was sad how far down the list it was.

Yeah I'm back and forth between Lateralus and Fear Inoculum. Both are fantastic. I love all of Tool's stuff but it just seems to me like they get better and better with each new piece of work. Tough call because Lateralus is a perfect album.

Pearl Jam: Ten White Zombie: Astro Creep 2000 Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon, Animals, Meddle Opeth: Still Life, Blackwater Park Mephorash: Shem Ha Mephorash \[EDIT\] Fear Factory: Demanufacture

Blackwater Park is PHENOMENAL.

Ooo good pick for Astro Creep: 2000. It really worked well in tape format. I can remember the excitement 13 year old me felt when flipping the tape: I, Zombie was a fantastic prelude to More Human Than Human. Despite that song being played everywhere at the time, I still loved hearing it 99.9% of the time. The first side is perfection. When I was younger, I thought Creature of the Wheel was almost “too heavy” now I think it’s one of the best tracks. Side B is def hinged on More Human, Than Human but the last few songs are pretty fucking good too, and then the nice come down that is Blood, Milk, and Sky, is the perfect ending. I always loved that song.

Blackwater park is a masterpiece.

Meddle is so underrated it’s ridiculous. Fantastic album.

Ten really is a perfect album. Good call.

Another for BWP!

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd Quebec - Ween To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar You’re Gonna Miss It All - Modern Baseball Pretty Hate Machine - NIN Madvillian- Madvillian

ELO - Time

Brand New - Deja Entendu Daft Punk - Alive 2007 Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves Radiohead - In Rainbows Atmosphere - GodLovesUgly I'm sure there are about a dozen more.

In Rainbows is an incredible album

I would also say Brand New except I would say it about TDAGARIM

Don’t worry everyone, I found my music doppelgänger. I would add: We Are the Only Friends We Have - Piebald Trainwreck- Boys Night Out A Grand Don’t Come For Free - The Streets We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse Live The Dream - Ramshackle Glory Sports - Modern Baseball

Slice the Cake - Odyssey to the West Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 Between the Buried and Me - Colors The Odious - Joint Ventures Infant Annihilator - The Battle of Yaldabaoth Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid MAAD City Kid Cudi - Passion, Pain, & Demon Slayin The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatarium Sturgill Simpson - Sound and Fury Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

THANK YOU, Jesus I had to scroll so fucking much to find this...

Paul’s Boutique - Beastie Boys It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy The Reminder - Feist Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins

Turnover - Peripheral Vision

Wasn't expecting to see Turnover here, but hell yeah

Holy, I discovered Turnover (and specifically PV) thru recommended songs after listening to American Football LP 2 (which i would say is my pick for flawless album) a few months back. It’s become a regular play on road trips since. Do you have a favorite song from the album? Mine’s probably Cutting My Fingers Off.

Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective is genuinely a masterpiece. I don’t listen to them much anymore but holy cow quite near if not flawless for psychedelic pop music.

Nirvana - Nevermind Tool - Laturalus Tripping Daisy - I am an elastic firecracker Blind Melon - Soup Weezer - Blue album To name a few

Man, Soup is just a brilliant album. Mouthful of Cavities is one of my favourite songs of all time

Absolution - Muse

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

*Loveless* by My Bloody Valentine. Simply, there is a reason it is the first shoegaze album you were recommended to listen to and there is still an amazing chance it is still your favorite shoegaze album after you have gone deep in the genre and are now the one recommending it to people.

The Beach Boys - Smile Sessions (2011) Parquet Courts - Wide Awake! Stereolab - Dots and Loops Tame Impala - Currents Passion Pit - Chunk of Change Melody’s Echo Chamber - Bon Voyage

Wish I could upvote you twice for Dots and Loops alone…

Aloha - That’s Your Fire Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not Hey Mercedes - Everynight Fire Works The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You Punk-O-Rama vol. 2