Project: The 100 Best Albums of All Time

100

I was given a copy of this excellent book “The 100 Best Albums of All Time” in 2015 and I admired the compilation so much that I decided to try and collect a copy of each album on vinyl.

Initially I set myself some rules to make the hunt more interesting:

  • Prefer second hand
  • No online purchasing*
  • Prefer original pressings (or early represses)

As I narrowed in on the list, I was forced to remove the second rule as it was getting ridiculously unlikely that I’d find all the copies in a realistic timeframe.

IMG_4702

For the most part I’ve been successful in avoiding reissues, but economic realities make this hard to avoid.

On the 19th of October 2017 I completed my quest. 

The last album (Aretha Franklin’s “Lady Soul”) arrived via an Australian seller on Discogs.  It was a beautifully cared for original Australian pressing on heavy wax and it sounds amazing.

Here’s the complete list:

OP  = Original Pressing/1st Pressing
RP = Repressing or Reissue

[Last Updated 02-03-2022]

Number Album Notes
1 Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited RP, (US) import
2 The Beatles – Revolver OP (AU)
3 The Clash – London Calling OP (UK)
4 Nirvana – Nevermind RP (EU)
5 Van Morrison – Astral Weeks RP (AU)
6 Joni Mitchell – Blue OP (AU)
7 Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers RP (US)
8 Fleetwood Mac – Rumours OP (AU) & 2011 US remaster
9 Velvet Underground & Nico – Velvet Underground
& Nico
OP, (US) Verve torso
10 Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold
Us Back
OP (US)
11 Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (“Fabulous Beach Boys” –
AU)
OP (AU)
12 Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of
Town
OP (AU)
13 Television – Marquee Moon OP (US)
14 Little Richard – Here’s Little
Richard
RP (AU/NZ)
15 Led Zeppelin – Untitled (Symbols)
IV
OP (JP & AU)
16 Radiohead – OK Computer RP (EU)
17 The Band – The Band OP, RP (AU, EU)
18 The Beatles – The Beatles (White
Album)
OP (UK, AU)
19 Pixies – Doolittle RP (EU)
20 John Lennon – John Lennon/Plastic Ono
Band
OP (AU)
21 U2 – Achtung Baby OP, (EU)
22 Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled
Water
RP, (US) Half Speed Mastered
23 Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde RP, (‘68 AU) & (US) MoFi
24 Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex
Pistols
OP (AU)
25 Prince – Sign o’ the Times OP
26 Arcade Fire – Funeral RP
27 Michael Jackson – Thriller OP
28 Neil Young – On the Beach OP
29 Jay-Z – The Blueprint OP
30 Massive Attack – Blue Lines RP
31 The Smiths – The Queen is Dead OP
32 Carole King – Tapestry OP
33 David Bowie – Hunky Dory OP
34 Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western
Music
RP
35 Paul Simon – Graceland OP
36 Iggy and the Stooges – Raw Power RP
37 The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You
Experienced?
OP
38 Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul OP
39 Ramones – Ramones OP
40 Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St OP
41 Patti Smith – Horses OP
42 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue OP, (CA) 6 eyes, (AU) & RP (UK) & (US) MoFi UHQC
43 Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation OP
44 Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run OP
45 The Beatles – Abbey Road OP
46 Guns ‘n Roses – Appetite for
Destruction
OP & RP (AU, EU) both covers
47 Black Sabbath – Paranoid OP (US, AU)
48 George Harrison – All Things Must
Pass
OP (AU & UK)
49 Green Day – American Idiot RP
50 The Doors – The Doors RP (AU ‘70s & US VMP reissue)
51 Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the
Moon
OP (UK, AU)
52 James Brown – Live at the Apollo RP (US)
53 Creedance Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s
Factory
OP (AU)
54 Pearl Jam – Vs.  RP
55 The Wailers – Burnin’ OP & RP (US, UK)
56 The Monkees – Headquarters OP (US)
57 Talking Heads – Remain in Light OP (AU)
58 Rod Stewart – Every Picture Tells a
story
OP (AU)
59 Devo – Q. Are We Not Men? A. We are
Devo!
OP (AU)
60 Chuck Berry – After School Session RP
61 Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP RP
62 Blondie – Parallel Lines OP
63 Dusty Springfield – Dusty in
Memphis
RP (CA)
64 R.E.M. – Automatic for the People OP
65 The Supremes – Where Did Our Love
Go?
OP
66 Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning
Glory?
RP
67 Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted
Fantasy
OP
68 Jeff Buckley – Grace RP
69 The White Stripes – Elephant RP
70 Eagles – Hotel California OP
71 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot RP
72 Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique RP
73 Tom Waits – Rain Dogs OP
74 Kate Bush – Hounds of Love OP
75 The Who – Live at Leeds RP
76 Joy Division – Closer OP
77 Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express RP (CA)
78 Randy Newman – Sail Away OP
79 Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked
Rain
RP
80 Curtis Mayfield – Curtis RP
81 Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure OP
82 The Strokes – Is This It RP
83 Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust OP
84 Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His
Friends
OP
85 The Kinks – The Kinks are the Village Green
Preservation Society
RP, Japanese 80s EX
86 Pretenders – Pretenders OP
87 The Modern Lovers – The Modern
Lovers
OP
88 Primal Scream -Screamadelica OP
89 Fairport Convention –
Unhalfbricking
OP
90 Elvis Costello and the Attractions – This Year’s
Model
OP
91 Portishead – Dummy RP
92 AC/DC – Back in Black OP
93 Beck – Odelay OP
94 Gang of Four – Entertainment! OP (AU)
95 Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On RP
96 Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s Wham
I’m Not
OP
97 Queen – A Night at the Opera OP
98 Derek and the Dominos – Layla and Other Assorted Love
Songs
OP
99 PJ Harvey – Let England Shake OP
100 The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo RP, 2xLP Set