Massive Attack – Mezzanine
The kind of thing I can put on in the car and not remember how I got to my destination. Makes you feel unnerved and deeply relaxed at the same time, perfect 2 a.m alone music
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
The first time I was at someone’s house and they put this record on I genuinely thought I was listening to a Greatest Hits compilation. Just wall-to-wall quality.
Daft Punk – Discovery
Honestly a five star album from start to finish. There is nothing not to love. Hypnotic electro rhythms with a screaming solo here and there make this album perfect. This is Daft Punk at its finest and its only improved by the movie, Interstellar 5555. If you have a hard time listening to this start to finish, watch that movie and feel the music in a new way.
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
There have been many great jazz albums put out over the years, but I consider Kind of Blue to be both the very best as well as the most subsequently influential of them all.
Kendrick Lamar – GOOD KID M.A.A.D. CITY
Amazing album. Already a classic in my opinion. Each song can stand on its own as a work of art but each song flows very well into the next.
MF DOOM and Madlib – Madvillany
Right up there with Mm…Food. So many influential instrumentals still present in today’s music. Truly a great producer and lyricist.
Radiohead – OK Computer
One of the most original and creative albums of the 90’s. Musically creative and never a dull moment, OK Computer has aged incredibly well.
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
Absolutely amazing soul and jazz album. Not one dull track on it. Every song is memorable and it’s the perfect length for an album like this.
The Beatles – Rubber Soul
There is not a single bad song on the album. Rubber Soul is generally regarded as the Beatles transition from touring with more simple songs to more time in the studio with more complex creations.
Nirvana – Unplugged in NY
Probably the best unplugged album of all time
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
Raw, genuine, full of great songs, humour and grit, his voice getting back to its best, this live performance sums up everything that was heroic about Johnny Cash.
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye delivered on all levels with an album many consider to be an all time great. A true classic with no skippable tracks.
NIN – Downward Spiral
The downward spiral is an industrial masterpiece. This album is a horror movie/thriller in music form. It’s dark, disturbing, offensive, and at times oddly surreal.
Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium
The album is brilliant. The story in the lyrics, the skill in the music, and the overall creativity are mind blowing
Portishead – Dummy
The band that inexplicably launched a generation of dark female vocals on top of jazz samples and synthesizers. This is just an amazing album that has stood the test of time. A must listen to if you love trip/hop or just great 90’s music.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.