From the Record Crate is about looking back. It’s about reaching into your music collection and pulling out an old favorite, or looking through dollar bins for older CDs you’ve never heard. It’s as much about obscure albums you’ve never heard as it is about albums that are constantly ranked among the all-time greatest.

This series is essentially the musical equivalent of The Film Canon. Albums (and, possibly, the occasional single) from the past will be looked at and analyzed from musical and historical standpoints. The biggest difference between the two series, however—apart from being about different mediums—is that From the Record Crate will stress canonicity less. Not all the albums covered here will be easily sought out classics. After all, popular music has a long history and plenty of memorable releases that have been lost to it.

From the Record Crate Index 

1960s

The Beatles – Beatles for Sale (1964)

The Beatles – Revolver (1966)

The Beach Boys – Friends (1968)

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline (1969)

The Doors – The Doors (1967)

Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign (1967)

The Kinks – Something Else by the Kinks (1967)

The Monkees – More of the Monkees (1967)

The Mothers of Invention – We’re Only In It For the Money (1968)

Dolly Parton – Hello, I’m Dolly (1967)

Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

1970s

ABBA – Arrival (1976)

The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East (1971)

The Bee Gees & various artists – Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977)

Boston – Boston (1976)

David Bowie – Diamond Dogs (1974)

David Bowie – Low (1977)

David Bowie – “Heroes” (1977)

Kate Bush – The Kick Inside (1978)

The Clash – The Clash (1977)

Elvis Costello – My Aim is True (1977)

Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks (1975)

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977)

Genesis – Foxtrot (1972)

Al Green – Let’s Stay Together (1972)

Humble Pie – Smokin’ (1972)

Billy Joel – The Stranger (1977)

Elton John – Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano Player (1973)

John Lennon – Imagine (1971)

KISS – Alive! (1975)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Joni Mitchell – Ladies of the Canyon (1970)

Joni Mitchell – Hejira (1976)

Van Morrison – Saint Dominic’s Preview (1972)

New York Dolls – New York Dolls (1973)

Gram Parsons – G.P. (1973)

Iggy Pop – Lust for Life (1977)

Lou Reed – Transformer (1972)

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves (1976)

Patti Smith Group – Radio Ethiopia (1976)

Bruce Springsteen – Greetings from Asbury Park N.J. (1973)

Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run (1975)

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness of the Edge of Town (1978)

Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Television – Marquee Moon (1977)

The Who – Who’s Next (1971)

Neil Young – Harvest (1972)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps (1979)

Frank Zappa – Waka Jawaka (1972)

1980s

Paula Abdul – Forever Your Girl (1988)

Adam Ant – Friend or Foe (1982)

Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet  (1986)

The Clash – Combat Rock (1982)

The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry (1980)

Duran Duran – Rio (1982)

Thomas Dolby – The Golden Age of Wireless (1982)

Game Theory – The Big Shot Chronicles (1986)

The Go-Go’s – Vacation (1982)

Whitney Houston – Whitney (1987)

Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising (1985)

Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)

Journey – Escape (1981)

Laraaji – Ambient 3: The Day of Radiance (1980)

Madonna – Like a Prayer (1989)

Paul McCartney – Tug of War (1982)

Nirvana – Bleach (1989)

Pet Shop Boys – Actually (1987)

The Psychedelic Furs – Talk Talk Talk (1981)

Prince – 1999 (1982)

Prince – Sign o’ the Times (1987)

Public Enemy – Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987)

Lou Reed – The Blue Mask (1982)

The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You (1981)

Run D.M.C. – Run D.M.C. (1984)

Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)

The Smiths – The Queen is Dead (1986)

Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love (1987)

Styx – Kilroy Was Here (1983)

Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)

Talking Heads – Naked (1988)

Toto – Toto IV (1982)

U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)

Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing (1987)

Tom Waits – Franks Wild Years (1987)

Roger Waters – Radio KAOS (1987)

1990s

Backstreet Boys – Backstreet Boys (1997)

Backstreet Boys – Millennium (1999)

Beck – Odelay (1996)

Björk – Post (1995)

Mary J. Blige – What’s the 411? (1992)

Blur – Leisure (1991)

Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish (1993)

Blur – Parklife (1994)

Blur – Blur (1997)

The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole (1997)

Daft Punk – Homework (1997)

Darkthrone – A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

En Vogue – Funky Divas (1992)

Eric B. & Rakim – Don’t Sweat the Technique (1992)

Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape (1997)

Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Barafundle (1997)

David Gray – White Ladder (1998)

Green Day – Dookie (1994)

Hanson – Middle of Nowhere (1997)

Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual (1990)

Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)

Annie Lennox – Diva (1992)

Madonna – Erotica (1992)

Master P – Ghetto D (1997)

Matchbox Twenty – Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)

Sarah McLachlan – Surfacing (1997)

Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West (1997)

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill (1995)

*NSYNC – NSYNC (1998)

Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death (1997)

Oasis – Be Here Now (1997)

Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

Pearl Jam – Ten (1991)

Radiohead – Pablo Honey (1993)

Radiohead – The Bends (1995)

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995)

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)

R.E.M. – Out of Time (1991)

R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992)

Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording (1996)

Savage Garden – Savage Garden (1997)

Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out (1997)

Britney Spears – …Baby One More Time (1999)

The Spice Girls – Spice (1996)

The Spice Girls – Spiceworld (1997)

They Might Be Giants – Flood (1990)

Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind (1997)

Shania Twain – Come on Over (1997)

Whiskeytown – Strangers Almanac (1997)

2000s

The Academy Is… – Almost Here (2005)

Christina Aguilera – Stripped (2002)

Lily Allen – Alright, Still (2006)

Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

The Avalanches – Since I Left You (2000)

Sara Bareilles – Little Voice (2007)

Beach House – Beach House (2006)

Beck – Sea Change (2002)

Beyoncé – Dangerously in Love (2003)

Beyoncé – B’day (2006)

Blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)

Boys Like Girls – Boys Like Girls (2006)

Busted – Busted (2001)

Cage – Hell’s Winter  (2005)

Cobra Starship – Viva la Cobra (2007)

Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)

Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)

Daft Punk – Alive 2007 (2007)

The Decemberists – The Crane Wife (2006)

The Dismemberment Plan – Change (2001)

The Donnas – Spend the Night (2002)

Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)

Eminem – Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture “8 Mile” (2002)

Evanescence – Fallen (2003)

Fall Out Boy – Infinity on High (2007)

The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)

Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords (2008)

Florence + The Machine – Lungs (2009)

The Format – Dog Problems (2006)

The Game – The Documentary (2005)

Good Charlotte – Good Morning Revival (2007)

The Good, The Bad and the Queen – The Good, The Bad and the Queen (2006)

Gorillaz – Demon Days (2005)

Incubus – Morning View (2001)

J Dilla – The Shining (2006)

Jay-Z – The Blueprint (2001)

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat (2006)

Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001)

The Killers – Sam’s Town (2006)

Lady Gaga – The Fame (2008)

Avril Lavigne – Let Go (2002)

Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing (2007)

Lil B – 6 Kiss (2009)

Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III (2008)

Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory (2001)

Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster… (2008)

Ludo – Ludo (2008)

Maroon 5 – Songs About Jane (2002)

Matchbox Twenty – Mad Season (2000)

John Mayer – Continuum (2006)

Tim McGraw – Let It Go (2007)

Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion (2007)

My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (2006)

*NSYNC – Celebrity (2001)

Okkervil River – The Stage Names (2007)

Paramore – Riot! (2007)

Panic! at the Disco – A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005)

Panic! at the Disco – Pretty. Odd. (2008)

The Postal Service – Give Up (2003)

Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R (2000)

Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002)

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – Don’t You Fake It (2006)

Rilo Kiley – Rilo Kiley (2000)

Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things (2002)

Sigur Ros – ( ) (2002)

Simple Plan – No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (2002)

Britney Spears – Britney (2001)

Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)

Bruce Springsteen – The Rising (2002)

Sum 41 – All Killer, No Filler (2001)

Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift (2006)

Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends (2002)

Tegan and Sara – If It Was You (2002)

Kanye West – The College Dropout (2004)

Kanye West – Late Registration (2005)

Kanye West – Graduation (2008)

The White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)

Wilco – Sky Blue Sky (2007)

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)

Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (2008)

2010s

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (2010)

Neon Trees – Habits (2010)

One Direction – Up All Night (2011)

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