We all know that listening to vinyl records is like CDs, only more expensive and honestly kind of a hassle. Every three or four songs comes time to flip over or change the record, you have to clean the dust off incredibly carefully and if you scratch it, it’s going to skip and the disc is ruined.

It just sounds better though. In the same way, 35mm film looks better than digital, there’s something about the warmth of both of the older technologies that brings something special to your experience. I love my Fluance turntable and speakers, and going through my collection never fails to remind me that I’ve got some gems just waiting to be played.

Having said that, everyone has to start somewhere and my collection has a lot to be desired. I’ve read a number of this sort of article that seems to copy and paste the same Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, and Beatles albums. Of course, they’re amazing, but there are so many that are missing. These are the kind of albums that a particular kind of song lives on. The tunes that you might hear on a radio station while you’re driving on a road you don’t normally travel. The ones you wish you could remember the title but can almost hum the tune.

In no particular order, here are my top 20 albums that you absolutely must own – on vinyl.

Oasis – Definitely Maybe

Gorillaz – Demon Days

Elbow – Mirrorball

Frank Sinatra – Ultimate Christmas

Barenaked Ladies – Original Hits

The Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack – Delux Vinyl Edition

Arctic Monkeys – AM

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die

Regina Spektor – Far

Kimbra – Vows

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You

Wilco – Ode to Joy (pre-order)

Madness – One Step Beyond (1979)

John Coltrane – Blue World

Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

Sia – Everyday is Christmas

Darkness – Permission to Land

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars 

Beastie Boys – Check Your Head

Experience Hendrix – The Best of Jimi Hendrix

Update

I posted this list on Reddit and got absolutely rinsed for being basic. So, they shared their top album recommendations. It looks like I’ve got a lot to listen to.

R/Lanark77 said: 20, some old and some new.

1. Public Image Ltd – Metal Box
2. Throbbing Gristle – 20 Jazz Funk Greats
3. Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
4. The Durutti Column ‎– The Return Of The Durutti Column
5. Death in Vegas – Scorpio Rising
6. The Nectarine Nº9 ‎– A Sea With Three Stars
7. Idles ‎– Joy As An Act Of Resistance
8. Coil – Horse Rotovator
9. Swans ‎– Soundtracks For The Blind
10. Shannon Shaw ‎– Shannon In Nashville
11. Massive Attack ‎– Heligoland
12. Earl Brutus ‎– Tonight You Are The Special One
13. The Go! Team ‎– Thunder, Lightning, Strike
14. Sparks ‎– Kimono My House
15. Leftfield ‎– Leftism
16. The Residents ‎– The Third Reich ‘N’ Roll
17. Swell Maps ‎– … In “Jane From Occupied Europe”
18. Psychic TV – Force the Hand of Chance
19. Big Black – Atomizer
20. R. Dean Taylor ‎– Indiana Wants Me

Did I miss any? Add them in the comments below.

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