My Favorite 100 Albums

While presenting The Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era*, several people asked if I would give a list of my personal Top 100.  Understand (and this is important to be successful in the music business) that my personal opinion is quite different from my professional opinion.  While my tastes are generally in the mainstream, I like almost all styles of music (twangy country and rap are obvious exceptions).  I like everything from Diana Krall to Garth Brooks to Abba and Air Supply to Led Zeppelin and AC/DC.  And much between.


So keep in mind that the following 100 albums are not the ones I would professionally recommend in all cases, although if you like music similar to any of the albums below, you might want to check them out.  However, I should also point out that most albums below I would highly recommend.


1.      Days of Future Passed by the Moody Blues
2.      Boston by Boston
3.      Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel
4.      Room for Squares by John Mayer
5.      Shepherd Moons by Enya
6.      Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
7.      Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles
8.      Breakfast in America by Supertramp
9.      Hysteria by Def Leppard
10.    Ropin' the Wind by Garth Brooks
11.    Pieces of You by Jewel
12.    Cosmo's Factory by CCR
13.    Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey
14.    Traveling Wilburys, Volume I by Traveling Wilburys
15.    The Stranger by Billy Joel
16.    Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
17.    Blood, Sweat & Tears by Blood Sweat & Tears
18.    Night Moves by Bob Seger
19.    Wilson Phillips by Wilson Phillips
20.    Jon Secada by Jon Secada
21.    Listen Without Prejudice by George Michael
22.    When I Look In Your Eyes by Diana Krall
23.    Midnight in San Juan by Earl Klugh
24.    IV by Toto
25.    Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
26.    Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar
27.    Celine Dion by Celine Dion
28.    Back in Black by AC/DC
29.    Tusk by Fleetwood Mac
30.    A Song for You by the Carpenters
31.    Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton
32.    Ladies of the Canyon by Joni Mitchell
33.    Scenes from the Southside by Bruce Hornsby & the Range
34.    Heart in Motion by Amy Grant
35.    Seal by Seal
36.    Learning to Crawl by the Pretenders

37.    Tapestry by Carole King
38.    Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac
39.    Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
40.    Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme by Simon & Garfunkel
41.    Close To You by the Carpenters
42.    The Dream Weaver by Gary Wright
43.    The Long Run by the Eagles
44.    Main Course by the Bee Gees
45.    Hotel California by the Eagles
46.    Thriller by Michael Jackson
47.    Winelight by Grover Washington, Jr.
48.    Dire Straits by Dire Straits
49.    Scarecrow by John Mellencamp
50.    Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs
51.    Throwing Copper by Live
52.    Abbey Road by the Beatles
53.    Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and Jaoa Gilberto
54.    Rapture by Anita Baker
55.    The Cars by the Cars
56.    Supernatural by Santana
57.    Repeat Offender by Richard Marx
58.    Phoenix by Dan Fogelberg
59.    The End of the Innocence by Don Henley
60.    Music Box by Mariah Carey
61.    Bad Company by Bad Company

62.    Different Light by the Bangles
63.    Kick by Inxs
64.    Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid by Collective Soul
65.    Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
66.    Reckless by Bryan Adams
67.    August & Everything After by the Counting Crows
68.    The Joshua Tree by U2
69.    Invisible Touch by Genesis
70.    Spirits Having Flown by the Bee Gees
71.    4 by Foreigner
72.    Boats Against the Current by Eric Carmen
73.    Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash
74.    Arrival by ABBA
75.    Head Games by Foreigner
76.    Collective Soul by Collective Soul
77.    Apurimac III by Cusco
78.    Falling Into You by Celine Dion
79.    Breezin' by George Benson
80.    Whitney Houston by Whitney Houston
81.    Pretenders by the Pretenders
82.    Like a Virgin by Madonna
83.    No Fences by Garth Brooks
84.    Josh Groban by Josh Groban
85.    Equinox by Styx
86.    Light of Smiles by Gary Wright
87.    2:00 A.M. Paradise Cafe by Barry Manilow
88.    Let It Loose by Miami Sound Machine
89.    Voulez Vous by ABBA
90.    Starland Vocal Band by Starland Vocal Band
91.    Sedaka's Back by Neil Sedaka
92.    Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne
93.    Highway to Hell by AC/DC
94.    Stranger in Town by Bob Seger
95.    Disciplined Breakdown by Collective Soul
96.    Time Out by Dave Brubeck
97.    Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell
98.    Double Vision by Foreigner
99.   Graceland by Paul Simon
100.  Not Fragile by Bachman-Turner Overdrive