100 Albums You Must Own

1. Lady Sings The Blues, Billie Holiday/1956:  With a voice possessed of a texture that could scrape your soul raw and make it overflow with emotive manifestations, the Lady gave pain one of the most perfect definitions to be ever heard. Download: Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child

2. Moanin’ in the Moonlight, Howlin’ Wolf /1958: One of the pillars of Chicago Blues, the Wolf made a lasting impact on the development of this genre with his debut album with rough imperfection that went down through your heart. Download: Little Red Rooster, Smokestack Lightnin

3. A Love Supreme, John Coltrane/1965: Undoubtedly one of the greatest works of the world’s most phenomenal Jazz composer, this album, which was produced at the end of the Classic Quintet era, marked signs of the crossover jazz genres in times to come. Download: Resolution, Psalm

4. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys/1966: Intricate harmonies coupled with complex arrangements in this highly critically acclaimed album from the best known trio of brothers to have emerged on the Pacific coast, this laid the foundation for scores of albums over successive years. An influence that still lives on. Download: Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice

5. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan/1966: Characterised by the incisive delivery of poetic ability profoundly ingrained into the fabric of his soul, the folk blues legend delivered the widest ranging plethora of emotions ever etched on vinyl. Download: Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35, Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands

6. Are You Experienced, Jimi Hendrix Experience/1967: He may have had his roots in Native America but a crossover to the UK made him a guitar god who built an Olympus of amplified feedback, a peak he still rules as Zeus. Download: Purple Haze, Hey Joe

7. I Never Loved A Man (the way I love you), Aretha Franklin/1967: It paved the path to the coronation of the Queen of Soul – and started the journey of a rich voice, which perhaps doesn’t know any bounds as far as traversing octaves is concerned. Download: Respect, Baby, Baby, Baby

8. Disraeli Gears, Cream/1967: We can say, dollops of blues served unadulterated in the second album by Cream. The talent contained in each one of them was more than some of the best bands put together. Download: Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love

9. Velvet Underground, Velvet Underground and Nico/1967: Album art immortalised in the form of a banana created by the progenitor of The Factory. Contains an explicit depiction of hedonism with messages on drug abuse and mental deviance. Download: Heroin, Venus In Furs

10. The Doors, The Doors/1967: Controversy was an umbilical cord, which probably wasn’t removed for Morrison at birth; but then it led to their debut success. Download: Break On Through, Light My Fire

11. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison/1968: An artistically bizarre piece of musical erudition, the ideas put forth in this critically acclaimed album wove together an entire cosmos of images and impressions to last through history. Download: Madame George, Cyprus Avenue

12-13. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band/White Album, The Beatles/1967-1968: These are probably the greater of each magnum opus. Sgt. Pepper’s marked their foray into a hyperbolic experimentation away from pop, while the eponymous White Album built upon the legacy of its predecessor with resounding panache. Download: Sgt. Pepper’s Lucy in the sky with Diamonds, Within’ you, Without You, Sgt. Pepper White Album, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Helter Skelter

14. CSN, CSN/1969: Meshing three unique musical styles into one with bits of country, folk and jazz, this proved to be the foundation stone, with its simple melodic restraint, upon a complex rock structure. Download: Marrakesh Express, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

15. Santana, Carlos Santana/1969: Following closely on the heels of their Woodstock performance, the release of this album marked the showcasing of a Latin influence on mainstream rock to produce a mulatto sound, which was rich, dark, yet gently mellow. Download: Evilways, Soul Sacrifice

16. Bitches Brew, Miles Davis/1970: Coming from the trum­peter, who was largely responsible for the development of modern jazz, this album fused elements of modern rock – which enhanced the power of jazz. Download: Pharaoh Dance, Spanish Key

17. After The Gold Rush, Neil Young/1970: Folk and country infused with a hard rock feel made this one of the most hailed releases by an artiste recognised for his work both solo, and as part of another hugely influential group. Download: Southern Mam, Don’t Let it Bring Down

18. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel/ 1970: Having spent decades together and achieving mainstream conscious­ness by crafting a close vocal harmony based sound, which epitomised a representa­tion of everything that America was, this album went on to establish itself as a gospel at the end of their stint together. Download: Bridge Over Troubled Water, Cecilia

19. Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin/1971: The Gods of Rock, with an album that featured sounds and techniques, which were to act as influences for anything heavy and melodic in times to come. Did someone say Satan’s tribe? Who cares? Download: Stairway To Heaven

23. Blue, Joni Mitchell/1971: Lilting vocals, which saw the world through vulnerable eyes with a poetic eloquence that made her feel "like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes" - a soul baring travail that wraps you to reach the inside. Download: All I Want, California

24. What’s going on, Marvin Gaye/1971: Battling devastation after personal loss and expressing the influence of the prevailing socio-political situation through his voice, the master bought forth a piece of work, which signified the embryonic stage of neo-soul. Early environmentalist thoughts occur here. Download: Inner City Blues, Mercy, Mercy Me

25. Who’s Next, The Who/1971: Everyone would have to be the next one, following the release of a sound, which carried forth a universally identified legacy of loud, crazy showmanship of a band that ironically asks for an identity in its moniker. Dowload: Baba O’Riley, Behind Blue Eyes

20. Tapestry, Carole King/1971: After having worked as a songwriter for long, she finally broke her mould by singing her own tunes, a feat that earned her a position at the top of the charts as a leading solo singer-songwriter. Download: Will You Still Love Me, It's Too Late

21. Paranoid, Black Sabbath/1971: The title was based upon a track purported to be a filler and ultimately became one of their most recognisable anthems. The prolific riffs became iconic, and it’s no surprise that Birmingham has had a paranoid journey to the echelons of Heavy Metal. Download: Paranoid, Iron Man

22. Imagine, John Lennon/1971: They may have been more popular than Jesus, but this solo effort from the most socially sensitive Beatle elevated him to the status of a God whose plea for peace got immortalised in his mortality. Download: Imagine, Oh! My Love

26. Machine Head Deep Purple/1972: A heavy influence on the early development of hard rock and heavy metal, this album contains tracks (composed during a period when the band probably had their best line-up) that have attained status as anthems. Download: Highway Star, Smoke On Water

27. All Directions, The Temptations/1972: Featuring a true star cast ensemble from the house of Motown, the fast blurring boundaries between classic black genres of soul, funk and psychedelia were never so clear than, in this energetic yet somber work. The classic harmonies still set standards. Download: Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Mother Nature

28. Exile On Main St., The Rolling Stones/1972: The wild children of Brit rock came out with a staggering exposition of a variety of influences merged together, defining a masterpiece that shaped the persona of rock ‘n’ roll, that kicked you in the shins. Download: Tumbling Dice, Happy

29. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie/1972: Glam wed sci-fi, as we trace the rise and fall of a Martian rock star through his message of peace (through chemicals) and love (albeit promiscuous), which would have left HG Wells shocked. Download: It Ain' t Easy, Star Man

30. Close To The Edge, Yes/1972: A superbly technical representation of Brit Prog Rock, an experimentation that promises to push you to the precipice of self discovery, this album contained sheer majesty. Jon Anderson is lyrically at his mystical best and the sheer pomp of the music underscores his words. Download: The Solid Time Of Change, Siberian Khatru

31.Transformer, Lou Reed/1972: One of the more talented musicians to have been discovered by Warhol, something, which Lou Reed proved in this solo effort. A work that is widely recognised as an integral part of the early days of glam. Download: Walk On The Wild Side, Perfect Day

32. The Dark Side of The Moon, Pink Floyd/1973: The biggest act to have emerged on the British psychedelic prog rock movement scene that took over the world. The avant garde manner in which the progress of human life through its trials and tribulations, were lyricised to the accompaniment of heart wrenching guitar solos and earth sounds, owing their inclusion to immaculate production, made sure this album went down in the annals of music. A true masterpiece, which enjoyed mass appeal. Download: Time, Money

33. Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd, Lynyrd Skynyrd/1973: Preceding their demise in a plane crash, the original lineup of the band produced a flavour of whisky soaked Southern Rock with a distinctive blues-based feel, and assumed astronomical proportions. Dowload: Free Bird, Simple Man

34. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John/1973: Much before he was knighted, this 70s poster boy made the piano into an instrument that spewed aggression, along with his onstage theatrics to achieve climactic success in the form of this veritable magnum opus. Download: Candle In The Wind, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

35. Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Genesis/1974: Exponents of British progressive rock, this band shifted the notion of birth – from coming into this world to achieving maturity. The concept flows thoroughout this theatrical composition of epic proportions. Download: In Cage, Waiting Room

36. Horses, Patti Smith/1975: The debut effort of an artiste who found poetic expression from the twin pillars of her American upbringing, and an exposure to French popular culture, Patti Smith used this as a base to create a sound that labeled her as the founding Godmother of Punk. Download: Gloria, Land

37. Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen/1975: The image of the working class hero was getting established. He had to run to become the Boss through his portrayal of Middle America, which has come to symbolise the American spirit. Download: Thunder Road, Jungle Land

38. A Night At The Opera, Queen/1975: Very aptly named, the band ruled the world, with roots from a country famous for its female monarchs. A peregrination, which crossed the first milestone featuring some of the most amazing display of vocal harmonies. Download: Bohemian Rapsody, You're My Best Friends

39. Sex Machine, James Brown/1976: The Godfather of Soul, a musician who was a true entertainer with his dynamite antics on stage, this was a monumental work in high pitched vocals, which climaxed with followers being driven to manic delirium. Truly the main man with the master plan. Download: Get Up, Mother Popcorn

40. Songs In The Key Of Life, Stevie Wonder/1976: Considered one of the finest albums to be released in pop history, this double album, by one of the industry’s finest musical virtuosos shaped the sound of popular music. Download: Pastime Paradise, Sir Duke

41. The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley/1976: Undoubtedly the first album to feature a true rock ‘n’ roll sound, the King achieved the distinction of having set foot on the path to mainstream stardom which would go upscale with his lethal cocktail of a voice that not just fluttered but flapped a million hearts, an onstage energy which was unknown before then and an innuendo that was probably a bit too sexual for the times. Download: That's All Right, Blue Moon Of Kentucky

42. Hotel California, The Eagles/1976: True though it maybe that the title of this album has been bludgeoned to death by extensive push play, the decadence and decay of social fiber and disillusionment with the great American Dream made for its great success. Download: Hotel California, Life Fast Lane

43. The Ramones, The Ramones/1976: The grand daddies of Punk bought forth a nervous zeal, with decibel levels and high-speed basic riffing, which at times made you think that the drum skins or the amplifier was going to explode – they didn’t, but the world did. 1, 2, 3, go, indeed! Download: Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on Brat

44. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac/1977: Comprising a lineup spread on both sides of the Atlantic, Nicks’ vocal prowess transported the emotional turmoil faced by the band via an ethereal wave of immaculately arranged scores. Download: The Chain, Don't Stop

45. Saturday Night Fever, Bee Gees/1977: Flaring bell-bottoms, dancing shoes - all immortalised an image. Tightly knit three part harmonies make up this album, by a trio who led the Disco fever from the forefront and bookended the genre in their name. Download: Stayin' Alive, How Deep Is Your Love

46. Trans Europe Express, Kraftwerk/1977: Teutonic electronica, which revolutionised its times with strong melodies fused with mechanised rhythms in mathematically timed precision, which was so very influential. Download: Showroom Dummies, Trans Europe Express

47. Never Mind The Bollocks: The Sex Pistol/1977: With band members's names like ‘Vicious’ly ‘Rotten’, the resulting sounds caught a mad fever, burst the glass tube and spilt mercury on anything that remotely classified itself into being loud. Download: God Save The Queen, Anarchy UK

48. Exodus, Bob Marley/1977: Harbingers of peace and harmony, the foremost agenda of reggae, this gem formed the crown jewel for Marley who became the first third world star to have commanded continents. Three decades have gone by since this was released and it still sounds mint fresh. Download: Exodus, One Love/People Ready

49. C’est Chic, Chic/1978: Grooves, which could set any music lover’s feet in motion, this was a melange of melodies based around tight rhythm sections from an R&B band with mass appeal. Download: Le Freak, I Want Your Love

50. Van Halen, Van Halen/1978: Erupting on the scene like a volcano, this albums reverberations can be felt even today. It set the tone for arena sized guitar solos, a feat which still remains their forte. Download: Eruption, Runnin’ With Devil

51. One Nation Under Groove Funkadelic/1978: The unifying power of music was evident in this piece de resistance, which bought together classic soul and funk influences to mainstream rock and built monster, block-rocking grooves. Download Bring the Noise, Black Steel

52. Parallel Lines, Blondie/1978: Spewing vocals by a seductress, who became an icon for the Punk attitude, this band wove together a mass of parallel lines, which had a distinct impact on the New Wave sound. Download: Heart of Glass, One Way Or Another

53. Fear Of Music, Talking Heads/1979: Crafting together a mini­malist punk sound, bordering on art, this multi talented band created a huge New Wave of music. The album’s influence, certainly light years ahead of its time has been felt continually from the day of it release. Download: Air, Drugs

54. Reggatta De Blanc, The Police/1979: Treading onto a terri­tory, which till then had been the reserve of the Carribean, this landmark album, loosely translated as ‘white reggae’, produced a sound that signified the spillover of the sticky back­beat into the white man’s land. Chalk one up for Mr. Gordon Sumner. Download: Message In A Bottle, Bring On Night

57. Closer, Joy Division/1980: Preceded by the suicide of its lead vocalist in a manner that seemed like a portent, this album contained some of the darkest and the mellowest tributes to the bleakness probably felt when you are closest to the end. Download: A Means To An End, Isolation

58. Number Of The Beast: Iron Maiden/1982: If nothing else, all rise at the mention of 666 for having introduced the world to the vocal belligerence of Dickinson and leaving a legacy that continues to reach newer heights even today – truly what could be more hallowed than thy name. Biblical lines were never this rocking. Download: Number of The Beast, Hallowed Be Thy Name

55. Highway to Hell, AC/DC/1979: From one of the best known exports from down under, this was a thunderous journey on a lightning bolt of high octane vocals and heavy guitar chords that extended into masterpiece solos. The monster stomp was born here. Download: Highway Hell, Night Prowler

56. London Calling, The Clash/1979: Coming from one of the foremost punk bands in the UK, this signified a marked style departure owing to experimentations with aspects of reggae, ska and soul resulting in a product, which couldn’t have packaged resentment in a more powerful ball of spite. Download: Brand New Cadillac, Train Vain

59. Rio, Duran Duran/1982: Pop was made to acquire a new dimension altogether with the inclusion of synth pop melodies, which set the template for the sound that went on to permeate a vast majority of 80s music. Download: Hungry Like Wolf, Save A Prayer

60. Purple Rain, Prince/1984: ‘Metro’ and ‘Uber’ may have been prefixed to ‘Sexual’ now, but this musical genius defined them with his image eons ago, in an album that fused pop with rock, jazz, soul and god knows what else. Download: When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy

61. Thriller, Michael Jackson/1984: The Prince of Pop sealed his authority over the music charts with the highest selling album of all time, which cut across genres to reach out to all kinds of music lovers and redefined mainstream pop. Download: Beat It, Billie Jean

62. Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits/1985: Their biggest album, this was a runaway hit with Knopfler taking the lead on some of the most memorably melodic rhythms on the six stringer; something which ensured that they never ended up in a financial situation that reminded them of their collective name. Download: Money For Nothing, Walk Of Life

63. Raising Hell, Run DMC/1986: Old school rap and hip hop at its best, this album featured one of the earliest collaborations of rap with rock. In the process, they pushed the rock band into the mainstream from a literal abyss and laid the foundation for what became nu-metal. Download: My Adidas, Walk This Way

64. Graceland, Paul Simon/1986: Having ridden high on the success of being part of the phenomenal duo Simon and Garfunkel, but pushed to the edge of ignominy in his later years, this acted as the catalyst for bringing Paul Simon back with a pot­pourri of sounds from across the first and third worlds. Download: You Can Call Me Al, Under African Skies

65. Hounds Of Love, Kate Bush/1986: An eclectic talent displayed through a musical style and incredible vocal prowess that refused to confine itself to a single genre, the combination of which carved out her niche as a solo female performer extraordinaire. Download: Running Up That Hill, Jig Of Life

66. Appetite for Destruction, Guns 'n Roses/1987: Opening with a snarl of raucous debauchery, the amount of noise contained herein was enough to have upset the proceedings of Pluto’s Senate; an image of pandemonium this band would carry beyond its years. A shame that they seem to be taking forever to release albums nowadays. Download: Sweet Child O’ Mine, Paradise City

67. Faith, George Michael/1987: Immortalising an image which was stripped bare in designer black and white – shades, jeans, boots, stubble – this laid the foundation for a pop-soul career which would croon in a voice which would make Chinese silk feel like emery. Download: Faith, Father Figure

68. The Joshua Tree, U2/1987: Irish roots with a distinctively American blues based influence, this album sent the band haring into stadiums. U2 over the years came to be recognised for an‘Edge’y delayed, reverb on guitars. Download: Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found

69. 3 Feet and Rising, De La SouL/1988: Groovy sampling with rap based vocals extolling love and greater understanding at a time when gangsta rap threatened to take over with violence, the hip hop trio made sure this one kept rising. Download: Say No Go, Me, Myself And I

70. It Takes a Nation of a Million to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy/1988: Public Enemy are the pioneers of introducing sociopoliticulturally charged content into rap and hip hop. This exerted massive influence with its densely packaged sound made up of heavy samples and primordial scratching. Download: Bring the Noise, Black Steel

71. Like A Prayer, Madonna/1989: With content brewing an angst that threw Catholicism to the winds, this artistic expression combined elements, which accomplished the transition of the Material Girl to a Diva set to rule the pop charts for decades. Download: Like A Prayer, Express Yourself

72. Paul’s Boutique, Beastie Boys/1989: Landmark production values dissected hip-hop with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel to change it forever. Multi-layered sampling established itself as the precursor to the sounds heard today. Download: Egg Man, Car Thief

73. Second Coming, Indus Creed/1990: India’s premier rock band featured a ripe sound with varying emotions and thoughts, integrating mainstream rock with a hint of Indian influences to catapult them to an international stage. Download: Pretty Child, Turn It On

74. Metallica, Metallica/1991: Metal at its expressive best, this album portrayed emotions, moods and questions which emerged from the dark light within the human soul – firmly notched in its position as the harbinger of heavy/thrash metal of the 90s. Download: Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters

75. Blood Sugar Sex Magik, RHCP/1991: The energy, promises to outlive any nicotine laced caffeine combo. Aggro vocals with funky guitar passages backed by godzilla bass notes bought a new sound to the 90s alternative scene. Download: Give it Away, Under Bridge

76. Blue Lines: Massive Attack/1991: Mainstream hiphop and rock with a distinct British aesthetic and popular sounds of soul and jazz in a complex arrangement, this is the parenting point of trip hop. Download: Unfinished Sympathy, Day Dreaming

77. Nevermind, Nirvana/1991: Exploding onto the Seattle music scene with a heavy sound based on hardcore punk, and lyrics that brought forth youthful angst, this trio went onto to signify the emergence of grunge as a distinct genre. Download: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are

78. Automatic For The People, REM/1992: An economically sparse sound, whose folksy, mellow, stripped down experience opened up a window into the inner depths of one’s feelings. This helped herald the band as the standard bearers of the 90s alternative scene.Download: Nights Wimming, Man On the Moon

79. Rage Against The Machine, RATM/1992: Socio-political sounds took up an aggressive new stance, with RATM’s take on thrashing the world’s big daddies; never had music packaged so much power in a social message before this. Download: Killing In The Name, Take The Power Back

80. The Chronic, Dr. Dre/1992: Patenting the G Funk sound, this groundbreaking album in the history of hip-hop propelled the career path of the one of the greatest producers to have emerged on the West Coast. Download: Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang, Let Me Ride

81. Debut, Bjork/1993: For the eccentric Icelandic girl with vocals like the theatrics of a trapeze artiste, the debut solo effort marked her coming of age with an eclectic melange of styles ranging from Jazz, Electro to even Indian. Download: Big Time Sensuality, Venus As A Boy

82. Pablo Honey, Radiohead/1993: Self hate couldn’t have found a better British exemplification with this band’s debut single, which hit the world as part of an album that constructed walls of crunchy guitar tones amidst the dark lyrical content. Download: Creep, You

83.Wind Dance With Fire, Agni/1993: Unequivocally one of the finest metal albums from India. Howling octaves and haunting harmonies combined with some amazing action on strings and skins to ensure that the flames would only rise higher with each passing gust. Download: Darkening Light, Kashmir

84. Dookie, Green Day/1994: Sellout, maybe. Soldout, definitely – for punks may have resented their signing on to a major label and incorporating a pop-pish sound. This album proved that a fresh sound of punk was here to stay. Download: Basket Case, When I Come Around

85. Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette/1995: With rough-hewn vocals that seared through an entangled mass of hair, the Canadian high priestess of rock’s debut stint enjoyed the distinction of spending more than a year in the Top Ten charts. Download: You Oughta Know, Hand In My Pocket

86. (What’s the story) Morning Glory, Oasis/1995: This multi platinum release, made the Gallagher Brothers metamorphose into the poster boys of Britpop and everything brash and hedonistic, which promised to keep them in the media for all the wrong reasons. Download: Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger

87. Dig Your Own Hole, Chemical Brothers/1997: The electric duo of Chemical Tom and Chemical Ed proved to the world that pharmaceutical influences are not really needed for autokinesis, all you need is Big Beat aided by photopsychedelia in an arena. Download: Block Rockin’ Beats, Setting Sun

88. Odelay Beck/1996: Slamming critics for shunning him as a one-hit wonder, Beck Hansen made it known that he didn’t have a particular signature style. Two turn tables and a microphone was where it was at. Download: Where it’s At, Devil’s Haircut

89. The Score, The Fugees/1996: Striking a fine balance between hip-hop and some classic soul of yesteryears, the resultant sound was a unique expression of talent by this trio, something that launched internationally acclaimed solo careers for each of them. Download: Killing Me Softly, Ready Or Not

90. Colourblind, Colourblind/1997: One of the best produced albums to have arrived during the fledgling years of the Indian rock music industry, this singular release from a hugely talented band pushed the limits of an adrenaline rush. Sadly, they never followed it up. Download: Colourblind, Souls Of Parade

91. The Fat Of The Land, Prodigy/1997: An appeal that is broad-based enough to include everyone from hardcore dance lovers to effervescent metal heads, this electro-punk-bigbeat-rock based band captured attention all over the world with tracks, which are essential to any DJs playlist. For a while electro became the new rock.Download: Firestarter, Smack My Bitch Up

92. Kandisa, Indian Ocean/2000: With powerful golden vocals, unconventional percussions, and strongly melodic bass and guitar sections coupled with world music influences, this band proved its might as one of the most creative band with rock 'n roll roots. Download: Hille Le, Kandisa

93. Azaadi, Junoon/1998: One of the most popular bands to have emerged out of the Asian subcontinent, the synergy between a Western classic rock based sound and Eastern mysticism paved the way for the birth of Sufi rock. Download: Sayonee, Khudi

94. You’ve Come A Long Way Baby, Fatboy Slim/1998: Under the guise of one of his most popular self-assumed monikers, Quentin Cook thrashed critics of techno world­wide by breaking upon big beat in manner, which was mammoth enough to contain beaches full of party lovers. Download: Right Here, Now, The Rockafeller Skank

95. Play, Moby/1999: One of the most significant albums in electronica from one of its most widely sold artistes, riding high on a legacy till then just based on dance and ambient music, this was a promising fuller experience with some serious pop rock tunes. Download: Natural Blues, South Side

96. The Marshall Mathers, LP Eminem/2000: The Slim Shady reveals his darker, deeper aspect in an effort to rid himself of the surrounding patho­genesis – anything after this album ‘just might be the next best thing but not quite me’. Download: The Real Slim Shady, Stan

97. Songs In A Minor, Alicia Keys/2001: A voice as smooth as the choicest grades of cognac, Keys displayed a maturity much beyond her years; a finesse, which didn’t just touch the heart of the legendary Bob Dylan, but forced tears through it. Download: Fallin’, Mr. Man

98. Miss E... So Addictive, Missy Elliot/2001: A definitive makeover, which took a detour from previous releases and, which affirmed that Sista was set to rule the roost of popular pop hip hop airtime. Girl power was never embodied so well. Download: Get Your Freak On, One Minute Man

99. Elephant, The White Stripes/2003: Exerting a mammoth effect on the revival of the original garage sound by way of swampy blues, this album by the faux White siblings is one of the most influential moments in the history of strip-down, back-to-basics rock. Download: Seven Nation Army, Ball And Biscuit

100. Its Ok Its All Good, Pentagram/2007: Having made a mark for itself for over a decade, this Indian band marked a progression by putting together a sampled sound based on guitar riffs and groovy beats. This album, which stapled Pentagram on to collective imagination with a popular electronic alternative sound. Download: Bilie Holiday, 1956