The document lists essential albums across various genres of music including rock and roll, punk, hip hop, country, jazz, metal, electronic/dance, experimental/new, blues, folk/Americana, R&B/soul, and alternative. It provides a concise overview of important albums that helped define each musical style through short 1-2 word album titles and artist names.

1. Rock and Roll
Buddy Holly. From the Original Master Tapes.
Sun Records Compilation.
Rockin’ Bones Compilation.
The Everly Brothers. S/T.
Little Richard. S/T.
Wanda Jackson. Rockin’ With Wanda.
Nuggets compilation.
Chuck Berry. Is On Top.
Gene Vincent. Bluejean Bop!
Ike and Tina Turner. Proud Mary: Best of Ike and Tina Turner.
Punk
Germs. MIA.
Siouxsie And The Banshees. The Scream.
Suicide. S/T.
Crass. Stations Of The Cross.
NOFX. Punk in Drublic.
Social Distortion. S/T..
The Slits. Cut.
Joy Division. Unknown Pleasures.
Bad Brains. S/T.
The Cramps. Songs The Lord Taught Us.
Hip Hop

2. Eric B And Rakim. Paid In Full.
Gang Starr. Daily Operation.
De La Soul. 3 Feet High and Rising
EPMD. Strictly Business.
Tribe Called Quest. Midnight Marauders.
J Dilla. Donuts.
Madvillain. Madvillainy.
Wu­Tang. Enter the Wu­Tang.
Public Enemy. It Takes A Nation....
Atmosphere. God Loves Ugly.
Country
Charley Pride. The Essential Charley Pride.
Johnny Cash. At Folsom Prison.
Gram Parsons. GP / Grievous Angel.
Merle Haggard. Definitive Collection.
Hank Williams. Your Cheatin’ Heart.
Dolly Parton. Coat Of Many Colors.
George Jones. A Good Year For The Roses.
David Allan Coe. Penitentiary Blues.
Emmylou Harris. Pieces of the Sky.
Jazz
Sun Ra. Space Is The Place.

3. Alice Coltrane. Ptah The El Daoud.
Professor Longhair. Rock N’ Roll Gumbo.
Ornette Coleman. Free Jazz.
Stan Kenton. City Of Glass.
Sam Rivers. Crystals.
John Coltrane. Ascension.
John Zorn. Naked City.
Chet Baker. The Best Of Chet Baker Sings.
Keith Jarrett. The Koln Concert.
Metal
Saint Vitus. Born Too Late.
Slayer. Reign In Blood.
Mercyful Fate. Don’t Break The Oath.
Death. Human.
Mayhem. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.
Motorhead. Ace Of Spades.
Iron Maiden. The Number Of The Beast.
Celtic Frost. To Mega Therion.
Godflesh. Streetcleaner.
Electronic / Dance
Daft Punk. Homework.
LCD Soundsystem. S/T.
The Avalanches. Since I Left You.

4. New Order. Substance.
Kraftwerk. Trans­Europe Express.
DJ Shadow. Endtroducing.
Massive Attack. Blue Lines.
Various Artists. Minimal Wave Tapes.
Depeche Mode. Black Celebration.
Donna Summer. Love To Love You Baby.
Experimental / New
Moondog. More Moondog.
John Cage. Indeterminacy.
Karlheinz Stockhausen. Kontakte.
Philip Glass. North Star.
Scott Walker. Bish Bosch.
Steve Reich. Music For 18 Musicians.
Diamanda Galas. Plague Mass.
Wendy Carlos. Switched On Bach.
Zeena Parkins. Mouth=Maul=Betrayer.
Sunn0))). Monoliths And Dimensions.
Blues
Robert Johnson. The Complete Recordings.
Big Mama Thornton. The Complete Vanguard Recordings.
Junior Kimbrough. Most Things Haven’t Worked Out.
RL Burnside. Too Bad Jim.

5. Blind Lemon Jefferson. King Of The Country Blues.
Son House. Heroes Of The Blues.
John Lee Hooker. I’m John Lee Hooker.
Etta James. At Last!
Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Gospel Train.
Folk / Americana
The Carter Family. S/T.
Pete Seeger. American Industrial Ballads.
Leadbelly. Folkways: The Original Vision.
Karen Dalton. In My Own Time.
Phil Ochs. Pleasures Of The Harbor.
Doc Watson. S/T.
John Fahey. America.
Mississippi John Hurt. Worried Blues.
The Incredible String Band. The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.
Odetta. Sings Ballads and Blues.
R&B / Soul
Al Green. Greatest Hits.
Roberta Flack. First Take.
Michael Jackson. Off the Wall.
Curtis Mayfield. Curtis.
James Brown. The Payback.
Funkadelic. Maggot Brain.

6. Prince. Sign O’ The Times.
Aretha Franklin. Young, Gifted, And Black.
Various Artists. Eccentric Soul.
Alternative
Melvins. Bullhead.
Mudhoney. Touch Me I'm Sick.
Cocteau Twins. Blue Bell Knoll.
Jesus and Mary Chain. Psychocandy.
Pixies. Surfer Rosa.
REM. Reckoning.
Echo And The Bunnymen. Ocean Rain.
Fugazi. Repeater.
Bikini Kill. Singles.