 | Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit
Buy used from: $24.97 My favorite concept album, next to Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Quadrophenia.
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 | Space Ritual by Hawkwind
Buy new: $34.98 / Used from: $18.83 A long, straaange trip. Purely for headphones only.
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 | Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson
Buy used from: $8.99 So good it hurts. Haunting melodies, catchy tunes, timeless.
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 | Playing the Fool: The Official Live by Gentle Giant
Buy used from: $9.99 One of the greatest, and most tightly performed live shows I've ever listened to.
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 | Aorta by Aorta
Buy used from: $28.99 Jam-filled psychedelia with a pop twist. Part of the Chicago Sound with CTA and The Flock, but just as good.
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 | Zombie by Fela Kuti & Afrika '70
Buy used from: $9.50 Heartfelt rhythms, and dirty, dirty funk. Comparable to James Brown.
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 | Friday Night in San Francisco by John McLaughlin
Buy used from: $2.33 Scary good trio of three of my favorite guitarists on Earth. Great chemistry, and awesome acoustic guitarwork.
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 | Solar Music Live by Grobschnitt
Buy used from: $29.00 Hard to digest at first, as it is in another language, but to me, it's jazz fusion at it's best. A little proggy, but very jazzy.
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 | In a Silent Way by Miles Davis
Buy used from: $1.92 Takes a few listens to seep in, but Davis' first foray into fusion is very engrossing. The title track makes it worthwile.
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 | Larks' Tongues in Aspic by King Crimson
Buy new: $38.99 / Used from: $19.98 King Crimson premiered their best lineup on this album. Although the jazzy prog is still there, it's far more experimental than the previous works.
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 | Safe as Milk by Captain Beefheart
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $4.62 The trippiest, most unconventional pop record ever made. Very catchy and odd at the same time.
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 | Hooteroll by Jerry Garcia
Buy used from: $14.96 Funky Jerry Garcia, with the equally-as-good keyboardist Howard Wales. Obscure, but worth it.
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 | The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $4.18 The Velvets' most accessible album, in my mind. Also their best.
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 | Cinq Saisons by Harmonium
Buy new: $22.99 / Used from: $14.89 An album for all the seasons. Harmonium's a band from Quebec, the album is entirely in french, and it's perfect. Definitely shades of the Strawbs, progressive folk.
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 | Mezzanine by Massive Attack
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $2.75 Comparable in sound to early 80s Clash and later King Crimson, Mezzanine pretty much reinvented Trip-Hop. Music purely for the head
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 | Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $10.56 Over 40+ songs on two LPs, Minutemen's magnum opus is a testament to angst-filled teenagers worldwide. And they are musically talented as well.
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 | Los Angeles by X
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $4.24 One of the greatest punk records ever. X were very good at what they did, rockabilly punk with a dark perception on social life.
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 | The Golden Scarab by Ray Manzarek
Buy new: $18.98 / Used from: $28.99 Almost unheard of, Manzarek's 1974 album is proof that not just Jim Morrison had the talent. Very funky jazz with a star-studded line-up.
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 | Black Market Clash by The Clash
Buy used from: $96.54 A fantastic EP containing several of the Clash's best songs. They also did reggae better than some of the genre's best.
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 | Triangle by Beau Brummels
Buy new: $13.98 / Used from: $8.24 Known mainly for "Laugh, Laugh," Beau Brummel's had a small success with Triangle, baroque pop in the vein of David Ackles or Van Dyke Parks.
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 | Repo Man (1984 Film)
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $4.01 A perfect compilation of some of the best music floating around Los Angeles in the early 80s. Even if you aren't a punk fan, this is great music.
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 | Tago Mago by Can
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $6.76 Why more people don't know this band I'm uncertain of. Paperhouse is one of the finest opening songs in anything I've heard.
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 | INSPIRATION INFORMATION by Shuggie Otis
Buy used from: $7.94 Blues and funk are blended seamlessly on Otis' finest album, with the original and superior Strawberry Letter 23.
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 | Kiln House by Fleetwood Mac
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $7.01 Part ode to Buddy Holly, part ode to rock 'n roll, this 1970 album highlights the true musical talent of Fleetwood Mac.
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 | Darkness, Darkness by Phil Upchurch
Buy new: $37.99 / Used from: $70.75 Popular sessionman and lead guitarist in his own right, Upchurch knocked it out of the park with this one. Features a great instrumental adaptation of the Youngblood's Darkness, Darkness.
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 | Fearless by Family
Buy used from: $14.66 Almost too difficult to explain, Family tackles a wide variety of genres in this near masterpiece.
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 | Rain Dogs by Tom Waits
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $4.69 One of the hardest albums for me to ever get into, but when I did, I couldn't stop listening. All Tom Waits is good.
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 | Gris-Gris by Dr. John
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $7.99 Spooky Bayou voodoo funk is the best description for this epic debut from one of the greatest New Orleans pianists and overall musicians.
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 | Ashes Are Burning by Renaissance
Buy new: $32.99 / Used from: $16.74 Fronted by one of best female vocalists I've ever heard, Renaissance should have been bigger than Yes or ELP. The title track and Can You Understand make the album.
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 | Blue Öyster Cult by Blue Öyster Cult
Buy used from: $2.61 Very macabre and haunting rock with a space twist. BOC were ahead of their time with this debut, which rocks harder than most groups now.
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 | Discipline by King Crimson
Buy used from: $13.99 One of the greatest comeback albums ever. King Crimson in the 80s were just as good as previous incarnations.
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 | Deep Purple in Rock by Deep Purple
Buy new: $7.98 / Used from: $2.87 Another benchmark of early 70s hard rock, with one sonic assault after another.
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 | Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $5.75 Better than Paranoid, a fantastic hard rock debut that was recorded in one take. Upon first listen, one wouldn't even be able to tell.
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 | Survival by Grand Funk Railroad
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $7.82 The album where Grand Funk finally lived up to their name. A few choice covers, a lot of of funk and blues from the Flint, Michigan natives.
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 | Bloodrock by Bloodrock
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $7.50 One of the more underrated hard rock bands from the early 1970s. A hybrid of Grand Funk and early Alice Cooper.
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 | Ego Is Not a Dirty Word by Skyhooks
Buy new: $21.99 / Used from: $7.44 Clever and satirical glam rock from Australia. Skyhooks were just as bizarre and theatrical live, and this album showcases their knack for theatrics.
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 | Teaser by Tommy Bolin
Buy used from: $15.92 Good, old fashioned rock & roll, by a guitar prodigy taken too soon from us. Appearances by Jan Hammer and Phil Collins.
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 | When the Eagle Flies by Traffic
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $3.66 Definitely the deepest Traffic ever dwelled within the genres of Progressive and Jazz Rock. Dream Gerrard is a lengthy masterpiece.
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 | Psychedelic Jungle by The Cramps
Buy used from: $25.59 Great rockabilly punk with a horror twist. The late Lux Interior, with soulmate Poison Ivy, changed the sound of an already revolutionized genre.
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 | Curtis/Live! by Curtis Mayfield
Buy new: $13.96 / Used from: $5.18 Recorded in 1971 in a club in New York City, Curtis/Live! is another one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. Curtis and his backing band flow together as the perfect ensemble.
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