I've been listening to music pretty seriously for about 4 years now. It's not that I didn't listen to any music before, but a lot of it was either anime music or super formulaic EDM stuff. Some rap too, but not much. I also mostly listened to this stuff in the shower or when doing chores, not so much on a daily basis.
It was 2021 when I started to really branch out. I started listening to Queen, Talking Heads, Yes, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, The Clash, and more. Ever since I've been super into music, and I've tried out hundreds of albums from many genres. Most of my favorite stuff is from the 70s or 80s, but there are some modern bands I really enjoy listening to.
Below is my personal top albums of all time list. My number one criteria is how much I enjoy listening to the album, not necessarily how "objectively" good it is. I do try to keep in mind a couple other things when ranking these albums, including influence, innovation, originality, and what each brings to the table.
| Ranking | Album Notes |
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| 1. | Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon |
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This is the first album that really got me into the album experience. It was hardly the first album I had listened to from start to finish, but it was the one that got me to do it regularly. It's perfect. It has variety yet consistentcy, and the final result can bring you to tears. It best embodies what an album should be, and that is why I think it is the greatest. |
| 2. | Talking Heads - Remain in Light |
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Another album that was crucial to shaping my taste in music during 2021. The first song that I heard from this album was "Once in a Lifetime", and that's the only one I listened to for a bit. Eventually, I used the Apple Music radio feature to find more music, and that feature kept directing me to other songs in this album. Eventually, I had heard the first five tracks, which all immediately became some of my favorites. The last three tracks, more experimental than the first, I got into a while after I had heard the full album multiple times. "Seen and Not Seen" specifically took a while for me to start liking, but it grew on me, like the rest. |
| 3. | King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King |
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Of course this is one of my favorites. Progressive rock is my favorite genre, and pretty much everything I listen to has some connection to the genre. And In the Court of the Crimson King is the album that defined the genre. Sure, bands like the Moody Blues and the Beatles made invaluable contributions to what would become progressive rock, but this album takes those contributions and as well as those from others and combines them into the true start of a new sound. History and influence aside, this album is basically perfect, infusing rock with elements of jazz and classical. I guess "Moonchild" could be a little shorter but it still serves its purpose. |
| 4. | Masayoshi Takanaka - The Rainbow Goblins |
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This album is probably my favorite work of jazz fusion ever. Despite the narrator talking about goblins trying to eat a sentient rainbow and then getting strangled to death, this is one of the most cheerful albums I've heard. It feels like you're being transported to a fantasy world full of color and vibrance. The harmony on this album is just great, and Takanaka's guitar skills are even more present than usual, especially on the closer, "You Can Never Come to This Place". |
| 5. | Steely Dan - The Royal Scam |
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I think part of Steely Dan's appeal as a band is that their music fits so many environments and is incredibly accessible. I know some people who get annoyed by the track "Reelin' in the Years" off their first album, but I haven't met anyone who hates this album. Everyone I know likes this album. I know a guy who primarily listens to metal and he adores this album. I know a guy who is usually listening to video game OSTs, and he loves it too. And like I said, it fits many environments. I can be doing homework, eating at my school's cafeteria, or waiting to board a plane, and I will immediately start smiling when something from this album comes on. |