Selected by Philip Boatswain

Philip Boatswain's Top 10

Ten essential albums ranked from one to ten, shared about 2 months ago.

Ranked 1–10

Inside the selection

The shape of this Top 10.

This ten travels from 1968 to 2003, with choices from 5 decades. 3 of the ten land in the 1970s, making that era its centre of gravity. Every choice comes from a different artist. Rock is the strongest MusicBrainz genre thread, shared by 10 of the ten. All ten are studio albums.

Years
1968–2003
Era focus
1970s
Artists
10/10
Genre data
10/10

Chronology

Release timeline

Span · 35 years Median year · 1988
  1. 1968 The Beatles The Beatles
  2. 1970 Tea for the Tillerman Cat Stevens
  3. 1971 [Led Zeppelin IV] Led Zeppelin
  4. 1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town Bruce Springsteen
  5. 1984 Ride the Lightning Metallica
  6. 1992 Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine
  7. 1995 (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Oasis
  8. 1997 The Colour and the Shape Foo Fighters
  9. 2001 Lateralus Tool
  10. 2003 Absolution Muse

Distribution

Era mix

1970s · 3/10
1960s · 1 1970s · 3 1980s · 1 1990s · 3 2000s · 2

Album types

1 type
Studio · 10

Fingerprint

Genre signals

33 distinct
Rock 10/10
10 of 10
Alternative Rock 5/10
5 of 10
Hard Rock 5/10
5 of 10
Pop 3/10
3 of 10
Pop Rock 3/10
3 of 10

Each bar shows how many choices share that MusicBrainz genre signal. One album can contribute to more than one genre.

The final ten

The ranking

Number one is the first choice.

  1. The Beatles album cover
    1

    The Beatles

    The Beatles · 1968

    1960s Studio Rock Pop
  2. Ride the Lightning album cover
    2

    Ride the Lightning

    Metallica · 1984

    1980s Studio Thrash Metal Heavy Metal
  3. Lateralus album cover
    3

    Lateralus

    Tool · 2001

    2000s Studio Alternative Metal Progressive Metal
  4. [Led Zeppelin IV] album cover
    4

    [Led Zeppelin IV]

    Led Zeppelin · 1971

    1970s Studio Hard Rock Rock
  5. (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? album cover
    5

    (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

    Oasis · 1995

    1990s Studio Alternative Rock Britpop
  6. Absolution album cover
    6

    Absolution

    Muse · 2003

    2000s Studio Alternative Rock Rock
  7. Darkness on the Edge of Town album cover
    7

    Darkness on the Edge of Town

    Bruce Springsteen · 1978

    1970s Studio Rock Heartland Rock
  8. Tea for the Tillerman album cover
    8

    Tea for the Tillerman

    Cat Stevens · 1970

    1970s Studio Folk Rock Rock
  9. Rage Against the Machine album cover
    9

    Rage Against the Machine

    Rage Against the Machine · 1992

    1990s Studio Alternative Metal Funk Metal
  10. The Colour and the Shape album cover
    10

    The Colour and the Shape

    Foo Fighters · 1997

    1990s Studio Alternative Rock Rock

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