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With ‘The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited’, Metallica dug into their influences to create a covers record that was uniquely their own.
On 15 August 1956 one of the jazz events of the decade took place, a concert that has been immortalised on record as Jazz at The Hollywood Bowl.
Though a groundbreaking songwriter, when the idiosyncratic Chuck Berry took on the blues, he did it his own way – as an intriguing 1983 compilation proves.
Who was more authentically rock’n’roll than Gene Vincent? ‘Bluejean Bop!’ has a reasonable claim to be the best debut album ever – it really is that good.
One of the most powerful albums that Stax Records released, ‘A Dramatic Experience’ proves why The Dramatics were one of Detroit’s greatest vocal groups.
Released a year after the INXS singer’s death, Michael Hutchence’s self-titled solo album was an evocative work by a much-missed artist.
‘Twang’ took George Strait to the top of the charts yet again, furthering the enduring Texan hero’s crossover appeal in the digital age.
Released in August 1988, ‘Optical Race’ offers some of the most accessible, beguiling melodies that Tangerine Dream laid down in the 80s.
On ‘Queen’, crossover artist Nicki Minaj reclaimed the hip-hop crown with her most rap-oriented album yet, and demanded fealty from the newcomers.
With some of the most magisterial songs The Beatles ever wrote, ‘Abbey Road’ was the final album they recorded, and now stands as many people’s favourite.
A decade in the making, ‘Watch The Throne found the two titans of hip-hop, Kanye West and Jay Z, joining up to create hip-hop’s grand spectacle.
‘Straight Outta Compton’ arrived like a road crash: you couldn’t ignore it. It launched gangsta rap and made the West Coast matter in hip-hop.
His final album for Stax Records, ‘Crown Prince Of Dance’ proved that Rufus Thomas could still claim the throne when it came to floor-filling soul music.
A fascinating curio in both Stax’s catalogue and Eddie Floyd’s solo career, ‘Down To Earth’ is a gritty soul-rock collection that remains unfairly overlooked.
A runaway success, Jon Bon Jovi’s solo debut, ‘Blaze Of Glory’, was a film soundtrack that pointed the way towards his group’s next album, ‘Keep The Faith’.
An inspired piece of cutting-edge experimentation, Frank Zappa considered his 1967 album ‘Lumpy Gravy’ to be one of his absolute masterpieces. He was right.
