The Current's 893 Essential Albums

May 13, 2016

With your help, we've compiled a list of the 893 most essential albums of all time.MPR graphic/Luke Mills

The Current realized a dream this year, a dream to compile a definitive list of the 893 most essential albums of all time (according to nearly 8,000 listeners, readers and members of The Current). We couldn't have done this without you, seriously.

Because we're a radio station that likes to have fun with programming, we're broadcasting the full countdown of The Current's 893 Essential Albums during Minnesota Public Radio's spring member drive this May 5 to 12 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT with each album's defining track, adding up to more than 82 hours of music.

There will be upsets and there will be surprises, so as you follow along on-air and online, be sure to share your thoughts with the hashtag #893albums and tag @TheCurrent so we can find you on social media. Reaction GIFs are encouraged.

The Current's 893 Essential Albums is made possible by members of MPR. Power great radio by making a donation today.

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The Current's 893 Essential Albums: 1-100

Rank	Artist	Album
1	Nirvana	Nevermind
2	The Clash	London Calling
3	The Beatles	Abbey Road
4	Prince	Purple Rain
5	Pink Floyd	Dark Side of the Moon
6	Radiohead	OK Computer
7	Bob Dylan	Blood on the Tracks
8	David Bowie	The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
9	The Beatles	White Album
10	U2	The Joshua Tree
11	Miles Davis	Kind of Blue
12	The Beatles	Revolver
13	Fleetwood Mac	Rumours
14	The Rolling Stones	Exile on Main Street
15	The Beach Boys	Pet Sounds
16	Led Zeppelin	IV
17	Michael Jackson	Thriller
18	The Beatles	Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
19	Pearl Jam	Ten
20	The Replacements	Let It Be
21	Bruce Springsteen	Born to Run
22	Wilco	Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
23	Bob Dylan	Highway 61 Revisited
24	The Beatles	Rubber Soul
25	Paul Simon	Graceland
26	Weezer	Blue Album
27	Pink Floyd	The Wall
28	Pixies	Doolittle
29	The Velvet Underground	The Velvet Underground & Nico
30	Guns N Roses	Appetite for Destruction
31	Johnny Cash	At Folsom Prison
32	Bob Dylan	Blonde on Blonde
33	The Replacements	Tim
34	Carole King	Tapestry
35	Neutral Milk Hotel	In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
36	Beastie Boys	Paul's Boutique
37	Joni Mitchell	Blue
38	Radiohead	Kid A
39	Stevie Wonder	Songs in the Key of Life
40	The Rolling Stones	Sticky Fingers
41	David Bowie	Hunky Dory
42	Arcade Fire	Funeral
43	Neil Young	Harvest
44	Jimi Hendrix	Are You Experienced
45	The Strokes	Is This It
46	R.E.M.	Murmur
47	Bon Iver	For Emma, Forever Ago
48	Pink Floyd	Wish You Were Here
49	The Cure	Disintegration
50	The Rolling Stones	Let it Bleed
51	Marvin Gaye	What's Going On
52	Radiohead	The Bends
53	Smashing Pumpkins	Siamese Dream
54	The Who	Who's Next
55	U2	Achtung Baby
56	Led Zeppelin	Led Zeppelin II
57	Led Zeppelin	Physical Graffiti
58	The Smiths	The Queen is Dead
59	Beastie Boys	Licensed to Ill
60	Amy Winehouse	Back to Black
61	AC/DC	Back in Black
62	Bob Marley	Legend
63	Elvis Costello	My Aim Is True
64	Van Morrison	Astral Weeks
65	R.E.M.	Automatic for the People
66	Simon and Garfunkel	Bridge Over Troubled Water
67	Radiohead	In Rainbows
68	Ramones	Ramones
69	The White Stripes	Elephant
70	Queen	A Night at the Opera
71	Jeff Buckley	Grace
72	Green Day	Dookie
73	Bob Dylan	The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
74	Kanye West	My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
75	Led Zeppelin	Houses of the Holy
76	Lauryn Hill	The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
77	Sufjan Stevens	Illinois
78	Talking Heads	Remain in Light
79	Arcade Fire	The Suburbs
80	Violent Femmes	Violent Femmes
81	A Tribe Called Quest	The Low End Theory
82	John Coltrane	A Love Supreme
83	Bon Iver	Bon Iver
84	Van Morrison	Moondance
85	The Replacements	Pleased to Meet Me
86	Liz Phair	Exile in Guyville
87	Beck	Odelay
88	The Rolling Stones	Beggars Banquet
89	Grateful Dead	American Beauty
90	Bruce Springsteen	Darkness on the Edge of Town
91	My Bloody Valentine	Loveless
92	Elton John	Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
93	Prince	1999
94	Patti Smith	Horses
95	Public Enemy	It Takes a Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back
96	Nine Inch Nails	Pretty Hate Machine
97	The Postal Service	Give Up
98	Weezer	Pinkerton
99	Nirvana	MTV Unplugged in New York