Music

Reddit Voted. These 26 Albums Are Pure Masterpieces

From Vivaldi to Kendrick Lamar, these masterpieces prove the best records demand to be played front-to-back.

CAL

03 Sep 2025 — 6 min read

What makes an album untouchable? Not the critics. Not the awards. It’s the people like you and me who refuse to hit skip.

This list wasn’t cooked up by some magazine editor in a corner office. It was voted on, argued over, and battled out by thousands of Redditors. Real listeners. Real passion. No industry bias, no PR spin.

The result? A hall of fame of albums that demand to be played front-to-back. Twenty-six records, each one a no-skip journey through music. If you’re tired of filler and playlists built by algorithms (I'm looking at you Spotify), this is the list you actually trust.

The actual Reddit thread had more than the 26 albums listed here, I just narrowed it down to 26. Not sure why I chose 26, but I did. You can read the full Reddit thread here if you don't believe me. And, you can thank Reddit user jessica1864 who asked the question!

Shall we spin up some vinyl? LFG!

The Four Seasons - Vivaldi

Written 300 years ago and still makes Spotify look like a toddler. Vivaldi didn’t just compose violin concertos, he painted the seasons with sound. Put it on, close your eyes, and you’re in a thunderstorm, or a summer meadow, or the middle of winter with frost biting at your ears. It topped the list with over 12,000 votes!

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Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Jazz didn’t just get better after this record; it changed forever. Miles and his crew captured lightning in a bottle, making the best-selling jazz album of all time. Still cool. Still untouchable.

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Mezzanine - Massive Attack

Trip-hop at its darkest and sexiest. “Teardrop” alone could carry this record, but the whole album is a shadowy masterpiece. Nighttime music.

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Rumours - Fleetwood Mac

Breakups, betrayals, bitterness and harmonies so good you almost forget the band hated each other while recording it. Still one of the most addictive albums ever made.

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Discovery - Daft Punk

The record that blew the doors open for modern electronic music. Play it loud and thank the robots later.

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The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails

A descent into madness that sounds better than most artists’ idea of happiness. Trent Reznor didn’t just write songs; he built an entire world of noise, rage, and beauty. God bless Trent Reznor.

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Watermark - Enya

Yes, Enya. Don’t laugh. Over 6,000 Redditors agreed. This album is pure atmosphere, angelic and untouchable. You’ve definitely cried to “Orinoco Flow” and you’ll do it again.

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Led Zepplin - IV

“Stairway to Heaven” is the obvious one, but the whole album is a masterclass in riff-driven rock. Iconic cover art, immortal tracks.

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Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

An album that spent over 14 years on the charts. A psychedelic time capsule that still feels like the future.

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To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar

Not just hip-hop. Not just music. A cultural document. Jazz, funk, soul, rap, politics, pain, beauty, and all wrapped in one record.

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Innervisions - Stevie Wonder

Stevie didn’t just play instruments, he practically invented sounds. This one still slaps, decades later.

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The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

Bowie didn’t just release an album, he birthed an alien rockstar. Glam, grit, glitter, and genius.

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OK Computer - Radiohead

If you’ve ever felt like technology is swallowing your soul, this is your soundtrack.

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Madvillainy - MF DOOM

Mask on. Beats cracked and lo-fi. Verses that read like riddles. Underground rap’s crown jewel.

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Disintergration - The Cure

The Cure’s eighth studio album, Disintegration, was released on May 2, 1989 on Robert Smith’s heartbreak turned into a cathedral of sound. Moody, epic, eternal.

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