One thing I forgot to mention was that I only allowed one album per band or artist. Otherwise, I'm sure Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Van Halen and more would have had multiple mentions. Please remember I could only choose 25 and it was a tough decision. Thank you! 😀

Enjoyed this video Melinda, lots of varied picks which makes it fun. Can't go wrong with any if these! Take care.

Hi Melinda you have a lot of the choices i would have brought (at least half). Thanks for taking time to present these!

Melinda you are such a tease!!! I saw Nirvana on the thumbnail and every intro you made I thought it was going to be Nevermind, even your Garth Brooks intro!! I love Nirvana and I know you love hair metal, but I’m glad you can appreciate Nirvana even they supposedly “killed” 80s metal nevermind is a masterpiece every song is genius. You’re the best Melinda! ✌️❤️

Love your Bowie choice. The song itself - Young Americans is sooo amazing! Never heard anything like if before or since. And you always win my approval when you rate Elton’s GYBR - it is a masterpiece! Great video again. ❤

Hi Melinda. Loved your list. Pleased to say I have a couple including the CCR, love their version of “ I heard it through the grapevine.” I have the Miles album as well. Great video once more Melinda. Would be interesting to see your Jazz list in the future. Thank you. Take care.

Loved your top 25 albums Melinda. Great selection from rock to country to psychedelic to new wave and so on. Some of them albums wouldn't be my cup of tea, but in the end, it's still a great selection from your amazing library of records! Keep up the great videos Melinda and I'll look forward to your next one.

Great list Melinda ❤ Stones Compilation is great of course. 😊 my fave CCR album. I forgot bout that Linda Ronstadt album 😮 OMG.

I agreed with most of your picks...bill Evans... Miles..quite a range too. I can tell you really listened and enjoyed your collection. I watched the whole vid and subbed👍

I like many of your picks. Paul Simon, Graceland is an essential record in my collection. Enjoyed this video, Melinda. ❤

Great Selection thx for sharing with us.

Great video Melinda!!!!! Being a big Linda Ronstadt Fan, I think all Linda Ronstadt albums are a must have. Take care

No quames here, I think your top 25's are quintessential indeed! Great picks. You've done a lot better than I could pick I must admit because it would take me too long to even shrink the list to 50. With that said home run on every title Melinda. Thanks for sharing as usual.

Great recommendations and love the diversity. Just subscribed.

Malinda very good, you reminded me of some wonderful music that I don’t have in my collection. Thank you! And yes you’re going to do a jazz top 25. P.S. Linda Ronstadt and Jim Croce are a must for my collection. Thanks

Thank you for sharing your quintessential album favorites! I do have 14 of the albums you presented here in your video. I doubt anybody will match your preferences exactly, but I’m sure many of the albums would definitely show up as favorites in other peoples collections. Any true music lover is going to have a difficult time putting together a list, just as you did yourself. For myself, I would match a number of your favorites, and that would be about it. That is the joy of music. There’s something out there for each and everyone of us to enjoy! Thanks for sharing, and by the way, before you started, I knew Odyssey and Oracle would make your list! Take care!

Great list; I'm glad you picked 25 different artists, as you mentioned in your additional comment. Just like you, I have eclectic taste in music; there is so much great music to enjoy in all genres. My tops on your list: Jim Croce, Elton John, Boston, Cars, Eagles, Simon & Garfunkel. Best to you and your family.

Great list. I started collecting in 1968, and have kept that collection intact. You've validated that collection by your choices, which mirror so many of ones I consider the most memorable to me, like The Rolling Stones 1964-1971 - an awesome listen and Cosmos Factory which I still listen to. I would put "Parsely Sage..." over "Bridge...", but they're both great, and I have both purchased upon release. I don't have Kiss or Black Sabbath or some of your Jazz oriented titles, but I found it very affirming to listen to your choices many made in hindsight of an era I listened to and participated in and is very much an integral part of my life to this day. Your videos rock, keep it up!

Hey Melinda, I loved this Video! I'm just really getting started on my own Vinyl Collection and it inspired me :) I recently bought my own copy of The Joshua Tree and I'm so happy to see it on this list, it's soothing almost. I always put it on when I'm about to go to sleep actually. Keep up the good Work!

Love your channel! I am going to do the same exercise. I may not be as surgical about it, so I will allow myself to get to 50 Quintessential Albums out of my collection. And like you, maybe I will leave out the widely known and accepted quintessential titles and make it more personal. There is so much I can say about your channel, but it has probably already been said. I do want to pay you the compliment of just being real about record collecting. Your represent so many of us out there who are collectors and enjoyers of good music for our own personal reasons and you leave out the snobby obnoxiousness associated with a lot of collectors and audiophiles. So, a big thank you and I enjoy the videos.

Love your list, Melinda. I’m a Bowie and Stones completist and Young Americans is also my favorite and Hot Rocks my first Stones album at 13.

Great collection, there are no wrong picks, great music is great music no matter the genre. Led Zeppelin's IV is a promotional copy?? That's amazing! Great video, thank you!

Fantastic video! Great choices!

I loved your pick of Cosmo's Factory. Offhand I wouldn't have chosen that as my favorite CCR album, but you made me rethink it. When I checked the tracks right now and was reminded that my all-time favorite CCR song, Ramble Tamble (another longer-than-a-single song), is on there, then it's a no-brainer.

Great video. About half your albums were favorites of mine.

Very interesting list!👍🤘🎸 I really enjoyed your video. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪👍🤘🎸🌎

All great albums Melinda… and so happy you included Nirvana “Nevermind” 👌🏼

Excellent picks....i have a deep love for fun house and nevermind. Excellent content,channel and you are an absolute lady.

This is a great idea for a video. Gives us a little insight into your likes. I own all of your top 25 on vinyl except for, I think, six of them. Out of those six there are three I will eventually get. I won’t tell you which ones lol. I agree about Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It really needs to be looked at as almost a concept album or at least a thought process or feeling that runs through the whole album. I never knew that about the model on The Cars album. So sad. I didn’t even realize she appeared on two albums by them. Nice trivia right there. Another very entertaining video MM! Have a great week 😊

Great to see Odessy and Oracle getting some love. I love this list of albums (although, for me, Bowie's Diamond Dogs and Miles's Sketches of Spain may pip your choices 😊). My all time favourite, since it's release in '89, is still Disintegration by the Cure. I picked up Robert Smith's remaster on double vinyl a few years back and it didn't disappoint.

I’m getting that Jim Croce to go with my new Angel Wing when it gets here. I gave my Victrola all in one to my nephew who is interested in vinyl now. Thanks for the inspiration! God Bless You

Awesome video Melinda, thank you. You are so fortunate to have friends in the VC that send you such awesome records! That Garth Brooks in good condition could easily cost you 400-500 bucks!! I read that Pink Floyd Also used leftover “tools of the trade” from the Beatles, when they recorded Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road. I didn’t know Who’s Next did the same! So these albums are kinda “linked” in rock history. So cool. Great choices, I would’ve picked Zeppelin 2 over 4, myself but it’s a tough one. Kudos to you for standing by these choices. You can’t “get it wrong” when it comes to your own taste 😎👍

Great video as a guide to lead the younger people to great music!

I love your picks! They are diversified and not stuck in one genre. Great video!

YES! Great Selection!

holy smokes great taste, always nice to see Fun House get some love

Nice list Melinda, I might have choose let it bleed or sticky fingers 🤔 but hot rocks is a smoking record!

nice list only ones i like are Jim Croce but i need to get that hits album on cd i love love Linda Ronstadt and few of the beatles albums...great video my friend and i do like Miles Davis..

I love this video. Made me self-reflect about albums that have been most important to me. But too difficult to decide on the absolute best above all the rest. I share a deep respect for many of your choices. There was a short time in the past when music was more important to me than anything else in my life and I think most of my choices would come from that period of listening when, to use and expression of Henry David Thoreau's, it was "serious as death".

Thank you so much. I enjoyed your record collection. I have some of them on albums and CDs. 🙏🎸👍

Odessey and Oracle? Your favourite? God keep you, that’s great. Wonderful selections. Right on for Bill Evans! Oh: I’m just fine with Mamunia on Band on the Run. You’ve made me think twice about Garth. Thank you.

I have to agree with you about the U2 album that was a really really good album at a really good time. And I was one of those guys who laughed when you talked about the kiss album ..lol Masters of reality is my favorite album by Black Sabbath and I consider it like a must-have! Hot rocks was my first Rolling Stone album when I was in the fourth grade my sister let me have her copy of it. Wonderful video

3. I have 3 of your most important, but about 20 of the same artist, different titles. Solid choices. Cheers!

I love the cars debut lp! But for me candy o was it!! Love your choices ty love peace & happiness..

Killer list and I'm sure you struggled to come up with your 25. As a person who grew up more in the late 60s early 70s I would have had to find room for 'Three Dog Night' , 'Charlie Daniels Band', 'Crosby Stills Nash and Young' and some "Steve Miller Band'. I'd have made room by eliminating Nirvana, Harry Stiles, and couple of others. I applaud you for going with Jim Croce, Linda Ronstadt, CCR and Simon and Garfunkle. Great choices, and a very enjoyable video. Thanks for sharing and putting yourself out there.

Very nice picks MelInda! That Who, that Stooges, that Black Sabbath! I recently had to pick out 12 records which was even more hard. I see that you had a more pop background, me a more punk-new Wave background. I recommend you thé Simple Minds New Gold Dream record! One of the best albums ever made! Take Care Jason

I love it how I have many of your picks. And how can you really pick? I love Blue Bayou from that Ronstadt album, and I ordered that Cars album thanks to your previous videos. I even preordered the Madonna: Finally Enough Love because of your video. I only have positive comments on each of your picks! Now you're having me grab my Jim Croce album :-)

Great list, Melinda. Mine wouild look different, but I can understand your choices in most cases. I did think though, when you announced the second compilation, you would bring up Queen Greatest Hits I (of cource, the Stones' one is a good choice, too). I appreciate your channel a lot. And I like your eclectic approach and that you're not stuck in 1 or 2 genres. Neither am I. And, yes: Jazz deserves its own list ;-) Let's do it.

Odyssey & Oracle just gets greater with each passing year. Every track is just superb. Good choice, girl. Do you know there's a little clip of the Zombies in Preminger's Bunny Lake Is Missing, a very fine film.

I have 12 of them! Fun watching!

Great list! Looks like I have a few more albums to buy. “Simple minds” and “rumors” are two of my favorite albums of all time! I would also add “let it be” by the Beatles and “tapestry” by Carole King, do this list.

Great video Melinda

Great collection

Love your records on this list.But Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden is one album I cannot live without.Phenonimal

Got really surprised but happy when I saw you put on Harry Styles I. My absolute favourite HS record, it's his best, no debate

I saw a few surprises in there! One record I think should at least be listened to a few times if not added to an "essential" collection is Dave Brubeck's *Time Out.*

I just tried picking my favorite Bowie album recently, and wasn't able to do so! Pretty hard to go wrong with anything he did in the 70s. The Jim Croce has a special place in my heart as I relate it to being a little kid again. One of my earliest memories is hearing about his passing on TV news, and at that point I was already a fan - we already had 2 of his albums in the house. The Cars was a big deal since we were in Boston at the time, and they actually bought the studio my musician dad used to take me to on Newbury St and they turned it into Synchro Sound, which is where I think Shake It Up was recorded. Thanks, Melinda. - G

Great choices Melinda!❤You inspired me to check my collection in storage - what a great time I had! Love your Deep Research! 1. Sheer Heart Attack - Queen 2. The Wall - Pink Floyd 3. Abacab - Genesis 4. Get Happy! - Elvis Costello & The Attractions 5. Never Forever - Kate Bush 6. Get Closer - Linda Ronstadt 7. Crimes Of Passion - Pat Benatar 8. Plastic Letters - Blondie 9. Morbid Tales - Celtic Frost 10 Axe Victim - Be Bop Deluxe 11. Lodger - David Bowie 12.Walls & Bridges - John Lennon 13 Back To The Egg - Wings 14 Somewhere In England - George Harrison 15 Stop & Smell The Roses - Ringo Starr 16 The White Album - The Beatles 17 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath 18 Chicago II - Chicago Transit Authority 19 First Rays Of The New Rising Sun - Jimi Hendrix 20 Machine Head - Deep Purple 21 Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin 22 The Who Sell Out - The Who 23 The Songs The Beatles Gave Away - Various Artists 24 Out Of Our Heads - Rolling Stones 25 The British Invasion (RHINO) - Various Artists The list goes on and on - What a great entertaining and informative video Melinda!

I love a lot of the LP's you shared (Brige Over Troubled Water, Highway 61 Revisited, Led Zeppelin 4) but 13:50 is an unreal masterpiece of pure unadulterrated Rock n Roll.

Great channel!! Just found it!

What a challenge! I’d be so nervous to take that on haha

Cool 👏🏻👏🏻

Melinda, great video. I feel like i may be just a bit younger than you as i entered HighSchool in 93 and really came of age with Alternative / Grunge music. I was barely a teen when Hair Metal was on its way out. So for me Acts like Nirvana and Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Deftones....really laid the foundation of my youth. But much like you i find new music today that is just as inspiring and I wanted to complement you on the diversity of your taste and still willing to dive into new artist of today. Would love to hear your husbands take on his favorites as well as some new artist today. Always enjoy the content. Bring the curls back sometime :-) Brian from NC P.S. I didnt know kiss ever put out a good album let alone a quintessential one..JK!!!

Melinda! Band on the Run came out in 1973, not 1970…I agree it’s a great album, I think it along with Venus and Mars were his peak, if Paul could have a peak, he’s such a force of nature! And I like Venus and Mars a little better. Keep ‘em coming, love your videos!

Awesome video

Great video I like it

Good to see Cobain & gang in your list 😌

These are your opinions, You have the right, Maybe I'm not disturbed by the ones that made me bust out laughing because you mentioned 15 of my top 100 and there are others by bands I chose different albums.

Hello Melinda. I'm taking the easy way out here. Since this is your list and opinion, I can't agree or disagree rightly with any of the choices; there is no objective ground to do so. 😁 I've never thought about my records this way, but if I were going to put a list like this together, I'd include Sgt. Pepper, maybe Days of Future Passed, Take Five, and Pet Sounds for sure. Let's throw in Close to the Edge, Kind of Blue, ELP's debut, and Abraxas too.

Amazing albums for me too. Only a few artists on that list I'm not very familiarized with, but otherwise, it'd mostly be what I'd recommend as well.

One essential album for me is Jeff Buckley's only studio album, 'Grace'. I don't think I've ever heard you mention it, but I think it's the best album of the last 30 years.

The simple fact that only one was a past year 2000, shows me that you have great taste in music for sure!! Not sure if you have these, however I would have included Rush - Moving Pictures and Ratt - Out of the Cellar. Your list is awesome, I just don't know anything from Harry Styles....sorry!

Dear Ms M: Your pain is our gain. I have bookmarked your excellent choices, and will be going back to my famous bread-n-water diet to add these to my collection, except for those I already have. Thank you very much

Those are some great picks. Music is subjective, and I each person will have his or her own list of favorite songs and albums. I did notice that most of the albums were from the 1970s. A lot of great music was produced in the 1970s.

When you picked "Who's Next" I said: "you're OK in my book". I saw them 7 times. Best was May 18, 1969, just after the release of "Tommy". I just finished a book on Jimi Hendrix: "Setting The Record Straight". I would have a hard choice between the first 2 Experience LPs but "Axis: Bold As Love" will always be one of my top LPs of all time. Also, I might squeeze in "Surrealistic Pillow" by Jefferson Airplane. Perhaps not the most avant-garde offering that came out of San Francisco, but it is so accessible to anyone who wants a taste of what happened out there.

My favorite Black Sabbath album is Master Of Reality which just flows from start to finish. It also has some very sentimental reasons and memories tied to it, I did know the first time I heard it on a decent stereo it was the one.

Lots of great albums! Each person would pick some different ones. It would be difficult for me, I would think of certain albums as being a favorite, but how often do I really listen to them. Last October I found the US only stereo release of Donovan’s “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” in an antique store. I have listened to that many many times. Kiss “Destroyer” is a great album but “Double Platinum” is out of sight as well! It’s very difficult….

Born to Run…1975…track the album…my number one…but I do love your lists and videos.

Nice topic for a video and well-presented. After viewing it, and rather than thinking about the individual albums, I tried to imagine these 25 as the sum total of a relative newcomer's collection of rock music since the 1960s. In that regard, it's really a well-balanced collection and would give someone a solid foundation on which to expand their collection. However, I do think you need to do a separate one for jazz in order to achieve the same result with jazz as you did with rock. Also, and if you feel comfortable enough, you could do the same for country music.

first of all KISS ( giggle ) ( hehe ) kidding but now I'll have that one and that one and that one lol Another Cool Video bet its nice sitting in the back yard , when the sliding door is open and havin an RC Cola or what have you playing some music on the Stereo must be nice. Pssst I'll trade my Canadian version of Linda for Your American version LOL which has the right engineer

In A Silent Way is considered the first fusion (jazz/rock) album. It's one of my favs.

You could do a video on your 2nd Favorite 25 albums , maybe ? I agree with you on everything but Garth Brooks.

You did hit much of my favs, being a bit older I am 8- Track in my car rocker, cant imagine not having AC/DC Let There Be Rock, Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced, Ted Nugent, Cat Scratch Fever and Van Halen 2. Records that I loved were The Archies, Jingle Jangel, Monkees Greatest Hits and so many more.

Hi, Melinda. Great video and thought provoking. I'll try and keep this brief, LOL. So my understanding of your premise is that these aren't necessarily your favorite 25 albums, but 25 albums that are essential in a collection? Agree with your preliminary list, and the ones you listed I'd go along with are The Cars, In a Silent Way, Who's Next, Led Zeppelin IV, VH1 and Paranoid. and a BIG agreement on Joshua Tree and Cosmo's Factory, you nailed those two. On some others, I might go Ziggy Stardust over Young Americans, Blood on the Tracks over Highway 61 Revisited, Alive! or the debut over Destroyer, Ram over Band on the Run and as far as Yellow Brick Road, I'd go with Captain Fantastic, Tumbleweed Connection or Madman Across the Water over that one. Interesting you bring up Hot Rocks and I absolutely agree. Awhile back on my channel I did an episode on essential compilations, and talked about that one quite a bit. For me, I would not have Hotel California (I have always felt as an album it is overrated), Garth Brooks or Nevermind (my very first video was an episode where I picked five records that I am supposed to love but don't and that was one of them). One last thing. I think Steve Hackett was finger tapping before Eddie Van Halen, but of course EVH took it to a new level and popularized it. Great video! Oh, and Scott LaFaro was brilliant.

That's so sad about the model on The Cars lp. I didn't know that she passed😔 I learned a long time ago to not give a flip when someone disagrees with my taste in music. I've taken a lot of flak for liking The Carpenters, Jackson 5, The Monkees, etc. I also love Miles Davis, Chet Baker, The Cure, Joy Division, etc. I sincerely feel bad for the people who allow other people and critics dictate their tastes. Keep loving what you love👍

Great video!! Here are ones that are ones to add for me!! Mine won’t be 25 but I’ll give you 5 1 frampton comes alive 2 miles Davis kind of blue 3 Steely Dan Aja 4 Chicago ii 5 Red Hot Chili Peppers stadium Arcadium

Cosmo's Factory. RAMBLE TAMBLE!!! 😃 LOVE that song. That guitar solo! I have every CCR and John Fogerty CD. Thanks to my father. He had CCR records in his collection. I know CCR sinc, well all my life. They were just always there. And Chuck Berry, that was his no1 favorite. And Dave Edmunds. Which I also really like. Especially when he was in Rockpile with Nick Lowe.

Linda Ronstadt box set "Round Midnight", the 3 albums she recorded with Nelson Riddle; "What's New", "Lush Life" and "For Sentimental Reasons", are beautiful listening on vinyl.

Nice vinyl collection and really nice top 25. A little too biased towards American stuff, but that's just me. Being an European, somehow, American rock bands don't connect. You've tempted me with In a silent way and Waltz for Debby, I'll buy those and give them a spin, see if they work for me. Thank you for sharing your taste in music and love for analogue with us!

Hi Melinda ,I'm not surprised you picked Boston. lol

Hello I recently have gotten into vinyl through this past year and a half. You just turned me on to Odessey and Oracle. Never heard that album before. And wow what a treat. May I ask? Where can I order that particular album with the specific pressing you mentioned? Thank you again and I want you to know I truly appreciate all your efforts and insights that you offer with your channel. Thanks so much and have a wonderful day.

Some great albums Melinda.I would have TheBand’s self titled & Neil Young’s ‘Harvest’ in my 25. Great the Stooges got some cred too. BTW Band on the run was released in 1973.

You had me at Stooges Funhouse

Great video. Ironically NELSON and NIRVANA were both on DGC/GEFFEN Record label.

I love Mamunia!! Also Band on the Run came out in 1973

Great albums am am working on reviving my old collection.

Thanks, there are a few here that I need to check-out. Seems like the bank balance will be under threat again very soon. Thanks Melinda 😊

Odessey and Oracle, good pick

Nice selections. Jim Croce Life and Times (best album), also check out Harry Chapin and John Prime. Others T. Rex slider, and Roxy Music Country life. Best live album J. Geils Band Full House.

She's a bit of an acquired taste for me but I would add Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon. I just love that album. Much Thanks!