Did someone say musical discussion thread?
Here is my take.
Pop Music:
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
This album is the epitome of the Pop genre in my eyes. Tracks like That's Not Me, Wouldn't It Be Nice, and Sloop John B. are about as "pop-e" as you can get. The track is also filled filled with some nice slow songs, like the finale Caroline, No, and Don't Talk, the latter being one of the best melodies I have ever listened too. Accompanied by two stellar instrumentals, Let's Go Away for Awhile and the title track.
The Beatles - 1961 - 1964
Int he early sixties, the Beatles were the most famous singers in the world, and rightfully so. Pop music doesn't get much better than their early Beatlemania stuff. She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Love Me Do, and This Boy, stand out, along with there more rock - orientated album Help!, and the melodies driven climax album, Rubber Soul.
Micheal Jackson - Thriller, Off the Wall, Bad, etc...
Welp, he's the King of Pop. What did you expect? Jackson has had some great songs in the past, such as Thriller, Earth Song, Beat It, Billie Jean, and more.
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and others
Elton John kicks ass on piano, and has a voice of an angel to boot. His magnum opus, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, has some amazing pop tracks such as Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind, Saturday Night's Alright for fighting, and the absolutely gorgeous title track. Not too mention some other songs such as Your Song, Tiny Dancer and Rocket Man.
Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run, Wingspan
And just for a quick mention, Paul McCartney's new band after the Beatles had some great pop hits, too, such as Band on the Run, Live and Let Die, and the smash hit, Silly Love Songs.
Rock Music
Led Zeppelin - I, II, III, VIII, Physical Graffiti, Presence
Everyone knows this band, right? Here's some Must Listen songs by them:
Achilles Last Stand
Whole Lotta Love
Heartbreaker
Stairway to Heaven
KASHMIR
The Ocean
The Rain Song
Going to California
KASHMIR
Dazed and Confused
You Shook me
KASHMIR
Rock and Roll
Oh, and did I mention Kashmir? You should really listen to Kashmir.
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Possibly the best song ever recorded. This was the first time so many instruments were used in one song, the first time good poetry was ever put on the radio, Dylan gives his best vocal performance here, and not to mention it's 6:00 length, which pretty much changed how radios work. It probably won't seem like all that much if you listen to it right now, and that's because everything has been ripping it off for the past 50 years.
The Beatles - Abbey Road
This album is just great, really, one of the Beatles's best works. Every song is pitch perfect in it's own way, such as the smooth and witty Come Together, the whimsical Octopus's Garden, Something, Here Comes the Sun, and not too mention the Abbey Road Medley, which contains You Never Give Me Your Money, which in my opinion is the most underrated Beatles song.
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St.
The Stones's golden age, every one of these albums is a must. Each one is filled with the perfect amount Innovation, Soloing, Jagger-Howling, and Angst that made the Rolling Stones who they are. If you're not in the mood to listen to some albums all the way through, Sympathy for the Devil, Gimme Shelter, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Wild Horses, Sway, Sister Morphine, Midnight Rambler, Tumbling Dice, and Shine a Light are some standout tracks.
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run, Born in the USA, among others
The Boss is everything rock and roll needs. Tracks like Born to Run and Thunder Road are the perfect blend of rock music and captivating lyrics, along with Blinded by the Light, and my personal favorite, Dancing in the Dark.
Additionally -
Queen - A Night at the Opera
The Who - Who's Next, Tommy, Quadrophenia
The Eagles
The Police
Nirvana - Nevermind
The Ramones
The Clash - London Calling
The Byrds
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction, Use Your Illusion I & II
The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
The Kinks - You really Got Me
Progressive/Psychedelia/Intelligent Music.
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Wish You Were Here, Meddle
Pink Floyd is good. Pink Floyd is so good. Pink Floyd's music baffles me. It's impossibly good, I wonder all the time how 4 human minds can possibly come up with this. It's important to listen to all of their albums through, with no stopping and no picking out tracks. Also, make sure you listen to the song Echoes. Please listen to that song. Just do it.
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico, Loaded
You've probably never heard of this band, have you? Well, the Velvet's were musical prophets. These guys used extremely cool, weird, quirky, yet very sophisticated studio innovations before anyone else. And I mean, anyone else. Keep in mind that the Beatles were still singing songs like She Loves You, and that sort of thing. The Velvet's music can also sometimes be unnerving, and even horrifying. Not horrifying because it's bad, just, scary. Like you don't belong there, but you need to stay anyway. It's truly worth a listen. Heroin is a key track by them.
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver
You guys know these albums right? Oh wait, you only know Abbey Road because your 13.
One paradox on Revolver is that it's chocked full of amazingly tricky and innovative songs, such as Eleanor Rigby and Tomorrow Never Knows, but also filled with nice, normal tracks like Here, There, and Everywhere and Taxman. And not to mention Sgt. Peppers, which redefined popular music itself.
Additionally -
Cream - White Room, Sunshine of your Love, Strange brew
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Space Oddity, Fame, etc...
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze, Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, All Along the Watchtower
Video Game Soundtracks
The Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda - Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time
Portal 1 & 2
Kingdom Hearts Franchise
Half Life 2
Final Fantasy Franchise
Chrono Trigger
Minecraft
Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2
Shadow of the Colossus
Metal Gear Solid Franchise
Journey
Other
Gorrilaz - Feel Good Inc., Melancholy Hill, Dare, Stylo, To Binge, etc...
The Console Warriors - Sodapop Swing
The Black Keys - Tighten Up
A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
Neil Young - Heart of Gold, Harvest Moon
Paul Simon - Graceland
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get it On, Sexual Healing, etc...
Modest Mouse - The World at Large, Float On
Peter, Bjorn, and John - Young Folks
Don McLean - American Pie
The Airborne Toxic Event - All I Ever Wanted
A Fine Frenzy - Blow Away
Charlie Daniels - The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Tom T. Hall & Tom T. Hall Jr.
Billy Joel - Piano Man, And So It Goes
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Can't Hold Us
Kansas - Dust in the Wind
Kanye West - Heard Em' Say, Late
Keane - Somewhere Only We Know, Everybody's Changing
The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
Beethoven (Egmont Overture is a good place to start), Bach, Mozart
Fortune Family - Take Me Away
Keep in mind everything here is just what comes to me off the top of my head.
