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Classic Albums to Add to Your Record Collection Right Now

Looking for old school albums to add to your record collection? These classics will be sure to get your audiophile friends' seal of approval.

By Cato ConroyPublished 6 years ago 8 min read
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It's 2017, and in a surprising turn of events, record players are now in once more. With more and more people realizing how awesome record collections can be, music labels are now starting to produce their top hits on vinyl once more.

For those of us who dig turntablism and retro goodness, this news couldn't be any better. Even if you're not looking to scratch records like a DJ, getting into the record collecting spirit is definitely a great life decision.

Record collecting is as hip as it gets — and if you play your cards right, the right record might actually become a major investment that can pay off later on. Looking for classic albums to add to your record collection? These will always get music fan approval, no matter what year it is.

Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands that has a sound that still is just as awesome today as it was over 30 years ago. Stevie Nicks still sounds great, and the songs have become iconic as decades passed. Rumors is probably the band's most noteworthy album — but it's hard to tell since so many of their albums are amazing.

Smash hits from this album include "The Chain" and "Dreams." It's a favorite among DJs, and is considered to be one of the best rock albums of all time. If only for bragging rights alone, you need to add Rumors on your list of albums to add to your record collection.

It's impossible to have a list of the best classic albums to add to your record collection without including Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. It's considered to be one of the best progressive rock albums ever created, and has the most recognizable cover art of any music release in modern history.

This album is chock-full of timeless classics with that airy, dreamlike vibe that made Pink Floyd one of the best bands of their time. If you ever wanted to hear the music in the way it sounded to the first wave of people to become Floyd fans, you need to grab a copy of The Dark Side of the Moon in vinyl.

It's crazy to think that this album is as old as it is, but it's true. The Strokes first released Is This It? over 10 years ago, and in many peoples' eyes, that makes it a classic album. Most of us have spent our high school and middle school years listening to this album, so it's definitely one of the better albums to add to your record collection for nostalgia's sake.

Top hits on this album include "Last Nite," and "Take It or Leave It." So, yeah, you'll be transported back to high school the moment the needle hits the record.

Everyone and their grandmother knows the song "Hotel California" by The Eagles. It's a song that lets you know that you can "check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

The vinyl that released this song also had a number of other top hits, including "Life in the Fast Lane," "Wasted Time," and "The Last Resort." It's one of the few albums ever made that had almost every single song be a smash hit.

With its strange lyrics and soulful guitar riffs, Hotel California, as an album, captures the 70s perfectly. That's why it's one of the best albums to add to your record collection, and why people still grab copies of it after all these years.

Much like with Pink Floyd's top album, Abbey Road is one of the best albums to add to your record collection simply due to how amazing every aspect of Abbey Road is. You don't need to be a Beatles fan to get Beatlemania from this album — it's just perfection put in vinyl.

The music is timeless as ever, the cover art is recognized the world over, and the record also has the added perk of being one of the best "investment pieces" you can have in your collection. Abbey Road is, and always will be, a pillar of rock culture.

Besides, if you own Abbey Road in vinyl, you can also play it backward to figure out if there is any other hidden evidence to the Beatles' "Paul is dead" conspiracy theory.

Awesome cover art? Check. Awesome music inside? Double check. Audiophile approval? Check. Tragic behind-the-scenes story to the making of said album, resulting in Lou Reed leaving the group? Check.

Do we really have to say anything else?

Journey is one of those bands that basically owned an entire decade of music. If you never want to "stop believin'," and need to hold onto that feeling, then you need to have Journey's Greatest Hits as one of the albums to add to your record collection — assuming you don't have it already.

It's progressive rock and 80s goodness, perfectly packaged. You can play it any way you want it, and it'll still be as good as ever. (Oh, and if you noticed all the Journey jokes, yes, those were intentional. We all love Journey, so references are mandatory.)

Legend definitely lives up to its name — and really, why wouldn't it, considering that Bob Marley made this album happen? For ska, reggae, and classics fans of all kinds, Legend is one of the coolest albums to add to your record collection, ever.

Mellow hits like "No Woman, No Cry," "Is This Love?" and "Buffalo Soldier" are what made Legend a steady bestseller ever since it came out in the 80s. It's island reggae with a little bit of political conversation, and it's absolutely genius.

Note: Marijuana is not included with album purchase, but heavily suggested for optimal musical enjoyment.

Dr. Dre has created some of the best songs to listen to while high, and a lot of them can be found on his classic album, The Chronic. This was one of the first albums that put the now world-famous rapper on the map, and that's why it's one of the top albums to add to your record collection if you're a hip hop fan.

Go ahead, grab this album and kick it back to the early days of hip hop. You know it feels good to smoke pot while listening to this album. Do it. You know you want to, and it ain't nothing but a G thang if you do.

The Rolling Stones have had a plethora of awesome albums to add to your record collection, but for the sake of this list's length, we're going to have to pick just one. Let It Bleed has some seriously unique cover art, internationally famous songs, and some of the most soulful music the band ever created.

That's why we're choosing this album as one of the must-have albums for any serious vinyl collector. Top hits you'll get include "Gimme Shelter," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," and of course, "Love in Vain."

Where to begin with Violator? It's one of Depeche Mode's most famous albums of all time, and it's also one of the most seductive they've ever made in their 20-plus year career as a band. That's saying something, considering that they're one of the best New Wave bands of all time.

Sexy, edgy lyrics followed up with striptease-worthy synths and danceable beats are what made this a massive hit in the 80s. Perfect songs for makeout sessions and kinky sex is what makes this one of the most seductive albums to add to your record collection for date night.

Michael Jackson was the King of Pop Music, and boy, did he earn that title. Every single album he's made was a hit, and that's incredible. However, one album, out of all others, is a mandatory-must have for any vinyl collection: Thriller.

"Thriller" is one of the most famous songs he ever wrote, and that alone makes this one of the best albums to add to your record collection. But, it has more than just "Thriller" on it; it also has "The Girl is Mine," "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," and more.

Honestly, any album by the Doors would have to rank highly among classic rock albums to add to your record collection. But, if we had to choose just one, it'd absolutely have to be L.A. Woman. This vinyl release had some of the best work done by Jim Morrison, and features one of their greatest hits of all time.

Get your mojo' risin, and grab this album before your next listening party.

All Eyez on Me is regularly hailed as one of the greatest albums in hip hop history, and it's 2Pac's crowning achievement. This massively successful album featured all the greatest names in hip hop and funk, including George Clinton, Snoop Dogg, Dre, and more.

Famous songs like "How Do U Want It?" and "California Love" make this an unforgettable album that absolutely needs to be in any serious hip hop head's vinyl collection.

Houses of the Holy has everything one could have needed to make a smash hit album, regardless of what year it is. That's why it's Led Zepplin's most popular album of all time, and why it needs to be included on any list of classic albums to add to your record collection.

This album has hits like "Over the Hills and Far Away," "The Rain Song," and "No Quarter." It's bluesy, emotional, and incredibly powerful — all excellent traits for a classic album with great rock.

Eminem's breakout album, The Marshall Mathers LP, is one of the best hip hop albums of all time. It's humorous at times, covers hard-hitting topics at other points, and is one of the most recognizable records of the 2000s in terms of tracks.

If you're looking for albums to add to your record collection, this is a classic rap album that will bring you back — and also make you appreciate the genius lyrics of America's favorite Detroit rapper.

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About the Creator

Cato Conroy

Cato Conroy is a Manhattan-based writer who yearns for a better world. He loves to write about politics, news reports, and interesting innovations that will impact the way we live.

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