Anti-Climacus

WELL: Apropos two horrid lists of the top 10 albums ever, Rolling Stone's and a guy from Crooked Timber.

I submit my own, in no particular order:

Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
Everything they did from 1963-1972 was genius (excepting Their Satanic Majesties' Request), and this was the pinnacle. Best double album ever.

The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths
The Annibale Carracci of britpop at their most florid and sublime.

Horses, Patti Smith
I don't personally believe that rock and roll can ever qualify as art, but if you were to make that argument, this would be a fine place to start.

Axis: Bold as Love, Jimi Hendrix Experience
"Castles Made of Sand," "Spanish Castle Magic," no portentious extended guitar solos, no 15-minute songs. Just three guys playing the weirdest pop songs you've ever heard.

Loaded, Velvet Underground
There's a bit of dialogue in Buffy the Vampire Slayer that goes like this:
Oz [looking through Giles' records]: Wow. Either I'm moving in with you, or you're letting me borrow your albums.
Giles: I think saving the world from immanent danger is more important than any record.
Oz: Even this one? [holds up Loaded]
Giles: [long pause] Well, a case could be made, I guess...

Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
The ultimate album for driving around the highways of metro Detroit at night (sorry The Roots Come Alive)

The Joshua Tree, U2
Not a note to be changed, front to back.

Automatic for the People, R.E.M.
My heart is forever with their earlier work, but if you don't like this, you don't have ears.

Nevermind, Nirvana
If you think that it was all about the hype, and the album wasn't really that good, go take another listen.

The Bends, Radiohead
As quoth Rolling Stone: "U2 would've sold crack to nuns to make this record."