Variety is the spice of life, right? So, I challenge you to follow my lead. Pick 20 your favorite first run albums and 20 "best-of" compilations. It is not easy, and I had to pick and choose which ones to include. There were too many left off. Below are my choices.
First, the list of albums. It is a mix of rock and new age.
Blackmore’s Night: Fires at Midnight Ritchie Blackmore was formerly with Deep Purple)
Boston: Boston
Bruce Hornsby and the Range: The Way it Is (just love the piano)
BrunuVille: Fantastic Journey (I dare you not to tap your toes to Dance With Dragons)
Eagles: Hotel California (classic all the way)
Enya: Watermark (Enya started me on new age - the first and still amazing)
Foreigner: Feels Like the First Time
Alice Cooper: From the Inside (the album was crazy, and the songs dug deep)
Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (just WOW)
The Go-Gos: Beauty and the Beat (fun music from a great group - not just a girl
s rock band)
Jimmy Buffett: Off to See the Lizard (my fav JB album and his best in my opinion)
Lesiem (wonderful instrumentals - powerful!)
Metallica: Metallica (San Jose Sharks favorite and they are hockey fans)
Pink Floyd: The Wall (epic - movie just as good)
Styx: The Grand Illusion (I love "Castle Walls")
Loreena McKennitt: An Ancient Muse (Loreena has a way with music - she even performed for Queen Elizabeth).
Police: Synchronicity (it became a greatest hits)
REO Speedwagon: Hi Fidelity (great work - again, this could be a greatest hit choice)
Electric Light Orchestra: Out of the Blue (ELO had a way with the electronic music - hard to pick a fav song on this one)
Wicked Tinkers: Banger for Breakfast (Bagpipes!! BTW, Wallop the Cat is just the kitty's name)
Hits Albums:
The Babys: Anthology
The Beach Boys: Made in the USA (surf's up for a CA girl)
The Beatles: Number 1’s (hard choice to pick a Beatles album)
Heart: The Essential Heart
B-52’s: Time Capsule (alternative rock at its best)
The Bangles: Greatest Hits (who didn't want to "Walk Like an Egyptian"?)
The Cars: Greatest Hits (again, try to pick one album...the Cars are legendary)
Eurythmics: Greatest Hits (Sing it, girl!)
Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Vol 1-2 (Which of his multiple greatest hits to select. Tough choice)
Journey: Greatest Hits (Bay Area music at its best)
Kansas: The Best of Kansas (classic rock)
Loverboy: Loverboy Classics (gritty songs)
Steve Miller: Greatest Hits 1974-1978 (smooth and essential rock)
Marvin Gaye: Marvin Gaye’s Greatest Hits (for getting down, who else?)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: greatest Hits (long live a legend)
The Pretenders: The Singles (alternative rock)
Queen: Greatest Hits (Freddie was the Champion!)
Jethro Tull: The Very Best of Jethro Tull (flute in a rock band never sounded so good)
Van Halen: The Best of (the music throughout the career - hard to pick just one song)
Paul McCartney & Wings: Wings Greatest (Mull of Kintyre is my favorite the rest are epic)