1101 albums · 1955–2026

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: the complete list

· 22 min read · by 1001 Albums

Since 2005, Robert Dimery's “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” has been the reading list for the ears: rock, soul, jazz, hip hop and music from around the world. Every new edition has taken some albums out to make room for newer ones; here the albums of all the editions are together, 1101 of them from 1955 to 2026. Heard eleven or twelve albums a day, it fills 98 days: about 982 hours of music.

By genre

Rock 49%Electronic 10%Pop 10%Other 31%
  • Rock 49%
  • Electronic 10%
  • Pop 10%
  • Other 31%

The genres named most: rock, pop, electronic, alternative rock, hip hop, indie rock.

The colours of the covers

A stripe for each cover, in the colour Tidal picks from it, sorted by hue; the greys at the end.

Where the music comes from

Music from 28 countries: United States 535, United Kingdom 418, Canada 30, Australia 14, Germany 13 and 23 more. The deeper the colour, the more albums: one, two to four, five to nine, ten and more.

The 1950s

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

The 2000s

The 2010s

The 2020s

More lists

Lists of Books first, then others; all of them on the blog. The blog.

68 albums · 1959–2025

The Grammy Album of the Year winners, 1959–2026

· 1 min read

Since 1959 the Recording Academy has given one album a year its highest award, from Henry Mancini's music for Peter Gunn to Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos, by way of Sgt.

Rock 31%Pop 20%Jazz 13%Other 36%
  • Rock 31%
  • Pop 20%
  • Jazz 13%
  • Other 36%

Read and see the list

26 albums · 1967–2016

David Bowie's studio albums, 1967–2016

· 1 min read

All 26 studio albums of David Bowie in order, from David Bowie (1967) to Blackstar (2016): the complete discography with covers, years and playing time.

Rock 79%Pop 9%Electronic 8%Other 4%
  • Rock 79%
  • Pop 9%
  • Electronic 8%
  • Other 4%

Read and see the list

32 albums · 1966–1994

Frank Zappa's studio albums, 1966–1994

· 1 min read

All 32 studio albums of Frank Zappa in order, from Freak Out! (1966) to Civilization Phaze III (1994): the complete discography with covers, years and playing time.

Rock 62%Jazz 8%Electronic 7%Other 23%
  • Rock 62%
  • Jazz 8%
  • Electronic 7%
  • Other 23%

Read and see the list

44 albums · 1968–2025

Neil Young's studio albums, 1968–2025

· 1 min read

All 44 studio albums of Neil Young in order, from Neil Young (1968) to Talkin to the Trees (2025): the complete discography with covers, years and playing time.

Rock 96%Folk & Country 2%Blues 1%Other 1%
  • Rock 96%
  • Folk & Country 2%
  • Blues 1%
  • Other 1%

Read and see the list