Albums Everyone Should Listen To Once

There are so many different albums out there, and if you are looking for something new to listen to, it’s easy to become a little picky when trying to pick one. I know how I am when it comes to listening to music. I listen to the same albums repeatedly, and I never know where to start when I decide to listen to a new album. When I finally listen to a new album, I stick to familiar artists until I listen to all of their albums.

In this article, we will go through some of the top albums that you should listen to at least once in your life. 

1.  Amor Prohibido by Selena

Selena Quintanilla Pérez, or Selena, was an iconic singer called the Queen of Tejano music. She passed away just a few weeks before she turned 24 after being shot by a fan. During her musical career, her popularity increased, and she is considered one of the most influential Latin artists. She has been credited with catapulting Tejano music and the genre into mainstream media. Even after her death, Selena has gained popularity and inspired a movie, shows, and books. 

Amor Prohibido is the fourth studio album that Selena released in March 1994. The songs in this album explore different topics, ranging from unrequited love to social division and infidelity. The song, Amor Prohibido, became one of the most successful US Latin songs in 1994. This became the first Tejano record to peak at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums Charts.

2. Folklore by Taylor Swift

Folklore is the eighth studio album by Taylor Swift. She wrote this album after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine began, and the album includes topics like romanticism and escapism. Folklore’s sister album Evermore came out five months after Folklore.

Folklore is considered a quarantine masterpiece, and it was the year’s highest-selling album, receiving over 1 million sales. 

To me, this album differed from her previous albums and explored more story-telling styles. Although all her songs and albums tell a story, I feel that Folklore and Evermore contain the stories as a vital point. I can sit and listen to all these stories and characters unfold. In Folklore, three songs are even connected. Although she doesn’t say which songs it is, fans theorize that the songs Betty, August, and Cardigan are all connected, showing a love triangle between characters named Betty, James, and Inez.

The fun easter eggs always make all these albums fun to listen to. 

3. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the seventh studio album from Elton John, released in October 1973. This album is still gaining popularity, ranked 112 on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums. The album was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. 

Elton John’s song on the album, titled under the same name, follows a character wanting to give up the ‘famous life.’ full of glamour and intensity for something more simple, something away from the glamour of celebrity life. Some say this song is more for Bennie Taupin, John’s co-writer, as John lived deeper in that high life, and Bennie preferred keeping it low-key. 

4. Rumors by Fleetwood Mac

Rumors is the eleventh studio album by the British-American band Fleetwood Mac. This album was created during the tense divorce between John and Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nick breaking up. Drummer and band leader, Mick Fleetwood, was also thrown into this marital breakup. 

When the album came out, it contained honest lyrics and was considered a romantic confessional with inspiration from what was happening in their real life. The album was released in February 1977 and recorded from February to August 1976. This was created to create a pop album, and they added accented rhythms and electric keyboards to their sound. It sold over 10 million copies globally within a month of releasing Rumors. It also won Album of the Year in 1977 at the Grammy Awards. 

5. Grace by Jeff Buckley

Unlike the other albums mentioned in this article, Grace is the only studio album by an artist, Jeff Buckley. It was released in August 1994 and, at the time, did not have high sales and received mixed reviews. Buckley passed away a few years after the album’s release. In recent years, the album has gained popularity, and 13 years after the release of the album, Grace was number 44 for a week in 2007. 

In August 2004, an extended version was released for the album’s tenth anniversary. 

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6. Boy Anonymous by Paris Texas

This album was released more recently, on May 14, 2021. This is a shorter album with eight tracks listed, and on their Spotify profile, they have over 300,000 monthly listeners. The website, Album of the Year, or AOTY, has a critic score of 80 based on seven reviews. With a 296 rating under the user score, it has a 68. Beats Per minute, who has an article on their review of the album, gave the album a score of 80.

7. Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

This is the second studio album of the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in October 1969. This was their first album to reach number one on UK and US charts. Also released was Led Zeppelin previously in 1969, and it was followed by Led Zeppelin III. 

Led Zeppelin on Spotify has over 16 million monthly listeners, and in their top five popular songs, Whole Lotta Love, from Led Zeppelin II is listed as the remastered version. 

Next time you are looking for a new album to listen to, look back at this list and see if any of these albums interest you. I tried to pick albums based on lists, my favorite albums, and by asking other people what they thought. This should include lists based on different music tastes and what is popular now. 

Have you listened to any of these? If so, let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!