By Decade — limited to 5 albums each, no order. My lists frequently evolve, so this is a fairly informal snapshot.
‘60s
The Beatles (White Album)
“Rubber Soul,†The Beatles
“Live at the Apollo,†James Brown
“Highway 61 Revisited,†Bob Dylan
The Velvet Underground (3rd album)
‘70s
“London Calling,†The Clash[1]
“Loaded,†Velvet Underground
“Exile on Main Street,†The Rolling Stones
“Zuma,†Neil Young
“No. 1 Record,†Big Star
‘80s
“Double Nickels on the Dime,†Minutemen
“Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart,†Camper Van Beethoven
“Paul’s Boutique,†Beastie Boys
“Tim,†The Replacements
“Murmur,†R.E.M.
‘90s
“Alien Lanes,†Guided By Voices
“Odelay,†Beck
“Summerteeth,†Wilco
“Between the Bridges,†Sloan
“Bandwagonesque,†Teenage Fanclub
2000s
“Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,†Wilco
“Never Hear the End of It,†Sloan
“Is This It,†The Strokes
“Elephant,†The White Stripes
“Jerusalem,†Steve Earle
[1] Using the UK release date; technically an ‘80s album in the U.S.
