FAVORITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME (2010 edition)

While I have been trying to come to conclusions about my favorite records of all time, I thought it might be enlightening just to list the top 300--yes, 300! As someone who has worked in and managed record stores for over 25 years, I've heard a shitload of music, and these are the ones that resonated with me the most. I am also a child of the 80's, so take that into account.

I will soon be posting a list of the top 50 or so in order--and these lists always change as time marches on--but as of early 2010, these are the contenders. Prepare to be overwhelmed...

A-HA--hunting high & low
ABBA--super trouper
ABBA--visitors
ABBA--voulez vous
ABC--how to be a zillionaire
ABC--lexicon of love
AIMEE MANN--bachelor no. 2/magnolia soundtrack
AIMEE MANN-whatever
AIR--moon safari
ALCAZAR--disco defenders
ALPHAVILLE--forever young
ANNIE--anniemal
ANNIE--don't stop
ANNIE LENNOX--diva
ARCADIA--so red the rose
ARCTIC MONKEYS--whatever people say i am that's what i'm not
ARMY OF LOVERS--gods of earth & heaven
ARMY OF LOVERS--maximum luxury overdose
BANANARAMA--deep sea skiving
BANANARAMA--wow!
BARRY ADAMSON--moss side story
BASEMENT JAXX--kish kash
BASEMENT JAXX--rooty
BEATLES--abbey road
BEATLES--magical mystery tour
BEATLES--revolver
BEATLES--sgt. pepper's lonely heart's club band
BEATLES--white album
BILLIE RAY MARTIN--deadline for my memories
BILLY MACKENZIE--transmission
BJORK--homogenic
BJORK--post
BJORK--vespertine
BLACK BOX RECORDER--facts of life
BLANCMANGE--mange tout
BLONDIE--parallel lines
BLUE NILE--hats
BLUR--parklife
BOOK OF LOVE--book of love
BOY GEORGE--martyr mantras
BRONSKI BEAT--age of consent
BWO--prototype
CHEMICAL BROTHERS--dig your own hole
CLAN OF XYMOX--medusa
COCTEAU TWINS--blue bell knoll
COCTEAU TWINS--heaven or las vegas
COCTEAU TWINS--treasure
COCTEAU TWINS--victorialand
COLDPLAY--rush of blood to the head
COMMUNARDS--communards
CREATURES--boomerang
CULTURE CLUB--colour by numbers
CURE--disintegration
CURE--head on the door
CURE--kiss me kiss me kiss me
CURVE--gift
CUT COPY--in ghost colours
CYNDI LAUPER--bring ya to the brink
CYNDI LAUPER--she's so unusual
DAFT PUNK--discovery
DARREN HAYES--tension & the spark
DARREN HAYES--this delicate thing we've made
DAVID BOWIE--aladdin sane
DAVID BOWIE--heroes
DAVID BOWIE--hunky dory
DAVID BOWIE--low
DAVID BOWIE--scary monsters
DAVID BOWIE--station to station
DAVID BOWIE--ziggy stardust & the spiders from mars
DAVID SYLVIAN--brilliant trees
DAVID SYLVIAN--gone to earth
DAVID SYLVIAN--secrets of the beehive
DEAD CAN DANCE--into the labyrinth
DEAD CAN DANCE--within the realm of a dying sun
DEAD OR ALIVE--youthquake
DEPECHE MODE--black celebration
DEPECHE MODE--music for the masses
DEPECHE MODE--some great reward
DEPECHE MODE--violator
DIVINE COMEDY--absent friends
DIVINE COMEDY--casanova
DIVINE COMEDY--victory for the comic muse
DOVES--last broadcast
DURAN DURAN--duran duran
DURAN DURAN--rio
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN--ocean rain
ELBOW--cast of thousands
ELECTRONIC--electronic
ELECTRONIC--raise the pressure
ELVIS COSTELLO--king of america
ERASURE--chorus
ERASURE--erasure
ERASURE--i say i say i say
ERASURE--innocents
ERASURE--nightbird
ERASURE--wild
EURYTHMICS--savage
EURYTHMICS--touch
EURYTHMICS--sweet dreams
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL--amplified heart
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL--idlewild
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL--temperamental
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL--walking wounded
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE--lungs
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD--welcome to the pleasuredome
FRANZ FERDINAND--franz ferdinand
FROU FROU--details
GARBAGE--version 2.0
GEORGE MICHAEL--faith
GEORGE MICHAEL--listen without prejudice
GIRLS ALOUD--out of control
GIRLS ALOUD--tangled up
GOLDFRAPP--black cherry
GOLDFRAPP--felt mountain
GOLDFRAPP--seventh tree
GOLDFRAPP--supernature
GORILLAZ--demon days
GRACE JONES--hurricane
GRACE JONES--nightclubbing
GUILLEMOTS--through the window pane
HEAVEN 17--luxury gap
HEAVEN 17--penthouse & pavement
HOWARD JONES--dream into action
HOWARD JONES--human's lib
HUMAN LEAGUE--dare
HUMAN LEAGUE--secrets
IMOGEN HEAP--speak for yourself
INXS--swing
JANE SIBERRY--walking
JAPAN--gentlemen take polaroids
JAPAN--tin drum
JENS LEKMAN--night falls over kortedala
JULEE CRUISE--floating into the night
JUSTICE--cross
k.d. lang--ingenue
KAJAGOOGOO--white feathers
KATE BUSH--aerial
KATE BUSH--dreaming
KATE BUSH--hounds of love
KEANE--hopes & fears
KILLERS--hot fuss
KIRSTY MACCOLL--tropical brainstorm
KRAFTWERK--computer world
KRAFTWERK--man machine
KRAFTWERK--trans-europe express
KYLIE MINOGUE--fever
KYLIE MINOGUE--impossible princess
KYLIE MINOGUE--light years
KYLIE MINOGUE--x
LA ROUX--la roux
LADY GAGA--fame monster
LADYHAWKE--ladyhawke
LIGHTNING SEEDS--dizzy heights
LIGHTNING SEEDS--jollification
LILAC TIME--lilac time
LILY ALLEN--alright, still
LILY ALLEN--it's not me, it's you
LIZA MINNELLI--results
LOVE & ROCKETS--earth sun moon
M.I.A.--arular
M.I.A.--kala
MADONNA--confessions on a dance floor
MADONNA--like a prayer
MADONNA--music
MADONNA--ray of light
MALCOLM MCLAREN--duck rock
MARC ALMOND--enchanted
MARC ALMOND--fantastic star
MARC ALMOND--mother fist and her five daughters
MARC ALMOND--open all night
MARC ALMOND--stars we are
MARC ALMOND--stories of johnny
MARC ALMOND--stranger things
MARC ALMOND--tenement symphony
MARC ALMOND--torment & toreros
MARC ALMOND--vermin in ermine
MASSIVE ATTACK--mezzanine
MASSIVE ATTACK--protection
MINISTRY--twitch
MOLOKO--statues
MONACO--monaco
MORRISSEY--vauxhall & i
MORRISSEY--viva hate
MORRISSEY--you are the quarry
MORRISSEY--your arsenal
NENEH CHERRY--raw like sushi
NEW ORDER--low-life
NEW ORDER--technique
NICK DRAKE--five leaves left
NINE INCH NAILS--downward spiral
NINE INCH NAILS--pretty hate machine
OASIS--definitely, maybe
OMD--architecture & morality
OMD--organisation
ONE DOVE--morning dove white
PET SHOP BOYS--actually
PET SHOP BOYS--behaviour
PET SHOP BOYS--bilingual
PET SHOP BOYS--fundamental
PET SHOP BOYS--nightlife
PET SHOP BOYS--please
PET SHOP BOYS--very
PET SHOP BOYS--yes
PETER GABRIEL--security
PETER GABRIEL--so
PORTISHEAD--dummy
PORTISHEAD--p
PORTISHEAD--third
PREFAB SPROUT--steve mcqueen
PRIMAL SCREAM--screamadelica
PRINCE--1999
PRINCE--around the world in a day
PRINCE--parade
PRINCE--purple rain
PRINCE--sign o the times
PROPAGANDA--secret wish
PULP--different class
PULP--we love life
R.E.M.--automatic for the people
RADIOHEAD--bends
RADIOHEAD--kid a/amnesiac
RADIOHEAD--ok computer
RIALTO--rialto
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--i've been expecting you
ROBYN--robyn
ROISIN MURPHY--overpowered
ROISIN MURPHY--ruby blue
ROXY MUSIC--avalon
ROXY MUSIC--country life
ROXY MUSIC--stranded
ROYKSOPP--junior
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT--want 1 & 2
SADE--diamond life
SADE--promise
SARAH MCLACHLAN--touch
SAINT ETIENNE--foxbase alpha
SAINT ETIENNE--so tough
SAINT ETIENNE--tiger bay
SAINT ETIENNE--tales from turnpike house
SCISSOR SISTERS--scissor sisters
SCOTT WALKER--scott 2
SCOTT WALKER--scott 3
SCRITTI POLITTI--cupid & psyche 85
SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER--sacred heart
SHRIEKBACK--big night music
SHRIEKBACK--oil & gold
SIGUR ROS--med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust
SINEAD O'CONNOR--lion & the cobra
SIOBAHN DONAGHY--ghosts
SIOUXSIE--mantaray
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES--kiss in the dreamhouse
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES--peepshow
SISTERS OF MERCY--floodland
SMITHS--louder than bombs
SMITHS--queen is dead
SMITHS--strangeways, here we come
SOFT CELL--art of falling apart
SOFT CELL--cruelty without beauty
SOFT CELL--non-stop erotic cabaret
SOFT CELL--this last night in sodom
SOHO--goddess
SPARKS--hello young lovers
STEVIE WONDER--songs in the key of life
STONE ROSES--stone roses
STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE--strawberry switchblade
SUEDE--coming up
SUEDE--dog man star
SUEDE--suede
SUZANNE VEGA--solitude standing
SWING OUT SISTER--kaleidoscope world
TALK TALK--colour of spring
TALK TALK--spirit of eden
THE THE--dusk
THE THE--infected
THE THE--mind bomb
THIS MORTAL COIL--filigree & shadow
THOM YORKE--eraser
THOMAS DOLBY--flat earth
THOMAS DOLBY--golden age of wireless
THOMPSON TWINS--into the gap
THOMPSON TWINS--(quick step &) side kicks
TIL TUESDAY--everything's different now
TORI AMOS--boys for pele
TORI AMOS--from the choirgirl hotel
TORI AMOS--little earthquakes
TORI AMOS--to venus & back
TORI AMOS--under the pink
TRACEY THORN--out of the woods
TRICKY--maxinquaye
U2--achtung baby
U2--pop
U2--zooropa
VENUS HUM--big beautiful sky
WHAM!--fantastic
WOLFGANG PRESS--bird wood cage
WOLFGANG PRESS--funky little demons
YAZ(OO)--upstairs at eric's
YAZ(OO)--you & me both
YELLO--stella
YELLO--you gotta say yes to another excess

Told ya it was long! Up next...the sorting...