Channel4 - 100 Greatest Albums

Missy Elliott - Miss E... So Addictive (2001)
The first lady of hip-hop and definitely its most successful woman. She struck a blow for women in the macho world of US rap - her lyrics are bold and defiant. On One Minute Man she mocks any man who can't last the pace and satisfy her sexual needs.
Moby - Play (1999)
The story of how long-lost library tapes of black American slaves singing the blues came to be the soundtrack of white, corporate America in the 21st century. Every single track from Play has been used in a different TV commercial. Features Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad.
Neil Young - After the Goldrush (1970)
The Godfather of Grunge. The album contains some of his best work, covering subjects from the environmental concerns of the title track to redneck racism on Southern Man (supposedly inspired by an incident while on tour in Alabama). Also includes Only Love Can Break Your Heart.
New Order - Technique (1989)
The band wrote it and intended to record it in Ibiza but didn't get much work done, so returned to UK to complete it. Designer Peter Saville chose the cherub on the sleeve because he thought it looked like it was masturbating.
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left (1969)
He committed suicide five years after its release, aged just 26, depressed because of a lack of success. His music may have received little recognition during his lifetime but is now considered hugely influential.
Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
The American grunge explosion. The cover (the baby in the water) has become iconic. Includes Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come As You Are.
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (2002)
Norah is the daughter of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and was a musical child prodigy. This was her debut album, selling 18 million copies worldwide and winning eight Grammy awards.
NWA - Straight Outta Compton (1989)
This album sold 2.5 million copies despite receiving little radio airplay and having the video for its title track banned by MTV. Rightly considered one of the most important rap albums of all time, it earned NWA the wrath of the FBI who complained about the message the band's song F*** The Police sent out.
Oasis - Definitely Maybe (1994)
With the swaggering chords of the opening Rock 'n' Roll Star, Oasis announced that big, brash Brit Rock was here to stay at least for a few years. This was the fastest selling debut in British history.
Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory (1995)
The album that turned Oasis into megastars. Featuring Wonderwall, Don't Look Back in Anger, Roll With It and Some Might Say.
Outkast - Speakerboxxx / The Love Below (2003)
Epic double album blending funk, rap, blues, dance and hip-hop to create a new sound. Hey Ya was THE song to get people off their seat in 2003/4.
Patti Smith - Horses (1975)
Patti influenced generations of strong front-women by refusing to use her sexuality to sell records. The photograph on the cover (neither glamorous nor flattering) was taken by her boyfriend at the time, Robert Mapplethorpe. Includes the nine-minute epic, Birdland.
Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
Simon fought to use indigenous artists on the album yet became embroiled in fierce controversy for having broken the international cultural boycott of South Africa.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
It's estimated that one in every 14 people in the USA under the age of 50 owns a copy of this album. One in four homes in the UK has a copy. The image that adorns the cover is a prism refracting light.
Pixies - Doolittle (1989)
The band that inspired Nirvana and a wave of other American guitar bands. They split before the big American invasion of the global music scene in the early 1990s. Features their hit single Monkey Gone to Heaven.
The Police - Synchronicity (1983)
Their last full-length studio recording. It was their biggest album and with this The Police conquered the globe. The singles included Every Breath You Take, King of Pain, and Wrapped Around Your Finger.
Primal Scream - Screamadelica (1991)
The album captured the acid house era, as indie kids started getting into dance music for the first time. Hits include Loaded, Movin' On Up, and Come Together.
Prince - Sign O'The Times (1987)
This double album was Prince at his peak. He was one of the first big stars to sing about AIDS. Sheena Easton makes a guest appearance too, duetting with Prince on the raunchy You've Got the Look.
Prodigy - The Fat of the Land (1997)
Prodigy mixed punk and dance beats on this album which benefited from a tabloid frenzy. Their singles Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up were hugely controversial and big sellers.
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
The manifesto that launched Public Enemy as the 'Black CNN.' The cover had a picture of Chuck D and Flavor Flav behind bars and the album included the hit single Don't Believe the Hype.
Pulp - Different Class (1995)
Jarvis Cocker paints working class Britain in all its vivid glory. The album sleeve originally came as a series of postcards so you could choose your own. Features Common People and Disco 2000.
Queen - A Night at the Opera (1975)
Queen's epic was the fifth most expensive album of all time. Six studios were used to record the album which contained hits You're My Best Friend and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
Recorded as the band holed-up in a haunted house, the sleeve artist sat in on recordings and drew images of the sessions to illustrate. The biggest hit from this album was Karma Police.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' platinum selling fifth album. Hits included Give It Away and the group's first top ten single, Under the Bridge. The album also includes My Lovely Man, an elegy for Hillel Slovak, a former band member who died of a heroin overdose in 1988.
REM - Automatic for the People (1992)
The one with the metal star on the front. The biggest hits from the album were Man in the Moon (homage to alternative comedian Andy Kaufman) and Everybody Hurts.