#69 - Sweet Baby James, James Taylor

"Taylor's sense of wounded hopelessness -- "I'm all in pieces, you can have your own choice," he sings in "Country Road" -- struck a chord with music fans, especially because of its attractive mixture of folk, country, gospel, and blues elements, all of them carefully understated and distanced. Taylor didn't break your heart; he understood that it was already broken, as was his own, and he offered comfort." (allmusic guide)

#68 - Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin

"While Led Zeppelin II doesn't have the eclecticism of the group's debut, it's arguably more influential. After all, nearly every one of the hundreds of Zeppelin imitators used this record, with its lack of dynamics and its pummeling riffs, as a blueprint." (allmusic guide)



#67 - My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello

"The 1977 debut album that introduced the world to Elvis Costello. The recording can hardly contain the sputtering, Punk energy of this young man. Yet when Costello slows down for the track "Alison," it's obvious that this voice was going to be around for a long, long time. An essential recording." (real music guide)


#66 - The Bends, Radiohead

"Fans and critics often are divided on which Radiohead album is the best, The Bends or OK Computer -- but it's not necessarily an either/or proposition as both are strong releases. Setting withered, angst-riddled lyrics to solid, chunky melodies, The Bend bucks "one-hit wonder" tags, while its expansive, soaring feel points to what's in the future." (real music guide)