20 essential albums to kickstart your vinyl collection

This is one of the few albums on this list that is not optional. "Kind Of Blue" is the greatest (and best-selling) jazz record of all time, and listening to it on vinyl is an incredible experience, especially late at night with the moon peeking through your window. Sublime.

Keeping with the "blue" theme here, George Gershwin's magnum opus "Rhapsody in Blue" is wonderful on vinyl, and will instantly class up your entire collection since you can get away with claiming that it's "classical music."

Now to be fair, if you're more partial to "Random Access Memories" or "Homework," you can feel free to slot those in instead, but Daft Punk's "Discovery" was instrumental in popularizing house music around the world. And despite the fact that it is electronic music, their work just seems to sound better, warmer, and fuller on vinyl.

This one is another necessary addition to anybody's vinyl collection, and I'd go as far as to say if you only plan on buying one record, make this it. "Pet Sounds" is brilliant from front to back, and has (arguably) two of the best love songs ever written in "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows." In fact, tab on over to Amazon right now and pick it up. We'll finish the slideshow up when you get back.

It has "Go Your Own Way" on it. Do you really need another reason? 

Okay, fine. Not only was "Rumors" one of the absolute best albums of the '70s, but its cover portrait is just simply beautiful, and having it on vinyl allows it to be on full display.

Thriller is the best pop album ever recorded, and anybody who tells you otherwise is being obstinate. From front to back, from "Wanna Be Startin Somethin'" to "The Lady In My Life", every song is a classic. No collection is complete without The King of Pop's best record. 

It's hard to believe that "Straight Outta Compton" was N.W.A.'s debut given the amount of instant classics that it contains -- from "Express Yourself" to "Straight Outta Compton" and "Gangsta Gangsta". Back in 2008, the album got a 20th anniversary re-release on heavy-duty 180-gram vinyl, so there's no excuse not to pick it up if you don't already have it.

"Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" forever changed the face of music in the way that few other albums could ever hope to. In addition to being a the best concept album of all time in its own right, it also paved the way for the entirety of glam-rock and countless other genres of rock music. Bowie was one of the most unique musicians to ever exist, and his masterwork deserves a spot in your collection.

You need at least one Beatles record -- you just do. If you want to play it safe, you could go for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", if you want to go a bit more hipster, you could go with "Revolver" or "Rubber Soul", but for our money, "Abbey Road" really ticks all of the boxes. On vinyl, the 16-minute medley of shorter songs really comes to life.

Sure, this might technically be cheating since it's two albums, but after you listen to "Love Hater" and "Flip Flop Rock" on wax you'll be willing to let it slide. "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" is one of the weirdest and best double albums ever recorded, and you'd be missing out if you don't drop the cash to include it in your collection.

Okay, I know. Just bear with me on this. You're not going to get any hipster cred for having the soundtrack to a Marvel movie in a milk crate next to your Crosley. But in terms of classic rock greatest hits collections, "Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1" really pulls its weight. Front to back, from hits like 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" to "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways, it's full of must-have '70s rock tracks.

There are too many essential Sly and the Family Stone albums to recommend for this list, so in the interest of saving you all some cash, we'll recommend you just go for the greatest hits record in this case. As an added bonus, you'll also learn that the name of that one song isn't just "Thank You," it's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" which is one of the best song names ever and we will hear no further argument on the matter.

Sure, it's the most obvious pick in the world, but the simple facts are that no vinyl collection is truly complete without "The Dark Side of the Moon". It's as essential as anything else on this list, and will actually stand out in its absence if you do not own it.

Not only is this Kanye West's best album, it's one of the best albums ever recorded -- all the way down to the album art. The vinyl edition of the album is a triple LP that comes with art prints, postcards, and of course, 'Ye's best music yet.

Sure, prog rock isn't for everyone, but show me somebody who doesn't like "Yours Is No Disgrace" and I'll show you a liar. "The Yes Album" might only have six songs, but each of them is an extended whirlwind in their own right, perfect for the vinyl format.

Nasir Jones's "Illmatic" is arguably the most important East Coast hip hop record ever made, arguably the best East Coast hip hop record ever made, and arguably the best overall hip hop record ever made. At just 20, Nas pioneered lyricism and internal rhyming in a way that no other rapper really had to that point. Though underappreciated upon its release back in 1994, it has since gone platinum and entered rap history as a legendary record. Give it a spot on your shelf.

Bob Dylan is another artist you might want to just get the greatest hits album for, but failing that, you can't go wrong with "Blonde on Blonde," Dylan's masterful double album. With hits like "Just Like a Woman," "Absolutely Sweet Marie," and "Visions of Johanna," if you're going to buy a Dylan album that's not a compilation, this should be it. 

Few debut albums are as singular and great as "Dreamboat Annie" was when it was released. It went platinum the year of its release, and launched the career of one of the best rock bands ever. And hey, if you don't care about any of that, "Magic Man" is on the record, and that alone makes the record worth the price.

"Blue" might just be the best folk album ever written. Minimalist, heartfelt, front-to-back amazing, and featuring cameos from Stephen Stills, James Taylor, and other legendary artists, no record collection is complete without it. 

"London Calling" is the quintessential punk album -- much like "Blue" is the quintessential folk album. And though the record gets a bit odd at times as The Clash bend genres, it's still full of songs that your turntable longs to play. 

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