Best Albums for the Best Record Collection

My friend started a record collection and asked me which albums I thought should be in it, so I have compiled a list my favorite albums from the 1950s through the 2010s. The albums in this list are records I like to listen to on the whole. There are lots of “best of” lists online, but those are usually just music industry promotions, so the benefit of this assortment is that I do not have to sell anything: I am just including what I believe to be solid records—records that are actually enjoyable to listen to all the way through.

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Twentieth-Century U.S. Cultural, Intellectual, Social, and Political Reading List

This list includes the books I am reading for comprehensive exams for my Ph.D. in twentieth-century U.S. history. My three fields are cultural and intellectual history, social and political history, and film history. Since these fields overlap with each other, I have organized the list into rough thematic and chronological categories. Essentially, this list should broadly cover the ideas, music, art, politics, and social movements within the U.S. during the twentieth century.

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