Pink Floyd are our first choice for listeners who want an album to unfold as an environment. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975) are the starting pair. Their history spans Syd Barrett’s psychedelic beginnings and later work combining Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason.

Try a complete album before a shuffled selection: the transitions and changes of atmosphere are part of our reason for ranking them fourth. The band’s patient arrangements make a strong case for moving them above Queen if the album is your main unit of listening. We keep them below the top three because our criteria also reward concise songwriting and versatility across formats. A listener seeking a quick burst of rock energy may prefer the Stones or AC/DC despite their lower positions.

Sources: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Photo: Paul Carless · CC BY 2.0. Resized where needed and recompressed; image retains this license.