Best of each artist · One record per artist
Best production
The sound, the room and the ideas behind the faders. The album where each artist’s sound was most carefully made – and who was at the desk.
- 1 The Beach Boys Pet Sounds Brian Wilson built the sound with Los Angeles session players, layer by layer, hearing it all in his head first. Listen to “God Only Knows” Timeless classic
- 2 Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon Engineer Alan Parsons and the band turned sound effects into music – listen to the clocks at the start of “Time”. Listen to “Time” Timeless classic
- 3 Talking Heads Remain in Light Brian Eno and the band built the songs from loops of long jams – a new way of writing rock. Listen to “Once in a Lifetime” Timeless classic
- 4 Joy Division Unknown Pleasures Martin Hannett turned a punk band into something cold and spacious, with drums that sound as if played in another world. Listen to “She’s Lost Control” Timeless classic
- 5 Kate Bush Hounds of Love Kate Bush produced it herself in her own studio, with the Fairlight synthesiser as her paintbrush. Listen to “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” Timeless classic
- 6 Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back The Bomb Squad stacked samples into a wall of noise – and made it groove. Listen to “Rebel Without a Pause” Timeless classic
- 7 Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique The Dust Brothers and the Beastie Boys built the album out of hundreds of samples, at a time before anyone asked permission. Listen to “Shake Your Rump” Timeless classic
- 8 Michael Jackson Thriller Quincy Jones and engineer Bruce Swedien made every sound crystal clear. Pop production has measured itself against it ever since. Listen to “Beat It” Timeless classic
- 9 David Bowie Low Tony Visconti’s drum sound – fed through an Eventide Harmonizer – sounded like nothing else and was copied for a decade. Listen to “Sound and Vision” Timeless classic
- 10 Dr. Dre The Chronic Dr. Dre created G-funk: slow, smooth synth lines over heavy drums. Listen to “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” Timeless classic
- 11 Burial Untrue Burial made the album in a simple audio editor, without a sequencer, and let everything crackle and rain. Listen to “Archangel” Modern classic
- 12 Björk Homogenic Björk and Mark Bell set volcanic beats against an Icelandic string octet. Listen to “Jóga” Timeless classic
- 13 Sly & the Family Stone There’s a Riot Goin’ On Sly Stone overdubbed the tapes again and again and used a drum machine – the sound is murky on purpose. Listen to “Family Affair” Timeless classic
- 14 Kraftwerk Trans-Europe Express Kraftwerk built their own studio, Kling Klang, and made the machines members of the band. Listen to “Trans-Europe Express” Timeless classic
- 15 Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music for Airports Eno let tape loops of different lengths play at once, so the music never repeats itself in the same way. Listen to “1/1” Timeless classic
- 16 The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland Jimi Hendrix produced it himself, with engineer Eddie Kramer, and turned the studio into an instrument. Listen to “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” Timeless classic
- 17 Amy Winehouse Back to Black Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi with the Dap-Kings: a sixties sound that still felt brand new in 2006. Listen to “Rehab” Modern classic
- 18 Daft Punk Discovery Daft Punk filtered and chopped samples until they sounded like a childhood of disco and adverts. Listen to “One More Time” Modern classic
- 19 Madonna Ray of Light William Orbit gave Madonna electronics, guitars and air. A fresh start for an artist who already had everything. Listen to “Frozen” Timeless classic
- 20 U2 The Joshua Tree Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois gave U2 space: echoing guitars and a landscape to sing in. Listen to “Where the Streets Have No Name” Timeless classic
- 21 Peter Gabriel So Daniel Lanois and Peter Gabriel blended world music, soul and pop into something of their own. Listen to “Red Rain” Timeless classic
- 22 Paul Simon Graceland Paul Simon recorded with South African musicians in Johannesburg and built the songs around their grooves. Listen to “The Boy in the Bubble” Timeless classic
- 23 Fleetwood Mac Rumours Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut made a band falling apart sound perfectly together. Listen to “Go Your Own Way” Timeless classic
- 24 Def Leppard Hysteria Mutt Lange worked on the album for years – and drummer Rick Allen played a custom electronic kit after losing an arm. Listen to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” Still holds up
- 25 Metallica Metallica Bob Rock gave Metallica weight and clarity, and the band reached the whole world. Listen to “Enter Sandman” Timeless classic
- 26 The Cardigans Gran Turismo Tore Johansson in Malmö made the Cardigans darker, electronic and coldly gleaming. Listen to “My Favourite Game” Timeless classic
- 27 Robyn Robyn Robyn started her own label and made the pop she wanted to hear, with Klas Åhlund. Listen to “Be Mine!” Modern classic
- 28 Taylor Swift folklore Made remotely during the pandemic with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff – quiet, warm and full of detail. Listen to “cardigan” Modern classic
- 29 Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Finneas produced it in his bedroom in the family home in Los Angeles. Whispers and bass that rattles the speakers. Listen to “bad guy” Modern classic
29 artists in the list.