#101 is 'Sesame Street Fever'
Here is a list of my 100 favorite albums. It is 99% the same list as one I posted on a forum some of my friends are on, with the exception of me realizing that I like Don't Sweat the Technique more than Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (though the question as to why I like both of them more than, say, Paid in Full or Follow the Leader is one that I am not capable of answering eloquently right now). This can and will contradict similar albeit differently-formatted or otherwise contextually divergent lists of favorite albums, because that is what critics do -- we overthink stuff to the point where we change our minds a fair amount. I decided to limit things to one album per artist, lest I tip the scales with Led Zeppelin's first six albums, the entire Ghostface Killah discography and anything George Clinton was even in the remotest vicinity of during the '70s. (Though I couldn't resist allowing for solo Wu-Tang members or counting Funkadelic and Parliament as two separate entities.) Even then, paring it down was impossible -- even with the one-per-artist rule I could've easily doubled or even tripled the number of albums on this list without diluting it. I decided to make it a little easier by cutting out every album that was released after 2003 in an attempt to make my list look less indebted to stuff that still has that new-car smell.
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)
Bad Brains - s/t (1982)
The Band - s/t (1968)
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)
The Beatles - Help! (1965)
Beck - Mellow Gold (1994)
Big L - Lifestyles Ov Da Poor and Dangerous (1995)
Big Star - Radio City (1974)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
Blue Öyster Cult - s/t (1972)
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded (1987)
Boris - Akuma No Uta (2003)
David Bowie - Young Americans (1975)
Broadcast - The Noise Made By People (2000)
James Brown - Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas, 1968 (1968)
Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady (1979)
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Clear Spot (1972)
The Cars - s/t (1978)
Ray Charles - Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (1963)
The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole (1997)
The Clash - Sandinista! (1981)
John Coltrane - Giant Steps (1959)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces (1979)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)
The D.O.C. - No One Can Do it Better (1989)
Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
Miles Davis - The Complete On the Corner Sessions (1972)
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
Bo Diddley - Go Bo Diddley (1959)
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... (1996)
Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
Bob Dylan - Live 1966: the Royal Albert Hall Concert (1966)
Duke Ellington w/Charles Mingus & Max Roach - Money Jungle (1962)
EPMD - Strictly Business (1988)
Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
Aretha Franklin - Spirit in the Dark (1970)
Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974)
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele (2000)
Al Green - Gets Next to You (1971)
GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
Eddie Harris - Silver Cycles (1968)
Hawkwind - Space Ritual (1973)
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)
John Lee Hooker - Endless Boogie (1971)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Elton John - Madman Across the Water (1971)
The Kinks - Face to Face (1966)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Blacknuss (1971)
Kraftwerk - Computer World (1981)
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
Lifter Puller - Half Dead & Dynamite (1997)
Madonna - s/t (1983)
Mandré - s/t (1977)
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (1972)
Metallica - Kill ‘Em All (1983)
MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
Nas - Illmatic (1994)
Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
Organized Konfusion - Stress: the Extinction Agenda (1994)
Outkast - ATLiens (1996)
Parliament - Mothership Connection (1976)
Pink Floyd - Echoes in the Gardens: Live at Boston Gardens 6/18/75 (1975)
Portishead - Portishead (1997)
Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
Quasimoto - The Unseen (2000)
Radio Birdman - Radios Appear (combined Aus/US version) (1977/78)
Ramones - s/t (1976)
Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
Max Romeo - War Ina Babylon (1976)
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - 1980 (1980)
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)
Sly & the Family Stone - There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
Sonic Youth - Dirty (1992)
The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics!!! (1965)
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (1969)
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
The Stooges - Fun House (1970)
The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)
Television - Marquee Moon (1977)
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous (1978)
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
Tubeway Army - Replicas (1979)
Van Halen - s/t (1978)
v/a - The Harder They Come OST (1972)
The Who - Who’s Next (1971)
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (2000)
Neil Young - On the Beach (1974)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You (2000)
Bad Brains - s/t (1982)
The Band - s/t (1968)
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)
The Beatles - Help! (1965)
Beck - Mellow Gold (1994)
Big L - Lifestyles Ov Da Poor and Dangerous (1995)
Big Star - Radio City (1974)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
Blue Öyster Cult - s/t (1972)
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded (1987)
Boris - Akuma No Uta (2003)
David Bowie - Young Americans (1975)
Broadcast - The Noise Made By People (2000)
James Brown - Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas, 1968 (1968)
Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady (1979)
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein (2001)
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Clear Spot (1972)
The Cars - s/t (1978)
Ray Charles - Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (1963)
The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole (1997)
The Clash - Sandinista! (1981)
John Coltrane - Giant Steps (1959)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces (1979)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory (1970)
The D.O.C. - No One Can Do it Better (1989)
Daft Punk - Discovery (2001)
Miles Davis - The Complete On the Corner Sessions (1972)
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
Bo Diddley - Go Bo Diddley (1959)
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... (1996)
Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
Bob Dylan - Live 1966: the Royal Albert Hall Concert (1966)
Duke Ellington w/Charles Mingus & Max Roach - Money Jungle (1962)
EPMD - Strictly Business (1988)
Eric B. & Rakim - Don't Sweat the Technique (1992)
Aretha Franklin - Spirit in the Dark (1970)
Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting It On (1974)
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele (2000)
Al Green - Gets Next to You (1971)
GZA/Genius - Liquid Swords (1995)
Eddie Harris - Silver Cycles (1968)
Hawkwind - Space Ritual (1973)
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul (1969)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)
John Lee Hooker - Endless Boogie (1971)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt (1996)
Elton John - Madman Across the Water (1971)
The Kinks - Face to Face (1966)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Blacknuss (1971)
Kraftwerk - Computer World (1981)
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
Lifter Puller - Half Dead & Dynamite (1997)
Madonna - s/t (1983)
Mandré - s/t (1977)
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (1998)
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (1972)
Metallica - Kill ‘Em All (1983)
MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (1999)
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
Nas - Illmatic (1994)
Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
Organized Konfusion - Stress: the Extinction Agenda (1994)
Outkast - ATLiens (1996)
Parliament - Mothership Connection (1976)
Pink Floyd - Echoes in the Gardens: Live at Boston Gardens 6/18/75 (1975)
Portishead - Portishead (1997)
Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
Quasimoto - The Unseen (2000)
Radio Birdman - Radios Appear (combined Aus/US version) (1977/78)
Ramones - s/t (1976)
Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (1971)
Max Romeo - War Ina Babylon (1976)
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - 1980 (1980)
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)
Sly & the Family Stone - There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
Sonic Youth - Dirty (1992)
The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics!!! (1965)
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (1969)
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
The Stooges - Fun House (1970)
The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)
Television - Marquee Moon (1977)
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous (1978)
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (1991)
Tubeway Army - Replicas (1979)
Van Halen - s/t (1978)
v/a - The Harder They Come OST (1972)
The Who - Who’s Next (1971)
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (2000)
Neil Young - On the Beach (1974)