Nirvana - Nevermind

The album that is credited with single-handedly squashing hair metal for most of the nineties, is well-worth its accolades. This record is a timeless, perfect gem. Some say it's too polished, I say it's just right. Everyone around in the early 90's remembers the first time they heard Smells Like Teen Spirit and asked themselves "what ... is ... that?". The entire album is perfect, a must-own. -- rob @ wax.fm

If Nevermind's sound is familiar now, it's only because thousands of rock records that followed it were trying very hard to cop its style. It tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" onward, magnifying and distilling the wounded rage of 15 years of the rock underground into a single impassioned roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one; of its 12 songs, roughly 10 are now standards. The record's historical weight can make it hard to hear now with fresh ears, but the monumental urgency of Kurt Cobain's screams is still shocking. --Douglas Wolk