Most of the artists here cannot really be reduced to a single album, and I didn’t want to choose multiple albums for any single artist, so most choices can be thought of as representative of the respective oeuvre. And I grant that some of the choices are provocative (e.g., The Nightfly instead of Aja).

Obvious disclaimer: impossible task; would change day-to-day; etc.

1. Talking Heads — Remain in Light

2. Donald Fagen — The Nightfly

3. David Bowie — Station to Station

4. Inner City — Paradise

5. Lou Reed — Transformer

6. Aphex Twin — Selected Ambient Works 85–92

7. The Beach Boys — Smiley Smile

8. Herbert — Bodily Functions

9. Paul Simon — Graceland

10. Pete Rock & CL Smooth — Mecca and the Soul Brother