Lou Reed's fantastic early solo LP – melding the aloof, plaintive vocal performance style he perfected with the Velvets and unbelievable sharp songwriting with the vamped up, fuzzed out guitars of Mick Ronson, some symphonic touches, and the guiding spirit of Ziggy Stardust era Bowie. This is a record that could have failed on any number of levels, but it's works perfectly, making Lou an unlikely rock star and setting the bar pretty, pretty high, even if the makeup was a bit much for Lou! Titles include the iconic "Take A Walk On The Wild Side", "Vicious", "Andy's Chest", "Perfect Day", "Hangin Round", "Make Up", the Ziggy like "Satellite Of Love""Wagon Wheel", "I'm So Free" and more. CD

Not the first solo album from Lou Reed, but definitely the one that established him as a major force away from the Velvet Underground – and a record that still stands as one of the best from this groundbreaking early 70s moment in music! Part of the record's strength is its resonance with the Ziggy Stardust world of David Bowie – who produced the record, and had Spiders From Mars guitar genius Mick Ronson adding some extra guitars to the whole set. Yet at the same time, it's Lou Reed's brilliance with both songwriting and delivery that really makes the whole thing amazing – capturing a moment when New York was rotting out from the inside, when danger seemed to come from simple moments, and when the rules were changing faster than anyone could keep up with. A fantastic example of this is the amazing "Perfect Day" – but the whole album's incredible, with titles that include "Hangin Round", "Satellite Of Love", "Andy's Chest", "I'm So Free", "Vicious", and the always-classic "Take A Walk On The Wild Side". LP, Vinyl record album

A synthy soul funk project from the team of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo – a set that's just trippy enough – and it's possibly the best full length from either party, ever! You don't need us to tell you that DM has had a finger in a handful of the best fringe pop/leftfield hip hop projects of the mid 00s, and Cee-Lo has been threatening to deliver a strange soul classic for years – and he brings it with Gnarls Barkley. The sound runs from stuttering synth funk, to bubbling hip hop soul, to funky modern pop in a way that equals any other genre blending cats out there – and probably betters them! Tracks include "Go Go Gadget Gospel", "Crazy", "St. Elsewhere", "Gone Daddy Gone" (Yup, THAT "Gone Daddy Gone"), "Smiley Faces", "The Boogie Monster", "Feng Shui", "Just A Thought", "Transformer", "Who Cares?", "Online", "Necromancer", "Storm Coming" and "The Last Time". CD

The "biggest" album of Lou Reed's career – in the grand sense – with epic production and a small army of superstar session players and production by spectacle specialist Bob Ezrin – but that's paired with arguably the darkest, gloomiest songcycle ever composed by Lou Reed! The dichotomy works, and Lou apparently agrees, having revisited the material in the mid aughties to great acclaim. Ultimately, this and the previous year's Transformer makes for one of the strangest and most incredible transitions over a short period of time in pop music history. Titles include "Berlin", "Lady Day", "Men Of Good Fortune", "Caroline Says" (I & II), "The Kids", "The Bed", "Sad Song" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The amazing debut of those most hyperactive of the Native Tongues, the short-lived, ultra fresh Leaders Of The New School! Busta & Co. splintered apart after just two albums, but this will always be a shiny trophy in the mantle with the all time freshest East Coast hip hop. It sounds great to this day, particularly those Eric "Vietnam" Sadler cuts. Tracks include "Case Of The P.T.A.", "Too Much On My Mind", "What's The Pinocchio Theory?", "Sobb Story", "Sound Of The Zeekers @#^**?!", "Feminine Fatt", "Transformers", "Show Me A Hero", "Trains, Planes & Automobiles", "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense!", "My Ding-A-Ling", and "Where Do We Go From Here?". CD