10 Essential Boomer Albums

'Highway 61 Revisited' (1965)

Artist: Bob Dylan Dylan rankled folk fans by going electric, but he also expanded his audience and influenced a generation with songs that have been analyzed (and lionized) ever since.

'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967)

Artist: The Beatles The culmination of years of artistic maturation and bold experimentation. The original rock concept LP.

'What's Going On' (1971)

Artist: Marvin Gaye The sexy love man took on civil rights, the environment and inner-city turmoil, changing the tone of R & B, both lyrically and musically.

'Tapestry' (1971)

Artist: Carole King King's songs of love lost, found and wasted spoke to the Me Generation's turn toward introspection.

'Led Zeppelin IV' (1971)

Artist: Led Zeppelin Mystical and bombastic, acoustic and brash, Zeppelin defined '70s rock (and FM radio).

'Exile on Main St.' (1972)

Artist: The Rolling Stones Incorporating blues, soul, country and gospel, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards dug deep into the era's spiritual malaise and made the Stones' most emotional album.

'Innervisions' (1973)

 Artist: Stevie Wonder The best of a series of innovative, hit-filled albums Wonder made in a 1970s creative surge, Innervisions changed the sound of popular music.

'Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975' (1976)

Artist: Eagles The Southern California rock band was both romantic and cynical, diluting any sweetness with a bitter edge that reflected the compromises of adulthood.

'Exodus' (1977)

Artist: Bob Marley & the Wailers The sensual, spiritual album that helped make reggae one of the most popular musical genres in the world.

'Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track' (1977)

Artist: Various The percolating rhythms of disco captured the zest, decadence and hustling of the dance boom.

Boomers@50+

• 10 Essential Boomer Movies
• 10 Essential Boomer Books
• Baby Boomer Generation turns 50!