When we first did the RS 500 in 2003, people were talking about the “death of the album.” The album —and especially the album release — is more relevant than ever. (As in 2003, we allowed votes for compilations and greatest-hits albums, mainly because a well-made compilation can be just as coherent and significant as an LP, because compilations helped shaped music history, and because many hugely important artists recorded their best work before the album had arrived as a prominent format.) Having scored a left-field breakthrough with the pop-friendly Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Robert Smith turned the other direction, reportedly dabbled in acid, and returned The Cure to its gothic roots. The result was the band’s darkest and most daring album – and perversely enough, one that stands as their greatest. 49: Metallica – Master of Puppets Unusual for compilation albums, the "Brimful of Asha" featured on disc two is the original version, not the Norman Cook remix which reached #1 in the UK charts.

One of the wonders of the 90s indie scene was that an album this good could appear out of nowhere. Liz Phair’s songs were disarmingly frank, with pop hooks all over the place, but she was always a step ahead of the listener – for starters, nobody’s ever figured out if she was entirely serious about modeling the album after the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street. Either way, it remains one of the best albums of the 90s. 47: Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East On the downside the set does however suffer from having a few too many compilation 'specials' . I am Hard to rate this album because the music is very good, but the idea of making some kind of "The best of Prog'" is not right for me, so I'll give 2 stars.This volume features repeats of songs featured in previous volumes from the series; The Stone Roses' "What The World Is Waiting For" featured on Volume 3, and Mansun's "Wide Open Space" featured on Volume 5, although the version of "Wide Open Space" here is a remix by Paul Oakenfold. I think your list is quite good. Like anybody on the planet, I feel there are albums that aren’t included here that should be based on my personal preference. I won’t voice those opinions here because the point of this list is udiscovermusic’s opinion. Isn’t subjectivity great?

Although most albums use the Album in the World...Ever! suffix, some towards the late 1990s change the suffix to Anthems...Ever!, with a plural on the theme (example the album The Best Celtic Anthems...Ever!). Some even just use ...Ever! as a suffix (such as The Best TV Ads...Ever!) The series originally featured a globe on each album cover, to represent the world, as referred to in the album titles. When the Anthems...Ever! and the simply ...Ever! titles started to appear in 1997, the globe didn't usually appear on the cover. The globe continued to be featured on in the World...Ever! covers nonetheless, although in 2001–02, it started to become absent from the album covers of in the World...Ever! albums too, as it is absent from the Air Guitar covers and one of the Dance covers. The Best Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever!, referred to in retrospect as Air Guitar I, released 5 November 2001, was compiled by Brian May. A sequel was released in November 2002 and another in November 2003, the latter proclaiming itself to be the last Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever!. Both sequels were again compiled by Brian May. In 2005, a 3CD The Best of the Best Air Guitar Album in the World...Ever! was released. Whilst Air Guitar III proclaimed to be the final volume, the liner notes written by May in The Best of the Best start with "OK, we lied." On their most ambitious album, Emerson, Lake & Palmer still found room for a novelty number, an English hymn, and a classic Greg Lake ballad – all to set up the main attraction, the 30-minute “Karn Evil 9.” The song’s narrative of a computerized, totalitarian future in which the masses are kept happy with splashy entertainment sounds more resonant every day. 33: Rush: Permanent WavesAt this early stage, Camel was perched midway between prog and fusion: Their second album Mirage is two-thirds instrumental (the next, The Snow Goose, had just one brief vocal), and it’s largely hinged on the interplay of keyboardist Peter Bardens and guitarist Andy Latimer, both dazzling soloists. But Mirage also has “Lady Fantasy,” their most romantic vocalized piece. 41: Supertramp: Crime of the Century The guys in the first Utopia (not to be confused with the later quartet) were jazz-informed musos who could solo at length, so on paper, it makes no sense to throw in a pop songwriter of Rundgren’s caliber. But on disc, it works perfectly, with Rundgren’s catchy moments setting up and amplifying all the instrumental fireworks (plenty of which came from his own lead guitar). “The Ikon” was at the time the longest album side ever (30:22), but it’s anything but a slog; the opening riff takes about five seconds to hook you in. 7: Gong: You