Doens't matter the genre.  Rock, punk, jazz, metal, blues, country, don't matter.  What records should everyone not be without.  Thanks.  

Green Day

Beastie Boys

Dixie Chicks

Metallica - Metallica (also knows as the black album)

AC/DC - Back In Black

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon

MULTIPLE Led Zeppelin CD's

Aerosmith - Get A Grip

Some Soundgarden albums

Some Alice In Chains albums

I don't know many album names since most of my music comes from the net...

megadeth   rust in peace

Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony (no. 3)
Stravinski's The Rite of Spring
Rimski-Korsakov's Scheherazade
Lizst's Mazeppa and Les Preludes, Hungarian Rhapsodies nos. 2 & 4

That's the short list.  I know they aren't CDs albums, but they're on CDs.

Enya-A Day Without Rain

Sinead O'Connor- I Do Not Want What I have Not Got

Yoko Ono-



Ok, sorry, I can't do it......

Alright, seriously this time,

I got so used to mp3's that the idea of needing a particular album, with the classic combination of good song/bad song/bad song, is no longer really relevant.

There are a gazillion songs, but very few actual albums, that I consider must-have.

1. John Lee hooker: The Healer

2. Anything Robert Earl Keen

3. Soulhat: Outdebox

4. Faith No More greatest hits album

5. All four Johnny Cash American recordings albums

6. SRV, all of them

7. fuckin BLACK ALBUM  [deaan] YYYEEEAAAAARRRGGHH[/dean]

8. 311 greatest hits

If you're looking for something different, get Adam Carroll.  Distinctive Texas Country sound.
Very instrumental, great lyrics, funny songs.

Exile on Main Street- The Rolling Stones

Physical Grafitti- Led Zepelin

Music From Big Pink- The Band

The Beatles

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs- Derek and the Dominoes

Stop Making Sense- Talking Heads

London Calling- The Clash

Blood on the Tracks- Bob Dylan

Excitable Boy- Warren Zevon

Rocks- Aerosmith

Edited to fix my F-UP

Hotel California
Dark Side of the Moon
Anything by the Greatful Dead
Anything by the Allman Bros.
Anything by Lynard Skynryd
Anything by Tom Petty
Anything by Dave Matthews Band


Edited to add Jimmy Buffet
100% agree with arowneragain, you don't need to spend $$$ on a bad CD to get one song anymore.

Quoted: Exile on Main Street Physical Grafitti- The Rolling Stones Music From Big Pink- The Band The Beatles Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs- Derek and the Dominoes Stop Making Sense- Talking Heads London Calling- The Clash Blood on the Tracks- Bob Dylan Excitable Boy- Warren Zevon Rocks- Aerosmith

Ummmm....Physical Graffiti was by Led Zeppelin  

Some essentials from my state:

Otis Redding - Dock of the Bay
Allman Bros - Live at the Filmore East
REM - Murmur
Gov't Mule - Gov't Mule

Edit: that covers the 60s, 70s, 80's, and 90's. Jury Is still out on the 2ks

RUSH!  Especially "Moving pictures".



The Pig

Quoted: Everything that Pink Floyd has ever recorded for starters! Eric The(WishYouWereHere)Hun

A completely rare, total agreement w/ ETH.

A few of my essentials....

Widespread Panic - Spacewrangler
+2 for Megadeath - Rust in Peace
Life of Agony - River Runs Red
Pink Floyd - the Final Cut
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Ramones - Ramones
Misfits - Collection 1
Anthrax - Caught in a Mosh

all I could think of now... brain = toast   long day at work.

Miles Davis - "Kind of Blue"
Nanci Griffith - "Lone Star State of Mind"
k.d. lang - "Ingenue"
Radiohead - "OK Computer"
Van Halen - "Van Halen" or Van Halen 1

tool - lateralus
tool - aenima
tool - undertow
tool - opiate
tool - salival
rage against the machine - battle of los angeles
rage against the machine - evil empire
rage against the machine - rage against the machine
stone temple pilots - core
nirvana - nevermind

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band--Beatles

Blues:

BB King and Eric Clapton:  "Riding with the King"

Muddy Waters:  "King of the Electric Blues"  

John Lee Hooker:  "The Very Best of John Lee Hooker"


Comedy:

Dennis Leary:  No Cure for Cancer"


Country:

Johnny Cash:  "The Man in Black - His Greatest Hits"

Johnny Cash (again):  "American IV: The Man Comes Around"

Merle Haggard:  "Ultimate Collection"

Merle Haggard:  "His Epic Hits"

Merle Haggard:  "Drinkin'"

George Jones:  "Super Hits"

Kris Kristofferson:  "The Essential Kris Kristofferson"

Chris Ledoux:  "American Cowboy"  (Boxed Set)

Ronnie Milsap:  "40 #1 Hits"

Willie Nelson:  "16 Biggest Hits"

Willie Nelson:  "Half Nelson"

Allison Moorer:  "The Hardest Part"

Marty Robbins:  "Under Western Skies"  (Boxed Set)

Don Williams:  "20 Greatest Hits"

Dwight Yoakam:  "Just Lookin' for a Hit"


Jazz:

John Coltrane:  "The Ultimate Blue Train"


Pop:

Cab Calloway:  "Minnie the Moocher"

Jimmy Buffet:  "Songs You Know by Heart"

CCR:  "Chronicle"

Jim Croce:  "Photographs and Memories"

Elvis:  "Greatest Jukebox Hits"

Jewel:  "Pieces of You"

Pink Floyd:  "Dark Side of the Moon"

Rush:  "Retrospective 1"

Styx:  "Greatest Hits"

Van Morrison:  "The Best of Van Morrison"

George Thorogood and the Destroyers:  "The Baddest of George Thorogood and the Destroyers"

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble:  "Greatest Hits" (vol 1 and 2)


Rock:

AC/DC:  "Live"

Black Sabbath:  "We Sold our Soul for Rock and Roll"

Guns-n-Roses:  "Appetite for Destruction"

Metallica:  "S&M"

Ozzy Osbourne:  "The Ozzman Cometh"

Queensryche:  "Empire"

Symphony X:  "Odyssey"