Top 38 Atlantic Records Albums of All Time

Seven decades of one label's catalogue, where free-jazz experiments and gospel sermons sit on the same shelf as arena rock and chart-topping rap.

1. 1
   Led Zeppelin IV

   Led Zeppelin's untitled 1971 fourth album, home to Stairway to Heaven and one of the best-selling records ever.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Free Jazz

   Ornette Coleman's 1961 double-quartet improvisation that gave a whole movement its name.
   823pts
3. 3
   I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You

   Aretha Franklin's 1967 Atlantic debut, which opened with Respect and made her the Queen of Soul.
   789pts
4. 4
   Invasion of Privacy

   Cardi B's 2018 debut with Bodak Yellow and I Like It, the first solo female rap album to win the Grammy.
   762pts
5. 5
   My Favorite Things

   Coltrane's 1961 album that turned a show tune into a modal soprano-saxophone epic.
   623pts
6. 6
   Back in Black

   AC/DC's 1980 tribute to Bon Scott with Brian Johnson on vocals, one of the best-selling albums in history.
   623pts
7. 7
   Cuz I Love You

   Lizzo's 2019 major-label debut of brassy, body-positive pop and soul.
   579pts
8. 8
   Cracked Rear View

   Hootie & the Blowfish's 1994 debut, one of the best-selling albums of the 1990s.
   579pts
9. 9
   Amazing Grace

   Aretha Franklin's 1972 live gospel album, the best-selling of her career.
   529pts
10. 10
    Crosby, Stills & Nash

    The trio's 1969 debut of close harmonies, including Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.
    529pts
11. 11
    First Take

    Roberta Flack's 1969 debut, which later yielded the hit The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
    529pts
12. 12
    The Genius of Ray Charles

    Ray Charles's 1959 album pairing big-band swing with lush string ballads.
    529pts
13. 13
    Never Say Never

    Brandy's 1998 R&B album that included the chart-topping duet The Boy Is Mine.
    529pts
14. 14
    The Divine Miss M

    Bette Midler's 1972 debut, co-produced by Barry Manilow, with Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
    473pts
15. 15
    4

    Foreigner's 1981 chart-topper with Urgent, Juke Box Hero and Waiting for a Girl Like You.
    473pts
16. 16
    Devil Without a Cause

    Kid Rock's 1998 rap-rock breakthrough with Bawitdaba and Cowboy.
    473pts
17. 17
    Doo-Wops & Hooligans

    Bruno Mars's 2010 debut with Just the Way You Are and Grenade.
    473pts
18. 18
    Core

    Stone Temple Pilots' 1992 debut with Plush and Sex Type Thing.
    473pts
19. 19
    Led Zeppelin II

    The band's 1969 follow-up, built on the riffs of Whole Lotta Love and Heartbreaker.
    473pts
20. 20
    C'est Chic

    Chic's 1978 disco classic featuring Le Freak and I Want Your Love.
    410pts
21. 21
    Giant Steps

    John Coltrane's 1960 Atlantic landmark whose title track became a rite of passage for jazz improvisers.
    410pts
22. 22
    Yourself or Someone Like You

    Matchbox Twenty's 1996 debut with Push, 3AM and Real World.
    410pts
23. 23
    Dirty Computer

    Janelle Monáe's 2018 Afrofuturist pop album and emotion picture.
    410pts
24. 24
    Divide

    Ed Sheeran's 2017 album with Shape of You and Perfect, released by Atlantic in the US.
    410pts
25. 25
    Unorthodox Jukebox

    Bruno Mars's 2012 album with Locked Out of Heaven and When I Was Your Man.
    338pts
26. 26
    24K Magic

    Bruno Mars's 2016 funk and R&B album that swept the major Grammys.
    338pts
27. 27
    The Shape of Jazz to Come

    Ornette Coleman's 1959 quartet record that set the course for free jazz, with Lonely Woman.
    338pts
28. 28
    Close to the Edge

    Yes's 1972 album built around an 18-minute title suite, a peak of progressive rock.
    255pts
29. 29
    Led Zeppelin III

    The 1970 album that paired Immigrant Song with a turn toward acoustic folk.
    255pts
30. 30
    Lady Soul

    Aretha Franklin's 1968 album with Chain of Fools and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
    255pts
31. 31
    Houses of the Holy

    Led Zeppelin's adventurous 1973 album featuring The Song Remains the Same and The Rain Song.
    255pts
32. 32
    Highway to Hell

    AC/DC's 1979 breakthrough and Bon Scott's final album, produced by Mutt Lange.
    255pts
33. 33
    Fragile

    Yes's 1971 progressive-rock breakthrough, anchored by Roundabout.
    158pts
34. 34
    Pieces of You

    Jewel's 1995 folk debut that slowly climbed to multi-platinum with Who Will Save Your Soul.
    158pts
35. 35
    Déjà Vu

    The 1970 album that added Neil Young to the group, with Teach Your Children and Woodstock.
    158pts
36. 36
    Led Zeppelin

    The 1969 debut that introduced the band's heavy blues sound with Dazed and Confused and Good Times Bad Times.
    158pts
37. 37
    Little Earthquakes

    Tori Amos's 1992 piano-driven solo debut, with Silent All These Years and Winter.
    158pts
38. 38
    Abandoned Luncheonette

    Hall & Oates' 1973 blue-eyed soul album featuring She's Gone.
    0pts

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