Equip: Top 12 Essential Must-Have Vinyl Records for Your Collection

Collecting vinyl records is essentially an art form — every collector loves showing off a collection. If you want to make a real impression with friends and other vinyl record aficionados, some must-have vinyl records deserve pride of place in any collection. Have you got these yet? Check out our list of the top 12 essential vinyl records. 

1. Pink Floyd — Dark Side of the Moon

If ever there’s a special album to own on vinyl, this 1973 classic from arguably one of the world’s greatest rock bands is it. At last count, “Dark Side of the Moon” had spent 990 weeks on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Charts — the longest of any album in history. With “Dark Side,” Pink Floyd broke the seal of success and set the tone for what came afterward — a true testament to the album’s stylish longevity and the band’s greatness.

2. Miles Davis — Kind of Blue

Whether you’re a jazz fan or not, certain vinyl essentials transcend musical genres and the Prince of Darkness produced one of these in 1959 with “Kind of Blue.” With Davis’s trumpeting, the alto saxophone of “Cannonball” Adderley and the innovative tenor sax of the irrepressible John Coltrane, how could this vinyl delight be anything but unforgettable? Play it at your swanky poker night affair and see the reactions.

3. Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin fans wanted this band to last forever. If your “best vinyls to own” list doesn’t feature Led Zeppelin, you’re clearly still busy compiling it. Of all the great albums by LedZep, this one gets the nod for its musical diversity — from the recognizable “Black Dog” and the timeless “Stairway to Heaven” until lifting the needle after “When the Levee Breaks,” “Led Zeppelin IV” is 40 minutes plus of vinyl magic. In case you were wondering, it’s also a great album to work out with at home.

4. Michael Jackson — Thriller

“Thriller” was recorded slightly more than 43 years ago and released later the same year, spawning seven single releases in 13 months. All these years later, it remains the bestselling album of all time, with over 70 million copies sold. You’re missing a trick if this one’s not in your collection of essential vinyl records. How can all those millions of people be wrong? Think “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller” — the unforgettable Vincent Price version — and you have reason enough to join them.  

5. Fleetwood Mac — Rumours

Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham said the band endured a tough period while making “Rumours.” You’d never tell, though, as the album’s diverse musicianship and tight vocal blend make it one of the top vinyl records of any musical era and a must-have for a record collector. If you know the band’s story, you recognize how “Rumours” formed a catalyst for better times for Fleetwood Mac, although no future releases would come quite as musically close again.

6. Arcade Fire — Funeral

Despite the belief of many, the 21st Century has generated some classic records worthy of being among the best albums to have on vinyl for true collectors. Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire deliver one of these with their 2004 debut offering, “Funeral.” You’ll do well to better the “Neighborhood” trilogy of singles blasting the full and rounded vinyl sound through your speaker system, while “Rebellion (Lies)” provides an ultimate finishing track. This album is pure vinyl pleasure.

7. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble — Texas Flood

“Texas Flood” is blues rock at its very best. In his first effort with Double Trouble, legendary Texas electric blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan brings the full package, producing one of the best vinyl albums of the 1980s and beyond. The title track, a cover of 1958’s Larry Davis blues masterpiece, steals the show, but there’s no weak track on this quintessential example of Vaughan’s guitarwork. A vinyl collection without Stevie Ray may almost be complete.

8. The Beach Boys — Pet Sounds

It wasn’t their first or last, but “Pet Sounds” is the Beach Boys’ best album and an essential inclusion in any vinyl record collection. The album regularly makes “Greatest Album of All Time” lists, including the number two position on Rolling Stone’s most recent landmark list in 2023. With its incredible production and cultured harmonic structures best heard on vinyl, this 1966 standout album should hold bragging rights within any collection.

9. The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

No vinyl album collection is complete without a Beatles record — with only one being the absolute minimum. The Fab Four has so many incredible albums to choose from, but “Sgt. Pepper’s” brings something slightly different from the norm as an early concept album with an array of psychedelic tunes that’ll have you absorbed from when you first put the needle down. These guys were ahead of the chasing pack from the very start, and this 1967 classic will make you wonder why the compact disc replaced vinyl in the first place.

10. Public Enemy — It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Chuck D. rhymes like no other, and while Public Enemy is more some listeners’ shot of tequila instead of their cup of tea, 1988’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions” is undoubtedly a pinnacle point in hip-hop history. This provocative and sometimes vulgar album is even more so on vinyl, and its nature, which is full of experimental ideas, makes it stand apart from many of the hip-hop and rap albums released since. Undoubtedly, whichever musical genres you support, Public Enemy has a place among the best vinyl albums to own.

11. Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run

After two commercial failures, The Boss filled living rooms across the country with this unforgettable piece of American rock. “Born to Run” captured the hearts of a nation as the 1970s reached full stride. The album soared on the Billboard Album Chart, spawning a single of the same name that became an anthem for the open road and freedom. If you’re not a vinyl collector yet, include it with learning an instrument on your hobby list — turn this one up when you receive your vinyl copy.

12. Patti Smith – Horses

It’s tough whittling down outstanding vinyls to a list of twelve, but if you have to stop, why not do so with an incredible album from an elite member of punk-rock’s history? Patti Smith is an artist through and through — a singer, songwriter, author, painter, photographer and poet of some repute. Her debut album, “Horses,” a 1975 art-punk classic, is her most memorable achievement. You’ll no doubt remember the single “Gloria,” but the album delivers much more in its entirety. It’s worth finding as you flip through your vinyl collection.

Take Time Building Your Must-Have Vinyl Record Collections

Good things take time, and this especially counts for a top-rate vinyl album collection. There are so many phenomenal albums encompassing a broad range of musical genres, so spend time finding those that appeal to you through memories or just their pure class. Ultimately, you’ll have a collection that’s the envy of your friends, co-workers and other vinyl collectors.