Signature album
A signature album is an album released by an artist or group that stands out as having critical and fan acclaim, and widespread success. A signature album can easily identify an artist or group. These albums are often praised if they are responsible for helping bring a new style of music into the mainstream, or bridge a gap between two genres that were once considered too unusual or unpopular.
Examples of signature albums
- 2pac - All Eyez on Me
- 3 Doors Down - Away From The Sun
- 50 Cent - 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
- Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
- AC/DC - Back in Black
- Christina Aguilera - Christina Aguilera
- Bryan Adams - Reckless
- Akon - Konvicted
- Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
- Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
- Alice in Chains - Dirt
- Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
- Bad Company - Bad Company
- Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
- The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band1
- Beck - Odelay
- Björk - Homogenic
- The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker
- Black Eyed Peas - Elephunk
- Blink-182 - Enema of the State
- Blue October - Foiled
- Blur - Parklife
- Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
- Boston - Boston
- Brandy - Never Say Never
- Bush - Sixteen Stone
- Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love
- Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey
- The Cars - The Cars
- Kenny Chesney - When the Sun Goes Down
- The Clash - London Calling
- Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Collective Soul - Collective Soul
- Phil Collins - No Jacket Required
- Cream - Disraeli Gears
- Creed - Human Clay
- Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
- The Cure - Disintegration
- D12 - ''D12 World
- Daft Punk - Homework
- Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
- Def Leppard - Hysteria
- Destiny's Child - Survivor
- The Doors - The Doors
- Dr. Dre - The Chronic
- Duran Duran - Rio
- The Eagles - Hotel California
- Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
- Europe - The Final Countdown
- Fatboy Slim - You've Come a Long Way, Baby
- Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
- Foreigner - 4
- Gorillaz - Gorillaz
- Good Charlotte - The Young And The Hopeless
- Grateful Dead - American Beauty
- Green Day - Dookie
- Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
- Incubus - Make Yourself
- INXS - Kick
- Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
- Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
- John Denver- Poems, Prayers, and Promises
- Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View
- Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston
- Janet Jackson - Control
- Michael Jackson - Thriller
- Billy Joel - The Stranger
- Journey - Escape
- Judy Garland - Judy at Carnegie Hall
- Toby Keith - Shock'n Y'all
- Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause
- Kiss - Alive!
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
- Lil' Kim - Hard Core
- Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter II
- Limp Bizkit - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water
- Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
- Live - Throwing Copper
- Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
- Ludacris - The Red Light District
- Madonna - Like a Virgin
- Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
- Massive Attack - Mezzanine
- Paul McCartney - Band On The Run
- Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell
- Metallica - Master of Puppets
- George Michael - Faith
- Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights
- Kylie Minogue - Fever
- Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
- Mötley Crüe - Shout at the Devil
- N'SYNC - No Strings Attached
- Muse - Absolution
- Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
- Nirvana - Nevermind
- Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death
- N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
- Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
- Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
- Sean Paul - Dutty Rock
- Pearl Jam - Ten
- Tom Petty - [...] the Torpedos
- Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
- Poison - Open Up and Say...Ahh!
- The Police - Synchronicity
- Prince - Purple Rain
- Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
- Puff Daddy - No Way Out
- Queen - A Night at the Opera
- Quiet Riot - Metal Health
- Radiohead - OK Computer
- Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar [...] Magik
- Regurgitator - Unit
- Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad
- Robert Johnson - Me and the Devil Blues
- Rush - 2112
- The Scorpions - Love at First Sting
- Paul Simon - Graceland
- Skid Row - Skid Row
- Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
- Will Smith - Big Willie Style
- Jessica Simpson - In This Skin
- Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle
- Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
- Soundgarden - Superunknown
- Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time
- Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run 2
- Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
- Stone Temple Pilots - Core
- The Strokes - Is This It
- Styx - The Grand Illusion
- Gene Summers - The Ultimate School of Rock & Roll
- System of a Down - Toxicity
- TLC - CrazySexyCool
- Shania Twain - Come on Over
- Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses
- U2 - The Joshua Tree
- Van Halen - Van Halen
- Velvet Revolver - Contraband
- The Velvet Underground and Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico
- The White Stripes - Elephant
- Wings - Band on the Run
- The Who - Tommy
- ZZ Top - Eliminator