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