RAG MusicMusic
Lovely Western music

Classic Western albums: must-listen recommendations you should hear at least once

From timeless classics to hidden gems, we present a carefully curated selection of essential Western albums.

We’ve gathered masterpieces that have left their mark on music history, as well as lesser-known records that resonate deeply.

Each of these albums carries a unique charm that reflects the artist’s individuality and the spirit of its era, revealing something new with every listen.

These works highlight the depth of music and reaffirm its diversity.

They’re perfect for newcomers to Western music and offer enjoyment for everyone from beginners to seasoned listeners.

Find your favorite record, broaden your musical horizons, and savor an unforgettable listening experience.

Playlist

Classic Western albums: must-listen recommendations you should hear at least once
show_chartTitlePlaylistReview
1eastNevermindNirvana
NevermindNirvanaplay_arrow
Nirvana is an American grunge rock...
2eastGNXKendrick Lamar
GNXKendrick Lamarplay_arrow
Mr. Kendrick Lamar is from the United States...
3eastThe Marshall Mathers LPEminem
The Marshall Mathers LPEminemplay_arrow
The American rapper Eminem’s ‘Th…’
4eastMy Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyKanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyKanye Westplay_arrow
American multi-artist Kanye We…
5eastLet GoAvril Lavigne
Let GoAvril Lavigneplay_arrow
Canadian singer-songwriter Avr...
6eastABBA GoldABBA
ABBA GoldABBAplay_arrow
The Swedish pop group ABBA’s...
7eastSorry for Party RockingLMFAO
Sorry for Party RockingLMFAOplay_arrow
The American uncle-and-nephew duo, LMFAO...
8eastHarry’s HouseHarry Styles
Harry’s HouseHarry Stylesplay_arrow
Three of Mr. Harry Styles' (who is from the United Kingdom)…
9eastGreatest HitsBon Jovi
Greatest HitsBon Joviplay_arrow
Fascinated the world from the 1980s through the 1990s…
10east1989Taylor Swift
1989Taylor Swiftplay_arrow
Taylor Swift is from the United States...
11eastFuture NostalgiaDua Lipa
Future NostalgiaDua Lipaplay_arrow
The British singer-songwriter, De...
12eastExile on Main St.The Rolling Stones
Exile on Main St.The Rolling Stonesplay_arrow
The legendary rock band that Britain is proud of, The Ro...
13eastCloserThe Chainsmokers
CloserThe Chainsmokersplay_arrow
In recent years, The Cha… has gained explosive popularity.
14eastNumber OnesMichael Jackson
Number OnesMichael Jacksonplay_arrow
Western music from the 1980s to the 2000s…
15eastPoker FaceLady Gaga
Poker FaceLady Gagaplay_arrow
The world through eccentric fashion and provocative words…
16eastOcean EyesOwl City
Ocean EyesOwl Cityplay_arrow
American singer-songwriter O...
17east30Adele
30Adeleplay_arrow
British songstress Adele’s fourth albu…
18eastLemonadeBeyoncé
LemonadeBeyoncéplay_arrow
American singer Beyoncé in 2016…
19eastXEd Sheeran
XEd Sheeranplay_arrow
Ed Sheeran, who is from the United Kingdom, as a young...
20eastSugarMaroon 5
SugarMaroon 5play_arrow
Having won a Grammy Award and now globally renowned...
21eastI Am… Sasha FierceBeyoncé
I Am... Sasha FierceBeyoncéplay_arrow
American-born songstress Beyoncé’s 3rd al…
22eastCreepRadiohead
CreepRadioheadplay_arrow
The band Radiohead, a leading figure in alternative rock, ...
23eastWonderwallOasis
WonderwallOasisplay_arrow
The substitute for Oasis, the rock band representing the UK…
24eastWish You Were HereIncubus
Wish You Were HereIncubusplay_arrow
In Japan, there’s a uniquely named genre called “mixture rock”...
25eastStarboyThe Weeknd
StarboyThe Weekndplay_arrow
They’ve been nominated for the Grammy Awards multiple times…
26eastTruly Madly DeeplySavage Garden
Truly Madly DeeplySavage Gardenplay_arrow
Australian melody maker, Sav…
27eastThe WagonDinosaur Jr.
The WagonDinosaur Jr.play_arrow
The grunge movement that emerged around Seattle in the ’90s...
28eastJust The Way You AreBruno Mars
Just The Way You AreBruno Marsplay_arrow
With the uniquely African American sense of rhythm and a distinctive singing voice...
29eastEverlastingAndy Blueman
EverlastingAndy Bluemanplay_arrow
The deity who has now already left the trans world...
30eastPentatonixDaft Punk
PentatonixDaft Punkplay_arrow
A world-renowned, Grammy Award–winning arti…
31eastHappyPharrell Williams
HappyPharrell Williamsplay_arrow
A talented Black singer who appeared like a comet...
32eastBreak FreeAriana Grande
Break FreeAriana Grandeplay_arrow
Ariana Grande’s classic hit. The Zedd-produced sound is a standout.
33eastBilly The BestBilly Joel
Billy The BestBilly Joelplay_arrow
By Billy Joel from the United States...
34eastPassengersBruno Bavota
PassengersBruno Bavotaplay_arrow
Post-classical music primarily performed on the piano…
35eastGo DoJonsi
Go DoJonsiplay_arrow
An artist from Iceland who gained worldwide popularity...
36eastRunawayKanye West
RunawayKanye Westplay_arrow
Rats, which often make headlines for their many troublesome behaviors...
37eastFull PerformanceMum
Full PerformanceMumplay_arrow
They’re a “weird bunch” in a good way. Alternati...
38eastGreatest HitsQueen
Greatest HitsQueenplay_arrow
The legendary British rock band that the UK is proud of, Queen…
39eastI Will DareThe Replacements
I Will DareThe Replacementsplay_arrow
The G... that erupted in the ’90s and took the world by storm
40eastI Wanna Be AdoredThe Stone Roses
I Wanna Be AdoredThe Stone Rosesplay_arrow
An ar... who influenced numerous musicians
41eastWith or Without YouU2
With or Without YouU2play_arrow
The rock band U2, representing Ireland, ...
42eastAerosmith’s Greatest Hits 1973-1988Aerosmith
Aerosmith's Greatest Hits 1973-1988Aerosmithplay_arrow
The masterpiece released in 1980, “Grea…”
43eastPing PongArmin van Buuren
Ping PongArmin van Buurenplay_arrow
An arc created with the image of ping-pong in table tennis…
44eastI Want It That WayBackstreet Boys
I Want It That WayBackstreet Boysplay_arrow
In Japan, I got into Western music after listening to this song...
45eastThis Is What You Came ForCalvin Harris
This Is What You Came ForCalvin Harrisplay_arrow
Calvi, who is widely active as a world-renowned DJ…
46east40/40Carpenters
40/40Carpentersplay_arrow
An American pop [artist/group] representative of the 1970s…
47eastConcrete AngelGareth Emery
Concrete AngelGareth Emeryplay_arrow
Gareth Emery, known for his beautiful melodies...
48eastOn The FloorJennifer Lopez
On The FloorJennifer Lopezplay_arrow
With outstanding looks and a cool singing voice, women around the world...
49eastLucky Denver Mint.Jimmy Eat World
Lucky Denver Mint.Jimmy Eat Worldplay_arrow
Popular American emo band, Jimmy E…
50eastLinoleumNOFX
LinoleumNOFXplay_arrow
A punk act that has been active since the 1990s...
51eastTime Flies… 1994-2009Oasis
Time Flies... 1994-2009Oasisplay_arrow
The legendary rock band born in the UK, Oa…
52eastShape of My HeartSting
Shape of My HeartStingplay_arrow
Directed by Luc Besson and starring Jean Reno...
53eastOut Of The BlueSystem F
Out Of The BlueSystem Fplay_arrow
Ferry, who spread Dutch trance around the world, ...
54eastSteps and NumbersThe Appleseed Cast
Steps and NumbersThe Appleseed Castplay_arrow
Post-rock, indie rock, and emo all…
55eastSince I Left YouThe Avalanches
Since I Left YouThe Avalanchesplay_arrow
A leading sampling mu… alongside Girl Talk
56eastCity Of AngelsThirty Seconds To Mars
City Of AngelsThirty Seconds To Marsplay_arrow
A rock band with lots of intense, cool songs...
57eastStreamsideThe Album Leaf
StreamsideThe Album Leafplay_arrow
A post-rock band called Tristeza…
58eastAlwaysblink-182
Alwaysblink-182play_arrow
The po- that became a worldwide craze around the year 2000...
59eastDiane YoungVampire Weekend
Diane YoungVampire Weekendplay_arrow
In the music of the late 2000s, with Brooklyn as the cen…
60eastNever MeantAmerican Football
Never MeantAmerican Footballplay_arrow
Indie that would suit a slow afternoon...
61eastBack HereBBMak
Back HereBBMakplay_arrow
Debuted in 1999 and released two albums…
62eastNear DarkBurial
Near DarkBurialplay_arrow
E..., which became a major movement in the 2010s
63eastSend It OnD’Angelo
Send It OnD'Angeloplay_arrow
Who is the current king of Black music…
64eastHey MamaDavid Guetta
Hey MamaDavid Guettaplay_arrow
There isn’t a single person in the art world who doesn’t know the name…
65eastLatch feat.Sam SmithDisclosure
Latch feat.Sam SmithDisclosureplay_arrow
The British dance unit, Disclos…
66eastThinkin Bout YouFrank Ocean
Thinkin Bout YouFrank Oceanplay_arrow
American hip-hop clan, Odd F…
67eastLet Me See YouGirl Talk
Let Me See YouGirl Talkplay_arrow
One DJ technique is called “sampling,” which…
68eastLate BluesIda
Late BluesIdaplay_arrow
It's so cute I want to tuck it away in a little treasure box...
69eastRedemption SongJoe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Redemption SongJoe Strummer & The Mescalerosplay_arrow
As The Clash in the early punk scene...
70eastUse SomebodyKings Of Leon
Use SomebodyKings Of Leonplay_arrow
In the American rock scene over the past ten years or so, it’s undoub…
71eastAll I WantLCD Soundsystem
All I WantLCD Soundsystemplay_arrow
Post-punk revival that happened in the 2000s/…
72eastMothershipLed Zeppelin
MothershipLed Zeppelinplay_arrow
A condensed encapsulation of Led Zeppelin’s career...
73eastMidnight CityM83
Midnight CityM83play_arrow
The American music media outlet Pitchfor...
74eastAll About That BassMeghan Trainor
All About That BassMeghan Trainorplay_arrow
Her chubby figure ironically drew attention, and across the United States...
75eastIn The Aeroplane Over The SeaNeutral Milk Hotel
In The Aeroplane Over The SeaNeutral Milk Hotelplay_arrow
A hidden gem known to those in the know: a classic album from the ’90s, Neutra…
76eastSettled DownOWEN
Settled DownOWENplay_arrow
No matter when I listen, it always resonates in my heart, but I’ll just listen quietly...
77eastLjosioOlafur Arnalds
LjosioOlafur Arnaldsplay_arrow
A beautiful piece created in After Effects…
78eastTimberPitbull
TimberPitbullplay_arrow
With upbeat rhythms and an outstanding sense for melody...
79eastRAMeliaR.A.M
RAMeliaR.A.Mplay_arrow
An R with many dramatic melodic lines…
80eastStay With MeSam Smith
Stay With MeSam Smithplay_arrow
An English artist who won a Grammy at a young age...
81eastPlan BSean Tyas
Plan BSean Tyasplay_arrow
Specializing in uplifting trance…
82eastSvefn g englarSigur Rós
Svefn g englarSigur Rósplay_arrow
Sigur Rós, a band that represents contemporary post-rock, is...
83eastWe Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherTaylor Swift
We Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherTaylor Swiftplay_arrow
It became famous in Japan as the theme song for Terrace House...
84eastLet It BeThe Beatles
Let It BeThe Beatlesplay_arrow
It’s a famous song by the Beatles that has continued to captivate the world...
85eastAll These Things That I’ve DoneThe Killers
All These Things That I've DoneThe Killersplay_arrow
The band from Las Vegas, The Kill...
86eastSuch Great HeightsThe Postal Service
Such Great HeightsThe Postal Serviceplay_arrow
Death Cab For Cutie and…
87eastHard To ExplainThe Strokes
Hard To ExplainThe Strokesplay_arrow
Indispensable when discussing the rock scene since 2000...
88eastBetter Sweet SymphonyThe Verve
Better Sweet SymphonyThe Verveplay_arrow
It begins with elegant, beautiful strings and feels so pleasant...
89eastPair Of DiceTiesto
Pair Of DiceTiestoplay_arrow
Tiesto, who also became the world’s No. 1 DJ...
90eastThe GrudgeTool
The GrudgeToolplay_arrow
The rock scene of the ’90s to 2000s was heavy ro...
91eastBest Of Volume 1Van Halen
Best Of Volume 1Van Halenplay_arrow
The American hard rock band, Van He...
92eastWar On WarWilco
War On WarWilcoplay_arrow
American alt-country band Wi…
93eastUnfinishedmineral
Unfinishedmineralplay_arrow
So important that you absolutely can’t leave it out when talking about emo…
94eastColourful Life
Colourful Lifeplay_arrow
Cajun, a band from London, England...
95eastWake UpArcade Fire
Wake UpArcade Fireplay_arrow
Canadian band Arcade Fire...
96eastThe Beatles / 1967-1970The Beatles
The Beatles / 1967-1970The Beatlesplay_arrow
The beats from 1967 to 1970...
97eastHelloAdele
HelloAdeleplay_arrow
A legendary female singer who captivates the world, Adele...
98eastStand By MeBen E. King
Stand By MeBen E. Kingplay_arrow
It became explosively famous after being used in a movie...
99eastThe Very Best of Deep PurpleDeep Purple
The Very Best of Deep PurpleDeep Purpleplay_arrow
Let's set out on a journey that follows the golden road of Western music. I...
100eastLove The Way You LieEminem
Love The Way You LieEminemplay_arrow
Artists and music-related people whose names he doesn’t know…
101eastWorthFifth Harmony
WorthFifth Harmonyplay_arrow
Even after a member left, their popularity did not wane...
102eastBabyJustin Bieber
BabyJustin Bieberplay_arrow
The male vocalist who captivates the world, in his boyhood…
103eastFireworkKaty Perry
FireworkKaty Perryplay_arrow
Now the world's greatest hip-hop artist carrying the scene on their back...
104eastHow Crazy Are You?Meja
How Crazy Are You?Mejaplay_arrow
A distinctive, voice-percussion-like in…
105eastLassoPhoenix
LassoPhoenixplay_arrow
The band that represents France today, Phoen…
106eastDiamondsRihanna
DiamondsRihannaplay_arrow
Rihanna’s name, who has many fans among Japanese celebrities…
107eastI Want To Hold your HandThe Beatles
I Want To Hold your HandThe Beatlesplay_arrow
Propelled the Beatles into global artists...
108eastRace For The PrizeThe Flaming Lips
Race For The PrizeThe Flaming Lipsplay_arrow
A representative of the American indie rock scene…
109eastStylo ft.Bobby Womack & Mos DefGorillaz
Stylo ft.Bobby Womack & Mos DefGorillazplay_arrow
Once, there was a British national band called Blur…