Plus one that might surprise you.

Collecting vinyl is cool. It’s always been cool, it’s always going to be cool.

There are many different types of vinyl collectors in the world. Some people have all the rules and a $10,000 setup that no one can touch. Some people keep their records in a tub in the basement, dragging them out occasionally to play them on their suitcase Crosley. There are the people in the middle who have no idea what they’re doing but just like to listen to records on a mid-range setup (hi, friends!).

The best part is that there is room for everyone! It doesn’t matter how you listen; it only matters that you enjoy yourself. I’m a big believer in not judging people for how they do vinyl. I don’t care if you’re late to the party, I’m just happy you’re here.

Among the many truths of vinyl is the fact that there are records that everyone owns. Regardless of age, preferred genre, or length of time collecting, anyone who has at least some vinyl has these records.

I have compiled this list using my own observations, some internet sleuthing, and general knowledge about popular music from my time in the business (full disclosure: “in the business” refers to my time working for a store that sold music, years spent in the hobby, and my most recent business venture, Rebel Replay).

So here we go! The top ten records that everyone owns, in no particular order:

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (aka Rumors)

Rumours was released in 1977 and has become one of the best-selling albums of all time (something you’ll find frequently on this list), selling over 40 million copies. Singles Go Your Own Way, Dreams, Don’t Stop, & You Make Loving Fun were all top ten hits. Rumours is so good that one of its best songs was an outtake. Silver Springs wasn’t even included on the initial release. It was added to the 2004 remaster. The album touches on themes of drugs, breakups, and complicated relationships, and is unsurprisingly considered by many to be the band’s best offering.

Pink Floyd: The Wall

With its iconic album cover (another recurring theme on the list) and unique inner cover art, The Wall is one of the best-known concept albums of all time. The album was the 11th studio album for the band and was released in 1979. Selling over 30 million copies and featuring an over-the-top tour with elements that would become synonymous with the band, The Wall features the band’s only US and UK number one single, Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2. A concept album with a story, The Wall would later be adapted into a partly live-action, partly animated musical feature. If you haven’t seen it…it’s wild.

Carol King: Tapestry

1971 was a ridiculous year for music. Tapestry, written almost entirely by Carol King, would go on to sell over 25 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Tapestry was the number one record for 15 weeks, a record for most consecutive weeks at number one for a solo female artist. That’s more than Alanis Morissette, and it’s more than Taylor Swift. Only Adele has an album with more weeks at number one, though they were not consecutive. King’s smooth vocals and powerful melodies have made Tapestry a mainstay, with consistent popularity regardless of changes to how people enjoy music. An instant success, King won Grammys, and Tapestry was selected as album of the year in a very crowded field.

Prince: Purple Rain

For some reason, people really like Prince. I don’t get it, but as I wrote above, I’m not one to judge. 1984’s Purple Rain featured iconic singles When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U, & Purple Rain. The accompanying movie of the same name helped launch Prince into ultra-stardom. Purple Rain has sold over 25 million copies, making it Prince’s best-selling record and one of (if not the) best-selling soundtracks of all time. A smoothly perfect blend of R&B, dance, pop, and soul, it’s no surprise that Purple Rain is part of everyone’s collection, and why we continue to hear “The Purple One’s” songs years after his passing.

Michael Jackson: Thriller

Ok, now we’re talking. I feel like kids were either Prince fans or MJ fans. I was an MJ fan. I loved Thriller so much that I literally destroyed my parents’ copy. It’s okay though, as I have a new one. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is the best-selling album ever, moving over 70 million copies worldwide. With unforgettable epics like Beat It, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin’ Something, Human Nature, P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), The Girl is Mine, and of course, Thriller, the album was destined to go down in history as one of the best. Accompanied by timeless music videos for Beat It and Billie Jean, Michael Jackson showcased his immense talent for music and performance. But the video for Thriller took the album and music videos themselves to previously unseen heights and catapulted the album to sales of one million units per week. Just before the Thriller video, Michael Jackson delivered his unforgettable (though probably lip-synced due to licensing issues — the music biz is wild, y’all) performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 television special, debuting the “moonwalk” to a national audience and securing his place in history as the “King of Pop.”

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Smash Hits

The only compilation album on our list, Smash Hits dropped in 1968 and featured all of the singles from the group. The album has sold over two million copies and features many Experience staples like Foxey Lady (spelled Foxy for the UK version), Purple Haze, & Fire. Each of the hit songs were written by Jimi Hendrix, but performed by the group, including Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass. Mitchell and Redding also contributed backing vocals. The “three Jimis” album cover stands out as much today as it did in the late sixties. The album showcased Hendrix’s unique and powerful guitar and his proclivity for lyrical writing. If Smash Hits isn’t in your collection, it should be.

The Beatles: Abbey Road

The Beatles were well-established by the time they released their 11th studio album, Abbey Road. They had survived “Beatle-mania” and shifted into a different music-making phase. The album cover, one of the most iconic music images of all time, features the band walking across the road in different attire. Also significant, rumors began to circulate that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident in 1966, forcing the band to replace him with a lookalike. Heady times indeed. Finally, and as if Abbey Road didn’t have enough notoriety already, it would be the final album recorded before The Beatles called it quits in 1970 (Let it Be was recorded earlier, but completed after the release of Abbey Road). The band was in a contentious place when they worked on Abbey Road, and John Lennon did not perform on several of the tracks. While Abbey Road wasn’t widely considered the band’s best work, it’s still part of everyone’s collection. Modern views on the album are much more favorable, with some even calling it their best work. Perhaps notoriety really can carry a tune.

Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On

In another surprising trend, What’s Going On was Marvin Gaye’s 11th studio album (see Abbey Road, The Wall). Conceived during an extraordinarily difficult time for Gaye, the album is a reaction and response to what Gaye was learning about the Vietnam War from his brother, who had been stationed there and recently returned home. The Motown hitmaker was at a career crossroads, and by the end of the 1960s, he was deeply depressed. What’s Going On was released in 1971 and represented a complete shift for Gaye. The album was an immediate success, selling over two million copies in its first year. That success continued. As recently as 2020, Rolling Stone listed What’s Going On as the greatest album of all time. What’s Going On’s themes of intrigue, concern, love, and activism are as relevant today as they were in 1971, making it clear why this album is on so many shelves.

Led Zeppelin: IV (aka The Fourth Album, Four Symbols)

Eight minutes might seem like a long time, but Stairway to Heaven does in eight minutes what many songs can’t do in four: make history. IV is the band’s best-selling album, moving over 37 million copies, and is routinely featured on all-time greatest album lists across the globe. The album was released with no title on the cover, instead featuring four hand-drawn symbols on the record label, contributed by each of the four band members. Packed with classics like Black Dog, Rock and Roll, When the Levee Breaks, and the aforementioned Stairway to Heaven, IV represents a tremendous period in popular music. While IV is the band’s best-selling album in the US, it never topped the charts, topping out at number 2. The artists ahead of Led Zeppelin? Carole King and Sly & The Family Stone.

And of course…

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

With over 45 million copies sold, Dark Side of the Moon is the fourth best-selling album of all time. Released in 1971, the album only spent one week at the top of the charts, yet another example of how stacked the music scene was in the early seventies. Featuring the band’s most successful single Money, the album hits themes of life, death, mental health, and consumerism by combining musical elements, spoken words, and sound effects. It truly plays as something unique during a time where it seemed like everyone was doing something unique. In a fun bit of trivia, it has long been rumored that if you play Dark Side of the Moon alongside The Wizard of Oz (1939), they sync up. The band has denied any intentional alignment. Stoners of the 90s may respectfully disagree.

Bonus inclusion: Camelot Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

This is probably the most surprising entry on the list. I didn’t know the first thing about it when I started writing. I see this album in every record shop I visit. It’s now a running joke with me and my wife. The first to find it (you can’t go looking for it, that’s cheating) calls it out, with the prize being an overinflated sense of self-importance. A certified platinum record, selling over one million copies, Camelot was released in 1967 and features the vocal talents of actors Richard Harris (King Arthur) and Vanessa Redgrave (Guenevere). It also spent 87 weeks in the top ten on the Billboard Top 200 charts, tying it for 9th place all time. I don’t know why I see this record everywhere I go, but one can only assume it’s a part of everyone’s collection. Either that or everyone hates it, and that’s why I see it in stores all the time.

Honorable Mention:

The Clash: London Calling

Adele: 21

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life

Elvis Presley: Greatest Hits

Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison

Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed

So there you have it, the top ten vinyls seemingly everyone owns. How many do you own?

Quick Notes:

Sales figures refer to global sales and were gathered from multiple sources.

Sales figures represent total copies sold across multiple formats (e.g., cassette, CD).

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The 10 Records That Everyone You Know Owns was originally published in The Riff on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.