What we’re about
Are you a nuisance to your friends and family because you constantly annoy them with useless music trivia? Do you reference song lyrics incessantly in conversation? Here's your chance to bond with like-minded individuals. This group operates like a book club - except we discuss classic albums instead of books.
What determines a classic album? I aggregated multiple best-of lists along with chart data, sales figures, awards, and ratings and published the results in the book The Top 100 Albums of All Time in 2014. I revised it in 2024 as The Top 100 Albums of the 20th Century. Any albums featured in either book are eligible for discussion, as are a few others. Click here to see those albums we've already discussed and the ones that are still on the table.
Each time this group gathers, we dissect one of these albums. Do you like it or dislike it? How much familiarity did you already have with this album? What significance has it had (or not had) on music? Is this album overrated or undervalued? You get the idea.
Please note that there is a waiting list for this group at times.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.Johnson County Library - Merriam Plaza, Merriam, KS
In the shadow of Bruce Springsteen's massive box set release of 7 previously unreleased albums, we look back at his monster hit album, 1984's Born in the U.S.A. This was the album that made The Boss into a superstar. It was only the second album in history (after Michael Jackson's Thriller) to chart seven top-ten hits. It was named Album of the Year by the American Music Awards, Billboard, and Rolling Stone. It has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. You can read more about it here.
It ranks #42 in the book The Top 100 Albums of the 20th Century. You can see the full list here. In addition, you can see a full list of albums our group has discussed, are scheduled to discuss, and what is still eligible for future discussions by checking out this page here.
- King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson KingJohnson County Library - Merriam Plaza, Merriam, KS
This group is usually focused on albums that appear in the book The Top 100 Albums of All Time (see the list here) but in December 2024, we expanded the list to include picks from group members for albums they thought belonged in the top 100 of all time. This was one of those picks.
King Crimson’s debut album has been called “the first true progressive rock album.” On the Dave’s Music Database list of top progressive rock albums, it ranks #2, only behind Yes’ Close to the Edge. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked it as the #2 progressive rock album behind Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Read more about the album here.
You can see a full list of albums our group has discussed, are scheduled to discuss, and what is still eligible for future discussions by checking out this page here.
