James Stafford

Long before they lost their religion, R.E.M. emerged from the indie underground with a haunting sound that blends folk, post-punk and garage rock into something ethereal.

Tasked with following up their landmark debut, R.E.M. went looser and a little towards the heartland with their hugely influential 1984 effort, 'Reckoning.'

When the people who create the soundtracks to our lives leave us, the personal moments they were a part of immediately come back into focus.

Intrinsically millennial and unapologetically fun, the Arctic Monkeys' debut album exceeded the British outfit's considerable (and deserved) hype.

After enduring intense heartbreak, Amos exorcised her personal demons with a dark and dense confessional recorded from within an Irish church.

Like musical notes, the individual elements on the cover of Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 opus are relatively meaningless on their own – but together, they tell a beautiful story.

In a certain context, all of the albums Bowie released during the course of six decades could be considered among his best. Still, we gave ranking them a shot.

The young, prolific Memphis musician was a giant who just couldn't stick around long enough to become gigantic.

Four months after its release, Nirvana's breakthrough reached the top spot on the Billboard 200. But it was clear 'Nevermind' wasn't just another album.

A lifelong fan takes a listen back at one of the most important musical and cultural figures of the past half-century.