An untold number of albums have been released since the long-playing record came into being amid the technological and cultural explosion of the 1950s. Estimates stretch from 2.5 to 10 million. In my 30 years as a music journalist, I have certainly listened to thousands of them, and invested endless hours getting to grips with the recordings that have shaped the soundtrack of our times. This is my personal celebration of the very best of the best.

Everyone is likely to find something to disagree with, such is the nature (and half the fun) of lists. I even disagree with myself sometimes. So let me lay out my parameters: I have focused on rock and pop music that has created an enduring legacy. I have excluded classical and jazz, genres that shaped the sound of the 20th century but with declining impact in the album era. I have largely overlooked the great diaspora we used to call World Music, which has not (until quite recently) carried the same cultural heft as the Anglo-American pop axis.

I am sure many of my choices will have given you as much pleasure as they have brought me over the years – and hope others might inspire future musical journeys. Let the countdown commence…