10 classic albums to get your Dad this Father's Day

Craig Angus
29 May 2019

Talking Heads - Remain In Light

From The Smiths, to Van Morrison, to R.E.M your dad needs to unwrap one of these vinyls on Sun 16 Jun

There's no musical format quite like the resurgent vinyl record. Streaming has its pros and cons, but there's no ownership involved,and makes for a rather underwhelming gift; the much maligned CD is well and truly out of fashion, no longer needed for a road trip in a world of smartphones; and cassettes - while a fun, affordable option for DIY bands - aren't about to become a staple of every household in the country. So to vinyl, which offers music lovers the chance to own their favourite records on a high-quality format, enjoy the artwork on a larger scale and reconnect the listener with the album as an art form.

Whether you're looking to add to your collection, or want to pick up something for your old man ahead of Father's Day on Sun 16 Jun, we've picked 10 of our favourites albums your is going to love. See our full list of albums for Father's Day on Amazon and if you think we've missed any, feel free to add them in the comments below.

The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

Morrissey's a boring git now, isn't he? One with more talent for thoughtless provocation (although he'd tell you he's one of our greatest thinkers) than writing music that's in any way memorable. It wasn't all this way, and as well as having some genuinely terrific solo albums under his belt, Moz has his legacy as The Smiths' frontman. The Queen Is Dead is a triumph, with some of our anti-hero's funniest, most poignant lyrics, as well asJohnny Marr's most creative guitar playing, and the underrated rhythm section of Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke both anchoring and propelling the songs. The opening title track is a masterpiece, and The Queen Is Dead also features some of the bands' best singles; 'Bigmouth Strikes Again', 'The Boy With The Thorn In His Side', and the stunning 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'.

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Nirvana - In Utero

After the polished sound of Nevermind, Kurt Cobain and his bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were determined to make an album of raw power and aggression. Their record label wanted another hit. Teaming up with engineer Steve Albini, who produced some of Cobain's favourite records including Surfer Rosa by the Pixies, the band got their way. In Utero is an often punishing listen, but on the likes of 'Dumb' and the classic 'All Apologies' a sensitive one too. It might not have sold as many copies as Nevermind, but makes a stronger case to be the best Nirvana album.

Shop Nirvana - In Utero on Amazon.

Love - Forever Changes

1967 - the summer of love - was a big year for music. The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request and The Byrds' Younger Than Yesterday were all released, to name but three. Lesser known, but one of the best albums of the decade is Love's Forever Changes. Arthur Lee's documentation of the times is often bleak, an alternative take on hippie subculture for the most part. He meditates on his own mortality on tracks like 'A House Is Not A Motel', but there are beautiful moments too - the swooning 'Alone Again Or' and the thrilling brass lift-off in 'You Set The Scene' are standout tracks.

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Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

Eighteen months after the massive success of the single 'Brown Eyed Girl' (still irresistible now, and a staple of karaoke and open mic nights everywhere), Van Morrison released Astral Weeks, an altogether different creation. There was melancholy in 'Brown Eyed Girl' and its nostalgic lyrics, but it was a jaunty pop song nonetheless. Astral Weeks saw Van Morrison work with a band of jazz players to create an eight song suite full of poetic, impressionistic lyrics that explored Morrison's memories, dreams and regrets; it's the sound of emotion pouring out from an artist and it's a classic.

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R.E.M - Out of Time

The moment where R.E.M got properly, massive. They'd had hit singles before, with 'The One I Love' and 'Orange Crush' from previous albums Document and Green, but Out Of Time has shifted 18 million copies to date andmade them one of the world's biggest bands. It's a doozy too: Peter Buck's mandolin riff is all over lead single 'Losing My Religion' and the album finishes on a strong note with the stream of consciousness brilliance of 'Country Feedback' showing Michael Stipe at the top of his game, and the power pop of the Mike Mills-led 'Texarkana' another melodic masterpiece.

Shop R.E.M - Out of Time on Amazon.

Talking Heads - Remain In Light

David Byrne and producer Brian Eno expanded the sonic palette of Talking Heads substantially with Remain In Light. Inspired by the likes of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, the band explored African polyrhythms and funk, creating loops and building the songs from there. The opening twitches of 'Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)', the runaway train of 'The Great Curve', and the surreal majesty of the band's best known single 'Once In A Lifetime' are evidence that Talking Heads' sense of adventure paid off.

Shop Talking Heads - Remain In Light on Amazon.

Blondie - Parallel Lines

The new wave favourites' 1978 album is a veritable hit parade and their defining statement. Kicking off on a cover of 'Hanging On The Telephone', which originally performed by the short-lived power pop masterminds The Nerves, it also includes the tracks 'Heart of Glass', 'One Way Or Another' 'Sunday Girl', and 'Picture This'. Most bands would be thrilled to have just one of those singles in their repertoire. She doesn't get round to rapping on Parallel Lines, but Debbie Harry's vocals never sounded as good. Sweet and wistful one moment, a fierce growl the next.

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Portishead - Dummy

Named after the small town near Bristol where the band's founder Geoff Barrow grew up, Portishead didn't expect to sell many copies of Dummy, never mind create the quintessential record of an entire genre. Barrow, a young turntable wizard with a passion for hip hop and experience as a studio engineer, had teamed up with jazz guitarist Adrian Utley and vocalist Beth Gibbons, and it took off. While Dummy shares a lot in common with trip-hop records like Massive Attack's Blue Lines (which Barrow worked on as an engineer), it's a more idiosyncratic work; moody and unsettling, but with a cinematic quality and - in Gibbons - it's got the touch of one of the country's great singers too. From relative obscurity, it won the 1995 Mercury Prize ahead of Oasis, Supergrass and PJ Harvey.

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Patti Smith - Horses

Of all the great opening lines on albums, it stands out. 'Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine', drawls Patti Smith ominously on 'Gloria', the first track on Horses. Before long she's cutting loose, bringing the punk rock acrobatics that would go on to inspire Michael Stipe, Karen O, The Slits, PJ Harvey, The Smiths, Siouxsie and the Banshees and countless others. Horses is a punk masterpiece, with Smith picking up the lyrical, articulate mantle popularised by Bob Dylan and pairing it with ferocious, furious energy. The result is something vital. Already dripping in cool, Smith asked John Cale of The Velvet Underground to produce Horses.

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Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

The most recently released of our classic picks, but one that merits the title. Following the huge success of his second album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Kendrick Lamar travelled to South Africa, touring the country and visiting Nelson Mandela's jail cell on Robben Island. On his return he began work on To Pimp A Butterfly, which explores institutional discrimination and depression. It's a bold, confident album, that owes as much to free jazz ('u' and 'For Free') as it does hip hop; bristling with fury about police brutality but expressing pride in African-American culture. A record that any hip-hop fan should have in their collection.

Shop Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly on Amazon.