Albums Every Music Fan Must Listen to (at least once)

[Wata]

What albums do you recommend strongly that you dare to say every music fan must listen to them at least once? If possible, please explain why it is so important.

For I'll be having a lot free time next couple of months, I'm willing to hear such recommendation of yours.

Here's my choices (in roughly chronological order):

Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin' Lovers
Various Artists: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
The Beatles: A Hard Day's Night
Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back Home
The Beatles: Rubber Soul
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Band: Music from Big Pink
The Zombies: Oddesey & Oracle
The Beatles: Abbey Road
Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over the Troubled Water
The Beach Boys: Sunflower
John Lennon: Plastic Ono Band
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
Carole King: Tapestry
Paul & Linda McCartney: Ram
Paul McCartney& Wings: Band on the Run
Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
Bob Dylan: Desire
Michael Jackson: Thriller
Paul McCartney: Tug of War

[RangeRoverA1]

If possible, please explain why it is so important

Can you explain few written choices? Except Paul & Carpenters.

Street: Street
Merigail Moreland: Merigail Moreland (you will not find anything like this, it's got songs when the singer is 10, 14 & adult. Interesting to hear "child to big" voice changes)
Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings (accessible blues which is difficult)
NRBQ: Peek-A-Boo (really underrated band with many famous musician fans)
Mark Eric: The Midsummer's Day Dream (if you're 1st BBs, then every music fan)
The Residents: Duck Stab
The Sir Douglas Quintet: Mendocino (country rock with Tex-Mex mixed in, the band's leader Doug Sahm is influential figure in this subgenre, he helped develop it)
Elton John: ...The Piano Player (Elton's 1st Billboard hit "Crocodile Rock" is there)

Edit: Looks like Nola BB Fan was about to post her recommends. & Watamushi(Polly Poller) was due to explain his choices perhaps. Sth. stopped them. What?

[Wata]

If possible, please explain why it is so important

Can you explain few written choices? Except Paul & Carpenters.
Edit: Looks like Nola BB Fan was about to post her recommends. & Watamushi(Polly Poller) was due to explain his choices perhaps. Sth. stopped them. What?

Sorry, I couldn't get to write explanations last night. Here they are:
The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Bob Dylan albums: No matter you like them or not, they remains as the most essential acts in modern music, and I hope any enthusiastic music fans to listen to at least their best works. What I listed are what I consider as their best albums.

Plastic Ono Band & All Things Must Pass: best of the solo albums by the band  generally considered as the best ever - I think that makes them essential.

Songs for Swingin' Lovers: Frank Sinatra is an essential listen as he established what is now called "concept albums." Even though this album is not really as conceptional as his ballad albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Only the Lonely, I consider this one as one of the best way to get into Sinatra's discography.

Bridge Over the Troubled Water, Tapestry & Thriller: They are sold extraordinarily well and highly regarded among music critics - so they're essential listens.

A Christmas Gift from Phil Spector: It's important as it was arguably the best Christmas record.

Music from Big Pink & Oddesey and Oracle: Simply because I believe they're great (and that notion is shared by many).

I removed some albums initially on the list because I thought they're not really essential.

[RangeRoverA1]

Since you deleted Carpenters, here's few albums every self-respecting music fan must listen (Karen's voice, paired with Richard's musicality, is uber-essential & important):

Carpenters: profitable, 4 time Platinum in the U.S., did really well in the U.S. & U.K. charts.
Close To You: brought the duet to international fame basically. It's got hits such as title song & "We've Only Just Begun".
Christmas Portrait: usually Christmas albums fail in compare with typical albums by band/ singer (I say it as Christmas music fan, go figure). Carpenters is rare case - they didn't fail.
Made In America: last time Karen & Richard worked together. Interesting to see where Carpenters got to at this career point.