Bonnie Raitt
Apologies to anyone who thinks my list is too heavily loaded with female artists, but I believe that the distaff side of rock (and blues, and funk, and jazz, and pop, and country...) has a lot to offer. Witness Ms. Bonnie Raitt. Slide guitarist extraordinaire. Great singer and interpreter, and not too shabby a songwriter.
Essential: Takin' My Time (1973)
Big Star
Never paid any attention until I heard Paul Westerberg sing, "Never travel far/Without a little Big Star." Ill-fated but great band whose influence on everyone from R.E.M. to the New Pornographers.
Get it: #1 Record/Radio City (1972/1974; released as a two-fer in 1978)
Pink Floyd
Gods of British Psych/pop. Their influence is nearly as great as their ouevre, even if the post-Roger Waters releases and tours were spotty.
Can't live without: Wish You Were Here (70's masterpiece), and Piper at the Gates of Dawn (early gem).
Doug Sahm
Many groovy 60's hits with the Sir Douglas Quintet. Pioneered Tex-Mex sound and perfected it with Texas Tornados, his supergroup which included the great Flaco Jiminez and Freddy Fender.
Don't pass up: Mendocino (1969)
Buddy Holly
Too many great songs to his credit to even start listing them. Not Fade Away!
Your collection is incomplete without Buddy Holly (1959)
King Crimson
Masters of the "prog" genre. Revolving door in their later years, but the output of their original lineup remains a landmark.
Dig: In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), Red (1974)
Loudon Wainwright III
Unfortunately best-known for a novelty hit ("Dead Skunk"), his career traces a rich tapestry of lyrical wit and eloquence.
Listen to: Attempted Mustache (1973)
Buffalo Springfield
Neil Young gets in on his own, but the Springfield may have created country rock single-handedly. Too few albums, but a lasting impression nonetheless.
Just feast your ears: Buffalo Springfield (1966)
The Decemberists
One of the few "new" bands to make it, they are as transcendent live as any band I've seen. Studio polish, thankfully, does nothing to diminish this.
I insist you hear it all: The Hazards of Love (2009)
Few have been able to merge rock, classical, folk, and jazz with quite the facility that JT has done. Again, later records have run the gamut of quality, but they established a place in the pantheon by 1975 and never looked back.
Don't be: Thick as a Brick (1972)--dig it!
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