You seem to have the opposite problem of grundle. Combine forces and you'll have the last fifty years covered

heres my top 100:

Dark Side of the Moon-Pink Floyd
London Calling-The Clash
Sgt Peppers-The Beatles
OK Computer-Radiohead
Nevermind-Nirvana
The Joshua Tree-U2
Document-REM
IV-Led Zeppelin
Blonde on Blonde-Bob Dylan
Abbey Road-The Beatles

ok thats only 10 i know but its Monday,gimme a break

My problem is that I was born and grew up outside of the U.S. and the extent of my parent's (combined) music collection was a few Cat Stevens albums. I would listen to Casey Casem on the radio but until about 1990 I was in a protective bubble that shielded me from 80% of American culture.

Hence, my inability to name more than two or three songs by The Who. Until yesterday, I didn't even know "Changes" was by David Bowie.

And the problem with a lot of older albums is that some of them are great because they are "important" and others are great and still sound new. So it's hard to know which is which.

Almost anything on my list would be good to get. The stuff by Loverboy and Daryl Hall and John Oates are "guilty pleasures" from my youth, so I woudn't recommend those for you. But all the others would probably be good choices.

I should point out that the particular compilation by the Waitresses that's on my list is now out of print, and has been replaced by the very similar "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection."

I think all the other ones on my list are currently in print.

Now I know why you're so high on Coldplay...
just playing

..who are two well known British artists

My list (my mileage my vary tomorrow):
1. Sonic Youth- Daydream Nation
2. John Zorn- Naked City
3. Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove
4. Talking Heads- Remain in Light
5. Mars Volta- Frances the Mute
6. Curve- Doppleganger
7. The Smiths- The Smiths
8. Mastodon- Leviathan
9. Big Star- Radio City
10. Sigur Ros- Aegytus Byrjun
11. Black Uhuru- Red
12. Madvillain- Madvillainy
13. Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane over the Sea
14. Brian Eno- Before and After Science
15. Don Henley- Building the Perfect Beast
16. Yes- Close to the Edge
17. Roxy Music- For Your Pleasure
18. The Cure- Pornography
19. Paul Simon- Rhythm of the Saints
20. Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures
21. New Order- Power, Corruption and Lies
22. Gregory Isaacs- Night Nurse
23. The Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime
24. Nick Drake- Bryter Later
25. Bloc Party- Silent Alarm
26. Grateful Dead- Workingman’s Dead
27. X- Los Angeles
28. Orbital- Orbital 2 (brown album)
29. Can- Soon over Babaluma
30. Kraftwerk- Computer World
31. Magnetic Fields- 69 Love Songs
32. Def Leppard- Hysteria
33. The La’s- S/T
34. AC/DC- Highway to Hell
35. Pulp- Different Class
36. Tom Petty- Damn the Torpedoes
37. Husker Du- New Day Rising
38. Flaming Lips- Soft Bulletin
39. Swervedriver- Mezcal Head
40. Love- Forever Changes
41. The Flying Burrito Brothers- Guilded Palace of Sin
42. X-Ray Spex- Germ Free Adolescents
43. Tribe Called Quest- Low End Theory
44. Abba- Arrival
45. The Clash- London Calling
46. Big Black- Songs about Fucking
47. The Bats- Daddy’s Highway
48. Rod Stewart- Every Picture Tells a Story
49. The Eels- Electroshock Blues
50. The Chills- Kaleidoscope World
51. OMD- Architecture and Morality
52. The Who- Sell Out
53. Echo and the Bunnymen- Ocean Rain
54. Dinosaur Jr.- Bug
55. Billy Bragg- Talking with the Taxman About Poetry
56. Sebadoh- III
57. White Stripes- De Stijl
58. REM- Reckoning
59. They Might Be Giants- Lincoln
60. The Stooges- Fun House
61. Camper Van Beethoven- Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
62. Elvis Costello- Armed Forces
63. The Jesus and Mary Chain-Automatic
64. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Californication
65. The Pogues- Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
66. Faith No More- Angel Dust
67. Dr. John- Gumbo
68. Ween- Pure Guava
69. Supergreass- We’re in it for the Money
70. The Jam- Sound Affects
71. Meat Beat Manifesto- Satyricon
72. Gorillaz- Demon Days
73. The Police- Synchronicity
74. The Pretenders- S/T
75. Mission of Burma- VS.
76. The Lemonheads- It’s a Shame About Ray
77. Spoon- Girls Can Tell
78. Chic- Greatest Hits (they were really only a singles band)
79. Buzzcocks- Singles Going Steady (same thing)
80. Grandaddy- The Sophtware Slump
81. Duran Duran- Rio
82. Blur- The Great Escape
83. Led Zeppelin- 4 (untitled, Zoso, whatever)
84. Einsturzende Neubauten- Haus de Leuge
85. Air- Moon Safari
86. Guided by Voices- Bee Thousand
87. Wilco- Being There
88. The Replacements- Tim
89. Unrest- Perfect Teeth
90. Beastie Boys- Paul’s Boutique
91. The Velvet Underground- White Light/ White Heat
92. Little Feat- Dixie Chicken
93. Nine Inch Nails- Broken (only an EP)
94. The Byrds- Sweetheart of the Rodeo
95. The Ramones- Road to Ruin
96. Gary Numan- The Pleasure Principle
97. Ministry- The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
98. Killing Joke- S/T
99. Opeth- Morningrise
100. Vangelis- Blade Runner Soundtrack