I recently came across an online music quiz containint the question/challenge: “Name Five Flawless Albums” which intrigued me greatly. I began to ponder my own list and whether not it would be significantly different from someone with differing beliefs (or should it?). I then began to simply wonder what other people’s lists might look like, so I asked for submissions.

While some argued otherwise, to me, this is not the same question as “List Your Five Favorite Albums.” In fact, none of your “favorite” albums might be in this list. I intentionally did not define “Flawless,” but left that up to you. Some people submitted more than five; I simply cut off the list at five and several of you submitted comments which have not been included (yet were extremely interesting!).

Looking through the lists, I was pleased by the incredible diversity represented. Very few albums appear on multiple lists, and those that do often appear on wildly varying lists. If there were to be a “winner,” it appears to be Joshua Tree by U2, which appeared on four different lists. U2 also tied with Caedmon’s Call for most frequent appearances, each with three different albums represented (and yet no one chose anything by the Beatles, which I thought was interesting).

A note regarding my own list: I intentionally waited until everyone else’s came in and I limted myself to albums not already chosen. Albums on other people’s lists that I would also consider “flawless,” would be: U2: Joshua Tree, The Smiths: The Queen is Dead and Louder Than Bombs, George Winston: Summer, Traschcan Sinatras: Cake, Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Vigilantes of Love: Audible Sigh, Neil Young: After the Goldrush, Paul Simon: Graceland, and Black Eyed Sceva’s Way Before the Flood.

I encourage you to explore other lists. One extremely helpful resource is the Allmusic Guide. Enjoy; I hope you find this as interesting as I did.

Taylor Bair: Glen Rose, TX:
Coldplay: Parachutes
Caedmon’s Call: Share the Well
Wallflowers: Red Letter Days
Damien Rice: O
Death Cab For Cutie: Plans

Vinnie Beilcher: Winston-Salem, NC:
Caedmon’s Call: In The Company of Angels
Indelible Grace: Indelible Grace
Sovereign Grace Ministries: Songs For The Christ-Centered Life
Garth Brooks: Garth Brooks
The Eagles: Greatest Hits

Gary Brumley: Glen Rose, TX:
U2: Joshua Tree
U2: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Ida: Will You Find Me?
Denison Witmer: Safe Away
Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah

Justin Clark: Mount Pleasant, NC:
U2: Joshua Tree
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors
Indigo Girls: Rites of Passage
Counting Crows: August and Everything After
10,000 Maniacs: In My Tribe

Jeremy Creed: Peoria, AZ:
Bob Marley: Legend
Beck: Mutations
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin
Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly
Okkervil River: Black Sheep Boy

Sean Dennis: Louisville, KY:
Jars of Clay: Jars of Clay
Derek Webb: She Must And Shall Go Free
Over the Rhine: Ohio
Sixpence None the Richer: This Beautiful Mess
Waterdeep: Sink Or Swim

Andrew Goodwin: Phoenix, AZ:
Pedro the Lion: Winners Never Quit
Owen: I Do Perceive
Five O’ Clock People: The Nothing Venture
American Football: American Football
Death Cab For Cutie: Transatlanticism

Adam Groza: Rhome, TX:
U2: Joshua Tree
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead
Guns n’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction
Neil Young: After the Goldrush
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors

Eric Groza: Las Vegas, NV:
R.E.M.: Life’s Rich Pageant
U2: Achtung Baby
Def Leppard: Hysteria
Guns n’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction
They Might Be Giants: Flood

Katie Haggard: Granbury, TX:
Sojourners: Grace Bestowed
Amy Nobles: To The Ends of the Earth
Sara Groves: Conversations
Jeremy Camp: Restored
Casting Crowns: Casting Crowns

Kyle Hopper: Louisville, KY:
Weezer: Weezer
Grateful Dead: American Beauty
Nirvana: Nevermind
The Black Crowes: Shake Your Money Maker
Vigilantes of Love: Audible Sigh

Missy Hopper: Louisville, KY:
Jennifer Knapp: Kansas
Jars of Clay: Jars of Clay
Rich Mullins: Winds of Heaven…Stuff Of Earth
Sara Groves: The Other Side of Something
Jennifer Knapp: The Way I Am

Jim Ierely: Phoenix, AZ:
Paul Simon: Graceland
Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer: Music For Two
Alison Krauss & Union Station: Live
The Lost Dogs: Gift Horse
The Who: Quadrophenia

Aaron Kellar: Phoenix, AZ:
Pedro the Lion: It’s Hard to Find a Friend
Jimmy Eat World: Clarity
The Smiths: Louder Than Bombs
Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See
Rachmoninoff: Vespers

Wade Myers: Peoria, AZ:
Black Eyed Sceva: Way Before the Flood
Weezer: Weezer
The Trashcan Sinatras: Cake
George Winston: Summer
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Pale

Mark Redfern: Owensboro, KY:
Caedmon’s Call: 40 Acres
Def Leppard: Hysteria
Goo Goo Dolls: Dizzy Up The Girl
Evan and Jaron: Evan and Jaron

Rhett Smith: Los Angeles, CA:
U2: Joshua Tree
Coldplay: Parachutes
Better Than Ezra: Deluxe
Five O’ Clock People: The Nothing Venture
Black Eyed Sceva: Way Before the Flood

Rick Stone: Glen Rose, TX:
Bob Seger: Live Bullet
Kansas: Left Overture
The Beach Boys: Endless Summer
Boston: Boston
Michael Jackson: Thriller

Joel Templeton: White Bluff, TN:
Switchfoot: New Way to Be Human
Third Day: Conspiracy No. 5
Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Pigeon John: Pigeon John Is Dating Your Sister
Mat Kearney: Bullet

Brent Thomas: Glen Rose, TX:
Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind
Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Eluvium: An Accidental Memory In The Case of Death
Miles Davis: Miles Smiles

Kristi Thomas: Glen Rose, TX:
David Crowder Band: Illuminate
Amy Nobles: To The Ends of The Earth
Ever Stays Red: I’ll Tell The World

Ashby Tillery: Louisville, KY:
Sarah McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Joan Osborne: Righteous Love
Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman
Weezer: Weezer
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced?

Patrick Vaughan: Glen Rose, TX:
Nirvana: Nevermind
Toadies: Rubberneck
Beethoven: Ninth Sympnony
Red Mountain Church: Heaven EP
Anathallo: Sparrows

Mark Whiten: Peoria, AZ:
The Who: Who’s Next
Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons
The Cars: The Cars
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Supertramp: Breakfast In America

Chayce Wilson: Glen Rose, TX:
Dashboard Confessional: Swiss Army Romance
The Postal Service: Give Up
Juliana Theory: Emotion Is Dead
Frank Sinatra: Classic Sinatra (1953-1960)
George Strait: Greatest Hits