Josh Balogh’s Top 40 Albums from 1981 – 2021

Parts 1-4 if you missed them! Josh Balogh’s Top 40 at 40 Part 1: What I’ve Learned, Josh Balogh’s Top 40 at 40: Mainstream Songs, Josh Balogh’s Top 40 at 40: Movies, Josh Balogh’s Top 40 at 40: Books

Listening to entire albums these days is a tough task when we’re always on the go and greatly distracted. These are my picks released within my lifetime thus far that have stood up well as complete pieces of work. The ones I have returned to again and again only to discover a new wrinkle or nuance to appreciate.

1. U2 – Joshua Tree (1987)

2. Chicago – Greatest Hits 1982-1987 (1989)

3. Susan Ashton – Wakened by the Wind (1991)

4. Jon Gibson – The Hits (1991)

5. Dctalk – Free at Last (1992)

6. Rich Mullins – A Liturgy, A Legacy, A Ragamuffin Band (1993)

7. PFR – Great Lengths (1994)

8. Jars of Clay – Self-Titled (1995)

9. Dctalk – Jesus Freak (1995)

10. The Newsboys – Take Me to Your Leader (1996)

11. Rich Mullins – Songs (1996)

12. Audio Adrenaline – Bloom (1996)

13. Jars of Clay – Much Afraid (1997)

14. Sixpence None the Richer – Self-Titled (1997)

15. Burlap to Cashmere – Anybody Out There?(1998)

16. Caedmon’s Call – 40 Acres (1999)

17. Caedmon’s Call – Long Line of Leavers (2000)

18. Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)

19. Andrew Peterson – Carried Away (2000)

20. Lifehouse – No Name Face (2000)

21. Downhere – Self-Titled (2001)

22. Jars of Clay – The Eleventh Hour (2002)

23. Switchfoot– The Beautiful Letdown (2003)

24. David Crowder Band – A Collision (2004)

25. Relient K – MmHmm (2004)

26. Mae – The Everglow (2005)

27. Mewithoutyou – Brother, Sister (2006)

28. Brooke Fraser – Albertine (2006)

29. MuteMath – Self-Titled (2006)

30. Various Artists – Glory Revealed (2007)

31. Coldplay – Viva La Vida (2008)

32. House of Heroes – The End Is Not the End (2008)

33. Needtobreathe – The Outsiders (2009)

34. Andrew Belle – The Ladder (2010)

35. Andrew Peterson – Light for the Lost Boy (2012)

36. Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface (2015)

37. Attalus – Into the Sea (2015)

38. John Van Deusen – I am origami: Every Power Wide Awake (2018)

39. The Gray Havens – She Waits (2018)

40. Jon Guerra – Keeper of Days (2020)

Honorable Mentions:

Allstar United – Self-Titled (1997)

Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001)

Relient K – Two lefts… – (2003)

Young Oceans – Advent (2013)

John Mark Mcmillan – Mercury & Lightning (2017)

That’s all folks! Thanks for reading!

-Josh