Being a music enthusiast, I want to present my top five favorite albums (at the moment) and why they should be owned by anyone who has even a remote interest in classic music.

5. "Blood on the Tracks:" Bob Dylan (1975)

Since 2012, I have been delving deep into the music of American songwriter/poet, Bob Dylan. Ever since seeing him in concert in March of 2015, I have been hooked on what is considered to be his masterpiece, 'Blood on the Tracks.' Released during a time when Dylan himself was going through a nasty divorce, the album paints a picture of a man who is lost and angry, and melancholy rolled into a ten song album. The album itself holds some of Dylan's most anguished vocals, and is more produced than some of his mid-sixties rock albums. Starting with 'Tangled up in Blue,' and concluding with 'Buckets of Rain,' the album contains some of Dylan's finest songwriting. If you are someone who enjoys intricate storytelling in music, the nine minute epic 'Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts' is just what you need to appease your musical appetite. If you are unsure of Dylan, listen to this album before anything else, I feel as though you will begin to understand his genius when the final notes ring out.

4. "Graceland:" Paul Simon (1986)

Paul Simon is one of the rare songwriters who can cover any genre, including folk, rock, country, gospel, zydeco, reggae, Latino, and everything in between. 'Graceland,' released during the political apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela's imprisonment, attempted to bring African culture and music to the rest of the world. Songs like album opener 'The Boy in the Bubble,' have accordion as lead instrument, and a driving percussion that is common in African tribal music. 'Under African Skies' paints a picture of what life in 1980's Africa was like, and 'I Know What I Know' allows the listener to feel as though he or she is singing around a fire in a small African village. The album also holds two of Simon's greatest hits, 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes' and 'You Can Call Me Al,' back to back on the album track list. This album is full of songs to dance and sing along to, but also hold political undertones that allow the listener to learn a little about a time in history that need never occur again.

3. "Full Moon Fever:" Tom Petty (1989)

I, like anyone who listens to contemporary radio stations, was familiar with 'Free Fallin' long before I knew much else about singer/songwriter Tom Petty. My dad opened my eyes to other Petty Hits like 'I Won't Back Down,' and songs like 'Runnin' Down a Dream' encapsulated my high school years. 'Full Moon Fever' came during a time when Petty was working solo from his backing group, The Heartbreakers, and it was a smart choice on his part. The album, from beginning to end, is packed with pure, clean rock and roll. Lesser known hits like 'Apartment Song' have a classic, A-E chord structure, and is a great tune to tap your foot with. He even covers a lesser known song by The Byrds entitled 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better,' a 1960's sounding tune that uses the 12-string Rickenbacker guitar as the cornerstone. I played this album to death during my senior year of high school, and it opened my eyes to the brilliant songwriting of Tom Petty. As a casual fan, this album holds several greatest hits, but if you are interested in collecting the albums of Petty, I suggest starting with this one, and then branching out 'Into the Great Wide Open.'

2. "Abbey Road:" The Beatles (1969)

As a music fanatic, no list of all time best albums would be complete without at least mentioning the greatest band of all time, The Beatles. When I first heard this album in 2009, my mind was completely blown away. Sure it held Beatles classics like 'Come Together' and 'Here Comes the Sun,' but it also holds, what I believe, the greatest closing of any album ever made. The album is composed in two parts. Side one includes six tracks that incorporate psychedelia, hard blues, and screaming vocals, as is evident on the McCartney track 'Oh! Darling.' Side two is composed of two suites of continuous music, with the second suite known as the 'Golden Slumbers' suite, includes 'Golden Slumbers,' 'Carry That Weight,' and 'The End,' a three song ending that incorporates themes from earlier tracks on the album, including 'You Never Give Me Your Money.' Listening to this album, you understand why The Beatles are timeless, and how an album is intended to be listened to, from track one to the closing track. This album belongs in every music collection, as it incorporates numerous genres of music, and is one of the most iconic music masterpieces ever released to the public.

1. "Pet Sounds:" The Beach Boys (1966)

My piece de resistance is the Brian Wilson masterpiece, 'Pet Sounds,' a personal album that got the Beach Boys away from their stereotypical 'surf-sound' that they popularized in the early sixties and established their leader, Brian Wilson, as one of the greatest songwriting geniuses of all-time. 'Wouldn't it be Nice' opens up an album that is quite unpredictable, both lyrically and thematically. Themes of love, aging, and a ship voyage, weave throughout the album. Session musicians known as the 'Wrecking Crew' provided instrumentation to the album, instead of the group themselves who merely provided occasional lead and backing vocals. The album's strongest moment is the Carl Wilson sung 'God Only Knows,' which is, unashamedly, my favorite song of all-time. 'Sloop John B' is a more lighthearted tune that breaks the album up a little and 'Caroline, No' closes the album on a very poignant, melancholy note. This album paved the way for albums such as The Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' considered by Rolling Stone to be the greatest album of all-time, with 'Pet Sounds' falling at a humble second place. This album may not be the one to play at the next party, but it establishes the fact that music is art, and that musicians can also be songwriters and producers.