The influence thread go me thinking: What albums do you guys think serve as a "template" that artists now still try to pattern their own work after? Not necessarily duplicating its success, but an album that people look at and say "this is the type of album I should be shooting for."

I would say that MJ's Thriller is the template pop album. I'm pretty sure every pop producer has studied Thriller and tried to find it's formula. It's not very long, only 9 tracks long. And each track was an absolute hit. Thriller is essentially the "perfect" album. It had not only pop, but elements of R&B, Rock, and Adult Contemporary also. I'm not a Madonna fan AT ALL, but from what I've read 'Like A Virgin" is an album artists like Lady Gaga pattern their work after. Tupac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory and Dr. Dre's The Chronic are still highly regarded among the hip hop/rap community. I would throw Whitney Houston's debut album into the mix also.

What say you?

I would say Prince's album in the 80's.

Essentially all of Stevie's 70s masterpieces, especially Songs in the Key of Life. I remember Prince saying in 1997, during an NAACP Image Award speech that it's one of those albums that every musician bases their career on.

Marvin's What Going On is often considered to be the album that jumpstarted the Black concept album movement of the 1970s and early 80s. However, it was Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, whose Curtis and Hot Buttered Soul albums were revolutionary and almost everyone were stunned by the brilliance. I'd also like to put Otis in that mix too for Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul and The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul. As well as Sam Cooke for Night Beat and Sly for albums like Stand! and There's A Riot Goin' On.

We all know about the Beatles...

On the so-called 90s progressive soul movement, many consider Me'Shell Ndegeocello and D'Angelo to be the foremother and forefather of that particular movement with Plantation Lullabies and Brown Sugar. However, many, like me, would be objective with that claim.

[Edited 12/6/11 17:15pm]