João Gilberto - Chega de Saudade [1959]

There are very few records that one can point to and confidently say they are genre-defining in every sense of the term, Chega de saudade happens to be one of them. Bossa Nova is undeniably a significant part of Brazilian music history, and Chega de Saudade seems to be the first recording that launched bossa nova into the (Brazilian) public eye in the LP format. The majority of the songs found on this album, especially "Chega de Saudade" and "Desafinado", have been recorded many times by many Brazilian artists and will most likely continue to be recorded until people stop recording bossa nova entirely. Even without focusing on the main man here, just a quick glance of the credits reveals the names of greats such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, who is the king of this era of Brazilian pop music in terms of compositions, and Vinícius de Moraes, a poet and singer who wrote lyrics to many songs of this era that went on to become Brazilian standards.

Edan - Beauty and The Beat [2005]

Those who are well versed in album covers - and the fact that Edan is a rapper, not a rock band - may be able to tell what the album sounds like just by looking at the cover. The colorful image is undeniably similar to the psychedelic images which were seen on the LPs of psychedelic rock and pop bands in the 60s. That said, it is obviously not a coincidence that Beauty and the Beat puts up an argument for being one of the most overtly psychedelic albums in hip-hop. The majority of the samples that compose these beats are taken from music that likely falls under the wide umbrella as psychedelia. In fact, an appreciation for this album might double with an appreciation of 60s bands like The Hollies and The Millennium. It is impossible to deny the psychedelia influence on tracks like “I See Colours", with a guitar riff sample as its driving force, or  “Polite Meeting", an instrumental piece with trippy effects which features sampled band interviews. Similarly, “Smile" also has a guitar sample as the main attraction and fades out into a vocal sample that definitely sounds like it was recorded in the 60s.