The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

Produced by Andy Warhol in 1967 with its iconic banana cover, The Velvet Underground & Nico sold only 30,000 copies on release. Yet its influence dwarfs that number—Brian Eno’s axiom that 'everyone who bought one started a band' holds true. Its unflinching chronicles of heroin, sadomasochism, and urban alienation are darker than #5's poetic bohemianism, and its raw sound is 50% quieter commercially than #2's debut, yet its cultural impact rivals any album on this list. Few records have so radically predicted the future while remaining so defiantly underground.