Primal Scream – Screamadelica 
Strictly speaking, you should have heard this one already. What have you been doing all this time? The Scream have always been a bunch of chancers really, but they have a knack for getting the mix right, and this album captured the mood of the rave generation perfectly. If you don’t spend time listening to chunks of Screamadelica with a dazed but happy look on your face, you’re a gimp.
Radiohead – Kid A
Liking Kid A has become a sort of cultural bench-mark for this generation. With Radiohead-lite becoming the hegemonic sound of guitar rock, thanks to Coldplay and their many imitators, Thom Yorke’s mob threw a tantrum and released the most provocatively unlistenable album in years. Somehow it became a massive hit. In all honesty, there’s a few duff tracks on this (‘Optimistic’ is poor) but the moments of genius are more than enough to justify its place on this list. Once you’ve seen tens of thousands of people going berserk to the staggeringly uncommercial ‘Everything In Its Right Place’, you’ll understand. 
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
If you come across the sort of people who wrinkle their nose when they hear that you’ve never listened to the first Velvet Underground album, don’t worry. All you need to do is get your hands on this, and you’ll be able to trample all over the pseuds in a game of one-upmanship. The last track, ‘Sister Ray’, is possibly the loudest thing ever recorded, and it lasts 17 minutes. Anyone who doesn’t like it instantly has a dubious claim to be considered alive. 
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
If you’re bored with The Frames, find Whipping Boy too depressing, but still have a vague but tangible sense of patriotism, this is your baby. Fifteen years ago, the most extraordinary rock band in the world was Irish, and this was their masterpiece. Bandy around terms like ‘lysergic’ when discussing it with your friends, and talk about the ‘death of the subject’. You don’t have to know what it means: no-one else will.
The Stooges – The Stooges
Go around telling everyone that The Stooges were a better band than Velvet Underground (they were) and savour the outraged reactions. Now that punk rock has become a stale cliche, it’s worth revisiting its roots in the Michigan trailer-parks where Iggy Pop used to watch his neighbours strangling chickens. No fun indeed.
The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
The Lips are one of the most astonishing bands of our age, and this is the finest thing they’ve produced (so far). One for your bleaker moments, when you can’t afford to drink yourself happy. Just put this on repeat and you’ll have a silly grin on your face in no time. Then you’ll want to watch cartoons, or roll around in a giant inflatable bubble.
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
If Screamadelica has whetted your appetite for dance and electronica, but you find it all a bit intimidating, go out and buy a copy of Endtroducing and listen to it again and again. The geekiest hip-hop producer of them all put his debut together entirely from samples. After a little while spent in the company of this fantastic album, you’ll find any Luddite prejudices about ‘proper instruments’ dissolving into the ether. 
Leftfield – Leftism
This should be your final instalment on the way towards becoming a dance head. Savour John Lydon ranting about whatever it is that makes him unhappy on ‘Open Up’. Ignore the vague hippy-ish lyrics on ‘Release The Pressure’. Just listen to the damn thing and see how great it is. 
Gang of Four – Entertainment
If you’ve been following the music press over the last couple of years, you’ll surely have heard people going on about the influence of this Leeds combo on the current crop of indie bands. But you won’t be able to snort in disgust and deride the newcomers’ efforts until you’ve heard this 1979 classic. Marxism and funk, together at last. And it works.
Suede – Suede
College raises all sorts of issues with sexuality. Some people figure out that they fancy members of the same sex. Other people figure out that there are people who fancy members of the same sex. Either way, you’ll find it all much less intimidating when you listen to this wonderful debut. Just put on ‘Animal Nitrate’ – sodomy never sounded so enjoyable.