428) Kid A

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Just when they seemed destined to become the next U2, Radiohead made this fractured, twitchy record. Despite esoteric nods to glitchy electronica ("Idioteque") and free jazz (an eight-horn pileup in "The National Anthem"), they morphed those sounds into a surprisingly accessible elegy to tenderness -- and had a hit anyway.

Total album sales: 1.3 million

Peak chart position: 1

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