Classic '50s Albums On Vinyl That Are Actually Worth Your Money

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The 1950s were a decade of musical culmination as much as musical transition. Big band, jazz, and swing gave way to a mishmash of gospel, R&B, blues, swing, doo-wop, and country called "rock 'n' roll." It was an oddly eclectic decade that's more than worth enshrining in vinyl. But are all vinyls from the '50s worth the money? 

Big hits like "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry or "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets are so familiar that it might not seem worth it to buy them in physical form. And while denser masterworks from the likes of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Ray Charles help beef up our choices, vinyls have to be more than mere time capsules from a bygone age; they've got to have repeatable, inherent musical value that trumps the convenience of tapping a button on Spotify. 

Don't go thinking that you need to break the bank to get such albums, though. Super-expensive first editions exist, but so do reprints for some renowned albums, like Billie Holiday's "Lady Sings the Blues." There are also mountains of used records on sites like eBay, meaning you can find almost anything you want in the $20 to $30 range. Then again, you should always try to support a brick-and-mortar record shop (if you can find one). Let's have a look at a range of vinyls that portray the depth and breadth of music in the '50s — any collection would be richer for them.

If you aren't up to speed on one of the 20th century's most magnificent musical legends, here's your chance. 1959's "Kind of Blue" affords the smallest crack into Miles Davis' career and plethora of stylistic changes, right at the cusp of the '60s and at the peak of his "modal jazz" phase, with a greater focus on memorable melodic phrases. This is colorful, phrasally fascinating jazz that actually demands your interest, and not background music to ignore. You can get this absolute historical treasure new on vinyl for less than $30 on Victrola.

Ray Charles composed some of the most effortlessly timeless and tuneful music ever. His talent was obvious even by the second year of his career in 1958, when he released the live album, "Ray Charles at Newport." Marjorie Hendrix's background "Tease me / Squeeze me / Leave me" vocal belting on "The Right Time" are worth the cost of admission alone. And when that cost amounts to as little as $8 for a used copy on eBay, you'd better not be buying Starbucks over this vinyl.

Back in the 1940s, Thelonious Monk was too unconventional and impenetrable for jazz — let that sink in. Now heralded as one of jazz's greatest pioneers, he didn't really gain recognition until 1957's "Brilliant Corners." The album didn't totally strip away Monk's jarring harmonies and odd rhythms, but it did sculpt them into something that even the average listener could stomach. Costs vary wildly here, from a $350 first press on eBay (ouch) to under $10, also on eBay, or a new, single-print press for around $100 from Craft Recordings. No matter what, the money is worth it.

Count Basie, who got his royal title from a radio broadcaster in 1936, was already an OG by the time the '50s rolled around. A true king of big band and head of the most influential swing/jazz orchestra of all time, Count Basie was also a fiend about putting his music to tape. Out of his numerous full studio albums released during the '50s, we're going with 1958's "The Atomic Mr. Basie" as a landmark hi-fi release, which showcases his talent for crafting mischievous, knowing, and straight-up fun music. EBay's got plenty of used offerings in the $20 to $40 range.

Any of Billie Holiday's 21 1950's album releases could work here, but we're planting our flag on "Lady Sings the Blues." Holiday, the 20th century's quintessential jazz singer, brims with restrained pathos across this album, the kind you won't hear on a lighter, floatier work like "Lady in Satin." "Strange Fruit" goes a long way in selling the qualities of this album, a still-shocking song set in the American South. Snag this classy, moving vinyl new off Victrola for about $25 and dive into Holiday's reedy rasp.

Would you believe that the first concept album in history belongs to Frank Sinatra? We're not talking self-aware commentary like The Who's "The Who Sell Out," but rather a single album that acts like a bound story, beginning to end, song to song. That's what Sinatra did with 1955's "In the Wee Small Hours," a kind of lost love noir tale built in the aftermath of Sinatra's broken, acrimonious relationship with actress Ava Gardner. The album is a bit on the sleepy side, but it's a creative benchmark and a whole, end-to-end story worth the $20 to $30 bottom-end used vinyl range on eBay.

Ok, time to wake up and jump up — Little Richard's come a' howlin'! And howl he does on songs like "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)" and his most famous song, "Tutti Frutti," featured on his 1957 debut, "Here's Little Richard." This is the point when the '50s started to shape into the kind of popular "rock 'n' roll" we've all come to know and love. "Here's Little Richard" is a perfect album of short boppers that's so groovy and cool it'll never not make you move. Get a used vinyl on eBay for as low as $20 to $30.

Another debut '50s album from a musical legend? Yep, this time complete with hot and blue guitar, as Johnny Cash's 1957 debut is called. The wildest thing about "With His Hot and Blue Guitar" is how fully formed and confident Cash sounds right out of the gate with the album's first song, "The Rock Island Line." This continues all the way to its closer, with hits like "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues" along the way. As Cash once said, "You have to be what you are. Whatever you are, you gotta be it." Low-end used vinyls on eBay bottom out at $20 to $30.

We couldn't leave Elvis off this list, right? The King debuted in the '50s with 1956's cleverly named "Elvis." This album might not have as much musical depth as future Elvis albums (three songs clock in under two minutes long), but like Little Richard's debut, you can just spin it again once it's done. Plus, it's got covers of Little Richard and Ray Charles on it, as well as the first album cover featuring Elvis' signature mane. There are some high-end copies of this on eBay pushing $200, but also lows on eBay for around $20. No matter how deep your pockets, it's worth adding to your vinyl memorabilia.

If you've never heard of Moondog before, we can help: This is pre-horns Moondog, before the white beard (but still with a long beard), back when he was a mere street performer playing his own handmade instruments. If that doesn't sell this man's oddball, avant-garde, 1956 self-titled album to you, then we mourn your dull soul. Trust us when we say that few albums or artists capture the nascent, mystical leanings of the forthcoming '60s like "Moondog's" perplexing assemblage of experimental tracks, frog croaks included. Definitely the rarest of our vinyl picks, you can still find a handful on eBay for as low as $35.