Jeff Wayne's War Of the Worlds.

...is this a trick question, then? First person to say "White Album" gets docked 50 points and the klaxons roar and "White Album" flashes up in big letters on those two enormous screens.

Thought so. That's why I'm saying "Tales From Topographic Oceans".

(Shit, the same thing happens for that one? No way. How about "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway"? Bollocks. I Alan Davies. I'll get me coat.)

Actually this was a double vinyl, but only single CD. Does that count?

London Calling obv.

It's what double albums were invented for. Room to explore ideas. All Along The Watchtower, Voodoo Chile, Crosstown Traffic etc.

White Album is one of my favourite ever albums. Flawed though it is, I can't imagine it any other way and wouldn't want to change it.

It's the usual 'classic' albums I guess. Can't think of a less obvious one.

Don't laugh. When I was 11, ELO meant everything to me!

It showcases every facet of Led Zeppelin's music. The cosmic majesty of Kashmir, the horny funk of Trampled Underfoot, the tenderness of Ten Years Gone, the hard rock oomph of Sick Again. If you were going to try to convince someone of Led Zeppelin's greatness, this is the album to choose.

Peggy Suicide is a cracking album.

They released two of the great U.S. "underground" albums, Husker Du's "Zen Arcade" and the Minutemen's "Double Nickels on the Dime". Both are excellent in their own ways and well worth investigating.

for prog consistency : IQ - Subterranea
for keeping the mood : Kate Bush - Aerial
for consistent pottiness : Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down

I'm actually really fond of double albums, I find them strangely thrilling. All that extra music, for no real reason!

Couple of classics no-one's mentioned as I type - Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' (although perhaps a turkey to many) and Dylan's 'Blonde on Blonde'.

I wouldn't want these to go unsung...
Kate Bush: 'Aerial'
Lambchop: 'Aw C'mon'/'No, You C'mon'

...and a really good new-ish one for prog-metal fans:
Hammers of Misfortune: 'Fields'/'Church of Broken Glass'

Although both this one and the Lambchop record each feel a bit like two albums bolted together, I think they are 'true' doubles in that they still have a common 'sound' and you can't buy the two halves separately.

Blonde On Blonde. How could I forget?

There's a lot of live doubles out there too:

David Live
Song Remains The Same
Love you Live

Not all good , mind you.

The Double Live album was always the way to go. And Rory did live better than 'most everyone.

As for the White Album - what was it McCartney said when asked this question? Something like, "Fuck off, it's The Beatle's White Album, isn't it?"

So true.

Abbatoir Blues/ Lyre of Orpheus.

Is that a double, or is it two albums?

Human Touch / Lucky Town

Is that a double, or is it two albums?

Use Your Illusion I & II.

Is that a double......ok I'll shut up now....

...that I'm familiar with I concur with:
The White Album
Exile On Main St.
Electric Ladyland
London Calling
Blonde On Blonde
Physical Graffiti
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

and add:
The River
Tommy

Must be the only 'official' bootleg double to be a classic for all sorts of reasons - the acoustic/electric scandal; 'Judasgate'; definitive versions of previously released songs. Oh, and the fact that the venue was Manchseter's Free Trade Hall and not, as the title has it, the repository of Adolf's 'other' testicle.

Mellan Collie & The Infinite Sadness

Just incredible. All the madness of Billy Corgan spewed out over 90 minutes ( at least!).

Also, Superunknown by Soundgarden. It was a single CD, but it would never have fitted on two sides of vinyl. 75 minutes of the sound of hell. I'm going to listen to it now!

"Everything Picture" - an extraordinary record - their debut (and sadly only) album. Deleted now, but you can pick it up for a few coins on Amazon Marketplace.

The Wall - Pink Floyd

Best one and a half album is Works Vol 1 by Emerson Lake & Palmer. The missing half is the bit Carl Palmer bashed out.

Although I would dock points for the unexpected nasty shock of Revolution No 9...

Trout Mask Replica
Wee Tam and The Big Huge

Most of the best ones have already been mentioned except for Little Feat's "Waiting For Columbus" - started life as a double (vinyl) then a single (cd) and now a double again (yay! - still cd). So I was perusing the collection and started wondering about the many doubles of Frank Zappa. From the vinyl era alone we've got:-
Uncle Meat
200 Motels
Roxy & Elsewhere
Sheik Yerbouti
Joe's Garage (Acts 2 & 3)
Tinseltown Rebellion
Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (Triple!)
You Are What You Is
Them Or Us
& Thing-Fish (Another triple).

After which we move into the CD era where for FZ double was pretty much the default setting.
Apart from the likes of Grateful Dead live sets (I'm thinking Dick's Picks etc.) has any other rock band issued as many multi-disc official releases?

I have returned to this album recently, gingerly at first as I thought it might have been a stoner folly that I had fallen for purely through being an impressional adolescent, but listening as dispassionately as I can now I still say it's an absolute masterpiece. Much, much better than the other big double album of the time, Screamadelica, that's for sure.

Music To Eat - the entire Ottoman Empire

Intrigued to see The Wall mentioned a couple of times above. Much as I love most of The Floyd, I've always regarded The Wall as something of an unlovable bloated nadir, all harsh and petulant, rendered almost unlistenable by Roger Waters's angst. Pink Floyd with all of the Pink sucked out. Have I been wrong all these years, then?

Fleetwod Mac's Tusk. It's fantastic.

I have to say that I can think of no studio double that entirely cuts the mustard.
Live there are tons, cos the live experience includes the turkeys for accuracy. I will suffice with Van's "Too late to stop now".
P.S. How many current "single" CDs would fit on 2 sides of vinyl. A: v few, probably explaining the dearth of fully and entirely decent CDs

Genesis - Lamb lies down
Pink Floyd - The Wall
This Mortal Coil - Filigree & Shadow

Each of these probably only has a handful of outstanding individual tracks but as collective, dare I say it, concepts, they work for me.

Live & Dangerous by Thin Lizzy has got to get a mention.

by Pink Floyd.

- whaddaya mean it's only a single album?
It feels like a triple if you listen to it.

The madness and youth of Townshend played out in the mind of a pilled up Mod.

Sandinista! - At the very end of the sixth side, was anyone really prepared for a school choir to sing "Career Opportunities"?

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More From The Road. Greatest live album ever and also "Stage" - Bowie's live Low era offering. Brilliant

Depeche Mode's 101 - brilliant live album, showed them off as not just another synthpop band but storming live stadium-fillers

New Order - Substance 1987. When I was 14 and couldn't afford all their back catalogue this got endless rotation and is an amazing portfolio of their progression through Joy Division-esque grimness to shiny synthpop to jangly guitar pop.

Mentions also for The Wall and The White Album, but much said about them already.

. . . To Stop Now!

Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the key of life". Any album which contains "Village Ghetto Land", "Passtime Paradise" and "Sir Duke" has to be considered an absolute classic.

I have to nominate On Your Feet Or On Your Knees. Umlauts and all.

Aye, it's a live album which - as others have noted - maybe disqualifies it, but it's beautiful and atmospheric and never dull and is pretty much all you'll ever need from Japan on two perfect discs.

But I will second (or third or fourth) any mention of The Clash London Calling, which is one of the few albums I can say without hesitation is in my top ten albums.

The Who Quadrophenia is another I can say without hesitation.

And New Order Substance is the other.

All three show bands at the peak of their powers and although future releases by them maintained that peak I don't think they ever bettered them, before or after.

Scarylooking dame in powder-blue suit on the cover...Coke psychosis, terrified performance. Alan Partridge might say it's ,'lovely stuff,' and he'd be right...

A thing of beauty in it's original double vinyl form, even more wonderful in its much expanded CD form. A whopping 33 very fine live performances. Arguably the only thing you need from this lot.

Must second the aforementioned Julian Cope. Peggy Suicide is a cracker and Jeovahkill is even better given the sheer madness involved in etching a stone circle on the fourth side. Any wonder Island dropped him soon after?

Peggy Suicide and Songs in the Key of Life - both are great. The other one that I had forgotten is Van Morrisons Hymns to the Silence which is not usually mentioned in his best ofs but is a personal favourite from his er extensive repertoire.

Yes, unorthodox provenance and all that, but it's a unique document whose greatness is undiminished for being recognised by the fans before The Man.

Daydream Nation

David Sylvian - Gone To Earth
Genesis - Seconds Out
Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide
Stones - Exile On Main Street
Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key of Life
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

and a special nod for a great triple:

The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

Prince - Sign O' The Times
Tim Buckley - Dream Letter : Live In London 1968
The Cure - Faith/Carnage Visors
Husker Du - Warehouse : Songs And Stories

Comes Alive!
Hello San Francisco

...the previously mentioned London Calling and The River but if we're allowing live double albums I'd make a case for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band's "Nine Tonight". The crowd noise is a bit clumsily mixed in at times but it's a great selection of songs well performed.

English Settlement or Oranges and Lemons (not Nonsuch, should have been a single lp that one). Does a double have to have a gatefold sleeve though??

Worst would be either Welcome to the Pleasuredome or Now Thats...vol.1 - whatever it went to on vinyl.

Any love for "Something / Anything?" The first three sides of solo Todd are the best, and some of side 4 hasn't aged well, but overall this is a great album. I also like "Todd" and "Back To The Bars".

Other favourites, already mentioned are:

Tales From Topographic Oceans (seriously!)
The Lamb Lies Down
Quadrophenia

And a live one that nobody has mentioned yet, but which is bloody marvellous ...

Playing The Fool (Gentle Giant)

Frankly, any answer other than The White Album is just trying to look clever. Sometimes, and this is one of those times, the obvious choice is the correct choice. Blonde on Blonde is really more like an album and a half in terms of running time, as is London Calling; Zen Arcade is padded with that unlistenable psych freakout; Odessa has its moments but come on, it's a folly; Exile on Main Street is fantastic but at the end of the day, the Stones just aren't quite the Beatles, are they?

...allow me to agree with the smart person above and state that 69 Love Songs, if somehow compressed onto 2 discs, would give the Fabs a serious run for their money.