No live records or comps for this list-although half live/half studio can qualify.

For me these come to mind:

Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti (the very best double LP in my mind)
Chicago-Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago-Chicago III
Chicago-Chicago VII (I'm skipping Chicago II as I think there's some real crap amidst the genius)
Smashing Pumpkins-Melon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
Genesis-The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Bruce Hornsby-Spirit Trail
Marillion-Marbles
Rolling Stones-Exile On Main Street
Santana-Moonflower
Pink Floyd-The Wall
Bruce Springsteen-The River
The Clash-London Calling
Miles Davis-Bitch's Brew
Stevie Wonder-Songs In The Key Of Life
ELO-Out Of The Blue
The Cure-Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
The Beatles-The Beatles (White Album)
Allman Brothers Band-Eat A Peach
Prince-Sign o' The Times
The Who-Quadrophenia
Wilco-Being There
Yes-Tales From Topographic Oceans
Frank Zappa-Sheik Yerbouti
Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Those are the ones I could think of-there are plenty of other doubles I thought of that I just don't care for, so by all means let me know your thoughts, and I'd be curious to see how many we all like together.

Cream - Wheels of Fire
Stephen Stills - Mananssas
Byrds - Untitled
Love - Out Here
Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
EL&P - Works
The Who - Tommy
Miles Davis - Get Up With It
Pink Floyd - Ummagumma
Small Faces - The Autumn Stone

Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation
Minutemen-Double Nickels on the Dime
Husker Du-Zen Arcade

Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix Experience
Uncle Meat - Mothers of Invention
Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart
Wheels of Fire - Cream
Exile on Main St - Rolling Stones
The Beatles - The Beatles
All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
Preservation Act 2 - Kinks
Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar - Frank Zappa
Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa
Sometime in New York City - John Lennon
Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan
Living In the Past - Jethro Tull
Quadrophenia - Who
Layla - Derek & the Dominos
Freak Out - Mothers of Invention
You Are What You Is - Frank Zappa
Sheik Yerbouti - Frank Zappa

Jesus Christ Superstar (original studio recording)

The only soul doubles that I can think of are:

Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder

and one I never heard:

Journey in the Secret Life of Plants - Stevie Wonder

In hip hop:

Life After Death - Notorious BIG

In rock fusion:

The Swing of Delight - Carlos Santana (don't remember if it was a double)

Chicago Transit Authority gets my vote. Love that album.

Close behind are Stephen Stills' Manassas, Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything, and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. Fleetwood Mac's Tusk and the Stones' Exile are up there, too.

Fleetwood Mac - Blues Jam In Chicago

Canned Heat - Livin' the Blues

how about a 3-sided double album...

Johnny Winter - Second Winter

i can still recall my jaw dropping as a kid when i got that home and pulled out album #2 to see the fully "blank" side 4. i'd never seen such a thing before, nor since. It was priced closer to a single album price than a double, at that time. I'm just real glad they didn't scale it back to a single album and leave any of those songs off. And the Sony Legacy 2-cd deluxe issue from a couple of years back is a must have. There's a couple of studio outtakes and then a whole cd of a live gig from that era. Yum-yum, eat 'em up (if you're too young to have seen the Little Rascals, don't even ask....)

add:
"london calling"
"sign o' the times"
"blonde on blonde"
THE hendrix album

& thats my choice too

I glad to see Canned Heat's - Livin the Blues was added. I just came here to do that. What an under-rated band Canned Heat was/is (still around with the almost original drummer)

Might as well add Hooker N' Heat - John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat (Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson's last studio recordings)

Joe Jackson's Big World was issued as a 3-sided album back in 1986.

Joan Armatrading's How Cruel EP was issued as a 1-sided 12" record. Only 4 songs, never understood why they didn't just put 2 songs on each side--unless it was purely for the novelty aspect.

I think I have a 3 sided Graham Parker LP also. Haven't played it in 20 - 25 years.

How about an LP that #1 was on the pop album chart for months in 67?

Diana Ross and the Supremes "Greatest Hits"

That was one of my Christmas gifts that year, and the mono records were played endlessly. My best friend was fortunate enough to get the stereo version with the warmer remasters.

--I agree with almost all of the above listed

Dan Fogelberg--The Innocent Age
Johnny Cash--American IV (issued as a double LP)
Metallica--Metallica; The Black Album (issued as a double LP)
Elton John--Blue Moves
Frank Zappa--Them or Us
Frank Zappa--Tinseltown Rebelion
Ryan Adams--Gold (issued as a double LP)
Lucinda Williams--World Without Tears (issued as a double LP)
Yes--Tales From Topographic Oceans

Just chiming in to enthusiastically double these already-listed albums:

Beatles - The Beatles (White Album)
Chicago - Chicago Transit Authority
Clash - London Calling
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

Another early double LP gem:

The Miracles "Greatest Hits from the Beginning"

I recall the older college students having this in their collections, particularly one music major whose normal preference was Dylan....

He may have read the quote by Dylan calling Smokey Robinson "one of the finest poets in the English language today".

Bingo!

"The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is superb word manipulation (although not included in the Miracles first hits collection).

I always liked "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" and evidently Patti Smith does too. I've got a boot called "Radio Free Music Store" where she performed it live, as well as early versions of "Space Monkey", "Set Me Free", etc. A nice period piece....

James:
I was only looking for studio albums-not best ofs, so that's probably why your choices weren't on there.

I'll let my avatar do the talking

oh well, I still run with scissors too....

It's funny how those two pop up in my mind when double album sets are mentioned. These sets were so exceptional for their time that "compilation" doesn't seem to apply.

A late addition which came out after this topic was started:

22 Dreams -- Paul Weller

(And this is the 22nd post in the thread, as it happens!)