Joe Jackson did kick some serious ass, although he got a bit whimpy in the late 80's.
On the heavier side:
Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
On the prog side:
Gentle Giant - Three Friends
On the alt country side:
Drive By Truckers - Pizza Deliverance
On the cool jazz side:
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
On the fusion jazz side:
Weather Report - Black Market
On the latin jazz side:
Irakere - Irakere
On the "What the fuck was that?" side:
Frank Zappa - Weasels Ripped My Flesh
American Beauty was probably the best studio album by the Dead.
[rant] Ok, I like the Grateful Dead. I went to several of their shows and had a blast every time. But what the fuck is up with deadheads who have nothing in their car or apartment to listen to but live Dead tapes and maybe a stray Canned Heat/Joan Baez/Washedup60sband to listen to? Christ people, they're a good band but not the be-all and end-all!!! [/rant]