A lot of people can and do work when music is playing in the background. For some like those in retail, fast food, medical, dental, heavy labor, manufacturing background music is what keeps you from going postal. But if you are doing creative professional work artistic painting, writing books and articles, computer graphics, website coding, and the like all professions that require some training in order to accomplish anything, then your chosen soundtrack must help, not detract you. For example, while AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, ZZ Top or any of hundreds of successful guitar-oriented bands might top your iPod playlists; stopping your work to play air guitar doesnt pay the bills. If youre singing all of the words to Stairway to Heaven, Bohemian Rhapsody, or Baby Got Back, youre not getting much work done. If youre visibly grooving to the sounds of Motown or Funkadelic, youre a distraction to those around you. That doesnt mean that the music you listen to has to be all Musak. Instrumentals are the biggest part of this list, but several of the albums listed include vocals of some sort. Others come from sources that you might not expect, playing instruments that youve not heard (or heard of) before. Most of this list has a New Age bent, but if it works, it works. So pop on the headphones and lets get the muse going, shall we?