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In a poll conducted by the British Library, MPs responded with a diverse range of top album picks. Topping the list of number ones albums chosen by MPs was Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II, followed closely by three Beatles albums, including Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport Tessa Jowell MP’s favourite, and Michael Howard MP’s pick, The Beatles - known as 'The White Album'.

"Zeppelin made a new kind of music. They created a genre which many have copied but no-one has equalled. And 'Whole Lotta Love' is the greatest rock song ever,” said Lembit Opik MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Wales.

John Robertson MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Music selected Deep Purple's Machine Head (22 Apr 1972) and commented, “Best rock band of the last 50 years. I was present in Green's Playhouse in Glasgow in 1970 when they set the Guiness Book of Records for the loudest performance (at the time of the "Deep Purple in Rock" concert). Ian Gillan, as lead singer, gave the band a range of vocals no other group has, in my opinion, ever matched. Machine Head was their most commercial album but every track a classic."

From the first number one, Sinatra’s Songs for Swinging Lovers, visitors can choose from over 10,000 tracks and discover how musical tastes have changed over the last half century. There is something for everyone with famous musicals, crooners, the original rock and roll kings Elvis and Bill Haley; pop and rock gods the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, David Bowie; boy and girl bands such as the Spice Girls and Take That as well as this year’s new stars the Arctic Monkeys and Gnarls Barkley.

For many years it was assumed that the first album chart dated from 1958, but recent research, with help from the British Library collections, revealed album charts in existence from July 1956.

Listen to your favourite summer sounds and discover some golden oldies as well as the latest stars in this audio display celebrating the 50th anniversary of the album charts. From the first number one, Frank Sinatra's Songs for Swinging Lovers, visitors can choose from over 10,000 tracks and discover how musical tastes have changed over the last half century.

There is something for everyone with famous musicals, crooners, the original rock and roll kings Elvis and Bill Haley; pop and rock gods the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd; David Bowie, boy and girl bands such as the Spice Girls and Take That as well as this year's new stars the Arctic Monkeys and Gnarls Barkley.

Each of the albums that reached the Number One spot in the charts will be available at a number of listening stations in the Library entrance hall.

Pop Goes The Library - 50 Years of the Album Charts is ongoing (until 31 December) in the Entrance Hall of The British Library is supported by the Official Chart Company.

The new British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom - and one of the world's greatest libraries. The library currently includes 150 million items, in most known languages, with 3 million new items: including a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland, as well as CD, DVD and mini-disc material - being incorporated into the collection every year. If you’re not in London readers can experience the British Library online at www.bl.uk and also help the British Library conserve the world's knowledge by visiting Adopt a Book.

Admission to all British Library displays is free. The Library's St Pancras site is fully WiFi – enabled.

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