Today’s list that’s going around some blogs that I read: List the albums you like most from each year that you’ve been alive. It sounds simple, right? But in making a list like this, you realize things about yourself, like how Aerosmith’s peak for me came right around the year I was born, even though I didn’t really hear them until many years later. And how 2004 was something of a weak year for my personal canon, while 1989 was a really huge year for it, one where I had to pick between Like A Prayer, Doolittle, Cocked & Loaded, Full Moon Fever, and the album I finally wound up selecting. Anyway, peruse my list after the jump–Anthony made one too–and feel free to pick mine apart/make your own, although I should warn you that it took me a while to do. (I’m usually loath to use Wikipedia as a source, but its lists of album releases were helpful to cross-reference with Amazon, as were the Pazz & Jop rundowns on Robert Christgau’s site.) If people enjoy this exercise, maybe we’ll do singles lists next week! Or, hell, runners-up lists, since some of these “best” decisions were a lot harder than others.
1975 - Aerosmith, Toys In The Attic
1976 - Aerosmith, Rocks
1977 - Wire, Pink Flag
1978 - Van Halen
1979 - The Raincoats
1980 - Various artists, Wanna Buy A Bridge? comp
1981 - Motley Crue, Too Fast For Love
1982 - Michael Jackson, Thriller
1983 - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Dazzle Ships
1984 - Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain
1985 - The Jesus & Mary Chain, Psychocandy
1986 - Janet Jackson, Control
1987 - Guns N’ Roses, Appetite For Destruction
1988 - Pixies, Surfer Rosa
1989 - Faith No More, The Real Thing
1990 - Mother Love Bone, Apple
(This is the point where things started getting tough, like three-solid-contenders-per-year tough.)
1991 - Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger
1992 - Unrest, Imperial ffrr
1993 - Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen
1994 - Pram, Helium
1995 - Helium, The Dirt Of Luck
1996 - Olivia Tremor Control, Music From The Unrealized Film Script Dusk At Cubist Castle
1997 - Built To Spill, Perfect From Now On
1998 - Pulp, This Is Hardcore
(Here the toughness subsides. Draw your own conclusions as to why.)
1999 - Mr. Bungle, California
2000 - PJ Harvey, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
2001 - Aveo, Bridge To The Northern Lights
2002 - Ikara Colt, Chat And Business
2003 - S Prcss, MNML
2004 - Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Please Describe Yourself
2005 - Celebration
2006 - Scritti Politti, White Bread, Black Beer
2007 - Siobhan Donaghy, Ghosts
2008 - Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Vol. 1
A thing to do. [bg5000]
1981: DNA - A Taste of DNA
1982: Flipper - Generic Flipper
1983: R.E.M. - Murmur
1984: Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?
1985: Double Dee & Steinski - The Payoff Mix/Lesson Two/Lesson 3
1986: The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
1987: Prince - Sign “O” the Times
1988: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
1989: De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising / Pixies - Doolittle
1990: Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
1991: A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
1992: Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
1993: Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville / De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
1994: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1995: PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
1996: DJ Shadow - Endtroducing… DJ Shadow / Sleater-Kinney - Call the Doctor
1997: Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
1998: Outkast - Aquemeni
1999: The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
2000: Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
2001: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot - Miss E… So Addictive
2002: Sleater-Kinney - One Beat
2003: The Wrens - The Meadowlands
2004: Brian Wilson - SMiLe
2005: The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart
2006: Ghostface Killah - Fishscale / Ornette Coleman - Sound Grammar
2007: Burial - Untrue
2008: Portishead - Third
Some heartbreaking omissions, some indecisiveness (hence the occasional double listing), some e.p.s, and kind of a lot of repetition. The mid- to late-1980s were particularly great years for albums I’m obsessed with, and the early 80’s and early 2000’s pretty damn barren. Fun meme.
71: Sly & The Family Stone, There’s A Riot Goin’ On
72: Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street
73: New York Dolls, s/t
74: Big Star, Radio City
75: Brian Eno, Another Green World
76: Ramones, s/t
77: Clash, s/t
78: Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings And Food
79: Clash, London Calling
80: The Beat, I Just Can’t Stop It
81: Elvis Costello, Trust
82: Richard & Linda Thompson, Shoot Out The Lights
83: Violent Femmes, s/t
84: Minutemen, Double Nickels On The Dime
85: Replacements, Tim
86: XTC, Skylarking
87: Prince, Sign ‘O’ The Times
88: Pixies, Surfer Rosa
89: De La Soul, 3 Feet High And Rising
90: Yo La Tengo, Fakebook
91: A Tribe Called Quest, Low End Theory
92: Freedy Johnston, Can You Fly
93: Liz Phair, Exile In Guyville
94: Nirvana, MTV Unplugged
95: Elastica, s/t
96: Belle & Sebastian, If You’re Feeling Sinister
97: Pavement, Brighten The Corners
98: Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
99: Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
00: New Pornographers, Mass Romantic
01: Old 97s, Satellite Rides
02: Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
03: Fountains Of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers
04: DJ Danger Mouse, The Grey Album
05: Kanye West, Late Registration
06: Yo La Tengo, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
07: M.I.A., Kala
08: ???
Hi, guys!
1979: The Clash - London Calling
1980: X - Los Angeles
1981: Dead Kennedys - In God We Trust, Inc.
1982: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
1983: Wild Style soundtrack
1984: Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime
1985: Husker Du - New Day Rising
1986: Run-DMC - Raising Hell
1987: Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
1988: Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
1989: Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
1990: Brand Nubian - One For All
1991: Nirvana - Nervermind
1992: Diamond And The Psychotic Neurotics - Stunts, Blunts And Hip Hop
1993: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1994: Beck - Mellow Gold
1995: Faith No More - King For A Day… Fool For A Lifetime
1996: Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
1997: Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
1998: Boredoms - Super Ae
1999: Old Dirty Bastard - N**** Please
2000: Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
2001: Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
2002: Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
2003: David Banner - Mississippi: The Album
2004: Kanye West - The College Dropout
2005: Dalek - Absence
2006: Girl Talk - Night Ripper
2007: Battles - Mirrored
2008: Portishead - Third
1982- TALK TALK- the party’s over
1983- COCTEAU TWINS- head over heels
1984- MADNESS- keep moving
1985- THE SMITHS- meat is murder
1986- THE SMITHS- the queen is dead
1987- NEW ORDER- substance
1988- MY BLOODY VALENTINE- isn’t anything
1989- PIXIES- doolittle
1990- HAPPY MONDAYS- pills ‘n’ thrills and bellyaches
1991- MASSIVE ATTACK- blue lines
1992- PAVEMENT- slanted and enchanted
1993- BLUR- modern life is rubbish
1994- BLUR- parklife
1995- PULP- different class
1996- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN- tigermilk
1997- RADIOHEAD- o.k. computer
1998- AIR- moon safari
1999- BLUR- 13
2000- PRIMAL SCREAM- xtrmntr
2001- GORILLAZ- gorillaz
2002- DOVES- the last broadcast
2003- BLUR- think tank
2004- TV ON THE RADIO- desperate youth, thirsty babes
2005- GORILLAZ- demon days
2006- GNARLS BARKLEY- st. elsewhere
2007- THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE QUEEN- the good the bad and the queen
2008- M83- saturdays= youth
Umm looks like Wilco had 2002 on lockdown! I don’t get it myself, I stand by my Doves.
Here comes the old fart with his not very cool list, which is missing several crucial titles (1969 and 1986, were especially difficult to bring down to a sole album) but I’ll share it with you guys, nonetheless.
Cheers!
1966 - THE BEATLES Revolver
1967 - THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Are You Experienced?
1968 - THE BEATLES ‘The White Album’
1969 - THE BEATLES Abbey Road (*all-time fave)
1970 - PAUL McCARTNEY McCartney
1971 - TODD RUNDGREN Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren
1972 - YES Close to the Edge
1973 - PINK FLOYD Dark Side of the Moon
1974 - KING CRIMSON Red
1975 - LED ZEPPELIN Physical Grafitti
1976 - PETER FRAMPTON Frampton Comes Alive
1977 - SEX PISTOLS Nevermind the Bollocks…
1978 - VAN HALEN [self-titled]
1979 - THE POLICE Zenyatta Mondatta
1980 - THE PRETENDERS [self-titled]
1981 - KING CRIMSON Discipline
1982 - RUSH Signals
1983 - YES 90125
1984 - THE SMITHS Hatful of Hollow
1985 - SCRITTI POLITTI Cupid and Psyche ‘85
1986 - PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED Album
1987 - GUNS N’ ROSES Appetite For Destruction
1988 - LIVING COLOUR Vivid
1989 - XTC Oranges and Lemons
1990 - JANE’S ADDICTION Ritual de lo Habitual
1991 - NIRVANA Nevermind
1992 - PAUL WELLER [self-titled]
1993 - JELLYFISH Spilt Milk
1994 - SOUNDGARDEN Superunknown
1995 - FOO FIGHTERS [self-titled]
1996 - THE POSIES Amazing Disgrace
1997 - RADIOHEAD OK Computer
1998 - BECK Mutations
1999 - THE FLAMING LIPS The Soft Bulletin
2000 - AIMEE MANN Bachelor No.2
2001 - DAVE NAVARRO Trust No One
2002 - BECK Sea Change
2003 - NADA SURF Let Go
2004 - MATTHEW SWEET Kimi Ga Suki
2005 - BECK Guero
2006 - THE LEMONHEADS [self-titled]
2007 - THE NOISETTES What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?
@moomintroll:
Yeah, it was tough choosing between Sea Change and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but Beck won out in the end.
this might need some refining–seriously, i can’t remember anything i really liked in 2004–but here’s my list:
81- the au pairs, playing with a different sex
82- x, under the big black sun
83- the eurythmics, touch
84- the bangles, all over the place
85- suzanne vega, suzanne vega
86- madonna, true blue
87- bruce springsteen, tunnel of love
88- my bloody valentine, isn’t anything
89- the vaselines, the way of the vaselines
90- sinead o’connor, i do not want what i haven’t got
91- richard thompson, rumor and sigh
92- en vogue, funky divas
93- belly, star
94- portishead, dummy
95- elastica, elastica
96- everything but the girl, walking wounded
97- sleater-kiiney, dig me out
98- pulp, this is hardcore
99- the magnetic fields, 69 love songs
00- cat power, the covers record
01- ladytron, 604
02- missy elliott, under construction
03- the all-girl summer fun band, 2
04- the blood brothers, crimes
05- antony and the johnsons, i am a bird now
06- the knife, silent shout
07- mia, kala
08- the kills, midnight boom
86- XTC- Skylarking
87- Pixies- Come On Pilgrim
88- Pixies- Surfer Rosa
89- B-52’s- Cosmic Thing
90- The Breeders- Pod
91- Nirvana- Nevermind
92- The Sugarcubes- Stick Around for Joy
93- Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream
94- Built to Spill- There’s Nothing Wrong With Love
95- Bjork- Post
96- Beck- Odelay
97- Sleater-Kinney- Dig Me Out
98- Sean Lennon- Into the Sun
99- Cibo Matto- Stereotype A
00- No Doubt- Return of Saturn
01- Res- How I Do
02- Sleater-Kinney- One Beat
03- Enon- Hocus Pocus
04- Sonic Youth- Sonic Nurse
05- The New Pornographers- Twin Cinema
06- Gwen Stefani- The Sweet Escape
07- Britney Spears- Blackout
08- The Breeders- Mountain Battles
You guys are awesome! Too bad my ADD prevents me doing lists unless I’m getting paid.
1984 - Purple Rain/Prince
1985 - Whitney Houston/Whitney Houston
1986 - Control/Janet Jackson
1987 - Sign O’ the Times/Prince
1988 - Forerver Your Girl/Paula Abdul
1989 - Rhythm Nation 1814/Janet Jackson
1990 - The Immaculate Collection/Madonna
The beginning of my “what’s with you and all this ‘white people music’” period [save Mary J.'s album of course]:
1991 - Nevermind/Nirvana
1992 - What’s the 411?/Mary J. Blige
1993 - In Utero/Nirvana
1994 - MTV: Unplugged in New York/Nirvana
Junior High School living with only the finest and/or best commercial/popular hip-hop and R&B:
1995 - CraxySexyCool/TLC
1996 - All Eyez on Me/2Pac
1997 - Supa Dupa Fly/Missy Elliot
The start of my ongoing teenage love affair with the musical output of Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor.[Also known as the "dark years"]:
1998 - Mechanical Animals/Marilyn Manson
1999 - The Fragile/Nine Inch Nails
Older, wiser, the coming of college:
2000 - I Am Shelby Lynne/Shelby Lynne
2001 - The Blueprint/Jay-Z
“Look at me, I’m a college student. I work for my radio station. I know good music. I fancy myself a real music critic”:
2002 - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot/Wilco
2003 - Elephant/The White Stripes
2004 - Good News for People Who Love Bad News/Modest Mouse
2005 - The Best Party Ever/The Boy Least Likely To
2006 - Rabbit Furcoat - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
2007 - Hissing Fauana, Are you the Destroyer?/Of Montreal
2008 - [Dunno yet. But if I had to pick an album right now, it would probably be Miss Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Pt.1 : 4th World War
To everyone born in 1971: no one’s feeling Joni Mitchell’s Blue?
And I’m a little sad to see so little Stevie Wonder up here, as well, I was born after he started going downhill, but everything pre-1976 seems to me like it should get a shoutout.
Jess, love you for putting Talking Heads’ Remain In Light on your list….
This list got really hard for me after 2000. I wonder if its because time hasn’t already acted as a natural filter, as it has for the 80s and 90s. What strikes me about this list is that there is only one rap album (for some reason, most rap just didn’t hold up for me, even though I went through periods where that was all I listened to) and how many of these albums I didn’t even buy when they first came out. Anyway, here’s my contribution:
1974 - David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
1975 - Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
1976 - The Ramones - S/T
1977 - Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks
1978 - Elvis Costello and the Attractions - This Year’s Model
1979 - The Clash - London Calling
1980 - X - Los Angeles
1981 - The Go-Gos - Beauty and the Beat
1982 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
1983 - U2 - War
1984 - Prince - Purple Rain
1985 - Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
1986 - Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
1987 - Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses
1988 - Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1989 - Pixies - Doolittle
1990 - Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 - Nirvana - Nevermind
1992 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
1993 - James - Laid
1994 - Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
1995 - Radiohead - The Bends
1996 - Weezer - Pinkerton
1997 - Foo Fighters - The Colour And The Shape
1998 - Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
1999 - Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left To Lose
2000 - The Strokes - Is This It?
2001 - The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
2002 - Libertines - Up The Bracket
2003 - The New Pornographers - Electric Version
2004 - Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005 - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
2006 - Silversun Pickups - Carnavas
2007 - Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2008 - Santogold - S/T
@Chris Molanphy: Sadly, I don’t think I can post my own list here, because it will reveal how old I am. Which is, probably too old to be liking the music I like…
Maybe I’ll just cheat and do a post-Nirvana list or somesuch…
glad somebody put ‘let it bee’ on their 1988 list. that album’s great.
@dippinkind: 1999 Dolly Parton? WTF? Did you go on a canoing trip and get kidnapped or something?
@friendslikeJimRome: Pack your stuff and get out.
@friendslikeJimRome: it might be her bes album ever and i still listen to it all the time, as should all right-thinkin people who like a little bluegrass and/or dolly’s sweet voice. wake up, son!
@Kate Richardson: Chill, I happen to like country and country rock a lot. Just surprised to see Dolly on a list that is mostly very similar to a list I would make. When I think of Dolly Parton singing, the only thing that comes to my mind is “Working Nine to Five.”
@friendslikeJimRome: yeah, that album is way better than 9 to 5, you should really give it a listen sometime
1983- R.E.M.: Murmur
1984- Husker Du: Zen Arcade
1985- Husker Du: Flip Your Wig
1986- Smiths: Queen is Dead
1987- Go-Betweens: Tallulah
1988- Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation
1989- Beastie Boys: Paul’s Boutique
1990- Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet
1991- De La Soul: Is Dead
1992- Pavement: Slanted and Enchanted
1993- Nirvana: In Utero
1994- Blur: Parklife
1995- Pavement: Wowee Zowee
1996- Sleater-Kinney: Call the Doctor
1997- Elliott Smith: Either/Or
1998- Refused: Shape of Punk to Come
1999- Sleater-Kinney: Hot Rock
2000- Modest Mouse: Moon & Antarctica
2001- Avalanches: Since I Left You
2002- Mr. Lif: I Phantom
2003- Blood Brothers: Burn, Piano Island, Burn
2004- Arcade Fire: Funeral
2005- Kanye West: Late Registration
2006- Ghostface Killah: Fishscale
Strongest Years: 2003, 1997, 1993, 1987
Weakest Years: 2001, 1998, 1995, 1985
Toughest Omissions: Let It Be, Songs About Fucking, Blue Lines, Rid Of Me, Le Tigre, Relationship of Command, White Blood Cells, Source Tags and Codes, Decoration Day, Madvillainy
Albums that make me wanna be older: Blonde on Blonde, Velvet Underground and Nico, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Blue, Radio City, Songs in the Key of Life, Entertainment, London Calling, B-52s, Dirty Mind
1972 Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St.
1973 Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
1974 Kiss - Kiss
1975 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
1976 Kiss - Rock and Roll Over
1977 Pink Floyd - Animals
1978 Elvis Costello and the Attractions - This Year’s Model
1979 Pink Floyd - The Wall
1980 AC/DC - Back in Black
1981 Prince - Controversy
1982 Prince - 1999
1983 The Police - Synchronicity
1984 Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
1985 John Mellencamp - Scarecrow
1986 Peter Gabriel - So
1987 Prince - Sign o’ the Times
1988 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
1989 Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
1990 Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
1991 Metallica - Metallica
1992 Alice in Chains - Dirt
1993 Pearl Jam -Vs.
1994 Soundgarden - Superunknown
1995 Garbage - Garbage
1996 Tori Amos - Boys for Pele
1997 Ani DiFranco - Living in Clip
1998 Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory
1999 Robbie Williams - The Ego Has Landed
2000 Pearl Jam - Binaural
2001 Bob Dylan - “Love and Theft”
2002 Dixie Chicks - Home
2003 Anthrax - We’ve Come for You All
2004 William Shatner - Has Been
2005 M.I.A. - Arular
2006 Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
2007 Little Big Town - A Place to Land
2008 Jamey Johnson - That Lonesome Song
Way too late, but I’d feel bad for trying and not following through. The hardest thing will be not listing my omissions and seconds and ties (because that would be ridiculously huge), but here’s the list.
1982 - thriller, michael jackson
1983 - shout at the devil, motley crue
1984 - the smiths, the smiths
1985 - brother in arms, dire straits
1986 - master of puppets, metallica
1987 - Diesel or dust, midnight oil
1988 - green, rem
1989 - the real thing, faith no more
1990 - ritual de lo habitual, jane’s addiction
1991 - sailing the seas of cheese, primus
1992 - psalm 69, ministry
1993 - undertow, tool
1994 - dulcinea, toad the wet sprocket
1995 - destroy erase improve, meshuggah
1996 - aenima, tool
1997 - ok computer, radiohead
1998 - hello Rockview, Less than Jake
1999 - metropolis pt. 2: scenes from a memory, dream theater
2000 - stories from the city, stories from the sea, pj harvey
2001 - lateralus, tool
2002 - el cielo, dredg
2003 - war all the time, thursday
2004 - miss machine, dillinger escape plan
2005 - good apollo, i’m burning star iv, volume one: from fear through the eyes of madness, coheed and cambria
2006 - the avalanche, sufjan stevens
2007 - colors, between the buried and me
2008 - obZen, meshuggah
late to the party, but im not gonna pass up any chance to make a list of albums, so…
1968: 1910 Fruitgum Co. - Goody Goody Gumdrops
1969: The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
1970: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
1971: John Prine - John Prine
1972: Sparks - A Woofer in Tweeter’s Clothing
1973 : Neu - Neu 2
1974 : Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
1975 : The Dictators - Go Girl Crazy !
1976 : Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
1977 : Wire - Pink Flag
1978 : Sham 69 - Tell Us The Truth
1979 : Devo - Duty Now For The Future
1980 : Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Off the Coast of Me
1981 : Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement
1982 : Altered Images - Pinky Blue
1983 : The Monochrome Set - Volume, Contrast, Brilliance
1984 : Husker Du - Zen Arcade
1985: Tex and the Horseheads - Life’s So Cool
1986: Flipper - Public Flipper Limited
1987 : Prince - Sign ‘o the Times
1988 : Dinosaur - Bug
1989 : Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
1990 : Yo La Tengo - Fakebook
1991 : Pegboy - Strong Reaction
1992 : Heavenly - Le Jardin de Heavenly
1993 : Tiger Trap - Tiger Trap
1994 : Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die
1995 : The 6ths - Wasps’ Nests
1996 : The Frogs - My Daughter The Broad
1997 : Ui - Lifelike
1998 : Aislers Set - Terrible Things Happen
1999 : Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
2000 : Alsace Lorraine - Through Small Windows
2001 : Andrew W.K. - I Get Wet
2002 : Ellery Eskelin with Andrea Parkins and Jim Black - 12 (+1) Imaginary Views
2003 : The Majesticons - Beauty Party
2004 : Pan Sonic - Kesto
2005 : M.I.A. - Arular
2006 : Leichtmetall - Wire Sind Blumen
2007 : Pine Hill Haints - Ghost Dance
Oh what the hell.
1979 Michael Jackson, “Off the Wall”
1980 Steely Dan, “Gaucho”
1981 Kraftwerk, “Computer World”
1982 Donald Fagen, “The Nightfly”
1983 Philip Glass, “Koyaanisqatsi”
1984 Prince, “Purple Rain”
1985 The Cure, “Staring at the Sea: The Singles”*
1986 XTC, “Skylarking”
1987 Fleetwood Mac, “Tango in the Night”
1988 Sonic Youth, “Daydream Nation”
1989 The Pixies, “Doolittle”
1990 The Sundays, “Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic”
1991 Talk Talk, “Laughing Stock”
1992 Pavement, “Slanted and Enchanted”
1993 Digable Planets, “Reachin’: A New Refutation of Time and Space”
1994 Pavement, “Crooked Rain Crooked Rain”
1995 Sonic Youth, “Washing Machine”
1996 Tortoise, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die”
1997 Stereolab, “Dots and Loops”
1998 Tortoise, “TNT”
1999 Sleater-Kinney, “The Hot Rock”
2000 Tara Jane O’Neil, “Peregrine”
2001 Life Without Buildings, “Any Other City”
2002 Interpol, “Turn on the Bright Lights”
2003 OutKast, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below”
2004 Erlend Oye, “DJ Kicks”
2005 Kelley Polar, “Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens”
2006 Girl Talk, “Night Ripper”
2007 Field Music, “Tones of Town”
*cheating a bit since this technically wasn’t released until early 1986, but it’s a comp that covers 1979-85, and I really couldn’t find any other candidates
Oh, and 2008 = Hercules and Love Affair
Rip Van Winkle checking in…
1965 The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966 The Beatles - Revolver
1967 The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
1968 Elvis Presley - NBC-TV Special
1969 The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970 The Beatles - Let It Be
1971 Yes - Fragile
1972 Roxy Music - Roxy Music
1973 Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle
1974 Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy)
1975 Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
1976 The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
1977 Steely Dan - Aja
1978 Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
1979 Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
1980 XTC - Black Sea
1981 The Teardrop Explodes - Wilder
1982 X - Under the Big Black Sun
1983 Echo and the Bunnymen - Porcupine
1984 Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth
1985 The Smiths - Meat is Murder
1986 XTC - Skylarking
1987 Microdisney - Crooked Mile
1988 Morrissey - Viva Hate
1989 The Blue Nile - Hats
1990 Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas
1991 The Jazz Butcher - Condition Blue
1992 XTC - Nonsuch
1993 The Fall - The Infotainment Scan
1994 The Fall - Middle Class Revolt
1995 Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five
1996 The Blue Nile - Peace at Last
1997 Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
1998 New Radicals - Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too
1999 The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
2000 Cathal Coughlan - Black River Falls
2001 The Dismemberment Plan - Change
2002 Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
2003 The Fall - The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)
2004 The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
2005 The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
2006 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
2007 Nicole Atkins - Neptune City
Um, yeah. So it’s only been FOUR MONTHS since the last post, but I simply can’t resist the concept. I don’t care if I’m the equivalent of a tree falling in an empty forest.
1980: Remain In Light (Talking Heads)
1981: Ghost In The Machine (The Police)
1982: Thriller (Michael Jackson)
1983: Texas Flood (Stevie Ray Vaughan)
1984: Like A Virgin (Madonna)
1985: Brothers In Arms (Dire Straits)
1986: So (Peter Gabriel)
1987: The Joshua Tree (U2)
1988: Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (Traveling Wilburys)
1989: Disintegration (The Cure)
1990: Ragged Glory (Neil Young)
1991: Achtung Baby (U2)
1992: Erotica (Madonna)
1993: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (Sarah McLachlan)
1994: Definitely Maybe (Oasis)
1995: Garbage (Garbage)
1996: Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Crow)
1997: The Colour And The Shape (Foo Fighters)
1998: Before These Crowded Streets (Dave Matthews Band)
1999: Play (Moby)
2000: Breach (The Wallflowers)
2001: Beautifulgarbage (Garbage)
2002: Heathen (David Bowie)
2003: Speakerboxxx / The Love Below (OutKast)
2004: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (U2)
2005: Souls Alike (Bonnie Raitt)
2006: I’m Not Dead (Pink)
2007: Little Voice (Sara Bareilles)
2008: Stop Drop And Roll!!! (Foxboro Hottubs)