Best album of every year since....

It's not Dirty Mind or Purple Rain or anything, and it's too long by half, but Emancipation is still probably his best '90s album.

I will ignore those Dylan comments.

so will I

*curious, rereads* Heh.

1963: Beatles, Please Please Me
1964: Beatles, A Hard Day's Night
1965: Beatles, Rubber Soul
1966: Kinks, Face To Face
1967: Velvet Underground, Velvet Underground & Nico
1968: Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet
1969: Velvet Underground, Velvet Underground
1970: Stooges, Fun House
1971: Led Zeppelin, IV
1972: Rolling Stones, Exile On Main Street (phbbt, 3rd least happy about this one)
1973: New York Dolls, New York Dolls
1974: Brian Eno, Here Come The Warm Jets
1975: Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks
1976: Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers
1977: Wire, Pink Flag
1978: Elvis Costello, This Years Model
1979: Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps
1980: Feelies, Crazy Rhythms
1981: Kix, Kix (for Chuck! For now! if only someone didn’t have my copy of Wild Gift…)
1982: Linda & Richard Thompson, Shoot Out The Lights
1983: REM, Murmur (aaaggghh!!! At this date, I am a SPUD! But even worse is coming…)
1984: Replacements, Let It Be
1985: Replacements, Tim
1986: Beastie Boys, Licenesed To Ill
1987: Prince, Sign ‘O’ The Times
1988: Public Enemy, It Takes A Nation Of Millions…
1989: B-52’s, Cosmic Thing
1990: Fugazi, Repeater
1991: Pixies, Trompe Le Monde
1992: Morrissey, Your Arsenal
1993: Urge Overkill, Saturation
1994: Pavement, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1995: Pavement, Wowee Zowee
1996: Dr. Octagon, Dr. Octagonecolgyst
1997: Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out
1998: Sonic Youth, A Thousand Leaves (my god, it may well be…what a shit year)
1999: LeTigre, LeTigre
2000: Radiohead, Kid A
2001: Fugazi, The Argument
2002: Desaparecidos Read Music/Speak Spanish

Plus, I'm learning a lot about what people like. Turns out, it's not such a walk for Sly Stone in 1971 as I thought. But everyone loves some Brian Eno!

and Sterling is a fool if he thinks I spent more than ten minutes on my lists

(here it becomes too tedious to continue...)

Beatles Revolver 1966
Monkees Headquarters 1967
Hendrix, Jimi Are You Experienced 1968
Blind Faith Blind Faith 1969
Stooges Funhouse 1970
Bowie, David Hunky Dory 1971
Reed, Lou Transformer 1972
Roxy Music For Your Pleasure 1973
Steely Dan Pretzel Logic 1974
Queen Night at the Opera 1975
15-60-75 Jimmy Bell's Still In Town 1976
Pop, Iggy The Idiot 1977
Pere Ubu Modern Dance 1978
Gang Of Four Entertainment! 1979
Pretenders Pretenders 1980
Stranglers La Folie 1981
Captain Beefheart Ice Cream For Crow 1982
Big Boys Lullabyes Help The Brain Grow 1983
Minutemen Double Nickles On The Dime 1984
Fall This Nation's Saving Grace 1985
Go Betweens Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express 1986
Dumptruck For The Country 1987
Firehose If'n 1988
My Dad is Dead Taller You Are, The Shorter You Get 1989
Blue Aeroplanes Swagger 1990
Jazz Butcher Condition Blue 1991
Reed, Lou Magic And Loss 1992
Morphine Cure for Pain 1993
Cole, Lloyd Bad Vibes 1994
Yo La Tengo ELECTR-O-PURA 1995
Scrawl Travel on, Rider 1996
Jonathan Fire Eater Wolf Songs For Lambs 1997
New Rob Robbies Pure Whore 1998
Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs 1999
Go-Betweens Friends of Rachel Worth 2000
Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out 2000

Oh yeah, ummm, here:
1967 - David Bowie s/t [Deram]

"Don't forget about the immortal classics "Tin Machine" and "Tin Machine 2" either then. :-)"

I didn't they're there.

1979; The Clash – London Calling
1980; Talking Heads – Remain in Light
1981;
1982;
1083;
1984; Cocteau Twins - Treasure
1985; Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
1986; Talk Talk – The Colour of Spring
1987; Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
1988; Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden / Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions…
1989; The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses / De La Soul – 3ft High and Rising
1990; Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet / Jane’s Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
1991; Massive Attack – Blue Lines / Talk Talk – Laughing Stock / My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
1992; Spiritualized – Laser Guided Melodies
1993; Orbital – Orbital (Brown) / The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps
1994; Blur – Parklife / Jeff Buckley – Grace / Bark Psychosis - Hex
1995; Tricky – Maxinquaye / The Verve – A Northern Soul
1996; Wilco – Being There / Orbital – In Sides / DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
1997; The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole / Spiritualized / Ladies and Gentlemen…
1998; Godspeed You Black Emperor! – F#A# [Infinity]
1999; Dismemberment Plan – Emergency & I
2000; Lambchop - Nixon
2001; Four Tet - Pause
2002; Lambchop – Is a Woman

Well, if you are into Talking Heads, I see no need stopping at "Remain In Light". "Speaking In Tongues", from one of your "empty" years, is a great album

Not going to start recommending all the great synthpop/new romantic stuff released in 81-83 (the stuff I grew up with!), as it seems that may not be your cup of tea anyway. :-)

Not that much, but I feel like their peak period wasn't until 1972-1977. And Beach Boys at their peak was just better, simply.

How about those of us who hate hip-hop and are not particularly keen on electronica, but which are also not particularly fond of traditional blues-based rock'n'roll in the vain of Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix or any 50s rock?

Again, I am a "popist", not a "rockist". :-)

my own list would be a combo of jess/matos/a nairn haha

Then, explain these:

1972: Genesis: Foxtrot
1973: Genesis: Selling England By The Pound
1974: Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
1976: Genesis: A Trick Of The Tail
1977: Genesis: Wind And Wuthering
1980: Japan: Gentlemen Take Polaroids
1981: Japan: Tin Drum
1983: Depeche Mode: Construction Time Again
1984: Depeche Mode: Some Great Reward
1985: Scritti Politti: Cupid & Psyche '85

But I find your choice perfectly apt.

Which means the best electronica album ever is pretty inconsistent.

1965: the Beatles, Rubber Soul; the Animals, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"
1966: the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds; the Temptations, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
1967: Love, Forever Changes; the Box Tops, "The Letter"
1968: Van Morrison, Astral Weeks; Dusty Springfield, "Son of a Preacher Man"
1969: The Band; the Jackson 5, "I Want You Back"
1970: the Velvet Underground, Loaded; James Taylor, "Fire and Rain"
1971: Joni Mitchell, Blue; Rod Stewart, "Reason to Believe"
1972: The Harder They Come; the Rolling Stones, "Tumbling Dice"
1973: Stevie Wonder, Innervisions; Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On"
1974: Big Star, Radio City; James Brown, "The Payback"
1975: Bob Dylan, Blood On the Tracks; Bruce Springsteen, "Thunder Road"
1976: The Modern Lovers; Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town"
1977: The Clash; the Emotions, "Best of My Love"
1978: Elvis Costello, This Year's Model; Buzzcocks, "Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't Have?)"
1979: Michael Jackson, Off the Wall; Chic, "Good Times"
1980: Talking Heads, Remain In Light; AC/DC, "You Shook Me All Night Long"
1981: Flipper, Album: Generic Flipper; Soft Cell, "Tainted Love"
1982: Richard & Linda Thompson, Shoot Out the Lights; Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Come On Eileen"
1983: Violent Femmes; the Police, "King of Pain"
1984: the Replacements, Let It Be; Prince & the Revolution, "When Doves Cry"
1985: Tom Waits, Rain Dogs; Simple Minds, "(Don't You) Forget About Me"
1986: Paul Simon, Graceland; New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"
1987: Erik B. & Rakim, Paid in Full; M/A/A/R/S, "Pump Up the Volume"
1988: Pixies, Surfer Rosa; Rob Base & DJ Easy Rock, "It Takes Two"
1989: Operation Ivy, Energy; De La Soul, "Me, Myself & I"
1990: Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted; Digital Underground, "The Humpty Dance"
1991: My Bloody Valentine, Loveless; Geto Boys, "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me"
1992: Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mecca & the Soul Brother; Nirvana, "Lithium"
1993: the Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen; Rage Against the Machine, "Killing In the Name Of"
1994: Portishead, Dummy; Freedy Johnston, "Bad Reputation"
1995: Bjork, Post; Smashing Pumpkins, "1979"
1996: DJ Shadow, Endtroducing.....; Underworld, "Born Slippy"
1997: Modest Mouse, The Lonesome Crowded West; Janet Jackson, "Got 'Til It's Gone"
1998: Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea; Jay-Z, "Hard Knock Life"
1999: Fiona Apple, When the Pawn...; LEN, "Steal My Sunshine"
2000: Ghostface Killah, Supreme Clientele; Outkast, "Ms. Jackson"
2001: Old 97's, Satellite Rides; Squarepusher, "My Red Hot Car"
2002: Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot; Eminem, "Lose Yourself"
2003: the White Stripes, Elephant; 50 Cent, "In Da Club"

Notes: This list was compiled going through my music and deciding what was a favorite per year. In cases where multiple favorites ended up in the same year, I generally went with the one I listened to the most. Other than the Elvis compilation, I steered clear from compilations. This took a bit of thinking and I don’t think I could complete one for just songs, I like too much instrumental music.

Very good years with multiple favorite records of mine are as follows: 1959, 1968-71, 1977-80, 1984, 1994, & 1996.

1983, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999 & 2002 are tough to fill.

(I probably should pick a Pole CD as I listened to 1, 2 & 3 for hours and hours at work while typing into the box, but how does one really tell them apart? The second one has more basslines and the third is a bit more drifty…I don’t know, it is all vague. I've also listened to a Monolake for hours on end, but I can't pick one.)

*There was quite a few great jazz albums released in 1959 – I went with “Kind of Blue” as I have listened to it the most, but check this list: Shape of Jazz to Come/Change of the Century – Ornette Coleman, Blues & Roots/Mingus Ah Um – Mingus, Sketches of Spain – Miles, At the Jazz Corner of the World/Art Blakey & Giant Steps – Coltrane.

Pre-1963 -- Two Steps From the Blues -- Bobby Bland
1963 -- Live From the Apollo -- James Brown
1964 -- Meet the Beatles -- The Beatles
1965 -- Highway 61 Revisited -- Dylan
1966 -- Big Hits -- Rolling Stones
1967 -- Velvet Underground and Nico
1968 -- Music From Big Pink -- The Band
1969 -- The Velvet Underground
1970 -- Greatest Hits -- Sly and the Family Stone
1971 -- Meaty, Beaty, Big, and Bouncy -- The Who
1972 -- The Harder They Come
1973 -- Call Me -- Al Green
1974 -- New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon
1975 -- Blood on the Tracks -- Bob Dylan
1976 -- Have Moicy! -- Unholy Modal Rounders/Michael Hurley/Jeffrey Fredericks and the Clamtones
1977 -- The Clash
1978 -- This Year's Model -- Elvis Costello
1979 -- Singles Going Steady -- Buzzcocks
1980 -- London Calling -- The Clash
1981 -- I Love Rock and Roll/Bad Reputation -- Joan Jett
1982 -- 1999 - Prince/Marshall Crenshaw
1983 -- Metal Circus -- Husker Du (best I can come up with, ugh)
1984 -- Let it Be -- Replacements
1985 -- Fear and Whiskey -- Mekons
1986 -- The Indestructabile beat of Soweto
1987 -- Sign O the Times -- Prince
1988 -- Nation of Millions -- Public Enemy
1989 -- 3 Feet High and Rising -- De La Soul (surprising myself with this)
1990 -- The Immaculate Collection -- Madonna
1991 - Guitar Paradise of East Africa
1992 -- Slanted and Enchanted -- Pavement
1993 -- In Utero -- Nirvana
1994 -- There's Nothing Wrong With Love -- Built to Spill/My Life -- Iris Dement/Illmatic - Nas (I'm torn)
1995 -- Maxinquaye -- Tricky
1996 -- The Score -- The Fugees
1997 -- Dig me Out - Sleater-Kinney
1998 -- Mermaid Avenue -- billy Bragg and Wilco
1999 -- The Slim Shady LP -- Eminem
2000 -- Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea -- PJ Harvey/Stankonia -- Outkast (tie)
2001 -- White Blood Cells -- White Stripes
2002 -- One Beat -- Sleater-Kinney
2003 -- hasn't come out yet, I hope, but Best of the Classic Years -- King Sunny Ade is the only thing that's knocked me out so far.

1981-1983 and 1989 are the toughest years to fill

I would say that 1981-84 was the best period for music ever