Best album of every year since....

I mean how in the hell is Oranges And Lemons better than Disintegration or the Stone Roses debut in 1989 and makes me laugh inside. A few mentions of Key Lime Pie was fun as well but now looking back it has to be hard backing up that claim.

Thanks ILM for just being you, as it has brought me so much joy over this last year.

Adding:

2003: Super Furry Animals: Phantom Power
2004: Brian Wilson: sMiLe (if it counts as a 2004 album)
2005: Coldplay: X&Y (so far, but likely to keep its position as I consider it the best album of the entire 00s so far)

Bee would go with Arcade Fire or Kid A. I wonder if you are the only person on earth that likes this album that much. I bought it -day of release- but is a major let down, IMO, where I think all of the other Coldplay albums are better but still would be hard to crack the top 50 so far.

2003 Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun
2004 Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
2005 Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase (can obviously still change)

I am really happy to see all of the Parachutes love though. That album is almost perfect.

1949: Leadbelly - Goodnight Irene
1950: Leadbelly - Sings Folk Songs
1951: Hank Williams - Sings
1952: Hank Williams - Moanin' The Blues
1953: Hank Williams - Honky-Tonkin'
1954: Frank Sinatra - Songs For Young Lovers
1955: Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours
1956: Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash With His Hot And Blue Guitar
1957: Buddy Holly - The Chirpin’ Crickets
1958: Miles Davis - Milestones
1959: Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
1960: The Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real
1961: John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
1962: Ray Charles - Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music
1963: The Beatles - With The Beatles
1964: The Beatles - A Hard Days Night
1965: The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966: The Beatles - Revolver
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
1968: The Beatles - The Beatles
1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970: Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
1971: David Bowie - Hunky Dory
1972: T.Rex - The Slider
1973: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
1974: Big Star - Radio City
1975: Queen - A Night At The Opera
1976: Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
1977: The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bullocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
1978: Elvis Costello - This Year's Model
1979: The Police - Reggatta de Blanc
1980: The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
1981: Black Flag - Damaged
1982: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
1983: The Police - Synchronicity
1984: Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain
1985: The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
1986: The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
1987: Guns 'N Roses - Appetite For Destruction
1988: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
1989: The Pixies - Doolittle
1990: Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted
1991: Nirvana - Nevermind
1992: Ween - Pure Guava
1993: Nirvana - In Utero
1994: Green Day - Dookie
1995: Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
1996: Failure - Fantastic Planet
1997: Radiohead - OK Computer
1998: Beck - Mutations
1999: Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
2000: Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R
2001: The Strokes - Is This It?
2002: N*E*R*D - In Search Of...
2003: The Darkness - Permission To Land
2004: Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
2005: Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins

1954: Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
1955: Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swingin' Lovers
1956: Frank Sinatra: A Swingin' Affair
1957: Frank Sinatra: Come Fly With Me!
1958: Frank Sinatra: Sings For Only The Lonely
1959: Miles Davis: A Kind Of Blue
1960: Miles Davis: Sketches Of Spain
1961: Miles Davis: Someday My Prince Will Come
1962: Stan Getz: Jazz Samba

So ILX has been there, done this:

List your favorite record from every year you’ve been alive.

Are we sneering here? Seems to me that GH is just being entirely honest about his favourite music. What problem does anyone on I Love Music have with this, exactly?
-- Marcello Carlin, Monday, 3 March 2003 08:38 (5 years ago) Bookmark Link

Wow! This was a very long time ago!

Where is Comstock Carabinieri band?

...well, you know, if only Geir stuck to that...

Is rhythm not as important as melody and harmony?
-- Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Monday, 3 March 2003 11:56 (5 years ago) Bookmark Link

http://www.scenicroutepaper.com/Site3/images/layoutImages/&%20So%20It%20Begins_mainpic.jpg

If I was forced to pare down my collection to one album per year (for the past 40-ish years), then here is what I'd pick, all totally off the top of my head, no forethought or list referencing, VOILA!:

1970: The Velvet Underground - Loaded
1971: David Bowie - Hunky Dory
1972: Neu! - Neu!
1973: Fripp and Eno - (No Pussyfooting)
1974: Cluster - Zuckerzeit
1975: Kraftwerk - Radio-Activity
1976: David Bowie - Station to Station
1977: Brian Eno - Before and After Science
1978: Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Scream
1979: Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
1980: Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth
1981: Echo and the Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here
1982: The Cure - Pornography
1983: The Chameleons - Script of the Bridge
1984: Talk Talk - It's My Life
1985: The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
1986: Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
1987: Prince - Sign 'o' the Times
1988: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
1989: Spacemen 3 - Playing with Fire
1990: Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
1991: My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
1992: Tom Waits - Bone Machine
1993: The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
1994: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Let Love In
1995: Slowdive - Pygmalion
1996: Swans - Soundtracks for the Blind
1997: Mogwai - Young Team
1998: Spiritualized - Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997
1999: Low - Secret Name
2000: Radiohead - Kid A
2001: Jay-Z - The Blueprint
2002: Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
2003: Four Tet - Rounds
2004: Madvillain - Madvillainy
2005: Daft Punk - Human After All
2006: Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
2007: PJ Harvey - White Chalk

And for this year... realistically speaking, this is unlikely to change:

2008: Portishead - Third

http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/ungard/lists/89248/bibliography?view=&export=HTML&se=added&sd=asc&style=MLA

From 1958 until I largely quit giving a fuck about "new" music. Had to look up the year for the earliest ones, the rest are from memory. Maybe 1/4 of these are 'permanent' number-one-favourites, at least for the time being.

1958 Bo Diddley
1959 John Cage, Indeterminacy
1960 John Coltrane, Giant Steps
1961 Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
1962 Ian and Sylvia
1963 The Beatles, Please Please Me
1964 Eric Dolphy, Out To Lunch
1965 Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
1966 Beatles, Revolver
1967 Love, Forever Changes
1968 Rolling Stones, Beggar's Banquet
1969 Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica
1970 Sir Lord Baltimore, Kingdom Come
1971 Hampton Grease Band, Music To Eat
1972 Funkadelic, America Eats Its Young
1973 Hawkwind, Space Ritual
1974 New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon
1975 Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti
1976 Debris, Static Disposal
1977 MX-80 Sound, Hard Attack
1978 The Residents, Duck Stab
1979 Donna Summer, Bad Girls
1980 Motorhead, Ace of Spades
1981 Minutemen, The Punch Line
1982 Prince, 1999
1983 Cyndi Lauper, She's So Unusual
1984 Butthole Surfers, Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
1985 Husker Du, Flip Your Wig
1986 Slayer, Reign In Blood
1987 Uncle Sam, Heaven or Hollywood
1988 Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
1989 Nomeansno, Wrong
1990 Ice Cube, Amerikkka's Most Wanted
1991 Nirvana, Nevermind
1992 Trouble, Manic Frustration
1993 Trumans Water, XXXOXOX Spasm Smash Whatever
1994 Sam Philips, Martinis and Bikinis
1995 The Tea Party, The Edges of Twilight
1996 Pillbugs
1997 Chemical Brothers, Dig Your Own Hole
1998 Outkast, Aquemini

The arbitrary selections and/or declining quality of the latter choices reflects this lack of interest, making them favourites by default.

Those are some godawful lists.

jk. I was only refering to the first one by honig. Way too much britpop and no electronic or jazz. Here's mine (comprised of 155 indie records since 1958):

http://www.moteldemoka.com/best-indie-albums/

1989 Nomeansno, Wrong

Amazing album. Sadly they don't get enough credit/love.

63 James Brown Live at the Apollo
64 A Hard Day's Night
65 Highway 61 Revisited
66 Revolver
67 Piper at the Gates of Dawn
68 The Beatles
69 Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
70 Fun House
71 Maggot Brain
72 Al Green - Let's Stay Together
73 Innervisions
74 Rock Bottom
75 Another Green World
76 Songs in the Key of Life
77 Marquee Moon
78 The Cars
79 Entertainment!
80 Remain in Light / Scary Monsters (can't choose)
81 Computer World
82 1999
83 Cybotron - Enter
84 Purple Rain
85 This Nation's Saving Grace
86 Sonny Sharrock - Guitar
87 Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot
88 Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
89 Doolittle
90 KLF - Chill Out
91 Loveless
92 Bizarre Ride II tha Pharcyde
93 In Utero
94 Drive Like Jehu - Yank Crime
95 Scott Walker - Tilt
96 Outkast - ATLiens
97 OK Computer
98 Boredoms - Super ae
99 69 Love Songs
00 Avalanches - Since I Left You
01 Bang on a Can - Renegade Heaven
02 The Roots - Phrenology
03 Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow
04 Les Savy Fav - Inches
05 Kelley Polar - Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens
06 Scott Walker - The Drift
07 Studio - Yearbook 1
08 Belong - Colorloss EP .....so far

I was only refering to the first one by honig. Way too much britpop and no electronic or jazz.

Depeche Mode = electronic

Of course I will never have a fave album of the year that doesn't put the melody in the forefront as the most important musical factor though.

As for jazz, Miles Davis "Sketches Of Spain" MAY be my favourite album of 1960, but albums were generally uninteresting pre-Beatles. :)

'Depeche Mode = electronic'

Barely.

I do have to agree: Sketches of spain is a great album. Check 'Black Saint and Sinner Lady' by Charles Mingus and 'Eastern Sounds' by Yusef Lateef. Those two are great records, the first ones with which I started my jazz collection.

But seriously, how many Beatles albums do you need in there? Rubber Soul at much is the only Beatles album which I'd consider completely perfect, the rest have several flaws.

... or beach boys or genesis or xtc or crowded house (really!?)... you should limit the list to only include the best album for each band. I find it hard to believe that in so many decades there were only 6 or 8 bands releasing noteworthy albums.

I love scrolling down these lists s-l-o-w-l-y and trying to guess the creator! (I guessed three correctly, but one was my own.) Incidentally, 1958 was merely an optimum starting point, not the year of my birth.

...oh, and I fully intended to limit myself to one-LP-per-artist, but accidentally allowed a second Beatles album to show up. The fact that I only credited one of the pair to THE Beatles was an accident and a coincidence, not an attempt at subterfuge.

I have short-term memory due to my Gilbert's syndrome so I'm only listing my favorite albums from each year of the noughties:

The 00's

1. Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
2. Fridge - Happiness (2001) / Lali Puna - Scary world Theory (2001)
3. Tom Waits - Alice (2002)
4. Broken Social Scene - You forgot it in the people (2003)
5. Fennesz - Venice (2004)
6. The Books - Lost and safe (2005) / Paavoharju - Yha Hamaraa (2005)
7. Liars - drums not dead (2006)
8. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (2007)
9. Scott Tuma - Not for Nobody (2008) (as to this date)

I have to call a tie on 2001 and 2005. I really cant decide which one of those albums I like the best.

If you look at a typical "Best albums of all time" list (unless they are mainly voted by young people who weren't around in the 60s) The Beatles have, like, 3-4 albums in the Top 10. Obviously they will mostly be ranked #1 in their respective years.

And "Sgt. Pepper", "A Hard Day's Night" and "Revolver" are better albums than "Rubber Soul". By far.

Yes, I was actually thinking about 'revolver' not about 'rubber soul', my bad, I got confused because I didn't think you'd leave that out and I just realized you exchanged it for 'pet sounds'. Despite containing two of my favorite Beatles' songs 'Sgt Pepper' is a failed concept album by all means.

Can you say the same thing about all the other repeating artists' albums in your list? If you were respecting ranks and sales instead of personal taste you'd at least have one or two pink floyd albums in there.

I've actually just realized by reading on the thread that you're a stubborn 3rd-aged adult and you are not very likely to change your mind or flex a little by now so I might just as well end the conversation here because I'm afraid we'll both be losing our time.

That's a first for ILX

Kinda surprised that Geir prefers Revolver and Hard Day's Night to Rubber Soul - especially the "by far" part. (I just KNOW there's gotta be a decent "Norwegian Wood" joke there for someone to think up!)

Despite containing two of my favorite Beatles' songs 'Sgt Pepper' is a failed concept album by all means.

Absolutely not. It is perfectly genius. An absolutely fantastic album and the pinnacle of The Beatles' work. It was also very important because it influenced the best genre ever: Symphonic Rock!

"By far" was a bit exaggerated, because I love "Rubber Soul" too. But I guess the fact that "Revolver" and "Sgt. Pepper" were mainly McCartney's work makes them better. McCartney was always the biggest musical genius in The Beatles. He is underrated because he was the "nice guy" while Lennon was a "rebel". But his skills were better, plus he had the non-rock background that made The Beatles so great.

1964: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
1965: Roland Kirk - Rip, Rig and Panic
1966: Baden Powell & Vinicius de Moraes - Os Afro-sambas
1967: Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave
1968: Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul
1969: Pharoah Sanders - Karma
1970: Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
1971: Alice Coltrane - Universal Consciousness
1972: Hector - Nostalgia
1973: Herbie Hancock - Sextant
1974: Flora Purim - 500 Miles High
1975: Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit
1976: Lalo Schifrin - Black Widow
1977: Hermeto Pascoal - Slaves Mass
1978: Chic - C'est Chic
1979: Sparks - No. 1 in Heaven
1980: Herbie Hancock - Mr. Hands
1981: Grace Jones - Nightclubbing
1982: Jamaaladeen Tacuma - Show Stopper
1983: Amina Claudine Myers Trio - The Circle of Time
1984: Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent
1985: Yello - Stella
1986: Art of Noise - In Visible Silence
1987: Prince - Sign 'O' the Times
1988: Ofra Haza - Shaday
1989: Thomas Mapfumo - Corruption
1990: Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
1991: Shakespear's Sister - Hormonally Yours
1992: Ahlam - Revolt Against Reason
1993: Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1994: Air Liquide - Nephology
1995: Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords
1996: Paperclip People - The Secret Tapes of Dr. Eich
1997: Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker
1998: Pole - 1
1999: Eve - Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryders' First Lady
2000: Sussan Deyhim - Madman of God
2001: Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
2002: Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections
2003: Burn Friedmann & The Nu Dub Players - Can't Cool
2004: Mariska - Memento Mori
2005: Cheikha Rimitti - N'ta Goudami
2006: Asa - Terveisiä kaaoksesta
2007: Pole - Steingarten
2008: Can't say yet.

1999: Eve - Let There Be Eve... Ruff Ryders' First Lady

!

Props on the Cee-Lo though - that man is magic. It's nice to see what he does when it sounds like exactly what he wants it to be.

1995 - Tricky, Maxinquaye
1996 - Tori Amos, Boys For Pele
1997 - Björk, Homogenic
1998 - Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
1999 - Missy Elliott, Da Real World
2000 - Lil' Kim, The Notorious KIM
2001 - Aaliyah, Aaliyah
2002 - Trina, Diamond Princess
2003 - Dizzee Rascal, Boy In Da Corner
2004 - Teedra Moses, Complex Simplicity
2005 - Kate Bush, Aerial
2006 - Ellen Allien & Apparat, Orchestra Of Bubbles
2007 - Britney Spears, Blackout
2008 - Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One: 4th World War

This feels very ILM-Canonical:

1969 – Miles Davis – In A Silent Way
1970 – Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda
1971 – Can – Tago Mago
1972 – Neu! – Neu!
1973 – Herbie Hancock – Sextant
1974 – Robert Wyatt – Rock Bottom
1975 – Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
1976 – Joni Mitchell – Hejira
1977 – Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
1978 – Magazine – Real Life
1979 – Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
1980 – Talking Heads – Remain in Light
1981 – The Comsat Angels – Sleep No More
1982 – Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
1983 – The Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftoops
1984 – The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
1985 – Kate Bush – The Hounds of Love
1986 – Sonic Youth - Evol
1987 – Prince – Sign o’ the Times
1988 – Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden
1989 – A.R. Kane - i
1990 – The KLF – Chill Out
1991 – My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
1992 – Madonna – Erotica
1993 – V/A – The Joint
1994 – The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready To Die
1995 – V/A: Grooverider – Hardstep Selection II
1996 – Saint Etienne – Tiger Bay (German Version)
1997 – The Chemical Bros – Dig Your Own Hole
1998 – Hole – Celebrity Skin
1999 – Missy Elliot – Da Real World
2000 – The Avalanches – Since I Left You
2001 – Daft Punk – Discovery
2002 – The Streets – Original Pirate Material
2003 – Luomo – The Present Lover
2004 – Teedra Moses – Complex Simplicity
2005 – V/A: Target – Aim High 2
2006 – The Knife – Silent Shout
2007 – Studio – West Coast

what are you non-compilation picks for 93, 95 and 05 Tim?

1993 - Insides - Euphoria (or possibly Bjork's Debut)
1995 - Tricky - Maxinquaye
2005 - Kate Bush - Aerial (this breaks my half-conscious only one album per artist rule)

I didn't even think I could include compilations, I guess I might've changed my 1996 entry to the Incoming! label comp Submerged Vol. 1 or Warp's Blech and the 1997 entry to Derrick May's Innovator. And Grace Jone's Compass Point Sessions would've been a strong candidate for 1998. Then again, the list is perfectly fine as it is.

And Metalheadz' first Platinum Breaks comp would've been a fine candidate for 1996 too. That's a tough year.

I think Richie Hawtin's Concept 1 also came out in 1996, though I only got it a year or two later.

No, sorry, the original vinyls in the Concept series were released in 1996, but the CD comp only came out in 1998, so I must've bought it then. Another strong candidate for 1998 nevertheless.

I can't think in album terms very well before 1967 so:

1967: Love: Forever Changes
1968: Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention: We’re Only In It For The Money
1969: Dusty Springfield: Dusty in Memphis
1970: The Stooges: Fun House
1971: Sly & the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On
1972: Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St.
1973: New York Dolls: New York Dolls
1974: New York Dolls: In Too Much Too Soon
1975: Steely Dan: Katy Lied
1976: Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
1977: Miles Davis: Dark Magus
1978: X-Ray Spex: Germfree Adolescents
1979: Chic: Risque
1980: Jon Hassell/Brian Eno: Fourth World Vol. I: Possible Musics
1981: Greatest Rap Hits Vol. 2
1982: The Angry Samoans: Back from Samoa
1983: DeBarge: In a Special Way
1984: Uncut Funk…The Bomb - Parliament's Greatest Hits
1985: New Order: Low-Life
1986: Motorhead: Orgasmatron
1987: Prince: Sign 'O' the Times
1988: Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation
1989: Pussy Galore: Dial 'M' For Motherfucker
1990: The Go-Betweens: 1978-1990
1991: My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
1992: Shanté: The Bitch Is Back
1993: LiLiPUT
1994: History of Our World Part 1: Breakbeat & Jungle Ultramix By DJ DB
1995: Whale: We Care
1996: DJ Shadow: Endtroducing . . .
1997: Tiger: Shining in the Wood
1998: The Music in My Head
1999: The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs
2000: The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic
2001: The Moldy Peaches
2002: The Best Bootlegs in the World Ever
2003: The New Pornographers: Electric Version
2004: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: The Doldrums
2005: Wide Right: Sleeping on the Couch
2006: The Knife: Silent Shout
2007: M.I.A.: Kala