Albums: Year By Year

[lazarus]

A Headache In A Suitcase I imagine? I must say, your list Lazarus makes for excellent reading. 1973, 1975, 1986, and 1987 were disturbingly good years for music. I was torn trying to pick just one album as at least 2-3 other stellar releases could have been chosen. Cheers.

Yeah. Just to dig a little deeper here in terms of my contenders that might have won in alternate years:

1973
Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy (my favorite Zeppelin)
The Who - Quadrophenia (2nd favorite Who)
Bruce Springsteen -The Wild, The Innocent... (2nd favorite Bruce)

1975
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (favorite Floyd)
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (2nd favorite Zeppelin)
Patti Smith - Horses
Elton John - Captain Fantastic... (2nd favorite Elton)
Joni Mitchell - The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (favorite Joni)
Steely Dan - Katy Lied
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
Bob Dylan & The Band - The Basement Tapes

1986
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead (favorite Smiths)
R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant (in my top 10-15 of all time)

1987
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me (in my top 10-15 of all time)
The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (favorite Cure)
Prince - Sign O' The Times (favorite Prince)
R.E.M. - Document

 

[Mack_Again]

Im actually going for 1994 — Superunknown, Soundgarden

 

[nbelcik]

1995: Radiohead - The Bends
1996: R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
1997: U2 - Pop
1998: Madonna - Ray of Light
1999: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
2000: U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
2001: Muse - Origin of Symmetry
2002: Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
2003: Madonna - American Life
2004: The Killers - Hot Fuss
2005: Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
2006: Keane - Under the Iron Sea
2007: Radiohead - In Rainbows
2008: Coldplay - Death and All His Friends
2009: Florence + The Machine - Lungs
2010: Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
2011: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
2012: The Killers - Battle Born
2013: Arcade Fire - Reflektor
2014: U2 - Songs of Innocence

At least we agree on 2002 and 2014.


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[LemonMelon]

1969 and 1971 are better than any of the years Laz listed and he didn't even bother with them.

Kids these days.

 

[nbelcik]

Metallica - Death Magnetic was a stellar record and I was thrilled to see it on your list. 2004 was a toss up for me between The Killers - Hot Fuss and Green Day - American Idiot. In the end, Mr. Brightside tipped the scales in favor of Hot Fuss. Thanks for your contribution.

Death Magnetic was a fantastic record, the only problem is the production, but that's been talked about to death. For me in 2004, it was either Green Day or Kanye; Green Day got it because I loved that record as a kid so I have some nostalgic attachment to it, even though a lot of the subject matter went right over my head at 10 years old.


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[Danny Boy]

1969 and 1971 are better than any of the years Laz listed and he didn't even bother with them.

Kids these days.

I think we missed Laz's birthday.

 

[cobl04]

1990 - The 12th Man - The 12th Man Again
1991 - U2 - Achtung Baby
1992 - Dr Dre - The Chronic
1993 - Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers
1994 - Nas - Illmatic
1995 - GZA - Liquid Swords
1996 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....
1997 - Radiohead - OK Computer
1998 - Outkast - Aquemini
1999 - The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
2000 - The Avalanches - Since I Left You
2001 - Something for Kate - Echolalia
2002 - Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People
2003 - Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
2004 - Madvillain - Madvillainy
2005 - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
2006 - Hot Chip - The Warning
2007 - Radiohead - In Rainbows
2008 - Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends//Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
2009 - The Flaming Lips - Embryonic//Paul Dempsey - Everything is True
2010 - Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2011 - Destroyer - Kaputt
2012 - Tame Impala - Lonerism
2013 - The National - Trouble Will Find Me (holy fucking shit this was a good year for music)
2014 - Flying Lotus - You're Dead!//Sun Kil Moon - Benji

 

[bono_212]

Different strokes for different folks. Don't like it, don't listen to it, but you are missing out.


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We need a PSA about the dangers of inside jokes, I tells ya.

1973 Steely Dan - Countdown To Ecstasy (this year is disturbingly good)
1978 Tom Waits - Blue Valentine (comparatively weak year)
1981 Iron Maiden - Killers
1982 Lou Reed - The Blue Mask
1990 Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills & Bellyaches
1994 Liz Phair - Whip-Smart
1995 Pavement - Wowee Zowee
1996 Afghan Whigs - Black Love
1997 Pavement - Brighten The Corners
1998 Madonna - Ray Of Light
2001 Radiohead - Amnesiac
2002 Sleater-Kinney - One Beat
2003 My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
2004 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus

1998: Madonna - Ray of Light
2003: Madonna - American Life
2005: Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
2009: Florence + The Machine - Lungs
2011: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

For me since 2000:
2001: The White Stripes, White Blood Cells

I'll go 1960-2014.

1960 - Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots
1962 - Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
1964 - The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica
1972 - Todd Rundgren - Something / Anything?
1981 - Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
2006 - Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

1990 - The 12th Man - The 12th Man Again
1995 - GZA - Liquid Swords
2000 - The Avalanches - Since I Left You
2001 - Something for Kate - Echolalia
2004 - Madvillain - Madvillainy

I was going to post some favorites from the lists, but I just picked albums I hadn't heard instead. I thought you all might like to know.

 

[cobl04]

I would fucking pay you to listen to The 12th Man.

Also Since I Left You is an absolute masterpiece, and beat out the likes of Stankonia and Parachutes.

 

[LemonMelon]

1987 doesn't rank highly for me, most of the genres represented that year aren't among my favorites, but I will say that Joshua Tree vs. Sign O The Times was the hardest decision I had to make. Both are top 20 tier albums.

 

[iron yuppie]

but I will say that Joshua Tree vs. Sign O The Times was the hardest decision I had to make. Both are top 20 tier albums.

For me, the toughest was 1997: Homogenic vs OK Computer.

Also, 2000: Kid A vs De Stijl. Two very different but equally excellent records.

 

[bono_212]

I actually already have this list compiled from when Zoots did a similar thread way back when, and it's hilariously inaccurate now. Strikethroughs indicate changes. Unfortunate that the year of my birth precludes me from including my favorite year of music:

1987 - The Joshua Tree - U2
1988 - The Land Before Time OST - James Horner
1989 - Disintegration - The Cure

1990 - Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins House of Love - House of Love
1991 - Achtung Baby - U2
1992 - Automatic For the People - R.E.M.
1993 - Together Alone - Crowded House
1994 - Wildflowers - Tom Petty
1995 - The Bends - Radiohead Pulp - Different Class
1996 - Crash - Dave Matthews Band
1997 - Pop - U2 Spirtualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
1998 - The Story of the Ghost - Phish Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
1999 - Rainbow - Mariah Carey Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

2000 - Spiritual Machines - Our Lady Peace Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven!
2001 - The National - The National The Dismemberment Plan - Change
2002 - The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
2003 - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place - Explosions in the Sky
2004 - Hot Fuss - The Killers
2005 - The Sunset Tree - The Mountain Goats (but damn, this year is deep)
2006 - Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
2007 - Boxer - The National
2008 - For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
2009 - It's Blitz - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

And that's the end of the original list

2010 - Wild Nothing - Gemini
2011 - M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
2012 - Wild Nothing - Nocturne
2013 - Charli XCX - True Romance
2014 - War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
2015 - Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly


My favorite year in music is 1985:
https://rateyourmusic.com/collection/bono_212/strm_relyear,ss.rd/1985

 

[bono_212]

I would fucking pay you to listen to The 12th Man.

Also Since I Left You is an absolute masterpiece, and beat out the likes of Stankonia and Parachutes.

I can't remember if I've heard Since I Left You

 

[lazarus]

1987 doesn't rank highly for me, most of the genres represented that year aren't among my favorites, but I will say that Joshua Tree vs. Sign O The Times was the hardest decision I had to make. Both are top 20 tier albums.

On another day I might have put down Pleased To Meet Me instead of The Joshua Tree. The latter is a better album, but I reach for the former more often.

And while Document isn't at the top of my R.E.M. list like it was when I first became a fan, that is one damned great album.

 

[bono_212]

Ah what the fuck, I'm an attention whore, let's go:

1960 - John Coltrane - Giant Steps (I didn't have anything here before)
1961 - Elvis Presley - Blue Hawaii
1962 - Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (I didn't have anything here before)
1963 - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
1964 - A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
1965 - Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
1966 - Revolver - The Beatles
1967 - Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request
1968 - Beggar's Banquet - The Rolling Stones Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
1969 - The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground

1970 - Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
1971 - Who's Next - The Who
1972 - Lou Reed - Transformer
1973 - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. - Bruce Springsteen Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
1974 - Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell Supertramp - Crime of the Century
1975 - Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
1976 - Station to Station - David Bowie
1977 - Low - David Bowie Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
1978 - Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
1979 - The Wall - Pink Floyd

1980 - Peter Gabriel 3 - Peter Gabriel
1981 - Hard Promises - Tom Petty Icehouse - Icehouse
1982 - Peter Gabriel 4 - Peter Gabriel
1983 - The Hurting - Tears For Fears
1984 - The Unforgettable Fire - U2
1985 - The Head on the Door - The Cure
1986 - Invisible Touch - GenesisFelt - Forever Breathes the Lonely Word

 

[lazarus]

I was going to post some favorites from the lists, but I just picked albums I hadn't heard instead. I thought you all might like to know.

You've never heard Amnesiac??

Also everything else I mentioned is essential, naturally.

 

[bono_212]

No, I haven't. Every track I've heard from it I haven't liked, so I haven't really been jumping to hear it. I should, though, I know that.

 

[Kieran McConville]

1990 - Blue Sky Mining - Midnight Oil
1991 - Achtung Baby - U2
1992 -
1993 - Zooropa - U2
1994 - Snivilisation - Orbital
1995 - Maxinquaye - Tricky
1996 -
1997 - OK Computer - Radiohead
1998 - Mezzanine - Massive Attack
1999 -
2000 - Kid A - Radiohead
2001 - No More Shall We Part - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2002 - The Private Press - DJ Shadow
2003 -
2004 - A Ghost Is Born - Wilco
2005 - The Woods - Sleater-Kinney
2006 -
2007 - Boxer - The National
2008 - Dig Lazarus Dig!! - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2009 -
2010 -
2011 - Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
2012 -
2013 -
2014 -

For me there are years with a whole bunch of contenders, and years with fuckin nothing. I'll update if I think of something.

 

[LemonMelon]

1990 - Blue Sky Mining - Midnight Oil
1991 - Achtung Baby - U2
1992 -
1993 - Zooropa - U2
1994 - Snivilisation - Orbital
1995 - Maxinquaye - Tricky
1996 -
1997 - OK Computer - Radiohead
1998 - Mezzanine - Massive Attack
1999 -
2000 - Kid A - Radiohead
2001 - No More Shall We Part - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2002 - The Private Press - DJ Shadow
2003 -
2004 - A Ghost Is Born - Wilco
2005 - The Woods - Sleater-Kinney
2006 -
2007 - Boxer - The National
2008 - Dig Lazarus Dig!! - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2009 -
2010 -
2011 - Let England Shake - PJ Harvey
2012 -
2013 -
2014 -

GAF's list has huge gaps of lost time too.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

You're right.

1969 - Abbey Road
1975 - Born To Run
1997 - OK Computer
2001 - Is This It
2012 - RED

 

[lazarus]

Is This It

lRONY.

 

[Kieran McConville]

GAF's list has huge gaps of lost time too.

I could have inserted REM for both 1992 and 1996, but for me, neither of the albums in question deserve it. Not in some 'this was the greatest thing' way, anyhow.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

That doesn't make any sense, laz.

 

[gump]

I like this game. Here it is, for all years of my life:


1981 - U2 - October (for lack of a better option)
1982 - Kate Bush - The Dreaming
1983 - REM - Murmur
1984 - U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
1985 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
1986 - The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
1987 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (tied with Prince - Sign O The Times)
1988 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
1989 - The Stone Roses - s/t
1990 - The Sundays - Reading, Writing, Arithmetic
1991 - Tough one. Will go with Achtung Baby, although Nevermind and Loveless are so strong)
1992 - REM - Automatic for the People
1993 - Yo La Tengo - Painful
1994 - Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1995 - Bjork - Post
1996 - Belle and Sebastian - If You Are Feeling Sinister
1997 - Radiohead - OK Computer
1998 - Massive Attack - Mezzanine
1999 - The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - The Shins - Oh, Inverted World (Is This It? is a close second)
2002 - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (You Forgot It In People close second)
2003 - M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
2004 - Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005 - Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Boxer up there too)
2006 - The Decembrists - The Crane Wife
2007 - Radiohead - In Rainbows
2008 - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
2009 - I guess The XX - XX
2010 - Kanye - My Dark Twisted Fantast
2011 - St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
2012 - Frank Ocean - Channel Orange (or Bloom)
2013 - The National - Trouble Will Find Me
2014 - D’Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah
2015 - Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

1994 - The Holy Bible

 

[cobl04]

No, I haven't. Every track I've heard from it I haven't liked, so I haven't really been jumping to hear it. I should, though, I know that.

Pyramid Song?????

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Knive(crime)s Out?!?

 

[lazarus]

Life In A Glasshouse??

 

[cobl04]

^that, Packt and Pyramid Song are the only songs on Amnesiac that I really, really like. You and Whose Army spends too long getting to the crescendo, I Might Be Wrong has an awesome riff but a nothing vocal. That said, it's a fascinating front-to-back listen, quite enigmatic in a catalogue full of variety. But as we said the other day, its b-sides are top-notch.

 

[bono_212]

Yep, all of those.