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Afterword top 60 albums of the last 60 years!

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This might not fly… and I’m well aware I’m pandering to that particular branch of Afterworders (list-lovers) that seem to cause much disdain with some people…. but let’s see…

(and hopefully this hasn’t been tried before)

I want to create a list of The Best Album Of Each Year From 1959-2019 As Decided By The Afterword Massive. In other words, the sixty best albums of the last sixty years.

What’s my plan? Well, I have my excel spreadsheet primed and ready to go. My idea is, everyone who wants to can nominate any album from any year (no more than one per year) to create a long list – then I’ll have a series of posts (probably one for each decade) where we vote on the winner for each year! Maybe you’ll get a chance to make an impassioned argument for one of your nominations. Then at some point we’ll end up with a definitive list of 60 albums.

It’s fun! Yes??

So add your nominations below! As many as you want, but no more than one per year. Original album releases only – so contemporaneous live albums (say, Live at Leeds) are okay (for example) but greatest hits and archive collections are not.

FAQ

– “What’s the deadline for nominating?” Oooh I’ll say a week from now – THURSDAY 1 AUGUST

– “Why have you started from 1959?” Good question. Just to give me a neat 60 years (and to allow the inclusion of Kind of Blue).

– “Aren’t there some years where there are just no good albums?” Like this year? Yeah, maybe. But I’m sure at least one person will have at least one album from each year.

– “Won’t you just end up with a bland list that has all the lowest common denominator albums that everyone loves but find kind of boring?” Yes, maybe, shut up.

– “But don’t people hate lists?” Who let you in?

– “What are your nominations, Arthur?” I’m glad you asked! I’ll add mine in the comments.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS? No? Then get nominating! See you here in a week unless the thread dies a death!

1

Comments

  1. So my nominations are as follows! (A bit vanilla, but there you go!)

    1959 Kind of Blue Miles Davis
    1965 Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan
    1966 Revolver Beatles
    1969 Abbey Road Beatles
    1970 Déjà Vu Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
    1971 IV Led Zeppelin
    1972 Close to the Edge Yes
    1973 Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield
    1974 Hergest Ridge Mike Oldfield
    1975 A Night at the Opera Queen
    1977 Low David Bowie
    1985 Hounds of Love Kate Bush
    1989 Hats Blue Nile
    1995 Dummy Portishead
    1996 Endtroducing DJ Shadow
    1997 OK Computer Radiohead
    2000 Since I Left You Avalanches
    2016 Wildflower Avalanches

  2. Go on then.. Beware as I may be cheating..

    1968 The Beatles (The White Album) The BEATLES
    1969 Abbey Road The BEATLES
    1970 Atom Heart Mother PINK FLOYD
    1971 Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon James TAYLOR
    1972 Close To The Edge YES
    1973 The Dark Side Of The Moon PINK FLOYD
    1974 Psychomodo COCKNEY REBEL
    1975 Wish You Were Here PINK FLOYD
    1976 The Royal Scam STEELY DAN
    1977 Even In The Quietest Moments SUPERTAMP
    1978 Street Legal Bob DYLAN David Gilmour David GILMOUR
    1979 Welcome To The Cruise Judie TZUKE
    1980 Grace And Danger John MARTYN There And Back Jeff BECK
    1981 Glorious Fool John MARTYN
    1982 Work Of Heart Roy HARPER
    1983 The Final Cut PINK FLOYD
    1984 Diamond Life SADE
    1985 Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good PREFAB SPROUT
    1988 Chalkmark In A Rainstorm Joni MITCHELL
    1994 The Division Bell PINK FLOYD
    2000 Felt Mountain GOLDFRAPP Nixon LAMBCHOP
    2001 Here Be Monsters Ed HARCOURT
    2002 Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots FLAMING LIPS
    2003 Statues MOLOKO
    2004 More Adventurous RILO KILEY
    2005 Aerial Kate BUSH
    2006 On An Island David GILMOUR
    2010 Boys Outside Steve MASON
    2011 50 Words For Snow Kate BUSH

  3. 1959 No One Cares – Frank Sinatra
    1960 Nice n Easy – Franl Sinatra
    1961 West Side Story – Soundtrack
    1962 Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan
    1963 With the Beatles – Beatles
    1964 A Hard Day’s Night – Beatles
    1965 Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
    1966 Pet Sounds – Beach Boys
    1967 Forever Changes – Love
    1968 The Kinks Are the Village Preservation Society/Odessey and Oracle – Zombies (can’t decide)
    1969 Let it Bleed – Rolling Stones
    1970 Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon
    1971 Sticky Fingers – Rolling Stones
    1972 Exile on Main St – Rolling Stones
    1973 Band on the Run – Paul McCartney and Wings
    1974 Blood on the Tracks – Bob Dylan
    1975 Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
    1976 Station to Station – David Bowie
    1977 Never Mind the Bollocks – Sex Pistols
    1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town – Springsteen
    1979 Rust Never Sleeps – Neil Young and Crazy Horse
    1980 Remain in Light – Talking Heads
    1981 East Side Story – Squeeze
    1982 Beautiful Vision – Van Morrison
    1983 Murmur – R.E.M.
    1984 Born in the USA – Springsteen
    1985 Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
    1986 Graceland – Paul Simon
    1987 Sign ‘O’ The Times – Prince
    1988 If I SHould Fall From Grace … – Pogues
    1989 New York – Lou Reed
    1990 Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys
    1991 Peggy Suicide – Julian Cope
    1992 Automatic for the People – R.E.M.
    1993 Very – Pet Shop Boys
    1994 The Holy Bible – Manic St Preachers
    1995 The Bends – Radiohead
    1996 Everything Must Go – Manics
    1997 OK Computer – Radiohead
    1998 XO – Elliott Smith
    1999 Summerteeth – Wilco
    2000 Kid A – Radiohead
    2001 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
    2002 The Rising – Springsteen
    2003 Elephant – White Stripes
    2004 A Ghost is Born – Wilco
    2005 Aerial – Kate Bush
    2006 Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
    2007 Sky Blue Sky – Wilco
    2008 Electric Arguments – The Fireman
    2009 Journal for Plague Lovers – Manics
    2010 Postcards from a Young Man – Manics
    2011 The Whole Love – Wilco
    2012 Wrecking Ball – Springsteen
    2013 Rewind the Film – Manics
    2014 Croz – David Crosby
    2015 Star Wars – Wilco
    2016 Blackstar – David Bowie
    2017 In Every Valley – Public Service Broadcasting
    2018 Warm – Jeff Tweedy
    2019 Waiting for new Wilco album in Oct
    Phew!

  4. Not long got in from work, so apologies in advance for a half arsed effort.

    67 – Sergeant Pepper

    68 – White album

    69 – Abbey Road

    70 – Bridge over troubled water

    71 – Hunky Dory

    72 – Ziggy Stardust

    73 – Billion dollar babies

    74 – Kimono my house

    75 – Wish you were here

    77 – Animals

    78 – The kick inside

    79 – Regatta de blanc

    81 – Dare

    83 – Punch the clock (Elvis Costelloe)

    84 – Born in the USA

    87 – Tango in the night

    More when I am not so tired…

  5. Well I can’t do 60, but here’s some to ponder:

    1959 The shape of jazz to come – Ornette Colman
    1960 Sketches of Spain – Miles Davis
    1963 With The Beatles
    1967 – Strange days – The Doors
    1968 Kick out the jams – MC5
    1969 Extrapolation – John McLaughlin
    1970 Infinite search/Mountain in the clouds – Mroslav Vitous
    1971 Harmony Row – Jack Bruce
    1973 Future days – Can
    1974 The end – Nico
    1975 Helen of Troy – John Cale
    1976 Agents of fortune – Blue Oyster Cult
    1977 Lust for life – Iggy Pop
    1978 – Excitable boy – Warren Zevon
    1980 Remain in light – Talking Heads
    1985 Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
    1988 Land of Dreams – Randy Newman
    1993 Traffic from paradise – Rickie Lee Jones
    1994 The house that Wolf built – Little Axe
    1995 Tilt – Scott Walker
    1999 American music Texas Style – Clarence Gatemouth Brown
    2001 Ultraglide in black – The Dirtbombs
    2012 Bish Bosch – Scott Walker
    2016 Blue & lonesome – Rolling Stones

    Have fun, but it’s gonna be lowest common …

  7. not going to do one for every year because, you know, the sixties, but here goes. I confidently predict none of these will be anywhere near the final voting

    1967 – Forever Changes – Love

    1969 – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young

    1974 – On The Beach – Neil Young

    1976 – Songs In The Key Of Life – Stevie Wonder

    1977 – Rocket To Russia – The Ramones

    1978 – Darkness On The Edge Of Town – Bruce Springsteen

    1979 – London Calling – The Clash

    1980 – Back In Black – AC/DC

    1981 – Fire Of Love – Gun Club

    1982 – Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen

    1983 – Apollo – Brian Eno

    1984 – Reckoning – R.E.M.

    1985 – First & Last & Always – The Sisters Of Mercy

    1986 – Lifes Rich Pageant – R.E.M.

    1987 – Floodland – The Sisters Of Mercy

    1988 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy

    1989 – Doolittle – Pixies

    1990 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young

    1991 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack

    1992 – Dirty – Sonic Youth

    1993 – Enter The 36 Chambers – Wu Tang Clan

    1994 – Illmatic – Nas

    1995 – And Out Come The Wolves – Rancid

    1996 – Black Love – The Afghan Whigs

    1997 – Mogwai Young Team – Mogwai

    1998 – Deserters’ Songs – Mercury Rev

    1999 – Contino Sessions – Death In Vegas

    2000 – Left & Leaving – The Weakerthans

    2001 – Aaliyah – Aaliyah

    2002 – Winnemucca – Richmond Fontaine

    2003 – Rounds – Four Tet

    2004 – Funeral – Arcade Fire

    2005 – Campfire Headphase – Boards Of Canada

    2006 – Offshore – Early Day Miners

    2007 – Let’s Stay Friends – Les Savy Fav

    2008 – The ’59 Sound – Gaslight Anthem

    2009 – The Ecstatic – Mos Def

    2010 – The Monitor – Titus Andronicus

    2011 – Get Well Soon – Sarabeth Tucek

    2012 – Celebration Rock – Japandroids

    2013 – Immunity – Jon Hopkins

    2014 – Manipulator – Ty Segall

    2015 – New Bermuda – Deafheaven

    2016 – Malibu – Anderson.Paak

    2017 – Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger In The Alps

  8. A pleasant 45 minutes spent arbitrarily arguing the merits of each:

    1959 Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out
    1963 Beatles – Please Please Me
    1964 Beatles – A Hard Days Night
    1965 Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
    1966 Beatles – Revolver
    1967 Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground & Nico
    1968 Kinks – The Village Green Preservation Society
    1969 Beatles – Abbey Road
    1970 Derek and The Dominoes – Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
    1971 Who – Whos Next
    1972 David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
    1973 Who – Quadrophenia
    1974 Slade – In Flame
    1975 Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
    1976 AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
    1977 Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks
    1978 Stiff Little Fingers – Inflamable Material
    1979 Specials – Specials
    1980 Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
    1981 Stiff Little Fingers – Go For It
    1982 Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast
    1983 Big Country – The Crossing
    1984 Metallica – Ride The Lightening
    1985 Marillion – Misplaced Childhood
    1986 Metallica – Master Of Puppets
    1987 Cult – Electric
    1988 Wonderstuff – Eight Legged Groove Machine
    1989 Stone Roses – Stone Roses (nearly went for Last Of The Teenage Idols – Satellite Head Gone Soft just to avoid the obvious)
    1990 They Might Be Giants – Flood
    1991 Carter USM – 30 Something
    1992 Levellers – Levelling The Land (or was that 91?)
    1993 Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish
    1994 Oasis – Definitely Maybe
    1995 Radiohead – The Bends
    1996 Ocean Colour Scene – Moseley Shoals
    1997 Stereophonics – Word Gets Around
    1998 Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
    1999 Blur – 13
    2000 Iron Maiden – Brave New World
    2001 Elton John – Songs From The West Coast
    2002 The Coral – The Coral
    2003 White Stripes – Elephant
    2004 Green Day – American Idiot
    2005 Ben Folds – Songs For Silverman
    2006 The Aliens – Astronomy For Dogs
    2007 Len Price 3 – Rentacrowd
    2008 Henry Priestman – The Chronicles Of Modern Life
    2009 Madness – Liberty of Norton Folgate
    2010 John Grant – Queen Of Denmark
    2011 Vaccines – What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
    2012 Paul Weller – Sonik Kicks
    2013 Steve Mason – Monkey Minds In The Devils Time
    2014 Stiff Little Fingers – No Going Back
    2015 Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space
    2016 White Denim – Stiff
    2017 Conor Oberst – Salutations
    2018 Spiritualized – And Nothing Hurt
    2019 Richard Hawley – Further / Wreckless Eric – Transience (undecided here)

  9. Here are my favourites. I’ve tried to choose sixty different artists too.

    1959 – Dave Brubeck – Time Out
    1960 –
    1961 –
    1962 –
    1963 –
    1964 – The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 – Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisted
    1966 – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    1967 – The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
    1968 – Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
    1969 – Fairport Convention – Liege and Lief
    1970 – CSN&Y – Deja Vu
    1971 – Carole King – Tapestry
    1972 – Yes – Close To The Edge
    1973 – Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon
    1974 – Richard & Linda Thompson – I Want To See The Bright Lights
    1975 – Emmylou Harris – Pieces of the Sky
    1976 – David Bowie – Station to Station
    1977 – Steely Dan – Aja
    1978 – Blondie – Parallel Lines
    1979 – The Clash – London Calling
    1980 – The Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro
    1981 – Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club
    1982 – Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Ay
    1983 – REM – Murmur
    1984 – Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
    1985 – The Pogues – Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
    1986 – The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
    1987 – The Housemartins – The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death
    1988 – Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
    1989 – Pixies – Doolittle
    1990 – Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
    1991 – Nirvana – Nevermind
    1992 – PJ Harvey – Dry
    1993 – Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish
    1994 – Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible
    1995 – Pulp – Different Class
    1996 – Belle and Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
    1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
    1998 – Lauryn Hill – The Mideducation of
    1999 – Travis – The Man Who
    2000 – Coldplay – Parachutes
    2001 – Hefner – We Love The City
    2002 – The Coral – The Coral
    2003 – The White Stripes – Elephant
    2004 – Arcade Fire – Funeral
    2005 – Maximo Park – A Certain Trigger
    2006 – Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
    2007 – M.I.A – Kala
    2008 – Laura Marling – Alas, I Cannot Swim
    2009 – The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
    2010 – John Grant – Queen of Denmark
    2011 – The Leisure Society – Into The Murky Water
    2012 – Tame Impala – Lonerism
    2013 – Haim – Days are Gone
    2014 – St Vincent – St Vincent
    2015 – Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
    2016 – Margo Price – Midwest Farmer’s Daughter
    2017 – Kendrick Lamar – DAMN
    2018 – Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
    2019 –

    • I would like to add/amend some albums please.

      1960 – Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain
      1961 –
      1962 – Booker T & The MGs – Green Onions
      1963 – Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
      1968 – The Zombies – Odessey and Oracle

  10. 1959: Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue
    1960: Charles Mingus – Blues And Roots
    1961: Oliver Nelson – The Blues And The Abstract Truth
    1962: John Coltrane – Live At The Village Vanguard
    1963: James Brown – Live At The Apollo
    1964: Eric Dolphy – Out To Lunch
    1965: Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
    1966: The Beatles – Revolver
    1967: Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
    1968: The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland
    1969: Miles Davis – In A Silent Way
    1970: Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
    1971: The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
    1972: Curtis Mayfield – Superfly
    1973: Steely Dan – Countdown To Ecstasy
    1974: Little Feat – Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
    1975: Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live!
    1976: Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
    1977: David Bowie – Low
    1978: Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year’s Model
    1979: Talking Heads – Fear Of Music
    1980: Joy Division – Closer
    1981: Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
    1982: Roxy Music – Avalon
    1983: Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
    1984: Prince And The Revolution – Purple Rain
    1985: The Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace
    1986: Peter Gabriel – So
    1987: Prince And The Revolution – Sign ‘O’ Times
    1988: Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
    1989: Pixies – Doolittle
    1990: Happy Mondays – Pills, Thrills, ‘n’ Bellyaches
    1991: Massive Attack – Blue Lines
    1992: R.E.M. – Automatic For The People
    1993: Björk – Debut
    1994: Portishead – Dummy
    1995: PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love
    1996: Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants
    1997: Buena Vista Social Club
    1998: Mark Hollis
    1999: Sigur Rós – Ágaetis Byrjun
    2000: Radiohead – Kid A
    2001: The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
    2002: Queens Of The New Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf
    2003: Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
    2004: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – The Lyre Of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues
    2005: LCD Soundsystem
    2006: Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
    2007: Burial – Untrue
    2008: Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
    2009: Richard Hawley – Truelove’s Gutter
    2010: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    2011: Jon Thorne Danny Thompson – Watching The Well
    2012: Matthew Halsall – Fletcher Moss Park
    2013: Agnes Obel – Avantine
    2014: Melanie De Biasio – No Deal
    2015: Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
    2016: David Bowie – Blackstar
    2017: Zara McFarlane – Arise
    2018: Sons Of Kemet – Your Queen Is A Reptile
    2019: Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising

    God! That was brutal.

  11. 1959 – Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue

    1967 – The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
    1968 – Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
    1969 – David Bowie – Space Oddity
    1970 – Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother
    1971 – T.Rex – Electric Warrior
    1972 – Lou Reed – Transformer
    1973 – Pink Floyd – Dark Side of The Moon
    1974 – Van Morrison – Veedon Fleece
    1975 – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
    1976 – Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat
    1977 – Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
    1978 – Tom Waits – Blue Valentine
    1979 – Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones
    1980 – Paul Simon – One Trick Pony
    1981 – Japan – Tin Drum
    1982 – Van Morrison – Beautiful Vision
    1983 – Pink Floyd – The Final Cut
    1984 – Roger Waters – The Pros & Cons Of Hitchhiking
    1985 – Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen
    1986 – Martin Stephenson – Boat To Bolivia
    1987 – The JAMC – Darklands
    1988 – Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden
    1989 – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
    1990 – The Hot Spot – Film Soundtrack
    1991 – Primal Scream – Screamadelica

    1994 – Portishead – Dummy
    1995 – Ben Harper – Fight For Your Mind
    1996 – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook – Night Song
    1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
    1998 – Manu Chao – Clandestino
    1999 – David Sylvian – Dead Bees On A Cake
    2000 – Vieux Diop – Traditional Songs Of West Africa

    2002 – Lambchop – Is A Woman
    2003 – David Sylvian – Blemish
    2004 – Norah Jones – Feels Like Home

    2006 – The Feeling – 12 Stops & Home
    2007 – Vashti Bunyan – Lookaftering
    2008 – Lee “Scratch” Perry – Dubsetter
    2009 – Mishka – Above The Bones
    2010 – The Orb – Metallic Spheres
    2011 – Radiohead – King of Limbs
    2012 – Public Service Broadcasting – The War Room
    2013 – Nick Cave – Pushing The Sky Away
    2014 – Thievery Corporation – Saudade
    2015 – Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space
    2016 – Frank Ocean – Blonde
    2017 – Dreadzone – Dread Times
    2018 – Prince – Piano & A Microphone

      • It was nice to see Gary giving the nod to Al Stewart’s “Year of the Cat” for 1976 – sadly, the only nomination that poor old Al received in the entire thread. I love the six albums that Stewart made between 1969 and 1976, but sadly, that was the era of the fiercest competition in this sixty-year exercise; for me, there was always another album or two that just pipped Al on each occasion.

        • I love that album and play it often, but I’m afraid nothing else I’ve heard comes close (except the title track of Time Passages). I should explore more though. What other album would you particularly recommend?

          • The 1972-75 run of…

            Orange
            Past, Present and Future
            Modern Times

            …are all absolutely impeccable and rock-solid recommendations. Above all, Stewart’s early albums contain superb lyric-writing – something that’s always been in short supply in rock music, mainly because it’s so damn difficult.

            1970’s “Zero She flies” is a bit of an unheralded gem, as well.

  12. I’ve just realised a gaping flaw in my logic. 2019 hasn’t ended yet so we don’t really know for sure what the best album is.

    Also, we’ve already voted on album of the year on this blog for, what, the last ten years or something? Does anyone have the list of winners? That might supersede the nominations here for around 2010 onwards.

    • If it’s only 60, and includes 1959, then it doesn’t include 2019, sillies. Herewith some of the years missing from my earlier selection.

      1964 The Rolling Stones (England’s newest hitmakers)
      1966 John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
      1979 Eat to the beat – Blondie
      1992 Erotica – Madonna
      2018 – Ready set go – Sharks

      • We can? Ooh goody. I’d like to change 2017 from Dreadzone to Thievery Corporation – The Temple Of I & I. Thank you.

        The hardest year for me to decide on was 1980. So many great albums to choose from. And Screamadelica above Blue Lines was a tough choice too, for which I should be congratulated.

        • In the reggae conversation I was quite pleased to remember that both Primal Scream and Massive Attack made dub albums in the mid-90s. This is the kind of useless info that stops me remembering people’s birthdays.

  13. Based on dates in my iTunes library, so possibly some errors…….

    1959 – Miles Davis / Kind Of Blue
    1960 – John Coltrane / Giant Steps
    1961 – Ray Charles / Genius Sings The Blues
    1962 – Bill Evans / Waltz For Debby
    1963 – Ella Fitzgerald & Count Basie / Ella & Basie
    1964 – Muddy Waters / Folk Singer
    1965 – Nina Simone / Pastel Blues
    1966 – John Mayall / Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
    1967 – Albert King / Born Under A Bad Sign
    1968 – Beatles / White Album
    1969 – The Band / The Band
    1970 – Derek & The Dominos / Layla
    1971 – David Bowie / Hunky Dory
    1972 – Rolling Stones / Exile On Main Street
    1973 – Genesis / Selling England By The Pound
    1974 – Supertramp / Crime Of The Century
    1975 – Pink Floyd / Wish You Were Here
    1976 – Genesis / Wind & Wuthering
    1977 – Steely Dan / Aja
    1978 – Bruce Springsteen / Darkness On The Edge Of Town
    1979 – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers / Damn The Torpedoes
    1980 – Pretenders / Pretenders
    1981 – Heaven 17 / Penthouse & Pavement
    1982 – Dire Straits / Love Over Gold
    1983 – Genesis / Genesis
    1984 – Blue Nile / A Walk Across The Rooftops
    1985 – Kate Bush / Hounds Of Love
    1986 – XTC / Skylarking
    1987 – Prince / Sign O The Times
    1988 – Talk Talk / Spirit Of Eden
    1989 – Kirsty MacColl / Kite
    1990 – Prefab Sprout / Jordan: The Comeback
    1991 – Simply Red / Stars
    1992 – R.E.M / Automatic For The People
    1993 – Jellyfish / Spilt Milk
    1994 – Tom Petty / Wildflowers
    1995 – Porcupine Tree / The Sky Moves Sideways
    1996 – Ocean Colour Scene / Moseley Shoals
    1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
    1998 – Air / Moon Safari
    1999 – XTC / Apple Venus
    2000 – Supergrass / Supergrass
    2001 – elbow / Asleep In The Back
    2002 – Norah Jones / Come Away With Me
    2003 – Santana / Supernatural
    2004 – Diana Krall / The Girl In The Other Room
    2005 – Sigur Rós / Takk…
    2006 – Muse / Black Holes & Revelations
    2007 – Goldfrapp / Seventh Tree
    2008 – Shelby Lynne / Just A Little Lovin’
    2009 – Decemberists / Hazards Of Love
    2010 – Midlake / The Courage Of Others
    2011 – Kate Bush / 50 Words For Snow
    2012 – Tedeschi Trucks Band / Everybodys Talkin’
    2013 – Big Big Train / English Electric (Full Power)
    2014 – War On Drugs / Lost On A Dream
    2015 – Steven Wilson / Hand Cannot Erase
    2016 – GoGo Penguin / Man Made Object
    2017 – London Grammar / Truth Is A Beautiful Thing
    2018 – Gretchen Peters / Dancing With The Beast
    2019 – Reese Wynans / Sweet Release

  15. Ah, this is where my project of ranking all my albums per year comes in handy! I haven’t finished all the years yet, so some are provisional, but here’s where they stand at the moment…

    1959 – Elvis Presley – For LP Fans Only
    1960 – Billy Fury – The Sound Of Fury
    1961 – Frank Sinatra – Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session
    1962 – Ricky Nelson – It’s Up To You
    1963 – Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
    1964 – The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 – Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
    1966 – The Beatles – Revolver (Blonde On Blonde is unlucky to be released in the same year as Revolver!)
    1967 – The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
    1968 – The Beatles – The Beatles
    1969 – The Beatles – Abbey Road
    1970 – Van Morrison – Moondance
    1971 – Nick Drake – Bryter Layter
    1972 – David Bowie – The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars
    1973 – Nilsson – A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (beat off some stiff competition)
    1974 – Tom Waits – The Heart Of Saturday Night
    1975 – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
    1976 – Ramones – Ramones
    1977 – Pink Floyd – Animals
    1978 – Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine
    1979 – Pink Floyd – The Wall
    1980 – The Cure – Seventeen Seconds
    1981 – Soft Cell – Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
    1982 – ABC – The Lexicon Of Love
    1983 – R.E.M. – Murmur
    1984 – Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome
    1985 – Stephen Tintin Duffy – The Ups and Downs (1985 is a ridiculously good year, with 7 albums all worthy of the top spot!)
    1986 – R.E.M. – Life’s Rich Pageant
    1987 – The Lilac Time – The Lilac Time
    1988 – Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back
    1989 – The Lilac Time – Paradise Circus
    1990 – Prefab Sprout – Jordan: The Comeback
    1991 – The KLF – The White Room
    1992 – Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother
    1993 – Guru – Jazzmatazz Vol.1
    1994 – NaS – Illmatic
    1995 – Pulp – A Different Class
    1996 – DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…
    1997 – Erykah Badu – Baduizm
    1998 – Pernice Brothers – Overcome By Happiness
    1999 – MF DOOM – Operation DOOMsday
    2000 – Cosmic Rough Riders – Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine
    2001 – Elton John – Songs From the West Coast
    2002 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips
    2003 – The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music
    2004 – Madvillain – Madvillainy
    2005 – Richard Hawley – Coles Corner (not a great year, 2005)
    2006 – Guy Chambers & Sophie Hunter – The Isis Project
    2007 – Burial – Untrue
    2008 – Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
    2009 – Fuck Buttons – Tarot Sport
    2010 – John Grant – Queen Of Denmark
    2011 – The Decemberists – The King is Dead
    2012 – Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city (another good year with 5 or 6 candidates)
    2013 – Ghostpoet – Some Say I So I Say Light
    2014 – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Wanderlust
    2015 – Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
    2016 – Skepta – Konnichiwa
    2017 – Brother Ali – All the Beauty in This Whole Life
    2018 – J. Cole – K.O.D.
    2019 – James Blake – Assume Form

    I imagine that many of those won’t get a second nomination!

    • I agree with the “unlucky” synchronicity of Blonde On Blonde being released in the same year as Revolver. Sadly, Dylan loses that year I think.

      But I throw a gauntlet to your feet and declare a duel over your 1965 choice – you really rate Bringing It Back Home over Highway 61 Revisited?

      • BIABH is my favourite Dylan album and always has been since I got that and his Greatest Hits for Christmas when I was about 13. Although it was Like A Rolling Stone that gave me my first taste of Dylan, probably on that show that Jimmy Savile did on a Sunday lunchtime on Radio 1, I’d read in a Beatles book, probably Shout at that age, that BIABH was the album that Lennon raved about, so if it was good enough for my hero it was good enough for me. And it certainly was good enough, cos it was brill, and thus began decades of my Dylan obsession.

        Don’t get me wrong, Highway 61 comes a very close second in 65, shutting out the Beatles even. Whilst I got BIABH from Woolies or Boots or somewhere, in 1983, I managed to get hold of a really nice original mono copy of Highway 61 not long after (when you could get things like that dirt cheap) and of all the vinyl records I flogged in the 90s when I started buying CDs, that is probably my number one non-Beatles related record that I regret selling.

        When I look at the dates written down like that it really doesn’t seem believable that the period between me starting to properly collect records (1982) and when I started flogging them to buy CDs (1990/91) was so short, especially when I consider how many I had amassed by that time, as I never really had much money. It really goes to show how much of my income I spent on records, and how good I was at finding them for the lowest possible price. Car boot sales in the 80s really were rich pickings for collectors, as people were almost giving things away. I guess I still continued to play vinyl for some time after moving to CDs and did so for a few years before flogging the lot, but I still consider CDs as being ‘new’ even though I’ve been collecting them for three times as long as I collected vinyl (Stephen Duffy collection notwithstanding, as it’s the only vinyl collection I’ve maintained).

        But I do wish I still had that Mono Highway 61 that I flogged for about £30 when I still lived in Liverpool, so 1994 at the latest. It was mint condition too.

    • I’ve been revisiting the 80s this year and one of my more pleasant surprises was the realisation that I like Soft Cell’s debut much more now than I remember doing at the time…

    • Who would have thought that “Songs From the West Coast” would be the Elton John album that garnered the most votes? Strange. A couple of the monster-selling albums of the early 70s got one vote each, but otherwise, recognition was thin on the ground for EJ on this thread…

      • Is it a case of high competition in his 70s heyday versus the relatively limited choice in 2001 (although 2001 gave us The Strokes debut, a couple from The White Stripes and Dido’s White Flag).

        The 1972 to 1975 period saw
        Honky Château
        Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player
        Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
        Caribou
        Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

        These 5 albums are up against the likes of Ziggy Stardust, Dark Side Of The Moon, and 4 Stevie Wonder albums (Music Of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness First Finale). And more …

      • It’s my favourite album of his, and I have them all on CD. Since that album he’s barely put a foot wrong, save maybe for the odd album cover! Doesn’t get enough credit for it either. Not many artists making consistently great albums 50 years into their career.

  16. Here’s a tip from one who has compiled favourite lists before, for those yet to post. If you follow the same format:
    Year – Artist – Album
    Then it’s easier for the compiler to substitute tabs for dashes and copy everything into a spreadsheet.

  17. Now i know why ten years ago i started my Album of the Year project……i knew it would come in handy one day……here goes….

    1963 – With The Beatles – The Beatles
    1964 – A Hard Days Night – The Beatles
    1965 – Rubber Soul – The Beatles
    1966 – Revolver – The Beatles
    1967 – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
    1968 – The Beatles
    1969 – Abbey Road – The Beatles
    1970 – All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
    1971 – Hunky Dory – David Bowie
    1972 – Never A Dull Moment – Rod Stewart
    1973 – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
    1974 – Country Life – Roxy Music
    1975 – Siren – Roxy Music
    1976 – Station To Station – David Bowie
    1977 – Aja – Steely Dan
    1978 – All Mod Cons – The Jam
    1979 – Setting Sons – The Jam
    1980 – Get Happy! – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
    1981 – Trust – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
    1982 – “Too Rye Ay” – Dexys Midnight Runners
    1983- The Sin Of Pride – The Undertones
    1984 – Hatful of Hollow – The Smiths
    1985 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
    1986 – The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths
    1987 – Strangeways Here We Come – The Smiths
    1988 – From Langley Park to Memphis – Prefab Sprout
    1989 – The Stone Roses
    1990 – Jordan The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
    1991 – Mighty Like The Rose – Elvis Costello
    1992 – Paul Weller
    1993 – Wild Wood – Paul Weller
    1994 – Parklife – Blur
    1995 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
    1996 – Expecting To Fly – The Bluetones
    1997 – Tellin Stories – The Charlatans
    1998 – XO – Elliott Smith
    1999 – Revelations – Gene
    2000 – Batchelor #2 – Aimee Mann
    2001 – Is This It? – The Strokes
    2002 – Surf – Roddy Frame
    2003 – Music In A Foreign Language – Lloyd Cole
    2004 – The Delivery Man – Elvis Costello
    2005 – As Is Now – Paul Weller
    2006 – Whatever People Say I Am… – Arctic Monkeys
    2007 – Favourite Worst Nightmare – Arctic Monkeys
    2008 – @#%& Smilers – Aimee Mann
    2009 – Slow Attack – Brett Anderson
    2010 – National Ransom – Elvis Costello
    2011 – The Old Magic – Nick Lowe
    2012 – Sonik Kicks – Paul Weller
    2013 – AM – Arctic Monkeys
    2014 – Morning Phase – Beck
    2015 – I Love You Honeybear – Father John Misty
    2016 – Blackstar – David Bowie
    2017 – Mental Illness – Aimee Mann
    2018 – Look Now – Elvis Costello & The Imposters
    2019 – Western Stars – Bruce Springsteen

    Phew……..reading back on that list its almost like a diary of my life….virtually all of those albums remind me of the year they came out and what i was doing at the time……

      • Haha yeah i was obsessed with The Beatles in the 60s the albums that came close to spoiling the clean sweep were Highway 61 revisited, Otis Blue, Pet Sounds, Blonde On Blonde….but I’ll stick with my original choices……Good shout on XO, lovely album as are Either/Or and Figure 8….

        • Some years in the 60s (67, 68) or 70s I could probably pick 10 albums that would beat the best from other years, particularly the last 20 ones.

  18. For a subject (popular music) that so often uses the phrase “rock ‘n’ roll” to define itself or a perceived general feeling of freedom, it’s amazing how often actual rock ‘n’ roll is marginalised! Remember The History of Rock Uncut magazine which started in 1965 (er?) before running out of steam sometime in the dire 1980s?

    For the record I’d definitely have Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio for 56 and “The Chirping Crickets” for 57.

    Frank f**** Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald et al can “do one” for 1960, I’ll have an album entirely written and performed by a Liverpudlian three years before The Beatles’ first L.P., namely “The Sound of Fury.”

    • Yeah, my choice of 1959 as the starting year is looking more and more arbitrarily nonsensical, especially since someone was so kind to point out that my maths is skewy and I’ve actually created “61 years of albums” rather than 60.

      Sigh.

      I get your point, that there was interesting rock and roll before the sixties. But you know what? I think if we are talking about ALBUMS we really have to start later. To me the fifties was SINGLES. I was actually going to start from 1965 (I consider Highway 61 Revisited to be the first “proper” album – ie not just “singles plus fillers” – at least from a rock perspective) but I thought that was too controversial!

      • Sinatra tops quite a few years in my albums ranking project, and not just the early 50s years when he has no competition! As much as I love Elvis, Dion, Little Richard et al, some of the Sinatra albums are just terrific.

  19. S’funny looking at the lists how many start with “Mount Rushmore” acts before going through the quite familiar and generally esteemed, before becoming pleasingly idiosyncratic from about the mid-nineties on…

  20. These ones are from my teenage and young adult years when pop music was all-encompassing. I am going to have to come back on the other years.

    1978 – The Scream, Siouxsie
    1979 – Replicas, Tubeway Army
    1980 – Organisation, OMD
    1981 – Architecture and Morality, OMD
    1982 – Difficult Shapes and Passsive Rhythms, China Crisis
    1983 – Construction Time Again, Depeche Mode
    1984 – Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise?, Art of Noise
    1985 – The Queen is Dead, The Smiths
    1986 – Black Celebration, Depeche Mode
    1987 – Music for the Masses, Depeche Mode
    1988 – Introspective, Pet Shop Boys
    1989 – Technique, New Order
    1990 – Violator, Depeche Mode
    1991 –
    1992 –
    1993 – Songs of Faith and Devotion, Depeche Mode

    • I’ve worked out my shortlists for 1959 to 1969 but now I’m knocking it on the head until tomorrow.
      Most years there have only been two or three alternatives (1966 has four). 1969 has proved to be the toughest year to choose from, so far. Eight strong contenders.
      I see lots of votes here for Abbey Road but it’s not on my shortlist. Nor is Liege and Lief. I like them both a lot but there are others I like more.
      I will post when I have my full list up to 2018. I’m not choosing one for this year as we’re only halfway in.

  22. 1966 The Monks – Black Monk Time
    1967 The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
    1968 Nancy & Lee – Nancy & Lee
    1969 Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul
    1970 Amon Duul 2 – Yeti
    1971 Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire De Melody Nelson
    1972 Can – Ege Bamyasi
    1973 Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
    1974 Kraftwerk – Autobahn
    1975 Patti Smith – Horses
    1976 Jean Michel Jarre – Oxygene
    1977 The Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks
    1978 Joe Gibbs – African Dub All-Mighty Chapter Three
    1979 Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
    1980 Scientist v Prince Jammy – Big Showdown at King Tubby’s
    1981 Bauhaus – Mask
    1982 Laurie Anderson – Big Science
    1983 Pink Floyd – The Final Cut
    1984 Siouxsie & the Banshees – Hyaena
    1985 The Jesus And Mary Chain – Psychocandy
    1986 The Smiths – The Queen is Dead
    1987 The Wedding Present – George Best
    1988 Happy Mondays – Bummed
    1989 New Order – Technique
    1990 Lloyd Cole – Lloyd Cole
    1991 Primal Scream – Screamadelica
    1992 Beastie Boys – Check Your Head
    1993 Amorphous Androgynous – Tales of Ephidrina
    1994 The Aloof – Cover the Crime
    1995 Hardkiss – Delusions of Grandeur
    1996 Godspeed You! Black Emperor – F# A# (Infinity)
    1997 Blue Amazon – The Javelin
    1998 Lo Fidelity Allstars – How to Operate With a Blown Mind
    1999 The Fall – The Marshall Suite
    2000 Jeff Mills – Lifelike
    2001 James – Pleased to Meet You
    2002 Drexciya – Harnessed the Storm
    2003 Mogwai – Happy Songs For Happy People
    2004 The Dead Texan – The Dead Texan
    2005 Kate Bush — Aerial
    2006 Aereogramme – My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go
    2007 Hope of the Sates – The Lost Riots
    2008 The Fun Years – Baby, It’s Cold Inside
    2009 A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head
    2010 Underworld – Barking
    2011 Sandwell District – Sandwell District
    2012 I Like Trains – The Shallows
    2013 These Hidden Hands – These Hidden Hands
    2014 Swans – To Be Kind
    2015 The Pre New – The Male Eunuch
    2016 Minor Victories – Minor Victories
    2017 Om Unit – Self Belief
    2018 Djrum – Portrait With Firewood

    A terrifying, Sophie’s Choice-style exercise.I love all the albums I chose, but I don’t love half of them as much as Loveless by MBV, which was nevertheless edged out by Check Your Head in 1992. In the end I took a desert island approach and tried to amass a good spread and variety of albums.

      • Loveless came out in 1991. Although that may not help either – certainly one of the most competitive years in ‘Botworld, what with Peggy Suicide, Blue Lines, I Am The Greatest, Shift Work and Electronic as well as your pick Screamadelica..

      • Thank you! I was surprised to see that I’m the only one to choose Horses (so far).

        Thanks, Sewer, for the catch, but yeah, you’re right about the overall result. I’m not sure I could be on my island without Screamadelica. After all, I got married to the strains of Come Together.

        • I have a vision of you…. Ten minutes before the wedding ceremony, panicking and berating your best man… ‘Are you sure you have the track all ready? And you know to press play just as she starts walking up the aisle…??’…

          Yes, yes, he reassures you…

          Then your bride-to-be starts walking slowly up the aisle, bridesmaids and flower girls beaming, gasps of joy from the congregation… he hits play, and….

          ‘Here come old flat top, he come groovin’ up slowly….’….

  23. This is true, and as a 2 year old in 1959, I confess my tastes were largely defined by what others played to me…..
    This is based on my i-pod, quick and dirty, first decision sticks, the album that jumps out hardest, waiting to be played.
    (No artist duplication allowed rule applies, meaning the best of the year is not necessarily the best by that artist.)
    59: Kind of Blue/Miles
    60: Giant Steps/’Train
    61: The Honeydripper/Jack McDuff
    62: I Don’t Worry Bout a Thing/Mose Allison
    63: Midnight Blue/Kenny Burrell
    64: Folk Roots, New Routes: Graham/Collins
    65: Otis Blue/Otis
    66: Sounds of Silence/S&G
    67: The Doors
    68: Sweetheart of the Rodeo/Byrds
    69: Valentyne Suite/Colosseum
    70: Full House/Fairport
    71: 3/Santana
    72: Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers Favourites/Commander Cody
    73: Holland/Beach Boys
    74: Bright Lights/R&LT
    75: Blood on the Tracks/Dylan
    76: Plain Capers/John Kirkpatrick etc
    77: My Aim is True/Elvis
    78: Rise Up Like the Sun/Albion Band
    79: Bop Till You Drop/Ry Cooder
    80: Dare/Human League
    81: Magnetic Fields/Jean Michel Jarre
    82: Nebraska/Brooce
    83: Too-Rye-Aye/Dexy’s
    84: Eden/EBTG
    85: Cupid & Psyche 85/Scritti Politti
    86: Famous Blue Raincoat/Jennifer Warnes
    87: Home and Away/Gregson & Collister
    88: Music in Trust/Battlefield Band
    89: State of the Heart/Mary Chapin Carpenter
    90: Freedom & Rain/Oysterband, June Tabor
    91: Levelling the Land/Levellers
    92: Arkansas Traveller/Michelle Shocked
    93: Some Fantastic Place/Squeeze
    94: Anarchy: Chumbawamba
    95: Forbidden Songs of the Dying West/Jackie Leven
    96: Charity of the Night/Bruce Cockburn
    97: Curtains/Tindersticks
    98: Release/ Afro-Celt Sound System
    99: Holding Back the Years/Jimmy Scott
    00: I Am/Shelby Lynne
    01: Rules For Jokers/Thea Gilmore
    02: Sea Changes/Beck
    03: Soul Journey/Gillian Welch
    04: Relations/Kathryn Williams
    05: Around the Sun/R.E.M.
    06: My Secret is My Silence/Roddy Woomble
    07: Mnemosyne/Jan Garbarek, Hilliard Ensemble
    08: Stramash/Colin Steele
    09: Lushlife/Lushlife
    10: Diversions/Daimh
    11. Blessed/Lucinda Williams
    12: The Light the Dead See/Soulsavers
    13: Aventine/Agnes Obel
    14: Islands/Bear’s Den
    15: Niteworks/Niteworks
    16: Astronaut/King Creosote
    17: Water of Leith/Blue Rose Code
    18: All Melody/Nils Frahm
    Phew………
    Funny how the recent years have changed the original selections, sometimes as a belated purchase catches me out.

  24. 2019 Black Midi – Schlagenheim
    2018 Neneh Cherry – Broken Politics
    2017 Kendrick Lamar – DAMN
    2016 David Bowie – Blackstar
    2015 Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly
    2014 Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
    2013 Bill Callahan – Dream River
    2012 Neil Young – Psychedelic Pill
    2011 Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
    2010 Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
    2009 The XX – The XX
    2008 Erykah Badu – New Amerykah
    2007 Burial – Untrue
    2006 Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther
    2005 Edan – Beauty And The Beat
    2004 Nick Cave – Lyre Of Orpheus
    2003 Broadcast – Ha Ha Sound
    2002 Sonic Youth – Murray Street
    2001 Bjork – Vespertine
    2000 PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
    1999 The Charlatans – Us And Us Only
    1998 Outkast – Aquemini
    1997 The Verve – Urban Hymns
    1996 REM – New Adventures in Hi-Fi
    1995 Oasis – Morning Glory
    1994 Oasis – Definitely Maybe
    1993 Wu-Tang – 36 Chambers
    1992 REM – Automatic For The People
    1991 Primal Scream – Screamadelica
    1990 The La’s – The La’s
    1989 The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
    1988 Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
    1987 Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love
    1986 The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
    1985 REM Fables Of The Reconstruction
    1984 Husker Du – Zen Arcade
    1983 REM – Murmur
    1982 Michael Jackson – Thriller
    1981 Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
    1980 The Clash – Sandinista!
    1979 Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps
    1978 Tom Waits – Blue Valentine
    1977 Bob Marley – Exodus
    1976 David Bowie – Station To Station
    1975 Miles Davis – Agharta
    1974 Brian Eno – Taking Tiger Mountain
    1973 Can – Future Days
    1972 T Rex – The Slider
    1971 Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda
    1970 – The Rolling Stones – Get Yet Ya Ya’s Out
    1969 The Beatles – Abbey Road
    1968 Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland
    1967 The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
    1966 Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde
    1965 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
    1964 Donald Byrd – A New Perspective
    1963 Duke Ellington – Money Jungle
    1962 Bill Evans – Undercurrent
    1961 John Coltrane – Africa/Brass
    1960 Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain
    1959 Miles Davis – Kind Of Blue

  25. 1964 – The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 – Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
    1966 – The Byrds – 5th Dimension
    1967 – The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground and Nico
    1968 – Aretha Franklin – Lady Soul
    1969 – Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
    1970 – The Stooges – Funhouse
    1971 – David Bowie – Hunky Dory
    1972 – Joni Mitchell – For The Roses
    1973 – John Cale – Paris 1919
    1974 – Big Star – Radio City
    1975 – Patti Smith – Horses
    1976 – The Modern Lovers – The Modern Lovers
    1977 – The Clash – The Clash
    1978 – X Ray Spex – Germfree Adolescents
    1979 – Gang of Four – Entertainment!
    1980 – Elvis Costello and the Attractions – Get Happy!!
    1981 – The Human League – Dare
    1982 – Weekend – La Variete
    1983 – REM – Murmur
    1984 – Robyn Hitchcock – I Often Dream Of Trains
    1985 – Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
    1986 – The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead
    1987 – The Wedding Present – George Best
    1988 – My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
    1989 – Pixies – Doolittle
    1990 – Lou Reed and John Cale – Songs For Drella
    1991 – Throwing Muses – The Real Ramona
    1992 – Sugar – Copper Blue
    1993 – The Fall – The Infotainment Scam
    1994 – Chumbawamba – Anarchy
    1995 – Pulp – Different Class
    1996 – Suede – Coming Up
    1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
    1998 – Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
    1999 – The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
    2000 – PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
    2001 – The Strokes – Is This It?
    2002 – The Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas
    2003 – The New Pornographers – Electric Version
    2004 – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus
    2005 – Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy
    2006 – The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
    2007 – The National – Boxer
    2008 – The Wave Pictures – Instant Coffee Baby
    2009 – The Burning Hell – Baby
    2010 – John Grant – Queen Of Denmark
    2011 – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
    2012 – Django Django -Django Django
    2013 – Ezra Furman – Day Of The Dog
    2014 – Richard Dawson – Nothing Important
    2015 – Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
    2016 – Trembling Bells – Wide Majestic Aire
    2017 – Offa Rex – Offa Rex
    2018 – Half Man Half Biscuit – No-One Cares About Your Creative Hub…
    2019 – Our Native Daughters – Our Native Daughters

  28. Some years were near impossible to narrow down to just one, but I tried to think as little as possible and just go with my gut.

    1959 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
    1960 West Side Story OST
    1961 –
    1962 –
    1963 Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
    1964 The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
    1966 The Beatles – Revolver
    1967 Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
    1968 Laura Nyro – Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
    1969 Sly & the Family Stone – Stand!
    1970 Laura Nyro – Christmas and the Beads of Sweat
    1971 Taj Mahal – Happy Just To Be Like I Am
    1972 Taj Mahal – The Real Thing
    1973 Santana – Welcome
    1974 Pugh Rogefelt – Bolla och Rulla
    1975 Bob Marley – Live!
    1976 Stevie Wonder – Songs In the Key of Life
    1977 Saturday Night Fever OST
    1978 Gerry Rafferty – City to City
    1979 XTC – Drums and Wires
    1980 Talking Heads – Remain In Light
    1981 Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
    1982 XTC – English Settlement
    1983 Imperiet – Rasera
    1984 Orange Juice – Texas Fever
    1985 The Cure – The Head On The Door
    1986 The The – Infected
    1987 Julian Cope – Saint Julian
    1988 Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden
    1989 De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising
    1990 Marc Almond – Enchanted
    1991 Massive Attack – Blue Lines
    1992 XTC – Nonsuch
    1993 The The – Dusk
    1994 –
    1995 Wilco – A.M.
    1996 Wilco – Being There
    1997 Cornershop – When I Was Born For the 7th Time
    1998 Freakwater – Springtime
    1999 Wilco – Summerteeth
    2000 Sweet Chariots – Beat Based/Song Centered/Spirit Led
    2001 Rufus Wainwright – Poses
    2002 Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
    2003 The Cardigans – Long Gone Before Daylight
    2004 Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
    2005 Thåström – Skebokvarnsv. 209
    2006 Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
    2007 Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
    2008 Martha Wainwright – I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too
    2009 Andrew Bird – Noble Beast/Useless Creatures
    2010 Dungen – Skit i Allt
    2011 Andreas Mattsson – Kick Death’s Ass
    2012 Anaïs Mitchell – Young Man In America
    2013 Jonathan Wilson – Fanfare
    2014 Tweedy – Sukirae
    2015 Daniel Norgren – Alabursy
    2016 David Bowie – Blackstar
    2017 Loney Dear – Loney Dear
    2018 Jeff Tweedy – Warm

    I’m sure I’ve missed some obvious answers, but I only looked through the music I have on my computer, so I wasn’t reminded of stuff I only own on vinyl, or the CDs I still haven’t gotten around to ripping again after the infamous loss of a year’s worth of data some years ago… Also some decisions arrived at more or less by Russian roulette… These caveats aside; a pretty solid list that I can stand behind.

      • Ten actually – most of them Wilco albums, of course… 🙂 Several more on your list was on my shortlist but lost to stronger opposition.
        Reading all of these lists makes me realise that I need to upgrade lots of albums from vinyl to CD/digital, so I can listen to them again (and remember them when questions like this comes up on the AW…)

  29. Apparently this is fun. 67 to 69 is an embarrassment of riches. There really was a golden age. Some say it’s just whatever your formative years were. It can be both. Never thought I would champion The Wall. It can take years, decades even, to really listen. Three Goldfrapp entries? Didn’t see that coming. Most of us lose track in the more recent times. Hard to keep up as years fly by. What happened in the noughties? Not so much as I recall. The seventies and eighties? So many changes. All the turmoil and innovations. Crazy scenes.

    1960 West Side Story
    1961 A Few Of My Favourite Things – Coltrane
    1963 Please Please Me
    1964 A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 Highway 61 Revisited
    1966 Revolver
    1967 Velvet Underground and Nico
    1968 The Notorious Byrd Brothers
    1969 Zappa Hot Rats
    1970 Soft Machine Third
    1971 Meddle Floyd
    1972 Exile On Main St
    1973 Roxy For Your Pleasure
    1974 Big Star Radio City
    1975 Patti Smith Horses
    1976 Bowie Station to Station
    1977 Marquee Moon
    1978 Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings and Food
    1979 Floyd The Wall
    1980 Scary Monsters
    1981 Grace Jones Nightclubbing
    1982 Simple Minds New Gold Dream
    1983 REM Murmur
    1984 Smiths Hatful of Hollow
    1985 Scritti Politti Cupid and Psyche
    1986 REM Life’s Rich Pageant
    1987 Prince Sign O The Times
    1988 Leonard Cohen I’m Your Man
    1989 The Cure Disintegration
    1990 Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas
    1991 Primal Scream Screamadelica
    1992 Lemonheads It’s a Shame About Ray
    1993 Dinosaur Jr Where You Been?
    1994 Portishead Dummy
    1995 Stereolab Refried Ectoplasm
    1997 Radiohead OK Computer
    1998 Massive Attack Mezzanine
    2000 Goldfrapp Felt Mountain
    2001 Radiohead Amnesiac
    2002 Röyksopp Melody AM
    2003 Goldfrapp Black Cherry
    2006 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones
    2007 Radiohead In Rainbows
    2008 Goldfrapp Seventh Tree
    2010 Robyn Body Talk
    2011 The Horrors Skying
    2014 War On Drugs Lost In The Dream
    2015 Steven Wilson Hand. Cannot. Erase
    2016 Bowie Blackstar
    2017 War On Drugs A Deeper Understanding
    2018 Robyn Honey
    2019 Billie Eilish When We Fall Asleep…

    • Yup, some really tough decisions to be made.
      The Wall is a permanent member of my Top 5 albums list, but when it came down to the album of 1979, I chose The Specials over it.
      It felt wrong, but also the correct decision (if that makes any sense?)

      • The Specials debut is so much more 1979 than The Wall. The Floyd were an unfashionable band seemingly on the way out with all the new bands appearing. And here we are and The Wall endures, sounding better now than ever. I can’t believe I left out Neil Young, one of my favourite acts but I couldn’t find rhe right slot for old Shakey.

        • It’s funny I quite like some post Syd Pink Floyd, namely Meddle, WYWH and Animals. I find The Wall to be dreadful, almost unlistenable. Would have made a good EP.

          • I resisted it because of the three big songs everyone knew and two of them seemed dreary dirges and the other was a gormless kids chant set to an all the rage disco groove, only it wasn’t cool disco, not really a dance record. Having got the album and played it, I found it all fits into place in it’s own world. I like the heaviness of the harder rock parts mixed in with funky, catchy elements. It’s all very entertaining. More enjoyable than WYWH at least. It’s a bit mad and angry but fun too.

  30. Part One lest the deadline slip by

    1959 Kind of Blue
    1960 Giant Steps
    1961 West Side Story OST
    1962 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
    1963 The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
    1964 The Sidewinder
    1965 Highway 61 Revisited
    1966 Revolver
    1967 The Velvet Underground and Nico
    1968 Beggars Banquet
    1969 The Band
    1970 Moondance
    1971 Who’s Next
    1972 Ziggy Stardust
    1973 Let’s Get It On
    1974 Diamond Dogs
    1975 Siren
    1976 Station to Station
    1977 Never Mind the Bollocks
    1978 All Mod Cons
    1979 Unknown Pleasures
    1980 Sound Affects
    1981 Computer World
    1982 Hex Enduction Hour
    1983 Power Corruption and Lies
    1984 A Walk Across the Rooftops
    1985 Hounds of Love
    1986 The Queen is Dead
    1987 Sign O The Times
    1988 It Takes a Nation of Millions
    1989 The Stone Roses
    1990 Behaviour

  31. Here is my full list. This represents the period of time where I have a good recollection of what was around and assessing the best album from those years based on my own listening pleasure. To me, if doesn’t feel right to go before or after this 30 year period.

    In the last decade and a bit, new albums have very rarely darkened my slipmat unless they are by established bands I already like. I can’t seriously say that a Depeche Mode album from 2013 was the best on offer that year because I wasn’t listening to the latest platters by pop combos of that time. So :

    1976 – A New World Record, ELO
    1977 – Trans Europe Express, Kraftwerk
    1978 – The Scream, Siouxsie
    1979 – Replicas, Tubeway Army
    1980 – Organisation, OMD
    1981 – Architecture and Morality, OMD
    1982 – Difficult Shapes and Passsive Rhythms, China Crisis
    1983 – Construction Time Again, Depeche Mode
    1984 – Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise?, Art of Noise
    1985 – The Queen is Dead, The Smiths
    1986 – Black Celebration, Depeche Mode
    1987 – Music for the Masses, Depeche Mode
    1988 – Introspective, Pet Shop Boys
    1989 – Technique, New Order
    1990 – Violator, Depeche Mode
    1991 – The White Room, KLF
    1992 – Automatic for the People, REM
    1993 – Songs of Faith and Devotion, Depeche Mode
    1994 – Vauxhall and I, Morrissey
    1995 – A Different Class, Pulp
    1996 – Everything Must Go, Manic Street Preachers
    1997 – The Fat of the Land, Prodigy
    1998 – Moon Safari, Air
    1999 – Play, Moby
    2000 – Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem
    2001 – Discovery, Daft Punk
    2002 – Heathen, David Bowie
    2003 – Tour de France Soundtracks, Kraftwerk
    2004 – You are the Quarry, Morrissey
    2005 – Playing the Angel, Depeche Mode

    • Playing The Angel is probably the most recent of their albums I’ve listened to for more than contractual reasons. Two or three classics there, maybe more.

      • The Sinner in Me, Precious, John the Revelator, Lilian – all top notch.
        Ultra had to give way to The Fat of the Land in 1997.

        Delta Machine is probably the least essential album in recent times.

        • @Black-Celebration How about A Pain That I’m Used To? It’s pretty much the perfect title for a DM song, isn’t it. What took them so long? Really like the actual song too.

          I only played Delta Machine once or two. I like Heaven though. Googling the titles I also like Sooth My Soul and Should Be Higher.

          • @neela I do like A Pain that I am Used To and strongly believe it should be the soundtrack to the England football team’s World Cup campaigns. Nothing’s Impossible is also a great song from PTA.

            As for Delta Machine, Heaven was OK but I didn’t see it as a strong enough song to be a single. Soothe My Soul should have been the opening single. Secret to the End and Broken are the highlights on Delta Machine for me – but overall weak album for Depeche Mode.

  32. ludicrous to suggest you can album of the year from when you were pre-school, so starting here …
    1967 Magical Mystery Tour (ducks for cover straightaway)
    1968 Family : Music in a Doll’s House
    1696 Fairport : Liege and Lief
    1970 George : All Things Must Pass
    1971 Led Zep 4
    1972 Genesis: Foxtrot
    1973 Tubular Bells
    1974 Crimso : Starless and Bible Black
    1975 Fripp & Eno : Evening Star
    1976 Joni : Hejira
    1977 Yes : Going for the One
    1978 Sonerien Du : Gwerz Penmarc’h
    The starting point for my love of Breton folk. A perfect match of the impishness of the dance and the melancholy of the ‘Gwerz’
    1979 Hackett : Spectral Mornings
    1980 Nic Jones : Penguin Eggs
    1981 Rush : Moving Pictures
    1982 Kate : The Dreaming
    1983 Bert Jansch : Avocet
    1984 Julian Cope : Fried
    1985 Kate : Hounds of Love
    1986 David Sylvian : Gone to Ground
    1987 David Sylvian : Secrets of the Beehive
    1988 Talk Talk : Spirit of Eden
    1989 Del Amitri : Waking Hours
    1990 Blowzabella : Vanilla
    1991 Thommo : Rumor and Sigh
    1992 XTC : Nonsuch
    1993 Ali Farka Toure : The Source
    1994 Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder : Talking Timbuktu
    1995 Radiohead : The Bends
    1996 Mutton Birds : Envy of Angels
    1997 Supergrass : In it for the Money
    1998 Kathryn Tickell : Northumberland Collection
    1999 XTC : Apple Venus Vol 1
    2000 PJHarvey : Songs from the City Songs from the Sea
    2001 Bjork : Vespertine
    2002 Karma : Liesliw
    It’s Breton. You just wouldn’t understand
    2003 Sufjan Stevens : Michigan
    2004 Bjork : Medulla
    2005 Kate : Aerial
    2006 Thommo : 1000 Years of Popular Music
    At this point, it is clear that I suddenly ‘cast lad rock aside’ to quote Afterword favourites who don’t quite make this list
    2007 Blowzabella : Octomento
    2008 Juana Molina : Un Dia
    2009 Lau : Arc Light
    2010 Imagined Village : Empire and Love
    2011 Spiro : Kaleidophonica
    2012 Fay Hield : Orfeo
    An excellent year for folk releases, competing with Lau and Karine Polwart. This wins as the 21st century Liege and Lief, a cast of the great and the very good from the current scene and the finest folk voice since we lost Sandy.
    2013 Big Big Train : English Electric Part 2
    2014 The Treacherous Orchestra : Grind
    2015 Simpson Cutting Kerr : Murmurs
    2016 Leveret : In the Round
    2017 David Faulkner & Steve Turner : More Tunes about Baggage and Hills, English and Border Music 1625 – 2017
    Clearly going to be a popular contender. Yes, I know them both personally, but when I first played this, it brought sunny joy into my life that has never left.
    2018 Rheingans Sisters : Bright Field
    2019 Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening : Hollowbone

      • Their debut would have clinched 2015 as well, but for such strong competition. That Andy Cutting was going to be there one way or another. Together with the Blowzabella albums, he gets on to four of my choices, through three different acts. Truly my favourite musician of our times.

    • Surprisingly, Cheshirecat’s vote for “Going for the One” was the only vote gained by any Yes album other than “Close to the Edge”. And I thought Afterworders were a bunch of fervent Yes fans. Clearly not…

      • Indeed, hardly any nominations for loads of bands crucial at the time, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Can, The Mothers, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Genesis, Jethro Tull (the pre-“Bollocks” years?).
        Personally, I still really enjoy early-70s LPs, Yes being a good case in point. The Bruford lineup had a unique chemistry, The Yes Album was fabulous and just missed my cut (edged out by Alice), also Close To The Edge was, er, close. Topographic Oceans, however, was utter tripe.
        Maybe people just stopped getting stoned?

        @duco01

  34. My list:
    1959 – Nina Simone – Little Girl Blue
    1960 – Etta James – At Last!
    1961 – Patsy Cline – Showcase
    1962 – Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan – Symphonie Nr. 7
    1963 – The Beatles – Please Please Me
    1964 – Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
    1965 – The Beatles – Help!
    1966 – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    1967 – The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band – Gorilla
    1968 – MC5 – Kick Out The Jams
    1969 – Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
    1970 – Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
    1971 – Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin [IV]
    1972 – Nick Drake – Pink Moon
    1973 – Iggy and The Stooges – Raw Power
    1974 – Leonard Cohen – New Skin for the Old Ceremony
    1975 – Status Quo – On The Level
    1976 – ABBA – Arrival
    1977 – Augustus Pablo – East of the River Nile
    1978 – Blondie – Parallel Lines
    1979 – The Clash – London Calling
    1980 – Bauhaus – In the Flat Field
    1981 – Orchestral Manœuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality
    1982 – Laurie Anderson – Big Science
    1983 – New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies
    1984 – The Pretenders – Learning To Crawl
    1985 – Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
    1986 – Cocteau Twins – Victorialand
    1987 – Prince – Sign “☮” the Times
    1988 – Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man
    1989 – Spacemen 3 – Playing With Fire
    1990 – Dead Can Dance – Aion
    1991 – Primal Scream – Screamadelica
    1992 – Chumbawamba – Shhh!
    1993 – James – Laid
    1994 – Neil Young – Sleeps with Angels
    1995 – Luna – Penthouse
    1996 – Beck! – Odelay
    1997 – Primal Scream – Vanishing Point/Echo Dek
    1998 – Manu Chao – Clandestino
    1999 – Gallon Drunk – Black Milk
    2000 – Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
    2001 – Gorillaz – Gorillaz
    2002 – Bill Frisell – The Willies
    2003 – Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
    2004 – Norah Jones – Feels Like Home
    2005 – Rammstein – Reise, Reise
    2006 – Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
    2007 – Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken
    2008 – Toumast – Ishumar
    2009 – Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
    2010 – Laurie Anderson – Homeland
    2011 – Adele – 21
    2012 – Dead Can Dance – Anastasis
    2013 – David Bowie – The Next Day
    2014 – Kirsty McGee & the Hobopop Collective – Those Old Demons
    2015 – Laurie Anderson – Heart of a Dog
    2016 – David Bowie – Blackstar
    2017 – Thievery Corporation – Temple of I and I
    2018 – Kylie Minogue – Golden
    _________________
    As somebody mentioned above, 1985 was the hardest year to choose from, (particularly as a Sisters fan).

    From surfeit to famine – the mid-seventies were years where I struggled to find anything worth rating.

    And then, 2000 on made me realize I just haven’t kept up with popular music at all.

      • The first and last of those three were chosen after scanning all the other posts above. I had The Decemberists and KD Lang’s covers album in these spots before – her version of Hallelujah is the best.

      • 98 – you chose the Afro Celts – it’s good, but not as good as their first, for me. Anarchy is possibly more consistently great than Shhh! – Homophobia, Enough is Enough, Timebomb – it may be their best work. But nothing can top Sleeps With Angels, as far as I’m concerned – Trans Am, Drive by, Safeway Cart and the epic Change Your Mind. Plus Shhh! has something of the mischievous wit of Laurie Anderson with its Stitch and Mrs Meta Battle.

        Coincidentally, Harvest Moon would have been my second choice for 92 – it’s just a little too treacly, even though it’s got some wonderful songs – Old King, for example!

      • oh, I love Shhh! I would definitely prefer it to Anarchy, but I may be biased by that being the album I discovered Chumbawamba on, and subsequently enjoying some of the best gigs of my life at the gigs around it.

  35. OK, here we go with my list.

    But first, a few comments and observations:

    1. The Magnetic Fields’ “69 Love Songs” was released in the USA in 1999, but was not officially released in Europe until early 2000. As I live in Europe, I’m taking 2000 as the release date.
    2. It felt a bit strange putting a Tim Buckley album in for 1990, which was 15 years after he died, but “Dream Letter” had its initial release in 1990, so in it went.
    3. Most of the good albums made before 1964, it seems to me, were jazz albums.
    4. For some years, there was a paucity of choices. 2003 – I’m looking at you in particular. I had to scrabble around for ages to find albums from 1991, 2002 and 2003 that were even reasonably good.
    5. On the other hand, for some years – and here I’m thinking of 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78 and 79 – there was an absolute cornucopia of brilliant records. It was a real wrench leaving some of them out.
    6. In the end, seven artists ended up with two nominations apiece: the Beatles, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and the Magnetic Fields.
    7. I posted my favourite albums of 2018 in December last year, with Nat Birchall and Al Breadwinner’s “Sounds Almighty” claiming the top spot. But after I submitted that list, I found an a 2018 album that I like even more, and it’s that that now fills the 2018 spot on this list.

    1959 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
    1960 Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain
    1961 John Coltrane – Africa/Brass
    1962 Bill Evans Trio – Waltz for Debby
    1963 The Beatles – With the Beatles
    1964 Eric Dolphy – Out to Lunch
    1965 John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
    1966 The Beatles – Revolver
    1967 Love – Forever Changes
    1968 Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
    1969 The Kinks – Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire
    1970 George Harrison – All Things Must Pass
    1971 Nick Drake – Bryter Layter
    1972 Stephen Stills – Manassas
    1973 Can – Future Days
    1974 Van Morrison – Veedon Fleece
    1975 Brian Eno – Discreet Music
    1976 Joni Mitchell – Hejira
    1977 Congos – Heart of the Congos
    1978 Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear
    1979 Misty in Roots – Live at the Counter Eurovision
    1980 Nic Jones – Penguin Eggs
    1981 Squeeze – East Side Story
    1982 Elvis Costello & the Attractions – Imperial Bedroom
    1983 Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
    1984 Blue Nile – A Walk Across the Rooftops
    1985 Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
    1986 The Oyster Band – Step Outside
    1987 Joe Strummer – Walker (OST)
    1988 Randy Newman – Land Of Dreams
    1989 Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck – Djam Leelii
    1990 Tim Buckley – Dream Letter: Live In London
    1991 Elvis Costello – Mighty Like a Rose
    1992 REM – Automatic for the People
    1993 Ayub Ogada – En Mana Kuoyo
    1994 Grant McLennan – Horsebreaker Star
    1995 Keith Jarrett – At the Blue Note: Complete
    1996 Lal Waterson & Oliver Knight – Once in a Blue Moon
    1997 Jackie Leven – Fairy Tales for Hard Men
    1998 Elliott Smith – XO
    1999 XTC – Apple Venus Volume 1
    2000 Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
    2001 Djelimady Tounkara – Sigui
    2002 Anouar Brahem – Le Pas du Chat Noir
    2003 Gillian Welch – Soul Journey
    2004 Vassilis Tsabropoulos & Anja Lechner – Chants, Hymns and Dances
    2005 Harold Budd – “Avalon Sutra/As Long As I Can Hold My Breath”
    2006 Joanna Newsom – Ys
    2007 Stars of the Lid – “…And Their Refinement of the Decline”
    2008 Jan Lundgren, Richard Galliano & Paolo Fresu – “Mare Nostrum”
    2009 Loudon Wainwright III – “High, Wide & Handsome”
    2010 Richard Skelton – “Landings”
    2011 Michael Chapman – “Train Song”
    2012 Matthew Halsall – Fletcher Moss Park
    2013 David Lang – Death Speaks
    2014 Joe Henry – “Invisible Hour”
    2015 Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell
    2016 Chaim Tannenbaum – Chaim Tannenbaum
    2017 Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir
    2018 Alasdair Roberts, Neil McDermott & Tartine de Clous – Au Cube

    • Excellent. Much to chew on there.

      For me, Heart Of The Congos was released in 1992. In 1977, there were only a very small number of copies made. Perry was losing his mind, culminating in him destroying his master tapes and Black Ark burning down. I heard the legend in 1977 but not the music, not fully, until Mick Hucknall rescued it years later.

      All Things Must Pass looking well placed to win 1970’s nomination.

  36. Mind the gaps
    68 – Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
    70 – Van Morrison – Moondance
    71 – Carole King – Tapestry
    72 – Thin Lizzy – Shades of a Blue Orphanage
    73 – Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
    74 – ELO – Eldorado
    75 – Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac
    76 – Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
    77 – Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell
    78 – The Members – At the Chelsea Nightclub
    79 – The Stranglers – Black and White
    80 – Dire Straits – Making Movies
    81 – The Boomtown Rats – Mondo Bongo
    82 – Michael Jackson – Thriller
    83 – ZZ Top – Eliminator
    84 – Tina Turner – Private Dancer
    85 – Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
    86 – Nick Cave – Your Funeral My Trial
    87 – 10,000 Maniacs – In My Tribe
    88 – Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona
    89 – Simply Red – A New Flame
    91 – The Pixies – Trompe Le Monde
    92 – REM – Automatic for the People
    93 – Pearl Jam – Vs
    94 – Morrissey – Vauxhall and I
    95 – Portishead – Dummy
    97 – Blur – Blur
    98 – The Cardigans – Gran Turisma
    99 – Eminem – Slim Shady
    01 – Gorrillaz – Gorillaz
    02 – The Streets – Original Pirate Material
    04 – The Streets – A Grand don’t Come for Free
    05 – The Magic Numbers – The Magic Numbers
    06 – Morrissey – You are the Quarry
    08 – Adele – 19

  38. Is it too late to offer the view that, in submitting your list, the object should not be to predict or second-guess which the final winners will be, but perhaps to nominate albums that you feel strongly about but which you think others might just have overlooked? Just wondering …

    Take Kind of Blue, for example; it looks like a runaway winner at this stage, but isn’t that all the more reason to consider other contenders even at this late stage, rather than making it a slam dunk (so to speak)?

    • I’ve got one for 1959.
      I’ll just do the Golden Age.
      56 – Johnny Burnette & The Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio
      57 – “The Chirping Crickets”
      58 – “Bo Diddley”
      59 – “Dance Album of Carl Perkins”
      60 – “The Sound of Fury”
      61 – Chuck Berry – “New Juke Box Hits”
      62 – Booker T. & The MGs – “Green Onions”
      63 – “With The Beatles”
      64 – “The Rolling Stones”
      65 – “Out Of Our Heads – The Rolling Stones
      66 – “Pet Sounds” – The Beach Boys
      67 – “Absolutely Free” – Mothers
      68 – “Lumpy Gravy” – Frank Zappa
      69 – “Four Sail – Love
      1970 – “McCartney”
      Fag end of Golden Age ….
      1971 – “Cry of Love” – Jimi
      1972 – “Pink Moon” – Nick Drake
      Very fag end of Golden Age ……
      1973 – “Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid” – Bob Dylan

      • I’ve got nine on my 1959 list. A Kind of Blue is at 6. I have Elvis at 1. I won’t tell you the ones at 2-5 for fear of being judged. Perhaps I should listen to A Kind of Blue a bit more.

        • Go on. Ridicule is nothing to be scared of.

          Besides, if you say nothing we will just imagine the worst. Do you have a soft spot for a Muffin the Mule album? Benny Hill? Black and White MInstrels? The Singing Nun?

          • well…I imagine that the fans of A Kind of Blue might be okay with me placing it behind Frank Sinatra, Dion & The Belmonts and maybe even Ricky Nelson, at a push, but a bunch of cowboy songs by Marty Robbins might be a step too far! My dad was a Marty Robbins fan and had a few of his albums, so I used to listen to them as a kid (when I used to play all the records we had in the house, which wasn’t very many) and I’ve enjoyed them ever since.

            Funnily enough, one of the singles my parents had was Dominique by The Singing Nun, although neither could explain why, as they both denied buying it. It’s not one that I played more than once, as it’s bloody horrible. It’s not the worst record they had though. That was probably the singalong album by Bernard Manning and Joe ‘Mr Piano’ Henderson. But my parents know nothing about music. My dad had this album of Elvis covers by a nameless singer, in the style of the Top of the Pops albums, except he said he had taken it to a party and came back with the wrong album inside the sleeve. He was very disappointed that instead of the Elvis covers he used to like he was now stuck with this ‘weird rubbish’ called Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake!

              • Check out the song on the ‘country’ thread, that I chose from a few days ago. It’s Loudon Wainwright III and John Hiatt doing a Marty Robbins song from that album.

                Great stuff!

              • The Marty Robbins album from 1960, cleverly titled More Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs, is even better, but I note that I have it a place behind Sketches of Spain, so a 1-1 draw between Marty and Miles. It’s irrelevant in 1960 anyway, because Billy Fury did Sound of Fury with the great Joe Brown, and Frank Sinatra released Nice N Easy, my favourite album of his. For full disclosure I also have a couple of Everly Brothers albums and one each by Roy Orbison, Elvis and Ricky Nelson above both Miles and Marty in 1960, but they’re all great albums.

                Anyway, I’ve just bought a stack of CDs by The Fall which necessitated one of my regular reorganising of the CD racks, relegating some to the cupboard. I used to have a one in one out policy, to prevent having CDs stuffed in cupboards where I forget about them, but I run out of things I was prepared to part with. I’ve actually run out of things I want to move to the cupboard from the right hand CD shelves (the ‘British’ side, more or less), so I’ve left space for a couple that are coming and the new Kano album and then I am hoping to never want to buy a CD again, otherwise I’ll be stood dithering in front of the shelves for hours.

                But I digress…as I was putting the CDs in the cupboard I reflected that there are some great CDs in there, noticing Smokey Robinson and some other Motown albums in particular. As I moved a pile to see what else was behind them, lo and behold, there was Kind of Blue (note me giving it its correct title, without the ‘A’ that I had been prefixing it with above, as if it were a Queen album). So instead of watching Peep Show as planned, to try to rid my mind of that awful Yesterday film I’ve just been to watch with the missus and the boy, I’ve put it on. And it is rather good. I might even move it above Marty Robbins (but not above Dion and the Belmonts, I’ve not gone crazy!).

                Thing is, I wouldn’t put Kind of Blue above More Gunfighter Ballads from 1960, yet I have put Sketches of Spain above that. I must therefore like Sketches of Spain more than Kind of Blue. I’m going to have to listen to SOS again to check if this is right. This is the kind of inconsistency that’s making my albums ranking project so ruddy difficult, and is one of the reasons why I’m still nowhere near finishing 2 years down the line. As pointless projects go, this might be the daftest one yet, but it keeps me from getting bored I suppose.

    • Tahir, old chap, you seem to be suggesting that there might be posters on here trying to pick up as many winners as possible, with the objective of being the Most Mainstream Massive, like, ever. Surely you don’t believe that?

      Don’t worry about Kind of Blue, it’s got special status: the jazz record for people who only have one jazz record. Relax.

      • I think it’ll be interesting to see whether there’s a year where there’s no consensus at all: where every participating Afterworder selects a different album. it’ll be much more likely in the later years …

        • I agree that “Kind of Blue” has a special status, but I’d say that – remarkably enough – it’s an album that’s loved both by people who have only one jazz record and by people who have, say, 500 jazz records.

        • @Duco01 – that year would be 2009. Every other year, there are at least two of us who think alike – even up until 2018.
          Edit – I just realised even that year has a match – The Hazards of Love is a double. 2019 is the year of solitary musical pleasures, if that counts

      • Declan old chap, you can also relax. Let me explain.

        First point, this is not an exact science. Second, it is often a bit of a toss-up between a couple of albums to get the nomination. A number of posters have attested to this. So in a case of relative indecision, one might consider giving the lesser known album the nod. That’s all I was saying.

        Having made that reasonable comment, I can’t help wondering whether all those nominating Beatles albums for almost every year of the 60s really say to themselves “Ooh I haven’t listened to Sgt Pepper’s for ages, can’t wait to put it on again.”

          • The 2017 remix is ruddy brilliant isn’t it. The Beatles stereo mixes were always so frustrating and [whispers] I prefer stereo to mono, so to have a decent stereo mix of Sgt Pepper at last was wonderful. And it does make me want to listen to it again, when I haven’t felt the urge to listen to it for donkey’s years. To be fair though, all the Beatles albums are pretty much hard wired into my brain, so often did I listen to them as a teenager, so I don’t really need to listen to most of them again.

        • I could have chosen more Beatles albums like Sgt Pepper and The White Album but I felt that would make a boring list. Similarly I could have gone with more Bowie, who is of course The Beatles of the seventies. 😉 Can I honestly say the albums I chose for 1967 and 1968 are better than those Beatles releases? No I can’t. The White Album and Sgt Pepper are of course patchy but the highlights really make them superior. Singles rather than albums might get us a different result. Would be more interesting in a way. Everyone goes on about albums all the time. It gives an unfortunate skew towards certain acts and overlooks others. Maybe someone with a handy spreadsheet could start a singles thread. After all these are matters of vital importance.

          • That’d be good. Somewhat unsurprisingly, I already have a list of my favourite song (not necessarily a single) from each year. Creeque Alley and Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey from 67 and 68. Actually, on looking at my list, it’s probably best if we don’t do that one, as I’d be faced with the tricky decision of telling the truth or fibbing, to try to save any shred of credibility I have left after declaring I prefer a bunch of cowboy songs to Miles Davis.

            I still have flashbacks to the time a young barman in Brighton uttered an expletive, took a few quid out of the till, jumped over the bar, literally, and shoved loads of songs on the jukebox to prevent me subjecting him to any more of my choices. As I recall, Rhinestone Cowboy was the straw that broke his camel’s back. Then again, if we do list our favourite songs of each year it would probably be a first Afterword mention for Jim Dale, David Essex, Alvin Stardust, David Soul and Fat Larry’s Band, and all in the same post…well, second mention now, obviously.

  39. 1959 – Nina Simone – Little Girl Blue
    1960 – Giant Steps – Coltrane
    1961 – Sunday At The Village Vanguard – Bill Evans Trio
    1962 – Howlin’ Wolf – Howlin’ Wolf
    1963 – A Christmas Gift To You – Phil Spector [various]
    1964 – A Hard Days Night
    1965 – Rubber Soul
    1966 – Revolver
    1967 – Sgt Pepper
    1968 – Astral Weeks
    1969 – Five Leaves Left
    1970 – Bridge Over Troubled Water
    1971 – Hunky Dory
    1972 – Pink Moon
    1973 – Dark Side of The Moon
    1974 – Court & Spark
    1975 – The Hissing of Summer Lawns
    1976 – Hejira
    1977 – Rumours
    1978 – The Kick Inside
    1979 – Rickie Lee Jones
    1980 – Japan – Gentlemen Take Polaroids
    1981 – The Human League – Dare
    1982 – Simple Minds – New Gold Dream
    1983 – The Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftops
    1984 – Prefab Sprout – Swoon
    1985 – Hounds of Love
    1986 – REM – Lifes Rich Pageant
    1987 – REM – Document
    1988 – The Blue Nile – Hats
    1989 – Pixies – Doolittle
    1990 – Brian Kennedy – The Great War of Words
    1991 – Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
    1992 – REM – Automatic For The People
    1993 – Maria McKee – You Gotta Sin To Get Saved
    1994 – Jeff Buckley – Grace
    1995 – Paul Weller – Stanley Road
    1996 – Wilco – Being There
    1997 – The Jayhawks – The Sound Of Lies
    1998 – Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
    1999 – Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun
    2000 – PJ Harvey – Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
    2001 – Ryan Adams – Gold
    2002 – Grand Drive – See The Morning In
    2003 – Josh Rouse – 1972
    2004 – Wilco – A Ghost Is Born
    2005 – Sigur Rós – Takk…
    2006 – Midlake – The Trials Of Van Occupanther
    2007 – Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
    2008 – Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
    2009 – 1 Giant Leap – What About Me
    2010 – The Black Keys – Brothers
    2011 – Bon Iver – Bon Iver
    2012 – First Aid Kit – The Lions Roar
    2013 – Hiss Golden Messenger – Haw
    2014 – The War On Drugs – Lost In The Dream
    2015 – Coldplay – A Head Full Of Dreams
    2016 – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
    2017 – The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
    2018 – Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed

    • Edit – I’d like to change 1973 from Dark Side of The Moon to There Goes Rhymin’ Simon
      In the midst of this project I have realised that a lot of my album are missing the correct year tag – One can make a string argument for Dark Side being the best album of 1973, but if you handed them both to me and asked which one would I like to play right now [on any given day] I would choose the Paul Simon record every time…

      • Lemonhope – Nice list! And if you move The Blue Nile’s “A Walk Across the Rooftops” to its correct release year of 1984 (not 83), then it’ll have a good shot at the official Afterword nomination for that year.

      • There Goes Rhymin’ Simon is indeed a fabulous record. Yes, I found 1973 a VERY difficult year to choose. and that was a close contender. You also had Innervisions that year – I don’t think anyone has mentioned that yet? My favourite Stevie album.

  40. Okay, I’ll play, but only the solid ground of 80s and 90s (approx) as, like Black Celebration, I don’t feel qualified to do earlier and I know I’ll forget loads from this millennium.

    80: Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – Dexys Midnight Runners
    81: Heaven Up Here – Echo & The Bunnymen
    82: You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever – Orange Juice
    83: High Land, Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
    84: Treasure – Cocteau Twins
    85: Lowlife – New Order
    86: Neither Washington Nor Moscow – Redskins
    87: Strangeways, Here We Come – The Smiths
    88: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
    89: Technique – New Order
    90: Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys
    91: NO CLEAR WINNER
    92: Henry’s Dream – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
    93: Suede
    94: The Holy Bible – Manic Street Preachers
    95: Bloomsbury Theatre 12/3/95 – Tindersticks
    96: In Sides – Orbital
    97: Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space – Spiritualized
    98: XO – Elliott Smith
    99: Apple Venus – XTC
    2000: Figure 8 – Elliott Smith
    2001: The Cold Vein – Cannibal Ox

    • My turn. Everything pre-Revolver are subsequent discoveries!

      59 Miles Davis Kind of Blue
      60 John Coltrane Giant Steps
      61. Oliver Nelson The blues and the abstract truth
      62 Cecil Taylor. Nefertiti
      63 Kenny Burrell. Midnight blue
      64. Eric Dolphy. Out to lunch
      65. John Coltrane. A love supreme
      66. Beatles. Revolver
      67. Beatles. Sgt Pepper
      68. Hendrix. Electric ladyland
      69. King Crimson. Court of..
      70. Traffic. John barleycorn
      71. Alice Coltrane. Satchidananda
      72. Weather Report. I sing the body electric
      73. Mahavishnu Orch. Birds of fire
      74. Genesis. The lamb..
      75. Miles Davis. Agharta
      76. Keith Jarrett. Survivors suite
      77. Television. Marquee moon
      78. Magazine. Real life
      79. Art Ensemble of Chicago Nice guys
      80. Joy Division Closer
      81. Little Feat. Hoy hoy
      82. Donald Fagen. Nightly
      83. Xtc. Mummer
      84. Prince. Purple rain
      85. Art Ensemble of Chicago Third decade
      86. Marc Johnson. Bass desires
      87. John Zorn. Spillane
      88. TalkTalk. Spirit of eden
      89. Stone Roses. Same
      90. John Zorn. Naked city
      91. Christy Doran. Corporate art
      92 Sugar. Copper blue
      93. Cassandra Wilson Blue light til dawn
      94. Portishead. Dummy
      95. Garbage. Same
      96. Zappa. Lather
      97. Dylan. Time out of mind
      98. Air Moon. safari
      99 Lucinda Williams. Car wheels..
      00. Radiohead. Kid a
      01. Lucinda Williams. Essence
      02. EST Strange place for snow
      03. White Stripes. Elephant
      04. John Zorn. Electric Masada 50/4
      05. Fat Freddy’s Drop. Based on a true story
      06. Johanna Newsome. Ys
      07. Lucinda Williams. West
      08. Jeff Beck. At Ronnie Scotts
      09. Wilco. The album
      10. Tame Impala. Inner speaker
      11. Vieux Farka Toure. The secret
      12. Lee Ritenour. Rhythm sessions
      13. Ross Hammond Quartet Cathedrals
      14. Bill Frisell. Guitar in the space age
      15. Kendrick Lamar. Butterfly
      16. Tomeka Reid Quartet. Same
      17. Tony Allen. The source
      18 Sons of Kemet your queen is a reptile
      19. Nels Klines/Henry Kaiser. Jazz free

    • It’s a mighty record indeed, Mr Wad. I declared 91 as having no clear winner but, in truth, most years were a photo finish, the exceptions being 1988, 1994 and 2001 which were a formality..

  42. 1959 Kind of Blue
    1963 Please Please Me
    1964 A Hard Day’s Night
    1965 Rubber Soul
    1966 Revolver
    1967 Sgt Pepper
    1968 The White Album
    1969 Hot Rats – Frank Zappa
    1970 Emerson Lake and Palmer
    1971 Tarkus – ELP
    1972 Trilogy – ELP
    1973 Band On The Run
    1974 Apostrophe – Frank Zappa
    1975 One Size Fits All – Frank Zappa
    1976 Songs In The Key Of Life
    1977 Talking Heads 77
    1979 Armed Forces – Elvis Costello
    1980 Get Happy! – Elvis Costello
    1985 25 O’clock – Dukes of Stratosfear (XTC)
    1986 Skylarking – XTC
    1987 Psonic Psunspot – Dukes of Stratosfear (XTC)
    1999 Apple Venus – XTC
    2000 Wasp Star – XTC

    • I knew I had one EC record and now I remember, Armed Forces. The vinyl record came in a ludicrous sleeve, which must have scared buyers away. Still, Two Little Hitlers and Accidents Will Happen were good.

      • The sleeve for Armed Forces was designed by the late, much-missed Barney Bubbles. In my view, it’s one of his greatest pieces of work and certainty not something that would “scare buyers away”. But that’s just me…

        • It’s my OCD. I always enjoyed the ritual of drawing the record from the outer sleeve, always with the inner sleeve opening at the top. And if anyone put one back with the sleeve openings in line
          I’d go nuts.

  43. These lists are great and I agree with most of them up to 1986 or so. Problem for me is that after that I lost all interest in new artists and albums (except new albums by artists I already liked).

  45. My List: Part One – 1959-1970.

    1959 Blowin’ the Blues Away – Horace Silver
    1960 Giant Steps – John Coltrane
    1961 The Blues and the Abstract Truth – Oliver Nelson
    1962 Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music – Ray Charles
    1963 Live at the Harlem Square Club – Sam Cooke
    1964 Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz & João Gilberto
    1965 Otis Blue – Otis Redding
    1966 Revolver – The Beatles
    1967 Forever Changes – Love
    1968 Gris Gris – Dr. John
    1969 A Rainbow in Curved Air – Terry Riley
    1970 Abraxas – Santana

    More later.

      • So it was. A bit late if you ask me.
        It also seems that although Discogs.com says Getz/Gilberto was released in 1964, that “1001 Albums…” tome gives it as 1963. I’ll stick with Discogs, I think.
        Amend the above list as follows:
        1963 The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady – Charles Mingus

    • Second Batch: 1971 – 1982.

      1971 What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
      1972 Can’t Buy a Thrill – Steely Dan
      1973 Larks’ Tongues in Aspic – King Crimson
      1974 Phaedra – Tangerine Dream
      1975 Another Green World – Eno
      1976 Station to Station – David Bowie
      1977 New Boots and Panties!! – Ian Dury
      1978 C’est Chic – Chic
      1979 Fear of Music – Talking Heads
      1980 Remain in Light – Talking Heads
      1981 My Life in the Bush of Ghosts – Brian Eno/David Byrne
      1982 The Nightfly – Donald Fagen

      There will be more.

      • Batch #3: 1983 -1994.

        1983 Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks – Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois/Roger Eno
        1984 Broadcasting from Home – Penguin Café Orchestra
        1985 Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
        1986 Water from an Ancient Well – Abdullah Ibrahim
        1987 Psonic Psunspot – The Dukes of Stratosphear
        1988 Broadway the Hard Way – Frank Zappa
        1989 The Seeds of Love – Tears Before Fears
        1990 Chill Out – The KLF
        1991 The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life – Frank Zappa
        1992 Nerve Net – Brian Eno
        1993 Malcolm X Jazz Suite – Terence Blanchard
        1994 Dummy – Portishead

        More later.

        • And here they are: 1995 – 2006.

          1995 Different Class – Pulp
          1996 ABoneCroneDrone – Sheila Chandra
          1997 Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
          1998 Swedish Folk Modern – Nils Landgren/Esbjörn Svensson
          1999 Jazz in Film – Terence Blanchard
          2000 Nós – Virgínia Rodrigues
          2001 Level Five – King Crimson
          2002 Neural Circuits – Joanna MacGregor/Britten Sinfonia
          2003 Digital Prophecy – Dhafer Youssef
          2004 50⁴ – Electric Masada
          2005 Theatre Royal Drury Lane 8th September 1974 – Robert Wyatt & Friends
          2006 Savane – Ali Farka Touré

          One final batch to go.

          • Last batch: 2007 – 2018.

            2007 Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
            2008 Life in Leipzig – Ketil Bjørnstad/Terje Rypdal
            2009 My One and Only Thrill – Melody Gardot
            2010 Gift – Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
            2011 Kindred Spirits – Zoe Rahman
            2012 Fletcher Moss Park – Matthew Halsall
            2013 No Deal – Melanie De Biasio
            2014 When the World was One – Matthew Halsall & Gondwana Orchestra
            2015 Solo – Nils Frahm
            2016 Culcha Vulcha – Snarky Puppy
            2017 Fistfight at the Barndance – The Gareth Lockrane Big Band
            2018 Resolve – Poppy Ackroyd

            Nothing for 2019 because we’re only just over half way through it.

            A confession: I said I was only going to list albums I have in my collection but I discovered to my horror that although I have “C’est Chic” on my dusty vinyl shelf, I’ve only got 3 tracks from it as digital files and no CD version! So ashamed.

  46. Here’s my list – as the others have all taken care of the Beatles Band classics and the well-known must-have albums, I have chosen the albums that I’ve regularly come back to for repeated listening pleasure.

    1959 Martin Denny • Quiet Village
    1960 eden ahbez • Eden’s Island
    1961 Nina Simone • Forbidden Fruit
    1962 Charles Mingus • Oh Yeah
    1963 Hank Snow • I’ve Been Everywhere
    1964 Buck Owens & The Buckaroos • I Don’t Care
    1965 Johnny Cash • Ballads Of The True West
    1966 The Kinks • Face To Face
    1967 The Rolling Stones • Between The Buttons
    1968 The Moody Blues • In Search Of The Lost Chord
    1969 Frank Zappa • Hot Rats
    1970 Jethro Tull • Benefit

    1971 Wonderland • Wonderland Band No. 1
    1972 Horslips • Happy To Meet … Sorry To Part
    1973 Golden Earring • Moontan
    1974 Steely Dan • Pretzel logic
    1975 Peter Hammill • Nadir’s Big Chance
    1976 Joni Mitchell • Hejira
    1977 David Bowie • Low
    1978 The Residents • (Not Available)
    1979 Holger Czukay • Movies
    1980 Ry Cooder • Borderline

    1981 Penguin Café Orchestra
    1982 The Bongos • Drums Along The Hudson
    1983 Brian Eno | Daniel Lanois | Roger Eno • Apollo
    1984 Any Trouble • Wrong End Of The Race
    1985 Working Week • Working Nights
    1986 David Sylvian • Gone To Earth
    1987 Game Theory • Lolita Nation
    1988 Phish • Junta
    1989 Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub • Hair
    1990 Pet Shop Boys • Behavior

    1991 Julian Cope • Peggy Suicide
    1992 Nits • Ting
    1993 Jam & Spoon • Tripomatic Fairytales
    1994 Bark Psychosis • Hex
    1995 John Prinne • Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings
    1996 R.E.M. • New Adventures In Hi-Fi
    1997 Bob Dylan • Time Out Of Mind
    1998 Gas • Königsforst
    1999 XTC • Apple Venus
    2000 Dwight Yoakum • Tomorrow’s Sound Today

    2001 Rachid Taha • Made In Medina
    2002 The Notwist • Neon Golden
    2003 Blumfeld • Jenseits von jedem
    2004 Amadou & Mariam • Dimanche à Bamako
    2005 Simon Ho • If
    2006 Celtic Frost • Monotheist
    2007 Mavis Staples • We’ll Never Turn Back
    2008 Paul Weller • 22 Dreams
    2009 Richard Hawley • Truelove’s Gutter
    2010 Feufollet • En Couleur

    2011 The Feelies • Here Before
    2012 Neil Young & Crazy Horse • Psychedelic Pill
    2013 John Grant • Pale Green Ghost
    2014 Dylan Howe • Subterraneans
    2015 Steven Wilson • Hand.Cannot.Erase.
    2016 Black Mountain • IV
    2017 Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives • Way Out West
    2018 Julia Holter • Aviary

  47. I found the 1970s and 1980s easy. Spent far too long thinking about what to choose in the 2000s and 2010s.

    1959 – Frank Sinatra – No One Cares
    1960 – Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain
    1961 – The Shadows – The Shadows
    1962 – The Beach Boys – Surfin’ Safari
    1963 – The Beatles – With The Beatles
    1964 – Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
    1965 – The Beatles – Rubber Soul
    1966 – The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    1967 – The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
    1968 – Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
    1969 – Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
    1970 – Nick Drake – Pink Moon
    1971 – David Bowie – Hunky Dory
    1972 – Yes – Close To The Edge
    1973 – Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells
    1974 – King Crimson – Red
    1975 – Chris Squire – Fish Out Of Water
    1976 – David Bowie – Station To Station
    1977 – Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
    1978 – Jean Michel Jarre – Equinoxe
    1979 – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
    1980 – Paul Simon – One Trick Pony
    1981 – Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark – Architecture And Morality
    1982 – Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
    1983 – Depeche Mode – Construction Time Again
    1984 – The Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftops
    1985 – Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love
    1986 – David Sylvian – Gone To Earth
    1987 – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love
    1988 – Talk Talk – Spirit Of Eden
    1989 – Tears For Fears – The Seeds Of Love
    1990 – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour
    1991 – Massive Attack – Blue Lines
    1992 – Peter Gabriel – Us
    1993 – Donald Fagen – Kamakiriad
    1994 – The Divine Comedy – Promenade
    1995 – The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
    1996 – DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
    1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
    1998 – Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
    1999 – Moby – Play
    2000 – Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now
    2001 – Bjork – Vespertine
    2002 – Doves – The Last Broadcast
    2003 – King Crimson – The Power To Believe
    2004 – Arcade Fire – Funeral
    2005 – Richard Hawley – Coles Corner
    2006 – The Silver Seas – High Society
    2007 – M.I.A. – Kala
    2008 – The Fireman – Electric Arguments
    2009 – The Clientele – Bonfires On The Heath
    2010 – John Grant – Queen Of Denmark
    2011 – Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow
    2012 – Guillemots – Hello Land
    2013 – Prefab Sprout – Crimson Red
    2014 – Ben Watt – Hendra
    2015 – Public Service Broadcasting – The Race For Space
    2016 – David Bowie – Blackstar
    2017 – Steven Wilson – To The Bone
    2018 – Paul McCartney – Egypt Station

    • Nice list. I am surprised that 50 Words for Snow is getting so many votes. Lack of competition in 2011? I like it, but it is way down my list of best Kate albums.

        • Well, perhaps one could argue Revolver is more of an acknowledged classic than 50 Words For Snow. So Revolver getting votes is not much of a surprise, even if 1966 was one mother of a year.

          • I’m not surprised Revolver got so many votes. After all, when @Tiggerlion launched the 100 favourite albums poll, it was the number one choice, no matter how the stats were calculated. It wasn’t my choice for 1966 – I can’t stand the opening track (though the final track is a belter).

            • Try and think of Taxman as a tongue-in-cheek comedy song, not to be taken at all seriously. Then, there is a lot to commend it: great bass, great guitar, great, witty backing vocals and, most importantly, a whole load of cowbell.

  48. That was an interesting evening of scratching my head.
    I was spoilt for choice for some years, 71 and 79 especially.
    Others, I just couldn’t think of anything. I think the introduction of Spotify and Children in the noughties may have something to do with the huge gaps of the past few years.

    59. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
    60. West Side Story
    66. Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    70. Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
    71. Focus – Moving Waves
    72. Stevie Wonder – Talking Book
    73. Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
    74. Genesis – Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
    75 Joni Mitchell – Hissing Of Summer Lawns
    76. Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key Of Life
    77. Weather Report – Heavy Weather
    78. Herbie Hancock – Sunlight
    79. Earth Wind and Fire – I Am
    80. Boz Scaggs – Middle Man
    82. Donald Fagen – Nightfly
    84. Chaka Khan – I Feel For You
    85. Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen
    86. Janet Jackson – Control
    87. Alexander O’Neil – Hearsay
    88. Hall & Oates – Oh Yeah
    89. Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation
    90. Jason Rebello – A Clearer View
    91. Crowded House – Woodface
    92. Sergio Mendes – Brasileiro
    93 Bjork – Debut
    95. D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
    96. Lewis Taylor – Lewis Taylor
    97. All Saints – All Saints
    00 Alejandro Sanz – El Alma Al Aire
    01 Caleb – Fear Of Success
    02. Lewis Taylor – Stoned Pt 1
    06 John Mayer – Continuum
    14 D’Angelo – Black Messiah
    17. Thundercat – Drunk
    18. Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer

  49. Impossible task. Left out so many important (to me) wonderful records. However…..

    65. South of the Border, Herb Alpert
    66. The Monkees
    67. Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles
    68. In a Gadda Da Vida, Iron Butterfly
    69. Abbey Road, The Beatles
    70. Layla, Derek and the Dominos
    71. Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones
    72. Harvest, Neil Young
    73. Aladdin Sane, David Bowie
    74. Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan
    75. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
    76. Heat Treatment, Graham Parker
    77. My Aim is True, Elvis Costello
    78. This Year’s Model, Elvis Costello
    79. Armed Forces, Elvis Costello
    80. Get Happy, Elvis Costello
    81. Trust, Elvis Costello
    82. Imperial Bedroom, Elvis Costello
    83. Let’s Dance, David Bowie
    84. Born in the USA, Bruce Springsteen
    85. Rum, Sodomy & the Lash, The Pogues
    86. Graceland, Paul Simon
    87. Bring the Family, John Hiatt
    88. Naked, Talking Heads
    89. Oh Mercy, Bob Dylan
    90. Ragged Glory, Neil Young
    91. Girlfriend, Matthew Sweet
    92. It’s a Shame About Ray, Lemonheads
    93. Where You Been, Dinosaur Jr
    94. The Impossible Bird, Nick Lowe
    95. Now That I’ve Found You, Alison Krauss
    96. Golden Heart, Mark Knopfler
    97. Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan
    98. Painted from Memory, Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello
    99. As Time Goes By, Bryan Ferry
    00. Transcendental Blues, Steve Earle
    01. Essence, Lucinda Williams
    02. Hard Candy, Counting Crows
    03. Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains of Wayne
    04. Retriever, Ron Sexsmith
    05. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Bright Eyes
    06. Modern Times, Bob Dylan
    07. Traffic & Weather, Fountains of Wayne
    08. Just a Little Lovin, Shelby Lynne

    10. Tears, Lies & Alibis, Shelby Lynne
    11. Long Player, Late Bloomer, Ron Sexsmith
    12. Sunken Condos, Donald Fagen
    13. Same Trailer, Different Park, Kacey Musgraves
    18. Look Out, Elvis Costello

  50. Some of the year winners would change if I went and did it again as some years had a number of albums that could easily have been chosen while other years, the winners are merely there by being best of not brilliant 12 months.

    63 THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME
    64 BOB DYLAN THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN
    65 THE DUBLINERS IN CONCERT
    66 SIMON AND GARFUNKEL SOUNDS OF SILENCE
    67 THE BEATLES SGT PEPPERS LONLEY HEART CLUB BAND
    68 THE BEATLES THE BEATLES
    69 ALICE COOPER PRETTIES FOR YOU
    70 ELTON JOHN TTUMBLEWEED CONNECTION
    71 ALICE COOPER LOVE IT TO DEATH
    72 ALICE COOPER SCHOOLS OUT
    73 EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER BRAIN SALAD SURGERY
    74 SPARKS PROPOGANDA
    75 ALICE COOPER WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE
    76 VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR WORLD RECORD
    77 THE CLASH THE CLASH
    78 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN 1978
    79 PUBLIC IMAGE LTD METAL BOX
    80 JOY DIVISION CLOSER
    81 ABC LEXICON OF LOVE
    82 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN NEBRASKA
    83 NEW ORDER POWER CORRUPTION AND LIES
    84 VIOLENT FEMMES HALLOWED GROUND
    85 DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS DONT STAND ME DOWN
    86 THE SMITHS THE QUEEN IS DEAD
    87 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TUNNEL OF LOVE
    88 THE POUGES IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD
    89 DE LA SOUL THREE FEET HIGH AND RISING
    90 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS FLOOD
    91 BILLY BRAGG DONT TRY THIS AT HOME
    92 SUGAR COPPER BLUE
    93 SUGAR BEASTER
    94 JACKIE LEVEN THE MYSTERYOF LOVE IS GREATER THAN THE MYSTERY OF DEATH
    95 JACKIE LEVEN FORBIDDEN SONGS OF THE DYING WEST
    96 SPARKLEHORSE VIVADIXIESUBMARINETRANSMISSIONPLOT
    97 JACKIE LEVEN FAIRYTALES FOR HARDMEN
    98 JACKIE LEVEN NIGHT LILIES
    99 DAVID THOMAS CONDUCTS THE PALE ORCHESTRA MIRROR MAN ACT 1 JACK AND THE GENERAL
    00 GRANDADDY THE SOPHWARE SLUMP
    01 JACKIE LEVEN CREATURES OF LIGHT AND DARK
    02 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND THE RISING
    03 JACKIE LEVEN SHINING BROTHER SHINING SISTER 2003
    04 JIM WHITE DRILL A HOLE IN THE SUBTRATE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE
    05 EELS BLINKING LIGHTS AND OTHER REVELATIONS
    06 SIR VINCENT LONE SONGS FOR LONELY AMERICANS
    07 LEE GRIFFITHS ARMCHAIR ANARCHY
    08 WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY
    09 OLAFUR ARANLDS FOUND SONGS
    10 GONJUSFI A SUFI AND A KILLER
    11 HARP AND A MONKEY HARP AND A MONKEY
    12 DEXY’S ONE DAY I’M GOING TO SOAR
    13 HARP AND A MONKEY ALL LIFE IS HERE
    14 STIFF LITTLE FINGERS NO GOING BACK
    15 PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING THE RACE FOR SPACE
    16 VAN DER GRAFF GENERATOR DO NOT DISTURB
    17 CONOR OBERST SALUTATIONS
    18 EZRA FURMAN TRANSGELIC EXODUS
    19 MEMBRANES WHAT NATURE GIVES NATURE TAKES AWAY 2019

    • Two votes so far for They Might Be Giants Flood.
      I was beginning to think I may be the only person who rates it as their best

      And a double vote for Stiff Little Fingers No Going Back
      (That one I really did believe would only be on my list)

  51. Here’s my selection. It’s probably a bit dull, but these are the ones that I return to.
    There are a few gaps which corresponds to when I started working from home.

    63 – Phil Spector – Christmas album
    64 – The Beatles – A Hard Days Night
    65 – The Beatles – Rubber Soul
    66 – Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
    67 – The Beatles – Sgt Peppe
    68 – Spirit – Spirit
    69 – The Beatles – Abbey Road
    70 – King Crimson – In the Wake of Poseidon
    71 – David Bowie – Hunky Dory
    72 – David Bowie – Ziggy Stardust
    73 – Stevie Wonder – Inner Visions
    74 – Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
    75 – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
    76 – 10cc – How Dare You
    77 – Spirit – Future Games
    78 Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town
    79 – Ian Dury – Do it Yourself
    80 – Dire Straits – Making Movies
    81 – Human League – Dare
    82 – Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
    83 – Elvis Costello – Punch the Clock
    84 – Blue nile – Walk across the Rooftops
    85 – Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtle
    86 – Big Audio Dynamite – no 10 Upping Street
    87 – Justified Ancients of Mu Mu – 1987 What the F is going on
    88 – Prefab Sprout – From Langley Park to Memphis
    89 – Danny Wilson – Bebop Moptop
    90 – Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour
    91 – Crowded House – Woodface
    92 – Lindsey Buckingham – From the Cradle
    93 – Jellyfish – Spilt Milk
    94 – Pink Floyd – The Division Bell
    95 – Ben Folds 5 – Ben Folds 5
    96 – High Llamas – Hawaii
    97 –
    98 – Costello/Bacharach – Painted from Memory
    99 – Shelby Lynne – I am
    00 – Steely Dan – 2 Against Nature
    01 – Ian Mosley/Ben Castle – Postmankind
    02 – Lewis Taylor – Stoned pt 1
    03 – A Girl Called Eddy – A Girl Called Eddy
    04 – Clare Teal – Don’t Talk
    05 – Carleen Anderson – Soul Providence
    06 – Corinne Bailey Rae – Corinne Bailey Rae
    08 – Beth Rowley – Little Dreamer
    09 – Prefab Sprout – Let’s Change the World with Music
    11 – Bon Iver – Bon Iver
    13 – Boz Scaggs – Memphis
    15 – Lianne La Havas – Blood
    16 – Emitt Rhodes – Rainbow Ends
    17 – Stone Foundation – Street Ritual

    • I did consider putting “1987: What the F*** is Going On?” in my list, but it was forcibly withdrawn almost immediately on release and supposedly all copies were recovered and destroyed on the orders of ABBA and their management. It only exists now as a bootleg.

      • I bought my copy from Our Price Notting Hill Gate in August 1987, on the strength of the rave review in Sounds. It was probably the album I listened to most that year.
        They did release an ep version with the samples removed (& instructions on where to place them)

            • I struggled to find anything to get enthusiastic about for a few scattered years. Some other years there were so many it was painful having to choose.

              Everything pre-1965 in my list is retrospective. That’s when I first started taking an interest in music rather than just listening to whatever came out of the radio. Quite a few after that are albums I discovered After The Day too.

    • Bloody hell, just realised my Dare was attached to 1980, based on my absolute conviction that was when it was released. So it becomes, sorry, my 1981, ditching JMJ’s Magnetic Fields. 1980 I will have Music For Parties/Silicon Teens.

  52. Here we go then. I’ll have forgotten loads for sure, but these are all great records that I have played to death either when they came out, or later when I discovered them.

    1961 Sunday at the Village Vanguard Bill Evans Trio
    1962 Jazz Samba Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz
    1963 The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
    1964 A Hard Days Night The Beatles
    1965 Highway 61 Revisited Bob Dylan
    1966 Wild is The Wind Nina Simone
    1967 Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles
    1968 Astral Weeks Van Morrison
    1969 Willy and the Poor Boys Creedence Clearwater Revival
    1970 Stephen Stills Stephen Stills
    1971 Blue Joni Mitchell
    1972 St Dominic’s Preview Van Morrison
    1973 Innervisions Stevie Wonder
    1974 Court and Spark Joni Mitchell
    1975 Blood on the Tracks Bob Dylan
    1976 Station to Station David Bowie
    1977 Marquee Moon Television
    1978 Street Legal Bob Dylan
    1979 Bop Til You Drop Ry Cooder
    1980 Common One Van Morrison
    1981 Pirates Rickie Lee Jones
    1982 Shoot Out the Lights Richard and Linda Thompson
    1983 Colour by Numbers Culture Club
    1984 Cafe Bleu Style Council
    1985 Be Yourself Tonight Eurythmics
    1986 Graceland Paul Simon
    1987 Tunnel of Love Bruce Springsteen
    1988 Irish Heartbeat Van Morrison and The Chieftains
    1989 Oh Mercy Bob Dylan
    1990 I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got Sinead O’Connor
    1991 Blue Lines Massive Attack
    1992 Automatic for the People REM
    1993 Together Alone Crowded House
    1994 Talking Timbuktu Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure
    1995 Wrecking Ball Emmylou Harris
    1996 Revival Gillian Welch
    1997 Time Out of Mind Bob Dylan
    1998 Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Lucinda Williams
    1999 Supernatural Santana
    2000 Daisies of the Galaxy Eels
    2001 Gold Ryan Adams
    2002 Handcream for a Generation Cornershop
    2003 The Intercontinentals Bill Frisell
    2004 Medulla Bjork
    2005 Coles Corner Richard Hawley
    2006 Keys to the World Richard Ashcroft
    2007 Out of The Woods Tracey Thorn
    2008 Oh My God Charlie Darwin The Low Anthem
    2009 Two Dancers Wild Beasts
    2010 El Turista Josh Rouse
    2011 Biophilia Bjork
    2012 Hello Cruel World Gretchen Peters
    2013 Once I Was an Eagle Laura Marling
    2014 Indian Ocean Frazey Ford
    2015 The Longest River Olivia Chaney
    2016 The Ghosts of Highway 20 Lucinda Williams
    2017 Semper Femina Laura Marling
    2018 Dirty Computer Janelle Monae

        • “Yeats and Lady Gregory corresponded
          And James Joyce wrote streams of consciousness books”

          You certainly can’t argue with ol’ Van the Man there. I love “Summertime in England”.

          • And he’s absolutely right about TS Eliot choosing England. Don’t know if Wordsworth and Coleridge ever smoked up in Kendal but I do hope so. Oh, it’s a bonkers track but also absolutely, quintessentially brilliant – one of the very best by one of the very best.

  54. 1991 Screamadelica – Primal Scream
    1992 Automatic for the People – REM
    1993 Siamese Dream – Smashing Pumpkins
    1994 Selected Ambient Works vol 2 – Aphex Twin
    1995 Leftism – Leftfield
    1996 Second Toughest in the infants – Underworld
    1997 Ok Computer – Radiohead
    1998 Mezzanine – Massive Attack
    1999 Sigur Ros Aegis Byrjun
    2000 And Then Nothing Turned Itself Out Again – Yo La Tengo 2001 Discovery – Daft Punk
    2002 The Last Broadcast – Doves
    2003 Rounds – Four Tet
    2004 Funeral – Arcade Fire
    2005 Aerial – Kate Bush

  55. A bit random post-2000 – and so many choices for the 60s/70s slots….

    1959 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
    1960 John Lewis – The Wonderful World of jazz
    1961 Bill Evans – Sunday at the Village Vanguard
    1962 Oscar Peterson – Night Train
    1963 Grant Green – Idle Moments
    1964 Morgana King – It’s a Quiet Thing
    1965 Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage
    1966 Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66
    1967 Frank Sinatra meets Antonio Carlos Jobim
    1968 Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell – You’re All I Need
    1969 The Impressions – Young Mods Forgotten Story
    1970 Laura Nyro – Christmas and the Beads of Sweat
    1971 Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
    1972 Al Green – I’m Still in Love With You
    1973 Hall and Oates – Abandoned Luncheonette
    1974 Van Morrison – It’s Too Late to Stop Now
    1975 Sam Dees – The Show Must Go On
    1976 Marvin Gaye – I Want You
    1977 The Emotions – Rejoice
    1978 Art Pepper – Today
    1979 Earth Wind and Fire – I Am
    1980 Art Pepper – Winter Moon
    1981 Bobby Womack – The Poet
    1982 Donald Fagen – The Nightfly
    1983 Anita Baker -The Songstress
    1984 Blue Nile – A Walk Across The Rooftops
    1985 Luther Vandross – The Night I Fell in Love
    1986 Bobby Watson – Love Remains
    1987 Nanci Griffith – Lone Star State of Mind
    1988 K D Lang – Shadowland
    1989 Charles Lloyd – Fish out of water
    1990 Pat Metheny – Letter from Home
    1991 Sounds of Blackness – The Evolution of Gospel
    1992 Roy Hargrove – The Vibe
    1993 Asleep at the Wheel – Tribute to Bob Wills
    1994 Driza Bone – Conspiracy
    1995 Michael Franks – Abandoned Garden
    1996 Pat Metheny – We Live Here
    1997 John Patitucci – One More Angel
    1998 Kenny Barron/Charlie Haden – Night and the City
    1999 Vince Mendoza – Epiphany
    2000 Jill Scott – Who is
    2001 Ledisi – Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue
    2002 Cassandra Wilson – Belly of the Sun
    2003 Kurt Elling – Man Up in the Air
    2004 Swing Out Sister – Where Our Love Grows
    2005 Mark Murphy – Once To Every Heart
    2006 Mario Bondi – Handful of Soul
    2007 Terence Blanchard – A Tale of God’s Will
    2008 Shelby Lynne – Just a Little Lovin
    2009 Barbra Streisand – Love is the Answer
    2010 Keith Jarrett/Charlie Haden – Jasmine
    2011 Michael Wollny Trio – Weltentraum
    2012 Melody Gardot – The Absence
    2013 Susannah Abbuehl – The Gift
    2014 Carmen Lundy – Soul to Soul
    2015 Matthew Halsall – Fletcher Moss Park
    2016 William Bell – This is Where I Live
    2017 Eliane Elias – Dance of Time
    2018 Kurt Elling – The Questions

    • 1. That’s interesting. Two entirely different albums entitled “Fish out of Water” have been nominated by Afterworders: one Chris Squire and one by Charles Lloyd.

      2. Morrison, I first misread your 1993 nomination as:
      “Asleep at the Wheel – Tribute to Bob Willis”
      I thought: “Well, clearly the band were big admirers of the tall Warwickshire paceman, especially after the skittled out the Australians at Headingley”

      3. Great list! – love the Nanci Griffith and the Bobby Womack. Oh, and the Impressions, too.

    • Here are a couple of interesting facts about the Laura Nyro album “Christmas and the beads of Sweat”, which has picked up 2 votes in the 1970 slot:
      1. I own that CD
      2. I’ve never played it
      Perhaps I should rectify that situation…

  56. final set – hope I’ve got in under the wire @arthur-cowslip
    2006 The Warning – Hot Chip
    2007 Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem
    2008 Street Horssing – Fuck Buttons
    2009 XX The XX
    2010 High Violet – The National
    2011 Hurry Up We’re Dreaming – M83
    2012 Born To Die – Lana Del Rey
    2013 Tomorrow’s Harvest – Boards of Canada
    2014 Lost In the Dream – War on Drugs
    2015 In Colour – Jamie XX
    2016 Black Star – David Bowie
    2017 Slowdive Slowdive
    2018 Honey Robyn

    • Blackstar is surely going to be the popular vote for 2016. I went for Lucinda Williams because I love that record but it was a toss-up and, to be honest I suspect Blackstar is not only the better record, it’s also one of the best albums of the last ten years, nay the millennium.

      • I like Blackstar a lot. Fabtastic in itself and an amazing final statement. But I hardly ever play it nowadays. Whereas I still listen to Frank Ocean’s Blonde very regularly.

  57. Seven hours until the deadline if anyone still wants a quick submission…..

    Then give me… Oooh….. a few weeks (:)) to pull all the data together and report back once I’ve worked out a way to decide fair results. I’m thinking maybe a voting system for any years with a consensus of less than five on a leader….. Dunno…. Should maybe have worked this out first before starting this bloomin’ thread….

    But then I had no idea i would get so many responses! Thank you to everyone for contributing! Never underestimate the love for lists among middle aged music fans! I will be in touch…. sometime…..

    • It’s been a very interesting exercise, much more than the ‘all-time greatest’ type of things, which more often than not end up just trotting out the usual suspects.

      One of the things that was interesting in particular was the way certain genres dominated certain periods, both in general and in individual choices. So one person might start out with early 60s jazz classics, then go to pop, then a bit of prog, followed by glam and end up with who knows what in the 2000s. That might reflect an individual’s own journey, but it might also indicate that those periods were good for some things and not for others … Interested to see the summary.

      Don’t know how the voting will work. It seems to be based on the assumption that many who didn’t submit lists would vote. Just saying.

      • My sense is that as you get into the last couple of decades there is much less consensus, and certainly no dominant big beast figures like Dylan, The Beatles, Bowie et al. Or maybe that’s just my list…..

    • @Arthur-Cowslip A “consensus of less than five”? Do you mean that if one album gets 4 votes and 10 others 1 vote each there will be another vote? Makes little sense to me. If one album gets one more vote than any others then it is a winner.

  58. You can fill in the other 1960s years with various Beatles albums which is a bit dishonest as ‘Revolver’ is the only one I consistently listen to now.

    After 2007, you get the sense of someone giving up…

    Boring list – but honest, at least.

    (Apols for formatting.)

    1965 -The Byrds -Mr Tambourine Man
    1966 – The Beatles- Revolver
    1967 –Love- Forever Changes
    1968 – Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
    1969- Nick Drake -Five Leaves Left
    1970- Simon and Garfunkel- Bridge Over Troubled Water
    1971 -Joni Mitchel- -Blue
    1972- Nick Drake- Pink Moon
    1973-
    1974 -Joni Mitchell- Court and Spark
    1975 -Joni Mitchell -The Hissing of Summer Lawns
    1976- Joni Mitchell- Hejira
    1977- Elvis Costello- My Aim is True
    1978 – Blondie – Parallel Lines
    1979 –The Jam -Setting Sons
    1980 – The Jam -Sound Affects
    1981 Squeeze – East Side Story
    1982 –ABC- Lexicon of Love
    1983 -Big Country – The Crossing
    1985 – Kate Bush- Hounds of Love
    1986 – R.E.M -Lifes Rich Pageant
    1987 – The Smiths -Strangeways Here We Come
    1989 -Stone Roses – Stone Roses
    1990 –Cocteau Twins- Heaven or Las Vegas
    1991 –-Massive Attack -Blue Lines
    1992– R.E.M.- Automatic for the People
    1993 -Bjork-Debut
    1995- Tricky -Maxinquaye
    1996- – REM -New Adventures in HiFi
    1997 – Radiohead- OK Computer
    10998- Massive Attack- Mezzanine
    1999 –Blur-13
    2005 – Kate Bush- Ariel
    2006 –Amy Winehouse -Back to Black
    2007- Radiohead- In Rainbows
    2008-Elbow- The Seldom Seen Kid
    2009-
    2010-
    2011- Metronomy -The English Riviera
    2012-
    2013 –Goldfrapp – Tales of Us
    2014- Beck -Morning Phase
    2015 -Sufjan Stevens- Carrie and Lowell
    2016- Lambchop- FLOTUS
    2017- The National -Sleep Well Beast
    2018– Janelle Monae- Dirty Computer

    • Ruby ,your list has more of the artists that I just don’t GET than anyone else’s. (Note I didn’t say don’t LIKE). You must discuss some of them some time.

      Or discuss something anyway …

      • What’s your difference between ‘don’t get’ and ‘don’t like’?

        ***

        (It was an interesting exercise; I could have filled every year but they wouldn’t necessarily have been things I play a lot now and so a bit of a cheat; and as other people have said, for some years I could have had 5 or 6.

        And after 2007 it drops off a bit for me which I don’t think is due to a lack of good music* but just less time to spend on it. )

        * I think there probably is what might be called ‘great’ stuff out there but there is just so much stuff released of such diversity, I find it a bit overwhelming.

        • Actually I’m quite clear on that, believe it or not. ‘Don’t get’ means inter alia that I wouldn’t necessarily banish it from my CD collection. I would listen to it with some interest now and then mainly to see why this artist or album has such a big reputation or following. Amongst your favourites I would definitely put Nick Drake, Radiohead and Kate Bush in that category. I have one album by each of those and listen to them in a slightly puzzled way from time to time.

          ‘Don’t likes’ I would definitely not tolerate on any shelf of mine. I don’t think any of your nominations fit that category. Maybe the Smiths, I’m not sure since I don’t know the album.

          With the ‘don’t gets’ I am more or less open to having my mind changed. Maybe

  60. Would you like a “crap” list then? Here it is :

    1970 Max Bygraves, Max Bygraves
    1971 In a Teknikolor Dreem, The Grumbleweeds
    1972 Blue is the Colour, Chelsea FC
    1973 What a Gay Day, Larry Grayson
    1974 Singalong Party, Pinky and Perky
    1975 Festival, Teach-in
    1976 Sing Lofty, Don Estelle
    1977 Hello Misty Morning, Lena Martell
    1978 A Taste of Aggro, The Barron Knights
    1979 Smash and Grab, Racey
    1980 Rock on Tommy, Cannon & Ball
    1981 Shaddap You Face, Joe Dolce
    1982 Hot Space, Queen
    1983 Just One…, Renee & Ronato
    1984 The Boy from Donegal, Daniel O’Donnell
    1985 Party Party 2, Black Lace
    1986 Su!, Su Pollard
    1987 Survivor in Love, Baltimora
    1989 SingalongaWarYears!, Max Bygraves
    1990 Gazza Party, Paul Gascoigne
    1991 Huggin’ An’a Kissin’, Bombalurina
    1992 Up, Right Said Fred
    1993 Sex and Travel , Right Said Fred
    1994 Psyche – the Album, PJ & Duncan
    1995 I am what I am, Danny La Rue
    1996 Fat Out of Hell, Roy (Chubby!) Brown
    1997 Aquarium, Aqua
    1998 Where We Belong, Boyzone
    1999 Christmas with Cliff, Cliff Richard
    2000 We Didn’t Say That! , Daphne and Celeste
    2001 Victoria Beckham, Victoria Beckham
    2002 This is Westlife!, Westlife
    2003 Turnaround, Westlife
    2004 The Other Side, Duncan Norvelle
    2005 My Beauty, Cyril Smith
    2006 Woof! 20 Doggy Hits – Peter Purves
    2007 Earth to King, Jonathan King
    2008 The Essential Collection, Des O’Connor
    2009 Everybody Dance Now, Crazy Frog
    2010 Never Mind the Bullocks, Ere’s The Wurzels! The Wurzels
    2011 Kick me HARD, Peter Andre
    2012 The Light Between Us, Scouting for Girls
    2013 To Be Punched, Michael Buble
    2014 Big Night!, Peter Andre
    2015 Still Thinking About You,Scouting for Girls
    2016 Blackstar, David Bowie
    2017 Such Fun! – 20 Party Hits!, Patricia Hodge
    2018 Tears of a clown -Michael McIntyre

  61. It’s fascinating, collating all this data.

    Some interesting facts uncovered so far:
    – Not much support for CSNY’s Deja Vu. I honestly thought that album was a lot more popular than it seems here. Maybe too much competition that year?
    – Poor show from Paul Simon, who hardly features at all.
    – Stones stopped making good albums in 1972 apparently.
    – Dylan might have the largest span of albums voted: ’62 to 2006
    –

    • Oh, and I’m mildly surprised there is such a clear leader for 1971! Okay, I’ll stop teasing… results to follow in the next few days (at least the first batch, then we can start voting on the finalists….)

      • I don’t think of Hunky Dory as being a 1971 release. It came out with only days to go of that year and nobody actually listened to it, let alone bought it, until after Ziggy Stardust mid 1972.

        • Well I bought Hunky Dory before Ziggy came out: February 10th 1072 IIRC. Rather valuable laminated first pressing that I still have.

          Most of Ziggy (all but Starman) was recorded in December 1971.

          • I distinctly remember hearing and being charmed by Hunky Dory in the earliest months of ’72. It was at a session of Theatre For Youth, which was run by the Palace Theatre in Watford. A small group of us lads had started going there because some rather attractive girls we’d got to know were members.
            It must have been before Easter of that year that I heard it, because that was when I and some others of our little gang moved from Watford to just outside Aberystwyth in West Wales to become druggy layabouts without our parents interference.
            If I remember correctly, the friend (one of the above girls) who introduced us to Hunky Dory was the same person who then played us Ziggy Stardust towards the end of that summer.

    • Revelation that Stones stopped making good albums in 1972 rocks music world after extensive poll.

      To be fair they made good music after that, at least in the 70s. No wholly satisfying album perhaps unless you’re Tiggerlion with his Goat delusion.

    • CSN&Y had a fan in me. I’ve just looked at the Top 10 albums from 1970 according to besteveralbums. I own all of them, so there was definitely some stiff competition. Incidentally, CSN&Y appear in 15th.

    • No.

      For some of us this has been the culmination of a lifetime’s work. We’ve been curating, adjusting, tweeking, rethinking lists for many decades, trying to decide which record was the best of each year. We have done it since the NME gave out that wall chart in the seventies. Our pencils have worn out. Our tablet batteries need replacing. Arthur’s thread has enabled us to crawl out of our darkened rooms, remove our headphones and shout to the rooftops that Revolver is, indeed, the best album ever recorded. This is the moment we have all been patiently waiting for!

      While I’m here, Arthur, please change 1986 to Janet Jackson – Control. Thank you.

      • AAAAAAAAAAARGH. No more changes, people, PLEASE.

        At the moment the master spreadsheet is in full flight. I have a wind behind me and we are coasting at a good speed. I just need to tack the pivot tables to the main sail and batten down the formulas, so hopefully by this weekend I’ll be able to report back with a good haul of results.

      • There’s a lot I like about Revolver. Much is brilliant. But as soon as folk say it’s the greatest album of all time, I think – I don’t know really, is it? I’m not sure any album can bear such a heavy burden. The continuous adulation of the usual suspects at the top of the canon just makes them so much less appealing somehow. I wish it would stop. Can’t resist a list thread though.

        • Yes, but surely one can change your ideas about what are the best albums ever. I do that pretty much on a daily basis.

          Just two reasons why greatest ever lists are unrealistic. Firstly, no-one has actually heard them all. Secondly, the albums are not comparable across time, because some have been favourites since they came out decades ago, while others are your current favourites having just come out last week.

          Also, it would be pretty boring if your greatest stayed that way for the whole of your life. Imagine the performative ridiculousness of sitting down and thinking, “I am now about to listen to the greatest album ever made, and when I have finished listening to it I will of course reaffirm it as the greatest album ever made.”

          Lists cannot be more than a snapshot of feelings at a particular moment.

          • I think people here have tended to choose their ‘favourite’ album for each year rather than the canonical ‘best/greatest’. This tends to be the ones that have been played and listened to most, which is why there are a lot of populist choices rather than the more worthy ones.

            Magazines & radio stations tend to use the results to determine their output, but here it doesn’t matter (There’ll be another Beatles thread soon though)

            What would be quite interesting to see would be ‘Which 5 from your list would you save from a burning building?’ but I think it would destroy Mr Cowslip

          • I’m referring to the predictabiluty of the canon and the stultifying effect of greatest ever lists with regard to Revolver. This exercise we’ve done is not the same thing of course but the canon thing does come to mind anyway.

            • Yeah that was one reason I wanted to try this exercise. It’s easier to judge the merit of albums compared to their own contemporaries rather than against the whole canon.

              Is Revolver better than OK Computer? Hard to judge, they are just different beasts and both entirely of their times. Is Revolver better than Pet Sounds? YES and I’ll fight you if you disagree. Etc.

          • That thing about favourite album of all time not being the same……mine is……since i first heard Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout its been my number one. Now i could say its because thats what was playing in my car on my first date with my future wife (IT WAS) or I could just argue that no other album has come close (although Hunky Dory and Painted from Memory have pushed it close).
            My list also contains Beatles albums from 63 to 69 which is basically down to going from 6 to 12 in that period and really they were the only album i heard…
            Ive loved browsing these lists and seeing how there tastes have changed over the years…..

      • Aargghh! if there is any more ‘curating’ round here, those headphones will end up where the sun don’t shine, Sunshine….

        I didn’t pick ‘Revolver’ incidentally. Probably should have done, but I reckon I already had the Fabs on my list, and Nina Simone’s Wild is the Wind absolutely pinned me to the wall when I first heard it relatively recently. As for ‘Blonde on Blonde’ – shoulda been a single album (*ducks and runs for cover*)

        • I’m with you on that, to be honest. Blonde on Blonde is too long.

          (Arthur ponders whether to start a “What tracks would you keep on Blonde On Blonde if it was a single album?”…. and decides against it).

          (Hey… I’ve only (seriously) just noticed that “Blonde on Blonde” spells out BOB…! Is that common knowledge? I feel a bit dumb for just noticing that now.)

          • Waaaay too much thinking going on here. This thread is valuable because
            1. The AW list pickers get to exercise their list picking thumbs.
            2. Arthur gets more material for his nefarious research into the darkness inside humankind.
            3. Tools like myself get to examine the posts of others, pick out an Emmylou Harris album we might never have got around to playing and become instantly smitten..

  64. How you all know what year all your albums were released is beyond me!

    I was on the ‘Album of the Year’ Critics Poll for (the late lamented) fRoots magazine from 2010 onwards. For the sake of contributing, here were what I voted for (within a folk/world remit, and aware that if I was more thorough I might realise there were albums I didn’t hear until later that should rightly usurp some of the choices here):

    2010: Chris Wood – Handmade Life
    2011: Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin – Singing the Bones
    2012: Tref – Dampf
    2013: Lisa Knapp – Hidden Seam
    2014: Kirsty McGee and the Hobopop Collective – Those Old Demons
    2015: Stick in the Wheel – From Here
    2016: Bush Gothic – The Natural Selection Australian Songbook
    2017: Lisa Knapp – Till April is Dead: A Garland of May
    2018: Anna & Elizabeth – The invisible comes to us

    • The invisible comes to us is carking name for an album. It made me want to give them a listen at once.

      They are a cheery pair. The life and soul of any party. I love it! Hope they will be playing in Stockholm soon. The Slaughterhouse would be a perfect venue.

    • Year of release is indeed a bit of a problem. Sources differ, tags on digital files being especially unreliable.
      I decided to go with the Discogs.com listing for the initial release of each of mine, but one of them wasn’t listed there at all. Fortunately it had the © year printed on the sleeve.

      The other day I discovered that although Discogs gives “Can’t Buy a Thrill” as a 1972 release, Martin C. Strong’s “The Great Rock Discography” tome lists it as being released in January 1973. That “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” book agrees with Discogs and has it listed for 1972.

    • I have to say I’m pretty spot on most of the time with correctly identifying the year of release of music. I’d qualify that by adding, (1) music that I am interested in and (2) it all goes a bit fuzzy after about 1999 or so.

      I dunno, I just always like to have the year of release as context when I listen to something. It really gives me anxiety when CD re-releases these days sometimes don’t specify the original year of release.

      • Ive long listed my record collection, firstly in a couple of old fashioned notebooks then in an Excel spreadsheet….started chronological in order of when I bought the album then have separate sheets by Artist and by Year and then I started adding the release date which was a pain to sort…..I had Countdown to Ecstasy as June 73…..it didnt chart so unable to verify…..oh yeah and Ive got a separate file for singles too……and people say i have too much time on my hands!!!

  65. It says Ⓟ1972 ©1998, 1972 MCA Records, Inc. on the back of the remastered CD of “Can’t Buy A Thrill”. Good enough for me.
    Never been tempted to list my record collection, physical or digital. I get the occasional pleasant surprise when I realise I’ve got something nice that I’d forgotten about. Also get the occasional unpleasant surprise when I discover I haven’t got something I could have sworn I had.
    C’est la vie and different strokes etc…

    • I think it was late 1972. I seem to remember hearing it before Xmas, at a Youth Club no less. Well, at least the opening track. I bought the Do It Again single early 1973 and was disappointed as I didn’t realise it was an edited version until I got it home. The B side, Fire In The Hole, really whet my appetite. I had to save up so I could own the album.

  68. Here goes. This was tough not least because there were many years with too many choices and a few years where I didn’t really feel excited about any of the options:

    1960 – Sketches of Spain – Miles Davis
    1961 – West side Story – Leonard Bernstein
    1962 – Green Onions – Booker T
    1963 – Freewheelin – Bob Dylan
    1964 – Otis Blue: Otis sings soul – Otis Redding
    1965 – Rubber Soul – The Beatles
    1966 – Revolver – the Beatles
    1967 – Songs of – Leonard Cohen
    1968 – Let it Bleed – The Rolling Stones
    1969 – Led Zeppelin 2 – Led Zeppelin
    1970 – Fire and Water – Free
    1971 – In the land of Grey and Pink – Caravan
    1972 – Can’t buy a thrill – Steely Dan
    1973 – Solid Air – John Martyn
    1974 – I want to see the bright lights tonight – Richard and Linda Thompson
    1975 – Still crazy after all these years – Paul Simon
    1976 – Songs in the key of life – Stevie Wonder
    1977 – New Boots and Panties – Ian Dury
    1978 – This Year’s model – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
    1979 – Fear of Music – Talking Heads
    1980 – The Up Escalator – Graham Parker and the Rumour
    1981 – East Side Story – Squeeze
    1982 – Too-Rye-Ay – Dexys Midnight runners
    1983 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
    1984 – Purple Rain – Prince
    1985 – Rum Sodomy and the lash – The Pogues
    1986 – King of America – Elvis Costello
    1987 – In my Tribe – 10,000 Maniacs
    1988 – Irish Heartbeat – Van Morrison and The Chieftains
    1989 – Full Moon Fever – Tom Petty
    1990 – I do not want what I haven’t got – Sinead O’Connor
    1991 – Woodface – Crowded House
    1992 – Hollywood Town Hall – The Jayhawks
    1993 – Debut – Bjork
    1994 – Brutal Youth – Elvis Costello
    1995 – Train A Comin – Steve Earle
    1996 – Odelay – Beck
    1997 – When I was born for the 7th time – Cornershop
    1998 – Ophelia – Natalie Merchant
    1999 – I see a darkness – Will Oldham
    2000 – Sailing to Philadelphia – Mark Knopfler
    2001 – It’s a wonderful life – Sparklehorse
    2002 – Sea Change – Beck
    2003 – Chutes too narrow – The Shins
    2004 – Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus – Nick Cave and the bad seeds
    2005 – Illinoise – Sufjan Stevens
    2006 – The Greatest – Cat Power
    2007 – The Sound of Silver – LCD Soundsystem
    2008 – Seldom Seen Kid – Elbow
    2009 – Blood and Candle smoke – Tom Russell
    2010 – Band of Joy – Robert Plant
    2011 – Let England Shake – PJ Harvey
    2012 – Old Ideas – Leonard Cohen
    2013 – Floating Coffin – Thee Oh Sees
    2014 – Lost in the Dream – The War on Drugs
    2015 – Sometimes I sit – Courtney Barnett
    2016 – Lovers and Leavers – Hayes Carrl
    2017 – New Energy – Four Tea
    2018 – The Crossing – Alejandro Escovedo
    2019 – Africa Speaks – Santana (Best so far)

    ridiculous that I have missed Joni Mitchell, Jackie Leven, Dave Alvin, Gillian Welch and several others.
    But there we are.

  69. Just popping my head in here for a minute to say the spreadsheet is in the final stages. Didn’t really realise how much time this would take, and unfortunately I’m not a man of leisure who can just spend a whole week doing it! Transferring the data to a big spreadsheet was the easy bit, but manually going through each year for tweaks/corrections and sorting out the columns properly is a right chore. I’m now into the last decade and it’s getting exponentially more boring with each year as I now only recognise a minimum number of the acts. A lot of times I’m having to google which is the act and which is the album name…

    Anyway, I started this and I’ll finish it…. Sooon!

    • You are a brave man, Arthur!

      Yours is the Most Commented thread of the past month, so I hope you will soon receive a gold key to the VIP Lounge.

      That was an interesting comment about not knowing the names of bands. If I tried, I could probably put my finger more or less on the year where I started to lose interest in who the hot new bands were.

      I’m the sort of music fan who thinks of Acker Bilk as a promising young talent.

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