Favorite Albums From Every Year You’ve Been Alive
Per Idolator. I apologize for the inaction around these parts. Things will get back to normal soon. In the meantime, if you’re bored write your own lists in the comments. The Wikipedia album list and Robert Christgau’s website should help you in the quest. And if you’re looking for any meaning from this post, it’s quite clear. I really really like the Smiths and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
1981-David Byrne/Brian Eno-My Life in the Bush Of Ghosts
1982-Michael Jackson-Thriller
1983-Talking Heads-Speaking in Tongues
1984-The Smiths-The Smiths
1985-The Smiths-Meat is Murder
1986-The Smiths-The Queen is Dead
1987-Eric B & Rakim-Paid in Full
1988-Slick Rick-The Great Adventures of Slick Rick
1989-The Beastie Boys-Paul’s Boutique
1990-Digital Underground-Sex Packets
1991-A Tribe Called Quest-Low End Theory
1992-Dr. Dre-The Chronic
1993-Wu-Tang-Enter the 36 Chambers
1994-Notorious BIG-Ready to Die
1995-Genius/Gza-Liquid Swords
1996-Outkast-Atliens
1997-Notorious BiG-Life After Death
1998-Outkast-Aquemini
1999-Sigur Ros-Ágætis byrjun
2000-Ghostface Killah-Supreme Clientele
2001-Aesop Rock-Labor Days
2002-Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2003-The White Stripes-Elephant
2004-Arcade Fire-Funeral
2005-Three Way Tie (Dungen-Ta Det Lungt/The Hold Steady-Separation Sunday/My Morning Jacket-Z)
2006-Sunset Rubdown-Shut Up I Am Dreaming
2007-El-P I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
Stumble It!

July 8th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
and if you HAD TO pick an album from this year (so far), weiss, what would you go with?
July 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Not sure yet. I don’t think the album of the year has arrived, at least for me. There’s a bunch of top 10 contenders. The Kills. Why? Islands. Wolf Parade. Hold Steady. Others I’m forgetting.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Cassette tapes and vinyl records from around the house that would eventually go on to provide the soundtrack to my early years:
1984 - Purple Rain/Prince
1985 - Whitney Houston/Whitney Houston
1986 - Control/Janet Jackson
1987 - Sign O’ the Times/Prince
1988 - Forerver Your Girl/Paula Abdul
1989 - Rhythm Nation 1814/Janet Jackson
1990 - The Immaculate Collection/Madonna
The beginning of my “what’s with you and all this ‘white people music’” period [save Mary J.’s album of course]:
1991 - Nevermind/Nirvana
1992 - What’s the 411?/Mary J. Blige
1993 - In Utero/Nirvana
1994 - MTV: Unplugged in New York/Nirvana
Junior High School living with only the finest and/or best commercial/popular hip-hop and R&B:
1995 - CraxySexyCool/TLC
1996 - All Eyez on Me/2Pac
1997 - Supa Dupa Fly/Missy Elliot
The start of my ongoing teenage love affair with the musical output of Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor.[Also known as the “dark years”]:
1998 - Mechanical Animals/Marilyn Manson
1999 - The Fragile/Nine Inch Nails
Older, wiser, the coming of college:
2000 - I Am Shelby Lynne/Shelby Lynne
2001 - The Blueprint/Jay-Z
“Look at me, I’m a college student. I work for my radio station. I know good music. I fancy myself a real music critic”:
2002 - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot/Wilco
2003 - Elephant/The White Stripes
2004 - Good News for People Who Love Bad News/Modest Mouse
2005 - The Best Party Ever/The Boy Least Likely To
2006 - Rabbit Furcoat - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
2007 - Hissing Fauana, Are you the Destroyer?/Of Montreal
2008 - [Dunno yet. But if I had to pick an album right now, it would probably be Miss Erykah Badu’s New Amerykah Pt.1 : 4th World War
July 9th, 2008 at 3:53 am
1990 - Neil Young - Ragged Glory
1991 - A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
1992 - Pearl Jam - 10
1993 - Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang
1994 - Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
1995 - Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
1996 - DJ Shadow - Endroducing…/Ghostface - Ironman
1997 - Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
1998 - Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
1999 - Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of L.A
2000 - Radiohead - Kid A
2001 - Strokes - Is This It/Jay Z - Blueprint/Bob Dylan - Love and Theft
2002 - Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots/Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2003 - Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea/Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
2004 - Wilco - A Ghost Is Born
2005 - White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan/Common - Be
2006 - Ghostface - Fishscale/Bob Dylan - Modern Times
2007 - Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin/Pharoah Monch - Desire
2008 - Bon Iver - For Emma Forever Ago/No Age - Nouns
July 9th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Wow this is hard!!! Can’t belive what made the list in weak years vs. what missed in stellar years. I think 1992 was the hardest.
88 NWA - Straight Outta Compton
89 De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising
90 Jane’s Addiction - Ritual De lo Habitual
91 Pearl Jam - Ten
92 The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride 2/Black Crowes - Southern Harmony Musical Companion
93 Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Mauraders
94 Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
95 2Pac - Me Against the World
96 Outkast - Atliens
97 Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
98 Outkast - Aquemeni/Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
99 Dr. Dre - 2001
00 Modest Mouse - Building Something out of Nothing
01 Blink 182 - Take off Your Pants and Jacket
02 Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
03 Postal Service - Give Up
04 Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News/k-os - Joyfull Rebellion
05 Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
06 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah/The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
07 Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8
08 Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
July 9th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Man looks like you went through the best of KROQ and POWER for the last decade…You dig deep! Also im sure you wont post this but thats cool too.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Totally. Those Sunset Rubdown and El-P records won’t stop getting played on Clear Channel. I mean all I fucking hear these days is “Coconut Juice” and the “Tasmanian Pain Coaster.”
July 9th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I suppose mine would go a little something like this.
1983 – Def Leppard - Pyromania
1984 - Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A.
1985 - LL Cool J – Radio
1986 – Run-DMC – Raising Hell
1987 – Guns ‘N Roses – Appetite For Destruction
1988 – Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
1989 – The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
1990 – Ice Cube – Amerikkka’s Most Wanted
1991 – Nirvana – Nevermind
1992 – Dr. Dre – The Chronic
1993 – Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1994 – Nas – Illmatic
1995 – Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
1996 – Outkast - ATLiens
1997 – Radiohead – OK Computer
1998 – Gang Starr – Moment Of Truth
1999 – Eminem – The Slim Shady LP
2000 – Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele
2001 – Jay-Z – The Blueprint
2002 – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
2003 – Jay-Z – The Black Album
2004 – Masta Ace – A Long Hot Summer
2005 – Common - Be
2006 – Ghostface Killah – Fishscale
2007 – Lupe Fiasco – The Cool
I found the years ‘83, 85 to be the hardest since there wasn’t a hell of lot of music that I liked that year. I found the years 94-96 to be the hardest because there was so many great music being pumped out by all genres that I loved since that was the time I was coming into my own as a music fan.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Good looking on The Smiths Jeff - one of my favourite bands ever. Cause of innumerable drunken huggy sing-sings with other adult males.
The shit.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
[…] story altogether). Idolator came up with this jewel of absurdity last weekend, and after reading Jeff and Joseph’s, I couldn’t resist; I’m such a sucker for these things. I probably […]
July 9th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
1985 - Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
1986 - Elvis Costello - King of America
1987 - Prince - Sign O’ the Times
1988 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
1989 - Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
1990 - Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
1991 - A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
1992 - Morrissey - Your Aresenal
1993 - Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the 36 Chambers
1994 - The Black Crowes - amorica
1995 - GZA - Liquid Swords
1996 - Weezer - Pinkerton
1997 - Radiohead - OK Computer
1998 - Pulp - This is Hardcore
1999 - Fiona Apple - When the Pawn…
2000 - Marvelous 3 - ReadySexGo
2001 - Bob Dylan - Love and Theft
2002 - Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
2003 - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
2004 - The Hold Steady - Almost Killed Me
2005 - The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
2006 - Bob Dylan - Modern Times
2007 - C-Ray Walz and Sharkey - Monster Maker
2008 - [so far, The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive, Weezer’s Weezer and Los Campesinos’ Hold On Now, Youngster are the top 3, but it’s been absolutely amazing musically this year, so yeah.]
Gotta thank DocZeus for listing OK Computer. I’d forgotten that it came out in ‘97. Originally I had Baduizm in that year.
July 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
[…] of you know I am a music fiend, in response to this I thoguht I’d make my own list of albums. I chose Albums that I was really into in that time […]
July 14th, 2008 at 4:52 am
[…] to discern the “best” records from each year; rather, I’ve followed in Maura and Jeff’s (and others) footsteps and created a list of my favorite albums from every year I’ve been […]
January 19th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
[…] my avowed Smiths worship, I’ve never been quite as obsessive about Morrissey’s solo work. So it comes as a slight […]