|
WHISNANT'S FAVORITE ALBUMS |
What is this
Page about?
|
R.E.M.
(1980 - 2011) |
Below is a list of my ten favorite albums for every
year since 1961.
At the top of the list you will find my
favorite album of the year, with a short commentary. Underneath are the
remaining nine albums, listed alphabetically, not by order of preference.
I should emphasize that I make no claim to being objective here--these are not
necessarily the best albums ever, just the ones I enjoy the most. The main
difficulty I faced was sorting out albums that I liked at the time, but that maybe
have not aged well, and then making way for music that I didn't listen to at all
at the time, but that is some of my favorite today. In the end, I have
done my best to include a little of both categories.
I thought
putting this list together was more fun than creating a
simple list of my favorite albums period, mainly because several albums appeared
on the list that wouldn't have made it otherwise. Furthermore, it was
interesting to look back and see which albums appeared around the same time.
The downside was that occasionally some really good albums slipped through the
cracks if they appeared in a year with a lot of fabulous music.
|
 |
| 2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
| The 1975:
A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships |
 |
|
Another solid release from this a band that sounds so 1980s and yet so current at the same time.
As on earlier albums, some solid pop hooks and lush atmospherics, but with a few surprises thrown in as well. |
|
| The Hold Steady:
Thrashing Thru the Passion |
 |
|
Lots of really mellow music this year, but I was in the mood for a rocker. Luckily I got it with this album. It feels like a come-back for this band,
but maybe only because they haven't released anything in a while. For any lovers of 1970s-era Bruce Springsteen, I'd recommend it. |
|
| Run the Jewels:
RTJ4 |
 |
|
A group that has been rightly compared with Public Enemy, Run the Jewels made an album that was perfect for 2020: angry, noisy, and political.
I've had this one playing from the moment it came out. |
|
| Neko Case:
Hell-On |
Bastille:Doom Days |
The Deftones: Ohms |
|
Death Cab for Cutie: Thank You for Today |
Beck
Hyperspace |
Dua Lipa:
Future Nostalgia |
| Death Grips: Year of the Snitch
|
The Black Keys:
Let's Rock |
Fleet Foxes:
Shore |
| DJ Koze Knock Knock
|
Brittany Howard:Jaime
|
Four Tet:
Sixteen Oceans |
| Stephen Malkmus:
Sparkle Hard |
Burna Boy: African Giant
|
Hum: Inlet |
| Panic at the Disco:
Pray for the Wicked |
Lana Del ReyNorman Fucking Rockwell! |
Katatonia: City Burials
|
| Parquet Courts: Wide Awake!
|
Maggie Rogers:Heard It in a Past Life |
Nada Surf: Never Not Together |
| Superchunk:
What a Time to Be Alive |
The New Pornographers:
In the Morse Code of Break Lights |
Pefume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
|
| Walk the Moon:What if Nothing
|
Of Monsters and Men:Fever Dream
|
The Strokes: The New Abnormal |
| 2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
| Adele:
25 |
 |
|
With three kids at home, I am listening to a lot more pop music these days than I have in years.
I don't have to tell you how beautiful Adele's voice is, or how moving her songs are.
It's an album that still makes me tear up, even after a month of listening to it. And as a person with
religious leanings these days, I couldn't help hear "Hello" as a song to God. I'm sure it wasn't intended
this way, but like the Song of Solomon it can easily be heard from this perspective: an existential cry to whatever is
out there on the other side. A cry for forgiveness, a plea for return, but with more than a touch of modern
resentment for having been left here to manage on our own in this screwed up world. |
|
|
The 1975:I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It |
 |
Back to 80s New Wave for me this year. Besides finally listening to Walk the Moon's material,
I also spent a lot of time with Bastille's new album in the car as well as this beautiful album on my ipod. It has some very
catchy pop songs with some ambient soundscapes mixed into the middle. All in all, a much better CD
than thier first album--one that makes me look forward to future efforts.
|
|
|
The War on Drugs:A Deeper Understanding |
 |
Another amazing album from a band making consistently quality music. Dylanesque lyrics over a sonic roar that reminds me a bit of 1980s-era Pink Floyd. This is an album that takes me back a few decades.
|
|
| Alabama Shakes:
Sound & Color |
Car Seat Headrest:Teens of Denial |
Afghan Whigs:
In Spades |
|
Beirut: No No No |
David Bowie:
Blackstar |
Japandroids:
Near to the Wild Heart of Life |
| Death Cab for Cutie: Kintsugi
|
Danny Brown:
Atrocity Exhibition |
Jay-Z:
4:44 |
| Drake: If You're Reading This It's Too Late
|
Gojira:Magma
|
Kendrick Lamar:
DAMN |
| Kurt Vile:
b'lieve i'm goin down... |
The Lumineers:Cleopatra
|
Mount Erie:A Crow Looked at Me |
| Of Monsters and Men:
Beneath the Skin |
The Savages:Adore Life |
The National:Sleep Well Beast
|
| Protomartyr: The Agent Intellect
|
Soft Kill:Choke |
The New Pornographers:Whiteout Conditions |
| Sleater-Kinney:
No Cities to Love |
A Tribe Called Quest:
We Got It From Here |
Spoon:Hot Thoughts
|
| Walk the Moon:Talking is Hard
|
Wild Nothing:Life of Pause
|
Slowdive:Slowdive |
| 2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
| Grizzly Bear:
Shields |
 |
|
I've always appreciated Grizzly
Bear, but for whatever reason their albums never penetrated very
deeply into my psyche. Until this one, that is. Shields
is a gorgeous, haunting art rock album that moves Grizzly Bear, in
my opinion, to the top of the many great bands based in New York at
the moment. |
|
|
The Arctic Monkeys: AM |
 |
OK, so I will admit it. It was the Bacardi Commercial that got
me listening to this album. I almost didn't buy it since I was
severely disappointed by their last two albums. This one is
much better--a real return to form. A bunch of fun, rockin'
songs that are great to drive to. |
|
|
The War on Drugs: Lost in the Dream |
 |
|
Maybe it is a sign of me getting old, but there were
no albums this year that just blew me away. Still, a bunch of
strong efforts, and The War on Drugs's latest is the one that I kept
coming back to over and over again. A great rock 'n' roll
album. Nice to see them still putting out consistent music,
even with Kurt Vile out on his own now. At its core, somehow a
very "classic rock" sound, but with enough shimmering, feedback to
keep us indie fans interested. |
|
| Bat for Lashes:
The Haunted Man |
Bastille: Bastille |
The Afghan Whigs:
Do to the Beast |
|
Chairlift: Take It Out on Me |
Deerhunter:
Monomania |
Aphex Twin:
Syro |
| The Divine Fits:
A Thing Called Divine Fits |
Local Natives:
Hummingbird |
The Cloud Nothings:
Here and Nowhere Else |
| Gaslight Anthem:
Handwritten |
The National:
Trouble Will Find Me |
Cymbols Eat Guitars:
LOSE |
|
Japandroids: Celebration Rock |
Nine Inch Nails:
Hesitations Marks |
The New
Pornographers: Brill Bruisers |
|
Lana Del Ray: Born to Die |
Queens of the Stone
Age: ...Like Clockwork |
Pallbearer:
Foundations of Burden |
| Bob Mould:
Silver Age |
The Savages: Silence
Yourself |
Spoon: They Want
My Soul |
| Of Monsters and Men:
My Head is an Animal |
Vampire Weekend:
Modern Vampires in the City |
Sun Kil Moon:
Benji |
| Temper Trap:
Temper Trap |
Kurt Vile: Waken on a
Pretty Daze |
U2: Songs of
Innocence |
| 2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
| The Big Pink:
A
Brief History of Love |
 |
|
At the end of the year, I
finally woke up to Shoegaze-revival going on in Britain and the US.
This CD has stayed on my ipod since the moment I put it there, and
nearly a year later I am still listening to it. Like a lot of
the "nugaze," it is also more than a little reminiscent of some
1980s new wave. Strong beats, roaring guitars, and dreamy
melodies. |
|
|
Surfer Blood: Astro Coast |
 |
|
2010 was a great year for surf-rock revival bands. I'll admit
that I got a little tired of it by the end of the year, but this
album stayed in my CD player a lot nonetheless. |
|
|
Army Navy: The Last Place |
 |
|
I came upon this band's first album about a year
ago (thank you, emusic), and since then it has never left my ipod.
Others might have been introduced to them through their song on
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Sountrack. I've always
had a soft spot in my heart for power pop, and this band is one of
the best out there right now working in this style. Their new
album is just as good as their first, in my opinion. For those
of us who think that the Posies and Teenage Fanclub don't make
nearly enough music, Army Navy steps in to fill the void. |
|
| Animal
Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion |
Arcade Fire:
Suburbs |
Cut Copy:
Zonoscope |
|
Neko Case: Middle Cyclone |
Band of Horses:
Infinite Arms |
Fleet Foxes:
Helplessness Blues |
| Dinosaur Jr.:
The Farm |
The Black Keys:
Brothers |
Girls: Father,
Son, Holy Ghost |
| Iron & Wine:
Around the Well |
Broken Social Scene:
Forgiveness Rock Record |
M83: Hurry Up,
We're Dreaming |
|
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart |
The Drums: The
Drums |
Nils Petter Molvaer:
Baboon Man |
|
Silversun
Pickups: Swoon |
Radio Dept:
Clinging to a Scheme |
Radiohead: The
King of Limbs |
| Sonic Youth: The
Eternal |
Ra Ra Riot: The
Orchard |
Washed Out:
Within and Without |
|
U2: No Line on the Horizon |
Vampire Weekend:
Contra |
Wild Flag: Wild
Flag |
| The
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz |
Yeasayer: Odd
Blood |
Yuck: Yuck |
| 2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Ellen
Allien/Apparat: Orchestra of Bubbles
|
 |
| This
has been the year for me to dive back into techno , specifically of
the Berlin and Detroit varieties. Discovering that itunes has much
of the material from the Tresor label, I've
become addicted lately to Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin,
Joey Beltram and
the like. I also like the bpitch control label, with Ellen Allien
being one of my favorites.
And what's not to enjoy! On this CD, produced with
experimental electronic composer Apparat, you get a little bit of
everything, it seems: some of the melodic synth lines of progressive
house, hints of the glitchy, twitchy beats of microhouse, the
Euro-vampy voicework of electroclash, the occasional funky beats of
traditional electro, and lots of danceable, driving rhythms to keep
the techno fan happy. A very nice CD. |
|
|
The Shins: Wincing the Night Away
|
 |
|
Interestingly, we've seen a
resurfacing of prog-rock over the past few years within many
different genres: emo (My Chemical Romance), pop-punk (Green Day),
metal (Coheed and Cambria), and even indie-pop (the Decembrists).
With their new album, the Shins too have made the move, and a lot
more successfully than I would have ever guessed. Fans of the
concise pop-songs of the last two albums may be disappointed, but
there are enough gorgeous, lush melodies here to win some new
converts, I think. |
|
|
The Kings of Leon: Only by the
Night |
 |
|
The best years in music tend to be
those in which a new wave of artists breaks out into the music
scene: 1967 with the explosion of psychedelic music, 1977 with punk
and new wave, 1987 with College Music breaking out of the
underground, 1991 with the convergence of Grunge and the Golden Age
of Hip Hop, 1995 with the Brit-Pop and Electronica finally making it
into the American mainstream, and most recently 2001 with the
Strokes and Emo hitting the mainstream and an explosion of indie pop
artists in the underground.
Then there are years like 2008, which are quieter and yet still
manage to produce a bunch of really good albums. I could have
easily doubled the list this year of CDs that I really, really like.
Even some albums, like Death Cab for Cutie's Narrow Stairs,
which started off by disappointing me but have gradually grown on me
over the year.
So I had a hard time picking a
favorite this year, but the new Kings of Leon album has steadily
stayed in my CD player and on my ipod. It fits the mood, I
think. With an economic recession coming fast
down the pike, it is appropriate that we would look back to the
1970s for inspiration. Two-martini lunches anyone? Now
that's how to live through a depression. This album has
provided my personal soundtrack for the last six months.
Enormous guitar chords combined with Plant-style banshee wailing
produces a fantastic, 1970s-hard rock album that is amazing, blissed-out
fun. |
|
| Cassy:
Panarama Bar 01 |
Against Me!: New Wave |
Army Navy: Army
Navy |
| The
Decemberists: The Crane Wife |
Ellen
Allien: Fabric 34 |
Cut
Copy: In Ghost Colours |
| The
Editors: The Back Room |
The
Broken West: I Can't Go On, I'll Go On |
Deerhunter: Microcastle |
| The
Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America |
Feist:
The Reminder |
The
Gaslight Anthem: The '59 Sound |
| Luciano:
Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi., Vol. 2 |
Kings
of Leon: Because of the Times |
Mates
of State: Rearrange Us |
| The
Strokes: First Impressions of Earth |
LCD
Soundsystem: Sound of Silver |
The
Raveonettes: Lust Lust Lust |
| Tiefschwarz:
Fabric 29 |
Nine
Inch Nails: Year Zero |
Santagold: Santagold |
| TV on
the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain |
Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga |
TV on
the Radio: Dear Science |
| Yo La
Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass |
Bruce
Springsteen: Magic |
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend |
| 2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| White
Stripes: Elephant
|
 |
| I
liked their last album, White Blood Cells, though I don't think it
warranted all the publicity it got. This album, though,
deserves all the publicity, and then some. In my opinion, the
best rocker of the year. |
|
|
Pedro the Lion: Achilles Heel
|
 |
|
This acoustic pop album has a frail,
haunting quality that draws comparisons to Sebedoh and some of the
slowcore bands (Bedhead, etc.). The songwriting,
though--especially the use of the high range--reminds me of Coldplay
and occasionally Jeff Buckley. This is the first album I've
bought from this artist, but I will certainly pick up others.
|
|
|
Kings of Leon: Aha Shake
Heartbreak
|
 |
| This
CD floored me. I enjoyed their first album, but was
really not prepared for the tremendous jump in songwriting that that
this album represents. This is for anyone who likes the
Strokes and a good CCR tune, or maybe might have liked
the Strokes if they sounded like a bunch of Southern rednecks. Driving
rhythms, punk attitude, and sloppy Southern guitar wrapped up into a
fabulous album |
|
| Blur:
Think Tank |
The Beastie Boys: To the 5 Boroughs |
Alkaline
Trio: Crimson |
| Death
Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism |
Blonde
Redhead: Misery is a Butterfly |
Beck:
Geuro |
| Fountains
of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers |
Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand |
Bloc
Party: Silent Alarm |
| The
Jayhawks:
Rainy Day Music |
Green
Day: American Idiot |
Coldplay:
X&Y |
| Jay-Z: The
Black Album |
Iron
and Wine: Our Endless Numbered Days |
Common:
Be |
| Jet:
Get Born |
The Killers:
Hot Fuss |
Decemberists:
Picaresque |
| The New Pornographers:
Electric Version |
Rilo
Kiley: More Adventerous |
Low: Great
Destroyer |
| Lucinda
Williams: World Without Tears |
The
Walkmen: Bows + Arrows |
New
Pornographers: Twin Cinema |
| The Yeah
Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell |
Various
Artists (Kompakt): Kompakt 100 |
Spoon:
Gimme Fiction |
| 2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
| PJ
Harvey: Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
|
 |
| Not your usual PJ Harvey, but still her
most complex and developed album to date. If you haven't heard PJ in
a few years, give this a try. |
|
| Dezeray’s
Hammer: Immune
|
 |
| I think Dezeray's Hammer is one of the
best bands out there today. Too bad their record company collapsed so
quickly, since I think this upstate-South Carolina band is just as good as
Jimmy Eat World, who also had a big hit this year. |
|
| Wilco:
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
|
 |
| A mellow album with some beautiful
music. Reminds me a little of the Grateful Dead, circa American
Beauty, except without the long solos. Many Dead Heads will say that
the long solos are what made the Grateful Dead... well, grate(sic).
But trust me, this album is beautiful. |
|
| At
the Drive-In: Relationship of Command |
America
Hi-Fi: American Hi-Fi |
And
You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: Source Tags and Codes |
| Daniel Bell: The
Button Down Mind of Daniel Bell |
Craig Richards:
Fabric 01 |
Coldplay:
A Rush of Blood to the Head |
| The
Jayhawks:
Smile |
Jimmy
Eat World: Bleed American |
The Flaming
Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots |
| Modest
Mouse: The Moon & Antarctica |
Guided
By Voices: Isolation Drills |
Interpol:
Turn on the Bright Lights |
| The New
Pornographers: Mass Romantic |
Richie
Hawtin: DE9: Closer to the Edit |
The Libertines:
Up the Bracket |
| Paul
Van Dyk: Out There and Back |
The Strokes:
Is This It |
MRI: All
That Glitters |
| Radiohead:
Kid A |
Tool:
Lateralus |
The
Roots: Phrenology |
| Rainer
Maria: A Better Version of Me |
The Verve
Pipe: Underneath |
Silkworm:
Italian Platinum |
| Sleater-Kinney:
All Hands on the Bad One |
Pete Yorn: Musicforthemorningafter |
Various
Artists (Tresor): True Spirit |
| 1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
| Verve:
Urban Hymns
|
 |
| Music that you can't get out of your head
(in a good way, though). |
|
| The Barenaked
Ladies: Stunt
|
 |
| The album that made a lot of us realize
that the Barenaked Ladies was more than a novelty band. The band is one
of the greatest pop acts out there. |
|
| Guided
By Voices: Do the Collapse
|
 |
| For some reason, people who call
themselves "true" GbV fans hate this album. I have never
understood that, since I think it is by far their best. OK, OK, so I
like Ric Ocasek, who produced this album. But even beyond that, the
tunes on this album are so catchy! |
|
| Albert
Hill: Machine Called Company |
Babe
the Blue Ox: The Way We Were |
Dave Seaman:
Global Underground 12: Buenos Aires |
| Apples
in Stereo: Tone Soul Evolution |
The Goo
Goo Dolls: Dizzy Up the Girl |
Built
to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret |
| The Ben
Folds Five: Whatever and Ever Amen |
Madonna:
Ray of Light |
The Dismemberment
Plan: Emergency and I |
| Blur:
Blur |
Neutral
Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea |
The Flaming
Lips: Soft Bulletin |
| The
Deftones:
Around the Fur |
Sasha: Global
Underground 09: San Francisco |
The Foo
Fighters: There is Nothing Left to Lose |
| The Foo Fighters: The Colour and the Shape |
Semisonic:
Feeling Strangely Fine |
Moby:
Play |
| Modest
Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West |
Sunny
Day Real Estate: How It Feels To Be Something On |
The Red
Hot Chili Peppers: Californiacation |
| Prodigy:
The Fat of the Land |
The System
of a Down: System of a Down |
Superchunk:
Come Pick Me Up |
| Radiohead:
OK Computer |
Lucinda
Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road |
Tosca:
Suzuki |
| 1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
| Underworld:
Dubnobass- withmy- headman
|
 |
| Like most Americans, I pretty much
ignored electronica (unless you count the pop house music of the early
90s) until 1997, when albums by the Chemical Brothers and Prodigy both got
lots of attention. Since then, I have tried to make up for
everything I missed. This album is my favorite from the genre. |
|
| Oasis:
What’s the Story (Morning Glory)
|
 |
| When their first album came out, I
remember seeing them as Stone Roses knock-offs (as I thought nearly all
Brit pop bands were for a long time). It wasn't until their second
album that I started to catch on that they were actually Rolling Stones/Beatles
rip-offs, and that it didn't matter. |
|
| Lyle
Lovett: Road to Ensenada
|
 |
| I didn't start listening to country until
I went to Texas. I guess it is natural, then, that this great Texas
patriot is, and will probably always be, my favorite country artist. |
|
| Codeine:
White Birch |
Aphex
Twin: I Care Because You Do |
Fountains
of Wayne: Fountains of Wayne |
| Everything
but the Girl: Amplified Heart |
The Chemical Brothers:
Exit Planet Dust |
Hootie
and the Blowfish: Fairweather Johnson |
| Green
Day: Dookie |
Guided by Voices: Alien Lanes |
The Jon
Spencer Blues Explosion: Now I Got Worry |
| Hole:
Live Through This |
Natalie Merchant Tigerlilly |
L.T.J.
Bukem: Logical Progression |
| Jawbox:
For Your Own Special Sweatheart |
Radiohead:
The Bends |
Marilyn
Manson: Antichrist Superstar |
| Pavement:
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain |
Son Volt:
Trace |
Promise
Ring: 30 Degrees Everywhere |
| Soul
Coughing: Ruby Vroom |
Teenage
Fanclub: Grand Prix |
Sublime:
Sublime |
| The Stone
Temple Pilots: Purple |
Tricky:
Maxinquaye |
Tool:
Aenima |
| Weezer:
Weezer |
Tupac:
Me Against the World |
Underworld:
Second Toughest in the Infants |
| 1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
| Massive
Attack: Blue Lines
|
 |
| This seems like a weird choice for #1
album of this year, since I (like nearly everyone else, it seemed) had
ears and eyes only for grunge in 1991. If I had heard this at
the time, I certainly wouldn't have liked it. I am glad I found it
later. |
|
| The Beastie
Boys: Check Your Head
|
 |
| This may not be as good as Paul's
Boutique, but very few people appreciated that album at the
time. This is the album that made us all remember how great the
Beastie Boys are. |
|
| Meshell
Ndegeocello: Plantation Lullabies
|
 |
| I only started to listed to Meshell
Ndegeocello when her second album came out in 1996. But this is my favorite
of the neo-soul of the 90s. A great mix of soul, hip-hop, and a bit
of funk thrown in for good measure. |
|
| Dinosaur
Jr.: Green Mind |
The Afghan
Whigs: Congregation |
The Breeders:
Last Splash |
| My
Bloody Valentine: Loveless |
Alice
in Chains: Facelift |
The Counting
Crows: August and Everything After |
| Nirvana:
Nevermind |
The Barenaked
Ladies: Gordon |
Cypress
Hill: Black Sunday |
| The Orb: The
Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld |
Faith
No More: Angel Dust
|
The Flaming
Lips: Transmissions from the Satellite Heart |
| Pearl
Jam: Ten |
Helmet:
Meantime |
Nirvana:
In Utero |
| Pixies:
Trompe le Monde |
Jawbox:
Novelty |
Sarah
McLachlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
|
| The Red
Hot Chili Peppers: Blood Sugar Sex Magic |
Pavement:
Slanted and Enchanted |
The Posies: Frosting on the Beater
|
| Soundgarden:
Badmotorfinger |
Rage
Against the Machine: Rage Against the Machine |
The Smashing
Pumpkins: Siamese Dream |
| Teenage
Fanclub: Bandwagonesque |
REM: Automatic
for the People |
The Wu-Tang
Clan: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) |
| 1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
| Sonic
Youth: Daydream Nation
|
 |
| I bought this album by chance as I was looking for
another hardcore punk album. I found something much, much
better. At the time, my favorite bands were Alice Donut and Jane's
Addiction. Their music has not aged so well in my mind, and this
album is ageless. |
|
| Nine
Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine
|
 |
| The best and worst industrial album: best
because it melded pop and industrial music in a way that made us all sit
up and listen, worst because it gave so many people bad ideas. |
|
| Sinead O’Conner: I
Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
|
 |
| I think I developed a crush on this
bald-headed phenomenon during my sophomore year at Rice U. Her music
was
so simple and so moving. Unfortunately, it didn't age as well as I
would have liked, but it is still a classic of the alternative era. |
|
| Alice
Donut: Alice Donut |
The Beastie
Boys: Paul’s Boutique |
Alice
in Chains: Facelift |
| Tracy
Chapman: Tracy Chapman |
Camper
Van Beethoven: Key Lime Pie |
The Breeders:
Pod |
| The Cowboy
Junkies: Trinity Sessions |
The Cure:
Disintegration |
Concrete
Blonde: Bloodletting |
| Fishbone:
Truth and Soul |
Robyn
Hitchcock: Queen Elvis |
Depeche
Mode: Violater |
| Jane’s
Addiction: Nothing Shocking |
Ministry:
The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste |
The
Dwarves:
Blood, Guts, and Pussy |
| Slayer:
South of Heaven |
The Pixies:
Doolittle |
Fugazi:
Repeater |
| The
Sugarcubes:
Life’s too Good |
The Red
Hot Chili Peppers: Mother’s Milk |
Public
Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet |
| The Talking
Heads: Naked |
The Stone
Roses: The Stone Roses |
The Sundays:
Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic |
| The
Waterboys:
Fisherman’s Blues |
Soundgarden:
Louder Than Love |
The
La’s: La’s |
| 1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
| Replacements:
Tim
|
 |
| I only started to listen to the
Replacements in 1987, when I was searching for another REM. I so
wished I had started earlier, since they were probably the
best band of the eighties. This is their best album, in my opinion,
though some people prefer Let It Be. |
|
| REM:
Life’s Rich Pageant
|
 |
| This was the first REM album I heard, and
therefore it remains my favorite. I now see it as a the last of
their straight-forward jangle pop pieces of the eighties.
Afterwards, they would go on to do some wonderful music, and alas some not
so wonderful music. |
|
| U2:
Joshua Tree
|
 |
| This album evokes so many memories for
me. I think many people feel like they have to grow into their
personality sometime in high school. This album played some part in
the process for me. |
|
| A-Ha:
Hunting High and Low |
Bodeans:
Love, Hope, Sex, and Dreams |
Big
Black: Songs about Fucking |
| Phil
Collins: No Jacket Required |
Depeche
Mode: Black Celebration |
Connells:
Boylan Heights |
| Dead
Milkmen: Big Lizard in my Backyard |
Drivin
and Cryin: Scarred but Smarter |
Cure:
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me |
| Dire
Straits: Brothers in Arms |
Flaming
Lips: Heat It Is |
Guns
n’ Roses: Appetite for Destruction |
| DRI: Dealing
with It |
Peter
Gabriel: So |
Pixies:
Come on Pilgrim |
| Jesus
and Mary Chain: Psychocandy |
Metallica:
Master of Puppets |
Reivers:
Saturday |
| John
Cougar Mellencamp: Scarecrow |
Run-D.M.C.:
Raising Hell |
REM: Document |
| Madonna:
Like a Virgin |
Slayer:
Reign in Blood |
Sting:
Nothing Like the Sun |
| Tears
for Fears: Songs from the Big Chair |
Smiths:
The Queen is Dead |
10,000
Maniacs: In My Tribe |
| 1982 |
1983 |
1984 |
| Michael
Jackson: Thriller
|
 |
| God, I used to hate this album. I
still want to at some level, but I can't help it. Nostalgia does its
magic--but black or white, I'm not sure. |
|
| REM:
Murmur
|
 |
| My experience has been that the first REM
album you hear will generally be your favorite. Murmur is usually
the second. |
|
| Prince:
Purple Rain
|
 |
| As a kid in puberty,
I was both shocked and fascinated by this album when it became the
sensation that it did in 1984--a reaction shared by most of America,
I suppose. In the end, though, it's the music and not the
lyrics that still makes this album a pleasure to listen to. |
|
| Asia:
Asia |
David
Bowie: Let’s Dance |
Big
Country: Steeltown |
| Bad
Brains: Bad Brains
|
Billy
Joel: Innocent Man |
Cars:
Heartbreak City |
| Circle
Jerks: Wild in the Streets
|
John
Cougar Mellencamp: Uh-huh |
Cocteau
Twins: Treasure |
| Fear:
The Record |
New
Order: Power, Corruption, Lies |
Husker
Du: Zen Arcade |
| Peter
Gabriel: Security |
Police:
Synchronicity |
Cindi
Lauper: She’s So Unusual |
| Iron
Maiden: The Number of the Beast |
Prince:
1999 |
REM: Reckoning |
| Mission
of Burma: Vs. |
Suicidal
Tendencies: Suicidal Tendencies |
Replacements:
Let It Be |
| XTC: English
Settlement |
U2: War |
Smiths:
The Smiths |
| Yaz: Upstairs
at Eric’s |
Yes: 90125 |
Bruce
Springsteen: Born in the USA |
| 1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
| Clash:
London Calling
|
 |
| I heard this after I had started
listening to the Dead Kennedys and the Sex Pistols. At the time it
didn't sound very punk to me, but now it may be my favorite album
ever. The cover is great too. |
|
| Talking
Heads: Remain in the Light
|
 |
| This may be my favorite new wave
album. Classic Talking Heads. |
|
| Black
Flag: Damaged
|
 |
| It's
amazing to me how long it took me to get into Black Flag. I
originally started listening to the Circle Jerks and the Dead
Kennedys back in High School; it wasn't until my last years in
college that I started working back to some of the originals.
Now this is my favorite hardcore album. |
|
| Buzzcocks:
Singles Going Steady |
AC/DC:
Back in Black |
DB's:
Stands for Decibels |
| Cure:
Boys Don't Cry |
Dead
Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables |
Gang
of Four: Solid Gold |
| Journey:
Evolution |
Dire
Straights: Making Movies |
Go-Go's:
Beauty and the Beat |
| Joy
Divison: Unknown Pleasures |
Killing
Joke: Killing Joke |
Joan
Jett: Bad Reputation |
| Pink
Floyd: The Wall |
Judas
Priest: British Steel |
Minor
Threat: Minor Threat EP/In My Eyes |
| Slits:
Cut |
Pretenders:
Pretenders |
Stevie
Nicks: Belladonna |
| Supertramp:
Breakfast in America |
Soft
Boys: Underwater |
Police:
Ghost in the Machine |
| Neil
Young: Rust Never Sleeps |
Bruce
Springsteen: The River |
Psychedelic
Furs: Talk Talk Talk |
| Weather
Report: 8:30 |
X: Los
Angeles |
Rick
Springfield: Working Class Dog |
| 1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
| Ramones: Ramones
|
 |
| I started to listen to the Ramones in
high school several years after I had started listening to punk
rock. They weren't my favorite at the time, but their music has
grown on me over the years. |
|
| Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
|
 |
| This was the album I hid from all my punk
friends in high school. I listened to it a lot, but only behind
locked doors with headphones. I don't know now why I was so ashamed. |
|
| Elvis Costello: This Year's
Model
|
 |
| Dave
Deggeller, one of my roommates at
Rice U., listened to Elvis Costello all of the time. It took a while
to grow on me, but now he is one of my favorite songwriters. This is
my favorite of his albums. |
|
| Boston: Boston |
Abba: Arrival |
Blondie: Parallel Lines |
| Jackson Browne: Pretender |
The Clash: The Clash |
Cars: Cars |
| Eagles: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 |
Elvis Costello: My Aim is True |
Cheap Trick: At Budokan |
| Eagles: Hotel California |
Billy Joel: The Stranger |
Funkadelic: One Nation Under a
Groove |
| Heart: Dreamboat Annie |
Kraftwerk: Trans-Europa Express |
Police: Outlandos d'Amour |
| Kiss: Destroyer |
Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack |
Rolling Stones: Some Girls |
| Modern Lovers: Modern Lovers |
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the
Bullocks |
Bruce
Springsteen: Darkness at the Edge of Town |
| Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits,
Vol. 1 |
Steely Dan: Aja |
Steve
Miller Band: Greatest Hits |
| Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key
of Life |
Television: Marquee Moon |
Van Halen: Van Halen I |
| 1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
| Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the
Moon
|
 |
| In contrast to many Pink Floyd fans, I prefer some of the later albums
like Wish You Were Here and The Wall, but this is still a
classic. |
|
| Kiss: Kiss
|
 |
| I know most people prefer the two live albums, but I have always been a
sucker for their studio work. I think I like the cleaner
sound. A weakness of mine, I suppose. "Strutter" and
"Black Diamond" are two of my favorite Kiss songs. |
|
| Bruce Springsteen: Born to
Run
|
 |
| One of my favorite albums from one of my
favorite artists. You will notice a lot of Springsteen's albums on
these lists. |
|
| Allman Brothers: Brothers and
Sisters |
Eric Clapton: 461 Ocean
Boulevard |
AC/DC: High Voltage |
| Herbie
Hancock: Head Hunters |
Bad Company: Bad Company |
Aerosmith: Toys in the Attic |
| Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road |
Big Star: Radio City |
Electric Light Orchestra: Face
the Music |
| Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy |
Jackson Browne: Late for the Sky |
Bob Dylan: Desire |
| Little Feet: Dixie Chicken |
Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic |
Parliament: Mothership
Connection |
| Iggy Pop and the Stooges: Raw
Power |
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Second Helping |
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here |
| Bob Marley: Burnin' |
Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark |
Queen: A Night at the Opera |
| New York Dolls: New York Dolls |
Roxy Music: Country
Life |
Roxy Music: Siren |
| Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the
Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle |
Supertramp: Crime of the Century |
Patti Smith: Horses |
| 1970 |
1971 |
1972 |
| Grateful Dead:
American Beauty |
 |
| I actually think the Dead is somewhat
overrated (no offense to all those Dead-Heads out there), but this album,
along with its companion Workingman Blues, is absolutely beautiful. |
|
| T. Rex: Electric
Warrior
|
 |
| I was so happy when I heard "Cosmic
Dancer" on the film Billy Eliot. Somehow, it just fit
perfectly. Most people my age know T.Rex through Power Station's
cover of "Get it On," but I like the original a whole lot
better. This is by far my favorite glam album. |
|
| Big Star:
#1
Record |
 |
| I first
heard about Big Star obliquely--through a Replacements song named
after Alex Chilton, the brilliant yet slightly erratic main
songwriter for this group. It took me a while to hunt down
this album, but since finding it Big's Star's first has become one
of my "desert island" discs. Many people will recognize "In
the Street" from the Cheap-Trick cover that served as the theme song
for That 70s Show. Big Star could do both power-pop
sing- alongs like this one, and also haunting ballads such as
"Thirteen" and "Watch the Sunrise." |
|
| Badfinger:
No Dice |
Black Sabbath: Paranoid |
David Bowie: Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars |
| Crosby, Stills,
and Nash: Deja Vu |
Doors: L.A. Woman |
Black Sabbath: Volume
4 |
| Doors: Morrison
Hotel |
Marvin Gaye: What's
Going On |
Curtis
Mayfield: Superfly |
| Iggy Pop and the
Stooges: Fun House |
Carole King: Tapestry |
Neu!: Neu! |
| Simon and
Garfunkel: Bridge over Troubled Waters |
Led Zeppelin: IV
(Zofo) |
Lou Reed:
Transformer |
| Cat Stevens: Tea
for the Tillerman |
Joni Mitchell: Blue |
Rolling Stones: Exile
on Main Street |
| James Taylor: Sweet
Baby James |
Van Morrison: Tupelo
Honey |
T. Rex: Slider |
| Velvet
Underground: Loaded |
Rod
Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story |
Stevie Wonder: Talking
Book |
| Neil Young: After
the Gold Rush |
Who: Who's
Next |
Yes: Fragile |
| 1967 |
1968 |
1969 |
| Doors: Doors |
 |
| How
many hippie bands are also enjoyed by punks, goths, and, well, about
anyone with good taste? Lots of great music this year, but
Morrison's Nietzschean side helps the Doors to stand out from the
crowd. |
|
| Van
Morrison: Astral Weeks
|
 |
| Boy,
was it hard to pick a favorite out of the bunch of albums that came
out this year. I have only recently discovered Van Morrison,
though, so this one is my favorite at the moment. |
|
| Rolling
Stones: Let it Bleed
|
 |
| I
figure that the Rolling Stones needed to make it into the top slot
for at least one year, and this album is as good as anything they
put out. This year's was another difficult choice, though. |
|
| Beatles: Sergeant Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band |
Beatles: White Album |
Beatles: Abby Road |
| Buffalo Springfield: Buffalo
Springfield Again |
Big Brother and the Holding
Company: Cheap Thrills |
Creedence Clearwater
Revival: Willy and the Poor Boys |
| Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a
Man the Way I Loved You |
Byrds:
Sweetheart of the Rodeo |
Crosby, Stills, and Nash: Crosby,
Still, and Nash |
| Jimi Hendrix:
Are You Experienced? |
Cream: Wheels of Fire |
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew |
| Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic
Pillow |
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland |
Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers |
| Kinks: Something Else |
Rolling
Stones: Beggars Banquet |
Kinks:
Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire |
| Pink Floyd: Piper at the Gates
of Dawn |
Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf |
Led Zeppelin: II |
| Rolling Stones: Between the
Buttons |
Simon and Garfunkel: Bookends |
Velvet Underground: Velvet
Underground |
| Velvet Underground: Velvet
Underground and Nico |
The
Zombies: Odessey & Oracle |
Who: Tommy |
| 1964 |
1965 |
1966 |
| Beatles:
A Hard Day's Night |
 |
| The
first Beatles album to show that they could do something better than
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and decent Chuck Berry
covers. Also the album to inspire the Byrds, which alone would
make it stand out. Nothing here could match up to the Kinks'
"You really Got Me Now" of the same year, but better
overall than the Kinks' debut. |
|
| Bob
Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
|
 |
| My
second favorte Dylan album, after Blonde on Blonde. |
|
| Beatles:
Revolver
|
 |
| Nearly
every album the Beatles put out is a classic, of course, but the
experimentation and song-quality of this one makes it by far my
favorite. |
|
| Animals: The Animals |
Beatles: Rubber Soul |
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds |
| Beach Boys: All Summer Long |
James
Brown: Papa Gotta Brand New Bag |
Byrds: Fifth Dimension |
| John Coltrane: Love Supreme |
Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man |
Cream:
Fresh Cream |
| Bob Dylan: The Times are A-Changin' |
John Coltrane: Ascension |
Miles Davis: Miles Smiles |
| Kinks:
The Kinks |
Bob Dylan: Bringing It All Back
Home |
Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde |
| Roy Orbison: Oh, Pretty Woman |
Herbie Hancock: Maiden Voyage |
Otis
Redding: Otis Blue |
| Supremes: Where Did Our Love Go |
Lovin
Spoonful: Do You Believe In Magic? |
Rascals:
The Young Rascals |
| Temptations:
Meet the Temptations |
Them:
Angry Young Them |
Simon and Garfunkel: Parsley,
Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme |
| Yardbirds: 5
Live Yardbirds |
The
Zombies: Begin Here |
Troggs: Wild Thing |
| 1961 |
1962 |
1963 |
| Bill
Evans: Sunday at the Village Vanguard |
 |
| Great
Jazz for a rainy day, or just when you need to chill out. |
|
| Thelonious
Monk: Monk's Dream
|
 |
| If
you haven't heard this, buy it. Now. Some of my favorite
Jazz. |
|
| Bob
Dylan: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
|
 |
| My
favorite of Dylan's folk albums |
|
| Joan Baez: Volume 2 |
Dick Dale: Surfer's Choice |
Beatles: Please Please Me |
| John
Coltrane: My Favorite Things |
Miles Davis: Sorcerer |
Beatles: With the Beatles |
| Dion and the Bellmonts: Runaround
Sue |
Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan |
Booker
T and the MG's: Green Onions |
| Charles
Mingus: Oh Yeah |
Bill Evans: Moonbeams |
Eric
Dolphy: Conversations |
| Thelonious
Monk: Monk in Copenhagen |
Dexter
Gordon: Go! |
Bill
Evans: Conversations with Myself |
| Max
Roach: Percussion Bitter Sweet |
Isley
Brothers: Twist and Shout |
Jan and Dean: Surf City |
| George
Russell: Ezz-Thetics |
George
Russell: Stratus Seekers |
Kingsmen:
The Kingsmen in Person |
| The Shadows: The Shadows |
McCoy
Tyner Trio: Inception |
Charles
Mingus: Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus |
| Del Shannon: Runaway |
Frankie
Vallie and the Four Seasons: Sherry and 11 Other Songs |
Del
Shannon: Little Town Flirt |
Copyright 2008 Clayton J. Whisnant
This page contains some copyrighted material (album covers) used for review
purposes only.
Sentences for search engine purpose:
The Best albums of 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964,
1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969.
The Best albums of 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979.
The Best albums of 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983,
1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989.
The Best albums of 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993,
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999.
The Best albums of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.