New music has lost a lot of hold on me over the last few years. And four years ago I decided that instead of trying to keep up with it all, I’d look back at music history and listen to the albums celebrating milestones. Some of these I’d heard before, but many I had not. made it much more enjoyable to discover and rediscover classics instead of just whatever was being dumped onto Spotify every Friday.
So below are my top 10s from each year I covered, along with some honorable mentions.
1972
- Stevie Wonder – Talking Book
- The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St.
- Aretha Franklin – Amazing Grace / Young, Gifted and Black
- Big Star – #1 Record
- Nick Drake – Pink Moon
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
- Can – Ege Bamyasi
- Lou Reed – Transformer
- Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill
- Neu! – Neu!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• George Carlin – Class Clown
• Creedence Clearwater Revival – Creedence Gold
• Al Green – I’m Still in Love with You
• Donny Hathaway – Live
• Milton Nasicmento & Lô Borges – Clube da Esquina
• Simon & Garfunkel – Greatest Hits
• Various Artists – The Harder They Come
• Various Artists – Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968
1982
- Laurie Anderson – Big Science
- Michael Jackson – Thriller
- Richard & Linda Thompson – Shoot Out the Lights
- Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska
- XTC – English Settlement
- Elvis Costello – Imperial Bedroom
- Prince – 1999
- Marshall Crenshaw – Marshall Crenshaw
- The Jam – The Gift
- Yaz – Upstairs at Eric’s
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• ABBA – The Singles: The First Ten Years
• Haircut One Hundred – Pelican West
• Joe Jackson – Night and Day
• Squeeze – Singles: 45’s and Under
• Stevie Wonder – Original Musiquarium I
• XTC – Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-1982
1992
- Dr. Dre – The Chronic
- Beastie Boys – Check Your Head
- Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted
- R.E.M. – Automatic for the People
- Nusrat Fatel Ali Khan & Party – Devotional Songs
- Tom Waits – Bone Machine
- Lyle Lovett – Joshua Judges Ruth
- XTC – Nonsuch
- Various Artists – Singles (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Moby – Moby
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
• Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of…
• Gang Starr – Daily Operation
• Annie Lennox – Diva
• Manic Street Preachers – Generation Terrorists
• Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine
• Ride – Going Blank Again
• Sade – Love Deluxe
• Spiritualized – Lazer Guided Melodies
2002
- The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
- Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It in People
- Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Yanqui U.X.O.
- Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Bruce Springsteen – The Rising
- Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera
- The Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas / Tallahassee
- Various Artists – 24 Hour Party People (Music from the Motion Picture)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Beck – Sea Change
• Boards of Canada – Geogaddi
• The Decemberists – Castaways and Cutouts
• Dixie Chicks – Home
• The Fags – The Fags
• Interpol – Turn On the Bright Lights
• Jurassic 5 – Power in Numbers
• The Libertines – Up the Bracket
• Rilo Kiley – The Execution of All Things
• The Roots – Phrenology
• Sigur Rós – ( )
• Sparks – Lil’ Beethoven
• Spoon – Kill the Moonlight
• The Streets – Original Pirate Material
• Various Artists – Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2012
- fun. – Some Nights
- Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
- Tame Impala – Lonerism
- Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…
- Father John Misty – Fear Fun
- Bill Fay – Life Is People
- Sarah Jaffe – The Body Wins
- Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
- Japandroids – Celebration Rock
- Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city
HONORABLE MENTIONS
• Cat Power – Sun
• DIIV – Oshin
• Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio
• Grimes – Visions
• Japandroids – Celebration Rock
• Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music
• The Walkmen – Heaven