The Best Albums for me - from the year that I was born

 1975 – wish you were – pink floyd

My all time favourite Album, released on the year that I was born. The five track, unhurried Wish you were here for me is Pink Floyd’s best album, over Dark Side of the Moon. A distant runner Up could be Physical Graffiti ( Led Zeppelin )

1976 – Oxygene – Jean Micheal Jarre
David Bowie loses out with Station to Station, to one of the best electronic albums of all time.

1977 – Low – David Bowie
Well, David Bowie (Heroes) loses to … David Bowie, while Fleetwood Mac (Rumours) , in my book cannot out do the first of the Berlin Albums.

1978 – The Kick inside – Kate Bush

Looking back, 1978 doesn’t seem to have been an year that had seen the release of outstanding albums. In the context, this is the album which comes closest.

1979 – Lodger – David Bowie

Closely contested by Michael Jackson’s best album, “Off the Wall”, and … another “Wall”, that of Pink Floyd

1980 – dirty mind – Prince

This one was a very close one, with Bowie just losing out by a width of a hair for “Scary Monsters”

1981 – Abacab – Genesis  
Not an year that features a lot of my favourite albums – This one comes closest, and Abacab is not one of my favourite Genesis albums either. The other noteworthy album was Prince’s Controversy-again not one of my favourite Prince albums. Both are good albums, but not exemplary. 

1982 – the night fly – Donald Fagan

The Steely Dan man managed to beat Prince (1999), here.

1983 – kill ‘em all – Metallica

Not many  can beat this one – for the year closest distant challenge was by U2’s war.

1984 – Purple Rain – Prince

A Big Year, and a big album. Big albums lost out too – Metallica’s Ride the Lightening and U2’s Unforgettable Fire

1985 – hounds of love – Kate Bush

Kate beats Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms) and Tears for Fears ( Songs from the Big Chair)

1986 – master of puppets – Metallica

Paul Simon’s Graceland loses out to high riding, Metallica

1987 – the Joshua tree – U2

U2 manages to win ahead of some big albums – Prince ( Sign O’ the Times), George Michael (Faith ), Guns N’ Roses ( Appetite for Destruction )

1988 - …and justice for all – Metallica

An uncontested winner, although Leonard Cohen’s I’m your man needs mentioning.

1989 – but seriously – Phil Collins

In real life, it was around this year that I came seriously interested in music, and albums per se. While all other albums till this point, were listened as catching up on  great music, this is possibly the album I appreciated the year that it was released – that too, due to the series of great singles released.

1990 – Listen without Prejudice Vol. 1 – George Michael

While Michael was already a superstar to our generation after Faith, this is where he really matured as an artiste. I can proudly claim that I loved the album back then, and I love it still.

1991 – ten – Pearl Jam

Come, Alternative ! In my opinion, Ten beat Nirvana’s super Nevermind. But the runner up for me has to Achtung Baby ( U2), and it would have been a winner most other years. Other notable albums include Blood Sugar Sex Magik ( Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Out of Time (R.E.M.)

1992 – automatic for the people – R.E.M.

Another year of very good albums, as Alice in Chains (Dirt), Tori Amos ( Little Earth quacks ) and The Black Crowes ( Southern Harmony and the Musical Companion )

1993 – august and everything after – Counting Crowes

An album that made quite some waves back then, the waves I lived trough. Still remember the videos for Mr. Jones and Round Here, which made us all notice this album. One of the first CDs I ever bought. Albums that came close to complete – U2’s Zooropa and Nirvana’s In Utero ( another album that I listened  just after it came out back then )

1994 – Grace – Jeff Buckley

Some year’s are more difficult than others . Take a look at the competition – Vitalogy ( Pearl Jam ),  Dookie ( Greenday), Unplugged in New York ( Nirvana) , Jar of Flies ( Alice in Chains ) – all these being albums that I listened around 1994/1995, with Vitalogy being the winner. Since then I’ve listened Superunknown ( Sound Garden) and Jeff Buckley’s album. And Buckley beats Pearl Jam, Green Day, Sound Garden and Alice in Chains ! And oh ! I almost forgot to mention Pink Floyd, although it probably features somewhere around the mid point in the Top 10.  Another honorary mention, definitely inside the top ten has to be Amorica by the Black Crowes. 1994 was such a busy year that Dave Matthews Band’s who made their presence felt with “Under the Table and Dreaming”, just makes the top ten. I was going through my last teen year, and there was a lot of time for music back then. Life was fun, and the music was rich back then.

1995 – the bends – radiohead

I didn’t get to listen to The Bends in whole till about 1999, but the singles, Just, fake plastic trees, Street spirit and, high and dry were enough to keep me interested and buy the album, the first chance I had. For me the other album of note was Alice in Chains’ self titled, last studio album

1996 – A few Small Repairs – Shawn Colvin

An album that I had the opportunity of listening around the time it was released. The radio singles sunny came home and get out of this house has had made enough of an impact, for one of my friends to purchase the album – and I benefitted too. A runner up, and hard done by, for it too is a great album, is Beck’s Odelay. The singles devil’s haircut, new pollution and Jackass suggested that it was a great album – but I never got around to listening to it in full, till a few years back. Back in 1996/97, some big names released albums, and  back then I would’ve picked Counting Crowes’ Recovering the Satellites as one my favourites, along with the self titled Sheryl Crowe album.  Other big names ( not necessarily their best albums – but pretty decent ones, nevertheless) were R.E.M. ( New Adventures in Hi Fi) and Pearl Jam ( No Code). Wall Flowers hit the news with their magnificent album “ Bringing down the Horse”. Metallica’s No Load was possibly their first proper average album.

1997 – ok computer – radiohead

When I lived through the release and eventual making of history of an all time great album. And another great album, Verve’s Urban Hymns had to settle for the second place. Another stellar album that year was Bob Dylan’s Time out of Mind.

1998 – mezannine – massive attack

Another clear winner, uncontested till today. Back then Lucinda Williams came close to contest Massive Attack with “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”. Another album that I listened to, very recently comes close to contest Massive Attack too – namely, Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane over the sea. For me, another album worthy of mention is Dave Matthews Band’s Before these crowded streets

1999 – 13 – Blur

Clearly,  Best Blur album ever for me. So good that it manages to beat Fiona Apple’s gorgeous “When the Pawn… “ and “This desert life” by the Counting Crowes.

2000 – Kid A – Radiohead ;

Back then Paul Weller’s Heliocentric to me was the best album for the year, with Radiohead at No.2 ( I had an annual album chart round about this time ). But time has proven that Kid A is an all-time. Another note worthy album back then was Parachutes by Coldplay – their first album. 

2001 – Lataralus – Tool

By the end of year 2000, I was convinced that  phantom moon by  Duncan Sheik was the best album for the year, closely followed by Tool’s Lateralus. Radiohead too featured in top 3 with amnesiac. Since then I’ve come to appreciate the Tool album more and more, and at present I place Lateralus as the best album for 2001. R.E.M.’s Reveal too featured inside the Top 5, for the year.

2002 – Up – Peter Gabriel

2002 too had two albums contesting for the top slot, and Peter Gabriel has withstood the test of time. Busted Stuff ( or rather the even better Lily White sessions which I managed to listen a couple of years previously) is a stellar album too.  Other albums that are likely to make the Top five were – Sea Change, Beck; Songs for the deaf, Queens of the Stone Age ; A rush of blood to the head, Coldplay. Hard Candy by Counting Crowes too would’ve been somewhere in the middle of the top 10.

2003 – Elephant – White Stripes

Comparatively 2003 was a lean year, and it’s the White Stripes album, Elephant that makes it to the top. While I like Elephant, it wouldn’t possibly enter my all time favourite top 20. Radiohead’s Hail to the thief was the most anticipated album ( and not among their best), while Metallica drew much flac for St. Anger – more so than for the two Load albums. 

2004 – none

Honestly I can’t pretend that I have a favourite album for 2004. U2’s “How to dismantle an Atomic bomb” wasn’t good enough. And somehow, American Idiot doesn’t impress me as much as Dookie. Prince’s Musicology was just a “good” album. 

2005 – Illinois – Sufjan Stevens

Illionis, is a gem – period. And not even Kate Bush’ amazing Aeriel can dislodge Sufjan from the pinnacle for 2005.

2006 – 10000 days – Tool

While not as firm a favourite like Laterlaus, Tool ahs done enough to beat Bob Dylan ( Modern Times). And that’s saying much, since the Dylan album is a super record. Pearl Jam too came up with decent record, with their self titled (i.e. Avacado ) album.

2007 – In Rainbows – Radiohead

Easily the best Radiohead album since Kid A. Not much else, in 2007 for me.

2008 – Third – Portishead

A clear winner for 2008, as R.E.M.’s Accelerate and Coldplay’s Viva la vida were the other albums that made some impression

2009 -Before the frost / Until the Freeze – The Black Crowes

Pearl Jam released the magnificent backspacer in 2009, but  the output by others wasn’t good enough to challenge  (i.e. U2’s no line on the horizon, Bob Dylan’s Together through life), this magnificent double album by  the Robinson brothers and their band – their last before disbanding.

2010 – Brothers – Black Keys

Another year where the competition wasn’t high, The Black Keys almost got to the top without muh challenge.

2011 – Wasting Light – Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters released their best album till then – and even up until now, capturing the peak position of 2011. Other albums that made an impression on me in 2011 were Duran Duran’s magnificent “all you need is now”, Tori Amos’ “night of hunters”, Raphael Saadiq’s “Stone Rolling” and Radiohead’s “King of limbs”

2012 – The idler wheel ...– Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple blew away others from competition with the her magnificent, “ The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do” (phew). There were considerable good stuff that year – Norah Jones (Little Broken Wheels), Donald Fagan ( Sunken Condors ), Chris Robinson Brotherhood ( Big moon ritual ) and Jack White ( Blunderbuss)

2013 – The Raven that Refused to sing and other stories – Steven Wilson

Steven Wilson blew me away with this gem of an album, while there were good albums also by Queens of the Stone Age (… Like clockwork), Pet Shop Boys (Electric), My Bloody Valentine (mbv) and David Bowie ( The Next Day). Spin Doctors made a sort of a come back with the bluesy, “If the river was whisley”, which was a terrific album as well.

2014 – Morning Phase – Beck

While Beck’s album was quite refreshing, there were plenty of other great album as well – Lullaby and … the Ceaseless roar ( Robert Plant), Feugo ( Phish), Croz ( David Crosby ), Ceaseless sight ( Rich Richardson) and Standing in the Breach ( Jackson Browne)

2015 – Carrie and Lovell – Sufjan Stevens

2015 was the year I truly discovered Sufjan Stevens ( Illinoise, was discovered from the back catalog), and what a truly amazing album it is. Sound and Color  by Alabama Shakes, Tracker by Mark Knopfler, B’lieve am going down by Kurt Vile and Sometimes I sit and think and sometime I just sit by Courtney Barnett are other worthy contenders for the top 5.

2016 – Blackstar – David Bowie

A dark year for music as three superstars passed away – Prince, George Michael and David Bowie – the last gifting us his last gem, “Blackstar” a few days before his passing. I thought that the Rich Robinson record “flux” was absolutely super too, as was his brother’s bands album “Anyway you love, we know how you feel”. Radiohead presented us the moody gem “Heart shaped pool” while Metallica hit form with “Hardwired… to self destruct”.

2017 – Spirit – Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode released a stellar album after the rather weighed down, delta machine. And it is good enough to beat Queens of the Stone Age ( Villains) and Beck ( Colors ), although I felt that Beck’s album was the better than the other  two back then.

2018 - Wide Awake! - Parquet Courts

2018 saw me flirting with a lot of indie rock albums as never before, mainly influenced by the face book music group, “Music Buffs”. It resulted in Parguet Courts surpassing Kurt Vile ( bottle it in), Nine inch nails ( Bad witch) and the Breeders ( All Nerve)