My Fav Albums of the Year for Past 7 Decades
Very stream of consciousness style ramblings as I look back on my favs per year. I have so much more music on my backlog this is almost guaranteed to change. |
| 1 |  | Miles Davis
The New Miles Davis Quintet
1955 - Only have Miles Davis Albums from this year so had to be one of them, gonna be a lot of jazz until Beatles hit their stride I reckcon. |
| 2 |  | Charles Mingus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
1956 - Told Ya. |
| 3 |  | Charles Mingus
The Clown
1957 - That said, I do love me some Mingus. |
| 4 |  | Miles Davis
Milestones
1958 - Miles Davis doesn't want to be outdone though. |
| 5 |  | Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
1959 - With apologies to close runner ups Time Out and Kind of Blue. |
| 6 |  | Charles Mingus
Blues & Roots
1960 - Mingus stays winning, jazz stays jazzing. |
| 7 |  | Bill Evans
Explorations
1961 - Great album, but also kinda weak year for my tastes. |
| 8 |  | Charles Mingus
Tijuana Moods
1962 - Close call over Moonbeams, but also these are still my more sparse years listening-wise. |
| 9 |  | Charles Mingus
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
1963 - So yeah, Mingus is probably definitely going to have most entries on here. |
| 10 |  | Charles Mingus
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
1964 - Case in point. |
| 11 |  | Vince Guaraldi Trio
A Charlie Brown Christmas
1965 - With Apologies to Rubber Soul, this is the best Christmas album ever. |
| 12 |  | The Beatles
Revolver
1966 - I called it earlier that the Beatles would be the ones to break the jazz streak, shit I love this era of Beatles. |
| 13 |  | The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1967 - Damn this year is actually fucking stacked but its gotta be this one. |
| 14 |  | The Rolling Stones
Beggars Banquet
1968 - Kinda weaker year after the last one, sorry Stevie giving this one to the Stones. |
| 15 |  | Fleetwood Mac
Then Play On
1969 - This might be the only Blues/Blues Rock album here, but damn it is def Peter Green's Magnum Opus. Hot Rats and Court of Crimson King deserve shoutouts though. |
| 16 |  | Black Sabbath
Paranoid
1970 - Uh Oh, Metal is here and damn this album is so comfy and perfect. |
| 17 |  | Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin IV
1971 - Not just cause of Stairway, there are a lot of badass songs here. |
| 18 |  | Blue Oyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
1972 - Legit one of my fav Hard rock bands OAT. Very stacked year with Machine Head and Return to Forever placing as well. |
| 19 |  | Stevie Wonder
Innervisions
1973 - Damn I really though Over-Nite Sensation was safe but Innervisions is the most "perfect" Stevie Wonder record. |
| 20 |  | Blue Oyster Cult
Secret Treaties
1974 - Fav BOC record, beating out some other 5/5's like King Crimson's Red and Genesis' Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. |
| 21 |  | Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
1975 - Damn another year with 3 5/5's. I always get hated for thinking Floyd is overrated af, even if they do have a string of amazing albums, but this one is their crown jewel for sure imo. |
| 22 |  | Boston
Boston
1976 - Holy shit, making me decide between this, Songs in the Key of Life, Rainbow Rising, and Sad Wings of Destiny. Gonna have to give it to this one for both being greatest debut album ever and also its so easy to sit and listen in one sitting. |
| 23 |  | Scorpions
Taken By Force
1977 - Uli Jon Roth cannot be denied on this album. Sails of Charon rips. |
| 24 |  | Rush
Hemispheres
1978 - Fav Rush album, EZ AF decision. Bookended by monster classics. |
| 25 |  | AC/DC
Highway To Hell
1979 - Hard Rock perfection, what an absolute unit of an album. RIP Bon. |
| 26 |  | Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard Of Ozz
1980 - What an amazing year, funny both Ozzy and Sabbath have 5/5's for me but this album just hits all the right notes and holds immense sentimental value. Randy forever. |
| 27 |  | King Crimson
Discipline
1981 - Crimson finally gets theirs despite much great competition. |
| 28 |  | Descendents
Milo Goes to College
1982 - Never imagined them making this list but this album is ace, even when overcoming the "too many songs on an album" punk-adjacent albums have for me. |
| 29 |  | Stevie Ray Vaughan
Texas Flood
1983 - My earlier prediction was wrong, another blues album. One thing I can be proud of from my home state and current city. |
| 30 |  | Iron Maiden
Powerslave
1984 - This was the one year I immediately knew what the answer was, much apologies to the most underrated Rush record Grace Under Pressure. |
| 31 |  | The Replacements
Tim
1985 - An albums whose quality is as enigmatic as the cover art. |
| 32 |  | Iron Maiden
Somewhere In Time
1986 - Damn Master of Puppets got surprise beat here, but SiT is too good. |
| 33 |  | Anthrax
Among The Living
1987 - Getting lucky to get between the two best Metallica releases, but this album is so so so damn good. |
| 34 |  | Metallica
...And Justice For All
1988 - Metallica getting their revenge beating out Seventh Son. Fuck the haters this album is amazing and yes I miss the bass but the production is the perfect vibe for the albums themes. |
| 35 |  | The Cure
Disintegration
1989 - Apologies to Paul's Boutique but this is just one of those albums that cant be stopped. |
| 36 |  | Megadeth
Rust In Peace
1990 - Idk where Dave got the inspiration to make this one, which easily stands above all Megadeth fare. Also people who hate or can't stand Mustaines vocals are weak af. |
| 37 |  | Pearl Jam
Ten
1991 - Battle of the Grunge classics vs Badmotorfinger but this one gets the edge as one of the few legit claims to the throne of best debut (It's still Boston). |
| 38 |  | Dream Theater
Images And Words
1992 - Ahh finally this classic from a Band I have a very complex love/hate thing going on thanks to the worst fanbase until KPop, Mike Portnoy stans. |
| 39 |  | Death
Individual Thought Patterns
1993 - My fav Death album had to beat out the Weirdly great Siamese Dream but it cannot be denied. |
| 40 |  | Dream Theater
Awake
1994 - Man way too many DT fans on Reddit hate this one, but thats how I can tell that place is a fucking cesspool beacuse this album is fucking amazing. |
| 41 |  | Death
Symbolic
1995 - Damn amazing album in a year thats a bit weaker imo compared to the insane 1.5 decades prior. |
| 42 |  | OutKast
ATLiens
1996 - Finally getting some hip-hop and rap here, damn I miss these guys. |
| 43 |  | Radiohead
OK Computer
1997 - Feels cliché almost but damn this album is just that damn good. |
| 44 |  | Blind Guardian
Nightfall In Middle-Earth
1998 - Aquameni, Hello Rockview and Colma all get shout outs but damn I always get hooked by first track all way through on Blind Guardians magnum opus. |
| 45 |  | Dream Theater
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
1999 - RIP to Still Life, the best Opeth album but SFaM is one of those top 5 all time important albums to me, especially on my guitar playing journey. |
| 46 |  | Iron Maiden
Brave New World
2000 - My fav band returns with my fav guitarist from band in an absolutely fantastic reunion album so so good. Stankonia shout out tho. |
| 47 |  | Propagandhi
Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
2001 - FUCK THE BORDER! x infinity. this album is the perfect intersection of their punk and metal stylings. |
| 48 |  | Opeth
Deliverance
2002 - I know its more hip to prefer Damnation but Deliverance is everything I want in terms of pure metal Opeth. |
| 49 |  | Coheed and Cambria
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
2003 - I used to know this one all the way on guitar. Fav Coheed shout outs to Take This To Your Grave and De-Loused in the Comatorium though. |
| 50 |  | mewithoutYou
Catch For Us the Foxes
2004 - An absolute lyrical feast with the perfect energy needed. Love the spiritual religious rumination that isn't bash over the head preachy bs. |
| 51 |  | The Fall of Troy
Doppelganger
2005 - Another one of those absolutely important to me albums. RIP my Ultimate Guitar tabs I spent a year writing for entire album that are now blocked. |
| 52 |  | My Chemical Romance
The Black Parade
2006 - Maybe this one is just my teenage self picking but damn this was very important to me and still is. |
| 53 |  | Buckethead
Pepper's Ghost
2007 - Dang didn't see this one coming but I love the pure riffage and noodling in it. Classic Buckethead with a classic weird cover. |
| 54 |  | Protest the Hero
Fortress
2008 - Another one I knew would be here for sure, love everything about this the performances are off the chart. Way of All Flesh and Traced in Air shout outs though. |
| 55 |  | Animals As Leaders
Animals as Leaders
2009 - Damn I used this one to relax for so many years. RIP to my cousin who showed me this one, very important album to me. |
| 56 |  | Circa Survive
Blue Sky Noise
2010 - IDK if I'll ever forgive band and COVID for ruining my chances of ever seeing this one live in its entirety. |
| 57 |  | Foo Fighters
Wasting Light
2011 - Easily far and away best Foo Fighters album what a creative tour-de-force. Reminds me of my freshman year of college. |
| 58 |  | Coheed and Cambria
The Afterman: Ascension
2012 - Love it to bits. Ascension >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Descension ffs. |
| 59 |  | Protest the Hero
Volition
2013 - Very happy to have my name in the thank you notes on this one for helping fund it lol. Album means so much to me and damn do I have so much fun failing to play these songs on guitar. |
| 60 |  | Buckethead
Hold Me Forever (In memory of my mom)
2014 - Ask me 5 years ago it would have easily been Animals as Leader's Joy of Motion, but this one now has a permanent place in my heart after watching cancer take my mom's life. |
| 61 |  | Buckethead
Heaven Is Your Home (For My Father...)
2015 - Luckily I still have my dad, but the pure lamentation in this one is so powerful with him pulling themes from previous tracks about his parents making it hit extra hard for the fans. |
| 62 |  | Buckethead
Castle on Slunk Hill
2016 - What a classic time from iirc his most productive year. Loved trying to imagine these places being hidden somewhere in the imaginary theme park of his, Bucketheadland. |
| 63 |  | Buckethead
Ride Operator Q Bozo
2017 - Lol I never imagined so much Buckethead would be here but the latter half of 2010's, especially in metal, kinda annoyed me especially with its trends. |
| 64 |  | Kacey Musgraves
Golden Hour
2018 - Further proof that metal of this time annoyed me when a Country adjacent album wins. Ok that actually undersells how fucking good this record is and it deserves so many spins. |
| 65 |  | The Neal Morse Band
The Great Adventure
2019 - Seeing A Love That Never Dies live was a transformative experience. Fantastic prog album even though I usually have some reservations with his style of it. |
| 66 |  | Protest the Hero
Palimpsest
2020 - All time classic and possibly still my fav album of 2020's (and likely to win that as well) Damn I love the lyrics but hate how close they hit with the shit administration US has right now. We need more PtH dammit. |
| 67 |  | The Killers
Pressure Machine
2021 - Another weak year, but dig into this record for some rare goodness. |
| 68 |  | Buckethead
Doctor Lorca's Work
2022 - Weird to have had so many releases since this one, I miss this era and style of his very much. |
| 69 |  | Avenged Sevenfold
Life Is But A Dream...
2023 - I figured this one would have been my fav of the year, loved seeing them step out of the box and making this polarizing work. |
| 70 |  | Blood Incantation
Absolute Elsewhere
2024 - Metal is getting really good again and damn I love relevant this one is. Absolute trip this one is. |
| 71 |  | The Callous Daoboys
I Don't Want to See You in Heaven
2025 - I really though Coheed's banger of the year would secure it but this one was just undeniable damn what an inspired piece. |
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