For those of us who still own albums, vinyl or cd, and care about dates, memories and stuff.

You should post the first album that pops out in your mind for each year (your favorite, the album that rocked your year, not necessarily the "best" album of that year, an album that you enjoyed from the first to very last song, perhaps you enjoyed the album-tracks even more than the singles); you can skip entire decades if you like, or certain years, or start/stop at any year. You can repeat any artist/band multiple times. You can include years before you were born. Live albums allowed. But NOT hit compilations/anthologies, nor film scores/soundtracks.

1954 Frank Sinatra - Swing Easy

1955 Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours

1956 Elvis Presley - Elvis

1957 Little Richard - Here's Little Richard

1958 B.B. King - The Blues

1959 Chuck Berry - Is On Top

1960 Elvis Presley - Elvis is Back

1961 Joan Baez - Vol.2

1962 Ray Charles - Modern Songs in Country and Westen Music

1963 The Beatles- With the Beatles
1964 The Rolling Stones - Now
1965 Bob Dylan - Highway 61
1966 The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
1967 The Doors - The Doors
1968 The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet
1969 Sly and the Family Stone - Stand
1970 Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1971 David Bowie - Hunky Dory
1972 The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
1973 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
1974 Roxy Music - Country Life
1975 Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
1976 Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
1977 David Bowie - Low
1978 The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
1979 AC/DC - Highway to Hell
1980 David Bowie - Scary Monsters
1981 Iron Maiden - Killers
1982 Michael Jackson - Thriller
1983 Def Leppard - Pyromania
1984 Prince - Purple Rain
1985 Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls
1986 Metallica - Master of Puppets
1987 Prince - Sign O the Times
1988 The Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1989 Madonna - Like a Prayer
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 U2 - Achtung Baby
1992 Michael Jackson - Dangerous
1993 Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
1994 Madonna - Bedtime Stories
1995 Oasis - What's the Story (Morning Glory)
1996 Suede - Coming Up
1997 Radiohead - OK Computer
1998 Madonna - Ray of Light
1999 Basement Jaxx - Remedy
2000 Eminem - The Marshall Matters LP
2001 Kylie Minogue - Fever
2002 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
2003 Kylie Minogue - Body Language
2004 Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005 Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
2006 Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
2007 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
2008 Whitesnake - Good to Be Bad
2011 Adele - 21
2013 David Bowie - The Next Day
2016 David Bowie - Blackstar

I started in 1954 because other than Sinatra I don't care about pre-R&R albums. Jazz doesn't do it for me, other than short compilations (uhhh, controversy). and yeap, I stopped caring about new music circa 2008. On the other hand, I had a HARD time picking up just one album from 1966 to 1994 (especially in 1966-1987). In fact, I expect this thread to shed some light for me on 2009-2019...

[Edited 6/14/20 3:41am]

1963 The Beatles - Please Please Me
1964 The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
1965 The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966 The Beatles - Revolver
1967 The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1968 The Beatles - The Beatles
1969 The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970 George Harrison - All things Must Pass
1971 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
1972 The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
1973 Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on The Run
1974 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
1975 Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
1976 The Rolling Stones - Black And Blue
1977 Bob Marley - Exodus
1978 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town
1979 AC/DC - Highway to Hell
1980 John Lennon - Double Fantasy
1981 Def Leppard - High N Dry
1982 Prince - 1999
1983 U2 - War
1984 Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA
1985 Prince - Around The World In A Day
1986 Paul Simon - Graceland
1987 U2 - The Joshua Tree
1988 Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
1989 Queen - The Miracle
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 Nirvana - Nevermind
1992 Def Leppard - Adrenalise
1993 Paul McCartney - Off The Ground
1994 Oasis - Defintely Maybe
1995 Oasis - What's the Story (Morning Glory)
1996 Prince - Emancipation
1997 Oasis - Be Here Now
1998 Lenny Kravitz - 5
1999 Def Leppard - Euphoria
2000 Oasis - Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants
2001 Michael Jackson - Invincible
2002 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
2003 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner
2004 Green Day - American idiot
2005 Oasis - Don't Belive The Truth
2006 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's ~What I'm Not
2007 Kanye West - Graduation
2008 Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

2009 U2 - No Line On The Horizon

2010 Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2011 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

2012 Gary Clark Jr - Blak & Blu
2013 Beady Eye - BE

2014 U2 - Songs Of Innocence

2015 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday
2016 Rihanna - Anti

2017 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?

2018 Muse - Simulation Theory

2019 Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars

JoeTyler said:

For those of us who still own albums, vinyl or cd, and care about dates, memories and stuff.

You should post the first album that pops out in your mind for each year (your favorite, the album that rocked your year, not necessarily the "best" album of that year, an album that you enjoyed from the first to very last song, perhaps you enjoyed the album-tracks even more than the singles); you can skip entire decades if you like, or certain years, or start/stop at any year. You can repeat any artist/band multiple times. You can include years before you were born. Live albums allowed. But NOT hit compilations/anthologies, nor film scores/soundtracks.

1954 Frank Sinatra - Swing Easy

1955 Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours

1956 Elvis Presley - Elvis

1957 Little Richard - Here's Little Richard

1958 B.B. King - The Blues

1959 Chuck Berry - Is On Top

1960 Elvis Presley - Elvis is Back

1961 Joan Baez - Vol.2

1962 Ray Charles - Modern Songs in Country and Westen Music

1963 The Beatles- With the Beatles
1964 The Rolling Stones - Now
1965 Bob Dylan - Highway 61
1966 The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
1967 The Doors - The Doors
1968 The Rolling Stones - Beggar's Banquet
1969 Sly and the Family Stone - Stand
1970 Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1971 David Bowie - Hunky Dory
1972 The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
1973 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
1974 Roxy Music - Country Life
1975 Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
1976 Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
1977 David Bowie - Low
1978 The Rolling Stones - Some Girls
1979 AC/DC - Highway to Hell
1980 David Bowie - Scary Monsters
1981 Iron Maiden - Killers
1982 Michael Jackson - Thriller
1983 Def Leppard - Pyromania
1984 Prince - Purple Rain
1985 Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls
1986 Metallica - Master of Puppets
1987 Prince - Sign O the Times
1988 The Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1989 Madonna - Like a Prayer
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 U2 - Achtung Baby
1992 Michael Jackson - Dangerous
1993 Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
1994 Madonna - Bedtime Stories
1995 Oasis - What's the Story (Morning Glory)
1996 Suede - Coming Up
1997 Radiohead - OK Computer
1998 Madonna - Ray of Light
1999 Basement Jaxx - Remedy
2000 Eminem - The Marshall Matters LP
2001 Kylie Minogue - Fever
2002 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
2003 Kylie Minogue - Body Language
2004 Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005 Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor
2006 Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
2007 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
2008 Whitesnake - Good to Be Bad
2011 Adele - 21
2013 David Bowie - The Next Day
2016 David Bowie - Blackstar

I started in 1954 because other than Sinatra I don't care about pre-R&R albums. Jazz doesn't do it for me, other than short compilations (uhhh, controversy). and yeap, I stopped caring about new music circa 2008. On the other hand, I had a HARD time picking up just one album from 1966 to 1994 (especially in 1966-1987). In fact, I expect this thread to shed some light for me on 2009-2019...

[Edited 6/14/20 3:41am]

Those bolded ones are the albums I know and I like and the red ones are the ones I llike better and love.

Henaz said:

1963 The Beatles - Please Please Me
1964 The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
1965 The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966 The Beatles - Revolver
1967 The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1968 The Beatles - The Beatles
1969 The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970 George Harrison - All things Must Pass
1971 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
1972 The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
1973 Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on The Run
1974 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
1975 Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
1976 The Rolling Stones - Black And Blue
1977 Bob Marley - Exodus
1978 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town
1979 AC/DC - Highway to Hell
1980 John Lennon - Double Fantasy
1981 Def Leppard - High N Dry
1982 Prince - 1999
1983 U2 - War
1984 Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA
1985 Prince - Around The World In A Day
1986 Paul Simon - Graceland
1987 U2 - The Joshua Tree
1988 Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
1989 Queen - The Miracle
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 Nirvana - Nevermind
1992 Def Leppard - Adrenalise
1993 Paul McCartney - Off The Ground
1994 Oasis - Defintely Maybe
1995 Oasis - What's the Story (Morning Glory)
1996 Prince - Emancipation
1997 Oasis - Be Here Now
1998 Lenny Kravitz - 5
1999 Def Leppard - Euphoria
2000 Oasis - Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants
2001 Michael Jackson - Invincible
2002 Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
2003 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner
2004 Green Day - American idiot
2005 Oasis - Don't Belive The Truth
2006 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's ~What I'm Not
2007 Kanye West - Graduation
2008 Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul

2009 U2 - No Line On The Horizon

2010 Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2011 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

2012 Gary Clark Jr - Blak & Blu
2013 Beady Eye - BE

2014 U2 - Songs Of Innocence

2015 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Chasing Yesterday
2016 Rihanna - Anti

2017 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Who Built The Moon?

2018 Muse - Simulation Theory

2019 Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars

1963: The Beatles - Please Please Me

1964: The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

1965: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

1966: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

1967: The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico

1968: The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

1969: Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis

1970: Dusty Springfield - From Dusty With Love

1971: Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

1972: David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars

1973: Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power

1974: Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information

1975: David Bowie - Young Americans

1976: The Runaways - The Runaways

1977: The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

1978: Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Scream (This would usually be the Grease movie soundtrack by a mile, but multi-artist soundtracks are excluded.)

1979: Public Image Ltd. - Metal Box

1980: Prince - Dirty Mind

1981: Prince - Controversy

1982: Michael Jackson - Thriller

1983: Culture Club - Colour By Numbers

1984: Prince and The Revolution - Purple Rain

1985: The Cure - The Head On The Door

1986: Prince and The Revolution - Parade

1987: The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland

1988: Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

1989: Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

1990: Sonic Youth - Goo

1991: Nirvana - Nevermind

1992: Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

1993: PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me

1994: Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

1995: PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love

1996: Type O Negative - October Rust

1997: Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope

1998: Shakira - ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?

1999: Deadsy - Commencement (original promo release--much different from the 2002 commercial release)

2000: PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

2001: Mors Syphilitica - Feather And Fate

2002: Saint Etienne - Finisterre (originally Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling TV soundtrack)

2003: The White Stripes - Elephant

2004: Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me

2005: The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (Produced by Wendy Melvoin!)

2006: Goldfrapp - Supernature

2007: The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes

2008: Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

2009: The Horrors - Primary Colours

2010: Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

2011: The Horrors - Skying

2012: Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne

2013: La Femme – Psycho Tropical Berlin

2014: Dum Dum Girls – Too True

2015: Kamasi Washington – The Epic

2016: TEEN – Love Yes

2017: Thundercat – Drunk

2018: Sunflower Bean – Twentytwo In Blue

2019: Karen O and Danger Mouse – Lux Prima

I haven't decided what my 2020 favorite is yet.

sexton said:

1963: The Beatles - Please Please Me

1964: The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night

1965: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

1966: The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

1967: The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico

1968: The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle

1969: Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis

1970: Dusty Springfield - From Dusty With Love

1971: Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

1972: David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars

1973: Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power

1974: Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information

1975: David Bowie - Young Americans

1976: The Runaways - The Runaways

1977: The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

1978: Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Scream (This would usually be the Grease movie soundtrack by a mile, but multi-artist soundtracks are excluded.)

1979: Public Image Ltd. - Metal Box

1980: Prince - Dirty Mind

1981: Prince - Controversy

1982: Michael Jackson - Thriller

1983: Culture Club - Colour By Numbers

1984: Prince and The Revolution - Purple Rain

1985: The Cure - The Head On The Door

1986: Prince and The Revolution - Parade

1987: The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland

1988: Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

1989: Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814

1990: Sonic Youth - Goo

1991: Nirvana - Nevermind

1992: Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes

1993: PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me

1994: Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

1995: PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love

1996: Type O Negative - October Rust

1997: Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope

1998: Shakira - ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones?

1999: Deadsy - Commencement (original promo release--much different from the 2002 commercial release)

2000: PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

2001: Mors Syphilitica - Feather And Fate

2002: Saint Etienne - Finisterre (originally Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling TV soundtrack)

2003: The White Stripes - Elephant

2004: Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me

2005: The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (Produced by Wendy Melvoin!)

2006: Goldfrapp - Supernature

2007: The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes

2008: Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree

2009: The Horrors - Primary Colours

2010: Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

2011: The Horrors - Skying

2012: Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne

2013: La Femme – Psycho Tropical Berlin

2014: Dum Dum Girls – Too True

2015: Kamasi Washington – The Epic

2016: TEEN – Love Yes

2017: Thundercat – Drunk

2018: Sunflower Bean – Twentytwo In Blue

2019: Karen O and Danger Mouse – Lux Prima

I haven't decided what my 2020 favorite is yet.

Great you named Shakira. an epic album.

I'll only go with albums released in my lifetime because otherwise I wouldn't know where to start.


1990 - Madonna - I'm Breathless
1991 - Michael Jackson - Dangerous
1992 - Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith
1993 - Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way
1994 - Madonna - Bedtime Stories
1995 - D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
1996 - George Michael - Older
1997 - Bootsy Collins - Fresh Outta P University
1998 - Outkast - Aquemini
1999 - Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
2000 - D'Angelo - Voodoo
2001 - Michael Jackson - Invincible
2002 - Justin Timberlake - Justified
2003 - Electric Six - Fire
2004 - Prince - Musicology
2005 - Audioslave - Out of Exile
2006 - Prince - 3121
2007 - Bruce Springsteen - Magic
2008 - Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Love Revolution
2009 - Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
2010 - Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
2011 - Mayer Hawthorne - How Do You Do
2012 - E=MCg - The Sideshow
2013 - Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady
2014 - Prince - Art Official Age
2015 - Tuxedo - Tuxedo
2016 - Mayer Hawthorne - Man About Town
2017 - Tuxedo - Tuxedo II
2018 - Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer
2019 - Tuxedo - Tuxedo III

Damn, Dangerous is from 1991...