Am curious how many of the suggestions I have. Add your best album of the year starting 1980:
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990: Violator (Depeche Mode)
1991
1992
1993: Laid (James)
1994
1995
1996
1997: OK Computer (Radiohead)
1998
1999
2000
2001: Origins Of Symmetry (Muse)
2002
2003
2004: Hot Fuss (Killers)
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
Comments
2003 - Elephant - The White Stripes
1994 - definitely maybe
Libertines 2002 up the bracket
1981 New Order - Movement
1982 Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
1983 Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (close with New Order)
1984 The Smiths
1985 The Cure - Head On The Door (close with New Order)
1986 The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy
1987 That Petrol Emotion - Babble
1988 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1989 The Stone Roses
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
1991 Nirvana - Never Mind
1992 R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
1993 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dreams
1994 Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible (tough on Pulp!)
1995 Radiohead - The Bends
1996 Eels - Beautiful Freak
1997 Elliott Smith - Either/Or
1998 Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs
1999 Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
2000 P.J. Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
2001 White Stripes - White Blood Cells
2002 Brendon Benson - Lapalco
2003 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
2004 Franz Ferdinand
2005 The National - Alligator (close with Bloc Party)
2006 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not
2007 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
2008 Fleet Foxes
2009 God Help The Girl (really tough on The xx)
2010 Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
2011 Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
2012 Martin Rossiter - Defenestration of St Martin
2013 Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze
It's really hard to pick just one though.
As an old fogey, allow me to reach back further..
1963 - Please, Please Me - The Beatles
1964 - A Hard Days Night - The Beatles
1965 - Help - The Beatles
1966 - Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys / Revolver - The Beatles
1967 - Sgt. Pepper - The Beatles
1968 - Beggars Banquet - The Rolling Stones (or maybe Village Green P. S.- The Kinks)
1969 - Stand Up - Jethro Tull (or Led Zep II or Abbey Road or ITCOTCK-King Crimson or Tommy -The Who)
1970 - Deja Vu - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
1971 - The Yes Album - Yes (or Who's Next)
1972 - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
1973 - Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
1974 - Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell
1975 - Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
1976 - Station to Station - David Bowie
1977 - Rattus Norvegicus - The Stranglers (or Rumours - FM or Low-Bowie or Bollocks - Sex Pistols)
1978 - This Years Model - Elvis Costello
1979 - Armed Forces - Elvis Costello
1980 - Scary Monsters - David Bowie (or Searching for the Young Soul Rebels - Dexy's Midnight Runners)
1981 - Dare - Human League (at the time, not so sure now - crap year for albums)
1982 - Too Rye Ay - Dexy's Midnight Runners
1983 - State of Confusion - The Kinks
1984 - Pass!
1985 - Songs from the Big Chair -Tears for Fears
1986 - Graceland - Paul Simon
1987 - The Joshua Tree - U2
1988 - Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
1989 - Steel Wheels - The Rolling Stones
1990 - Goodbye Jumbo - World Party
1991 - Out of Time - REM
1992 - Automatic for the People - REM
1993 - Pass!
1994 - Parklife - Blur
No standout new albums after that - only re-released deluxe editions of my old favourites!
Classic.
I can't believe that you haven't included any of your Wham back catalogue that you were proudly showing off to me when I visited!
Did that contain the solid gold, copper bottomed classic "Atmosphere"?
1989 - The Real Thing - Faith No More
1991 - Metallica - Metallica
1983 - Now that's what I call music!
1956 - Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
1957 - Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
1958 - Billie Holliday - Lady in Satin
1959 - Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
1960 - Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack
1961 - John Coltrane - My Favourite Things
1962 - Booker T and the MG's - Green Onions
1963 - The Beatles - With the Beatles
1964 - The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
1965 - The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966 - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds/The Beatles - Revolver/The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
1967 - Love - Forever Changes
1968 - The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
1969 - Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis
1970 - Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
1971 - David Bowie - Hunky Dory
1972 - David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
1973 - David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
1974 - Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic
1975 - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
1976 - The Ramones - The Ramones
1977 - Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties
1978 - The Jam - All Mod Cons
1979 - The Specials - The Specials
1980 - Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
1981 - (tricky) - Soft Cell - Non Stop Erotic Cabaret
1982 - Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
1983 - REM - Murmur (another tricky year)
1984 - The Smiths - The Smiths
1985 - The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
1986 - Billy Bragg - Talking with the Taxman about Poetry
1987 - The Smiths - Strangeways Here we Come
1988 - The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane
1989 - The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
1990 - Ride - Nowhere
1991 - Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
1992 - They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18
1993 - Blur - Modern Life is Rubbish
1994 - Blur - Parklife
1995 - Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory
1996 - Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
1997 - Supergrass - In it for the Money
1998 - Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue
1999 - The Stereophonics - Performance and Cocktails
2000 - Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
2001 - The Strokes - Is This It
2002 - Doves - The Last Broadcast
2003 - The Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic
2004 - Green Day - American Idiot
2005 - The Editors - The Back Room
2006 - The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
2007 - Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High
2008 - The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
2009 - Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
2010 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2011 - The Vaccines - What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
2012 - The Vaccines - Come of Age
'Twas a good year 1982, I was 17 and living the dream without a care in the world.
1981
1982 Combat Rock - The Clash
1983 Head Over Heels - Cocteau Twins
1984 It'll End in Tears - This Mortal Coil
1985 Little Creatures - Talking Heads
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990: Blood - This Mortal Coil
1991 Screamadelica - Primal Scream
1992 Dirty - Sonic Youth
1993 Where You been - Dinosaur Jr.
1994 Grace - Jeff Buckley
1995 Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins
1996
1997: Portishead - Portishead
1998
1999 Play - Moby
2000
2001:
2002 Songs for the Deaf - Queens of the Stone Age
2003 Deep Cuts - The Knife
2004: Kasabian - Kasabian
2005 Antics - Interpol
2006 At War with the Mystics - Flaming Lips
2007 Love is Real - John Maus
2008 Wrecking Ball - Dead Confederate
2009 An When - Tonstartssbandht
2010 II - Crystal Castles
2011 The Year of Hibernation - Youth Lagoon
2012 Visions - Grimes
I will finish this at some point.
1981 Faith - The Cure
1982 Thriller - Michael Jackson
1983 Synchronicity - The Police
1984 The Smiths - The Smiths
1985 Love - The Cult
1986 The Queen is Dead - The Smiths
1987 Appetite for Destruction - Guns N Roses (Close with The Joshua Tree - U2)
1988 Surfer Rosa - Pixies
1989 Doolittle - Pixies
1990 Violator - Depeche Mode
1991 Nevermind - Nirvana
1992 Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
1993 Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins
1994 Dookie - Green Day
1995 The Bends - Radiohead
1996 Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers
1997 OK Computer - Radiohead
1998 This is Hardcore - Pulp
1999 Ágætis Byrjun - Sigur Rós
2000 Relationship of Command - At the Drive-In
2001 Is This It - The Strokes (Close with Daft Punk - Discovery)
2002 Turn on the Bright Lights - Interpol
2003 Elephant - The White Stripes
2004 Funeral - Arcade Fire
2005 Demon Days - Gorillaz
2006 Whatever People Say I Am - Arctic Monkeys
2007 Puzzle - Biffy Clyro
2008 Love, Ire & Song - Frank Turner
2009 Cage the Elephant - Cage the Elephant
2010 Fake History - Letlive.
2011 England Keep My Bones - Frank Turner
2012 Handwritten - The Gaslight Anthem