Where We Started
Recently, CTO of Amazon and drinking companion Werner Vogels tweeted out that in 2007 he started compiling a list of the best album of the year for every year he’d been alive. Intrigued, I asked what the rules were, and they were simple: pick an album for each year you were alive and youi cannot repeat an artist. Apparently the older one gets, the more difficult this becomes.
So I figured I’d give it a shot. Here it is, and I’ve added a few milestones to go along the way.
The List
1975 - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Born to Run
1976 - The Ramones - The Ramones
1977 - Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
1978 - Tom Waits - Blue Valentine
1979 - The Clash - London Calling
1980 - The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
1981 - Madness - 7
1982 - The Jam - The Gift
1983 - U2 - War
1984 - The Smiths - Hatful of Holloe
1985 - The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy, & The Lash
1986 - Run DMC - Raisin’ Hell
1987 - R.E.M. - Document
1988 - Bad Religion - Suffer
1989 - Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy
1990 - Jane’s Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
1991 - Nirvana - Nevermind
1992 - Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
1993 - Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1994 - Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
1995 - Hum - You’d Prefer An Astronaut
1996 - Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
1997 - Elliott Smith - Either/Or
1998 - Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
1999 - NoFX - The Decline
2000 - Wesley Willis - Rush Hour
2001 - The Get Up Kids - Red Letter Day & Woodson
2002 - Piebald - We Are the Only Friends We Have
2003 - Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
2004 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
2005 - Death cab for Cutie - Plans
2006 - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
2007 - Radiohead - In Rainbows
2008 - Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
2009 - Toe - For Long Tomorrow
2010 - The National - High Violet
2011 - Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
2012 - The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past
2013 - CHEWIE - Marrowbone Lane
2014 - Afghan Whigs - Do The Beast
2015 - Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
2016 - Alexisonfire - Live at Copps
2017 - Chinese Football - Here Comes a New Challenger
2018 - boygenius - boygenius
2019 - A Lazarus Soul - The D They Put Between The R & L
2020 - American Beauty - American Beauty
2021 - Liz Phair - Soberish
2022 - Gregor Barnett - Don’t Go Throwing Roses In My Grave
What I’ve Learned
This was a difficult thing to organize, but what a great set of albums! Also…I am old. It’s clear that the 90’s held a special sway on my tastes, but you never discount that the story starts with the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Hope you enjoy any or all of these. I know I do.
I’ve used combine.fm links where possible, other than that it’s Spotify.
