Album of the Year: [1950-2000 complete; subject to change]
 

According to me. My opinions constantly change in regards to certain years, but this should be pretty definitive for now.

1950s:
Yma Sumac - Voice of the Xtabay (1950)
Bud Powell - The Amazing Bud Powell (1951)
Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Bird and Diz (1952)
Moondog - Moondog and His Friends (1953)
Dorival Caymmi - Canções Praieiras (1954)
Julie London - IJulie Is Her Name (1955)
The Modern Jazz Quartet - Fontessa (1956)
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (1957)
Sun Ra - Jazz in Silhouette (1958)
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959)

1960s:
Link Wray - Link Wray & The Wraymen (1960)
Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite (1961)
Duke Ellington - Money Jungle (1962)
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)
Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity (1964)
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (1965)
Monks - Black Monk Time (1966)
Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk (1967)
The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (1968)
Don Cherry - Eternal Rhythm (1969)

1970s:
The Stooges - Fun House (1970)
Can - Tago Mago (1971)
Neu! - Neu! (1972)
Magma - Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (1973)
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets (1974)
Brian Eno - Another Green World (1975)
The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers (1976)
Television - Marquee Moon (1977)
Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance (1978)
James Chance & The Contortions - Buy (1979)

1980s:
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)
The Gun Club - Fire of Love (1981)
Antena - Camino del Sol (1982)
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (1983)
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (1984)
Foetus - Nail (1985)
Big Black - Atomizer (1986)
Swans - Children of God (1987)
My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise EP (1988)
NoMeansNo - Wrong (1989)

1990s:
Cop Shoot Cop - Consumer Revolt (1990)
The Jesus Lizard - Goat (1991)
Nurse With Wound - Thunder Perfect Mind (1992)
Polvo - Today's Active Lifestyles (1993)
Shellac - At Action Park (1994)
灰野敬二 - I Said, This Is the Son of Nihilism (1995)
Black Tape for a Blue Girl - Remnants of a Deeper Purity (1996)
Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997)
Boredoms -Super æ (1998)
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See a Darkness (1999)
Boris - Flood (2000)

NOTE: If you disagree with any of my picks, tell me why and what you might have picked instead!

What a brilliant idea for a thread,

I'm going to go away now and think up my choices

I don't even like listmaking and rating like this, but .. at least 1972 has to be Close to the Edge and 1973 must be Dark Side of the Moon. Popular and unoriginal picks perhaps, but that's only because they deserve their fame, I think. ;)

edit :

And for 1959, Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" > Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come" .. I think!

I love The Shape of Jazz to Come!

Very nice list you've got there! Was Neurosis or Comus contenders in your list?

You are my new favorite poster. :)

First Utterance is definitely a great album, definitely a contender for 1971.

Oh, yeah, figures. I did prefer Tago Mago myself as well. In my opinion, only a very few albums can feel as complete as In the Court of the Crimson King, so I'm checking out Don Cherry's "mu" First Part as we speak. You might be very resourceful, and I say that with gratitude for your listing!

I prefer "mu" Second Part but First Part is great as well. Eternal Rhythm is a masterpiece as well in my opinion, maybe my favorite Cherry album.

Eno was way ahead of the curve back then, and still is. Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy was excellent, too. Way cool list, particulary the 90's.