Sidewinder's Top 10 Albums from Every Year (1965-)

sidewinder · 11-21-2014, 04:29 PM

1992

More amazing stuff from the 90s. Aphex Twin's SAW 85-92 would be higher on the list if the quality of the recording were better. Somehow it didn't bother me at all when I first got it (a few years later) but now I find it really irritating. Still, the brilliance of the material cannot be denied. As for NIN, I normally don't include EPs in these lists but I had to make an exception with this one for two reasons: There was as much promotion surrounding the release as if it was an LP, and it's my favorite NIN release. So it gets a pass.

1. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
2. Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon
3. Faith No More - Angel Dust
4. Skinny Puppy - Last Rights
5. Nine Inch Nails - Broken EP
6. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde
7. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
8. Nirvana - Incesticide
9. Sonic Youth - Dirty
10. Ween - Pure Guava

A handful of great honorable mentions that I loved at the time but simply haven't held my attention as much since then:

Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power
Ice Cube - The Predator
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Sublime - 40 oz. to Freedom
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
Alice in Chains - Dirt
NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
S.O.D. - Live at Budokan
Ministry - ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69)

OccultHawk · 11-21-2014, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

1966
Again The Beatles, The Byrds, S&G, and The Rolling Stones are well-represented. Love love love these albums. And speaking of Love, Love brings us their psychedelic garage debut. Certainly not their best album but some great stuff happening. Some will argue The Beach Boys should be higher on the list, but I have a much weaker connection to it than the albums that fall before it on the list. Even The Kinks' and the Stones' somewhat patchy albums and roughly-recorded albums. The 2007 CD re-release of The Remains with 10 bonus tracks is worth exploring - to me those 10 additional tracks are as good as the primary album.

1. Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
2. The Byrds - Fifth Dimension
3. Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence
4. The Beatles - Revolver
5. The Rolling Stones - Aftermath
6. The Kinks - Face to Face
7. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
8. The Remains - The Remains
9. Love - Love
10. Monks - Black Monk Time

Very nice job including Love and The Monks. Those are like the litmus test, I guess. I'll have to educate myself more on The Remains. I know you said you're not the biggest Dylan fan but I think Blonde on Blonde... Well, it's stupid to say it should be on YOUR list. Would very easily make mine, however. Ascension is my personal favorite record from this year.

sidewinder · 11-25-2014, 12:38 AM

1993

Tough year. When I started the list, I had Smashing Pumpkins and Tool as my top two, then I realized I was letting nostalgia get in the way as I hardly listen to them anymore - but they're still deserving of the top 5. Tool's Undertow was my favorite of the year for a long time. Former favs that didn't make the cut include: KMFDM, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Pennywise, Butthole Surfers, and Type O Negative, Unwound, Polvo, Hum, and Quicksand.

1. Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker
2. The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
4. Melvins - Houdini
5. Tool - Undertow
6. Swirlies - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton
7. Nirvana - In Utero
8. PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
9. Autechre - Incunabula
10. Unwound - Fake Train

Anteater · 11-26-2014, 10:54 PM

Some great, great albums here, especially the last couple of years. My own year-by-year picks would be similar if my musical background wasn't so jazz, prog and soul/funk oriented. Just not enough room for everything. Still, very interesting to see what stuff is considered essential for the more "alternative" or indie-oriented listener.

Keep up the good work!

sidewinder · 11-30-2014, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

Some great, great albums here, especially the last couple of years. My own year-by-year picks would be similar if my musical background wasn't so jazz, prog and soul/funk oriented. Just not enough room for everything. Still, very interesting to see what stuff is considered essential for the more "alternative" or indie-oriented listener.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks, sir!

sidewinder · 12-04-2014, 04:35 PM

1994

I graduated high school, and it was really tough narrowing this down to 10 albums. Albums I was actually into at the time were Weezer, Beastie Boys, Underworld, Nas, and Nirvana. The rest were discovered later. Other greats that I loved at the time that didn't make the cut now include: NIN's The Downward Spiral, Veruca Salt's American Thighs, Ween's Chocolate and Cheese, Helmet's Betty, Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, and Nailbomb's Point Blank. I also later discovered 1994 greats by Sonic Youth, Failure, Unwound, Drive Like Jehu, Aphex Twin, and Autechre to name a few. So while I love these 10, this could easily have been a top 20 without stretching.

1. Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love
2. Weezer - Weezer
3. Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
4. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
5. Nas - Illmatic
6. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
7. Sebadoh - Bakesale
8. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
9. Melvins - Stoner Witch
10. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York

~~James~~ · 12-04-2014, 08:39 PM

That list would be very close to mine for that year. Love all of those albums!

OccultHawk · 12-04-2014, 11:09 PM

Quote:

1967
Now we're getting more diverse, and I could easily have made a top 20 this year. Even if most of the 11-20 entries are 3.5-star albums they're still worth having.

Good gravy this was an incredible year. There's so much rock'n'roll I'm not even going to bother but here's three 5 star non-rock'n'roll records:

Sorcerer - Miles Davis
Piano Phase- Steve Reich
Hymnen- Stockhausen

That Stockhausen may be the greatest album that remains that undiscovered ever released.

OccultHawk · 12-05-2014, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

1968
Another gem takes the #1 spot this year, The Zombies' splendid psychedelic pop. Following that we have my favorite Rolling Stones album, one of my favorite Byrds albums, a Beatles album that is too long but still undeniably awesome, my favorite Moody Blues album, another amazing Byrds album that I love despite not being a fan of country music, a great S&G album, one of The Kinks' best that a few years back would have been higher on my list, and then a couple of amazing albums by Spirit, a band more people should listen to.

1. The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
2. The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
3. The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers
4. The Beatles - White Album
5. The Moody Blues - In Search of the Lost Chord
6. The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo
7. Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
8. The Kinks - The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
9. Spirit - Spirit
10. Spirit - The Family That Plays Together

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

I have that S&G album in my hand me down collection of vinyls and it's the best one I've gotten from my parents (aside from this benefit concert in Bangladash curated by The Beatles). It really is a swell album. Also glad to see some Beefheart love in 1967, I wonder if he'll make the 69 cut?

No one has shown up at your door for leaving off Astral Weeks?

sidewinder · 12-09-2014, 02:50 PM

1995
I was introduced to Blind Melon, like most people, with their catchy and sweet single "No Rain". I thought it was ok but it definitely wasn't my thing. When they released "Galaxie" for their sophomore album, I was hooked. I picked up the album and immediately fell in love with whatever the hell it was...alternative rock with a distinct backwoods/southern flavor. I played the album A LOT in 95/96 and it really stood out from the rest of the stuff I had in rotation. Which didn't include Radiohead as I didn't get into them until OK Computer. Needless to say, The Bends is a masterpiece. Then we have Download - the more techno-oriented side project of Skinny Puppy's Dwayne Goettel (RIP) and cEvin Key - joined by Phil Western, Mark Spybey (DVOA), Ken Marshall, and Anthony Valcic. Mind-blowing **** if you're into electro-industrial and techno. Following that we have my favorite Autechre release, a very good Faith No More album, SDRE's almost best album, a great Fugazi record that sees them take a slightly different direction, one of Sonic Youth's best (that I didn't discover until later), Mr. Bungle's confusing but very interesting follow-up, and a little-known album by a band whose frontman would later form emo favorite Elliott. The record has a harder edge and some metal-ish guitar tones. It's post-hardcore/midwestern emo that at times reminds me of early Suicidal Tendencies. Intrigued? Check it out.

Some really strong runner ups this year include albums from June of 44, Pavement, Unwound, Seam, Hum, Jawbreaker (in 1995 I would have put this in my top 5 for sure), Deftones, Lagwagon, and Pennywise. Followed by a long list of "pretty good" albums and a few dozen potentially great I've yet to hear.

1. Radiohead - The Bends
2. Blind Melon - Soup
3. Download - Furnace
4. Autechre - Tri repetae
5. Faith No More - King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime
6. Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2
7. Fugazi - Red Medicine
8. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
9. Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante
10. Falling Forward - Hand Me Down

11-21-2014, 04:29 PM	#61 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	1992 More amazing stuff from the 90s. Aphex Twin's SAW 85-92 would be higher on the list if the quality of the recording were better. Somehow it didn't bother me at all when I first got it (a few years later) but now I find it really irritating. Still, the brilliance of the material cannot be denied. As for NIN, I normally don't include EPs in these lists but I had to make an exception with this one for two reasons: There was as much promotion surrounding the release as if it was an LP, and it's my favorite NIN release. So it gets a pass. 1. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head 2. Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon 3. Faith No More - Angel Dust 4. Skinny Puppy - Last Rights 5. Nine Inch Nails - Broken EP 6. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde 7. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 8. Nirvana - Incesticide 9. Sonic Youth - Dirty 10. Ween - Pure Guava A handful of great honorable mentions that I loved at the time but simply haven't held my attention as much since then: Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1 Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power Ice Cube - The Predator Dr. Dre - The Chronic Sublime - 40 oz. to Freedom Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted Alice in Chains - Dirt NOFX - White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean S.O.D. - Live at Budokan Ministry - ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69) __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

11-25-2014, 12:38 AM	#63 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	1993 Tough year. When I started the list, I had Smashing Pumpkins and Tool as my top two, then I realized I was letting nostalgia get in the way as I hardly listen to them anymore - but they're still deserving of the top 5. Tool's Undertow was my favorite of the year for a long time. Former favs that didn't make the cut include: KMFDM, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Pennywise, Butthole Surfers, and Type O Negative, Unwound, Polvo, Hum, and Quicksand. 1. Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker 2. The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream 3. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders 4. Melvins - Houdini 5. Tool - Undertow 6. Swirlies - Blonder Tongue Audio Baton 7. Nirvana - In Utero 8. PJ Harvey - Rid of Me 9. Autechre - Incunabula 10. Unwound - Fake Train __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

12-04-2014, 04:35 PM	#66 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	1994 I graduated high school, and it was really tough narrowing this down to 10 albums. Albums I was actually into at the time were Weezer, Beastie Boys, Underworld, Nas, and Nirvana. The rest were discovered later. Other greats that I loved at the time that didn't make the cut now include: NIN's The Downward Spiral, Veruca Salt's American Thighs, Ween's Chocolate and Cheese, Helmet's Betty, Pantera's Far Beyond Driven, and Nailbomb's Point Blank. I also later discovered 1994 greats by Sonic Youth, Failure, Unwound, Drive Like Jehu, Aphex Twin, and Autechre to name a few. So while I love these 10, this could easily have been a top 20 without stretching. 1. Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love 2. Weezer - Weezer 3. Beastie Boys - Ill Communication 4. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman 5. Nas - Illmatic 6. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain 7. Sebadoh - Bakesale 8. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary 9. Melvins - Stoner Witch 10. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

12-09-2014, 02:50 PM	#70 (permalink)
sidewinder Engorged Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,536	1995 I was introduced to Blind Melon, like most people, with their catchy and sweet single "No Rain". I thought it was ok but it definitely wasn't my thing. When they released "Galaxie" for their sophomore album, I was hooked. I picked up the album and immediately fell in love with whatever the hell it was...alternative rock with a distinct backwoods/southern flavor. I played the album A LOT in 95/96 and it really stood out from the rest of the stuff I had in rotation. Which didn't include Radiohead as I didn't get into them until OK Computer. Needless to say, The Bends is a masterpiece. Then we have Download - the more techno-oriented side project of Skinny Puppy's Dwayne Goettel (RIP) and cEvin Key - joined by Phil Western, Mark Spybey (DVOA), Ken Marshall, and Anthony Valcic. Mind-blowing ** if you're into electro-industrial and techno. Following that we have my favorite Autechre release, a very good Faith No More album, SDRE's almost best album, a great Fugazi record that sees them take a slightly different direction, one of Sonic Youth's best (that I didn't discover until later), Mr. Bungle's confusing but very interesting follow-up, and a little-known album by a band whose frontman would later form emo favorite Elliott. The record has a harder edge and some metal-ish guitar tones. It's post-hardcore/midwestern emo that at times reminds me of early Suicidal Tendencies. Intrigued? Check it out. Some really strong runner ups this year include albums from June of 44, Pavement, Unwound, Seam, Hum, Jawbreaker (in 1995 I would have put this in my top 5 for sure), Deftones, Lagwagon, and Pennywise. Followed by a long list of "pretty good" albums and a few dozen potentially great I've yet to hear. 1. Radiohead** - The Bends 2. Blind Melon - Soup 3. Download - Furnace 4. Autechre - Tri repetae 5. Faith No More - King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime 6. Sunny Day Real Estate - LP2 7. Fugazi - Red Medicine 8. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine 9. Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante 10. Falling Forward - Hand Me Down __________________ last.fm \| my collection on RYM \| vinyl instagram @allthatyouseeandhear I'd love to see your signature/links too, but the huge and obnoxious ones have caused me to block all signatures.

12-04-2014, 08:39 PM	#67 (permalink)
~~James~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,483	That list would be very close to mine for that year. Love all of those albums!