Josef K

Because I was bored and decided to shamelessly ape those with better journals than mine.

1961
5. John Coltrane: My Favorite Things
4. Sun Ra: The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra
3. Eric Dolphy: At the Five Spot
2. John Coltrane: Africa/Brass
1. Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz

The first year where there are five albums I really like, all jazz.

1964
5. The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Night
4. Andrew Hill: Point of Departure
3. Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch!
2. Albert Ayler: Spiritual Unity
1. Albert Ayler: New York Eye and Ear Control

Ayler is pretty much a god.

1965
10. The Sonics: Here are the Sonics
9. Bob Dylan: Bringing it All Back Home
8. Albert Ayler: Spirits Rejoice
7. John Coltrane: Meditations
6. The Beatles: Rubber Soul
5. Don Cherry: Complete Communion
4. Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited
3. John Coltrane: Ascension
2. The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man
1. John Coltrane: A Love Supreme

First top ten - keeping in mind what I said above, Coltrane is the best, and I love the Byrds.

1966
10. Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde
9. The Animals: Animalism
8. Cecil Taylor: Conquistador
7. The Rolling Stones: Aftermath
6. The Beatles: Revolver
5. Tim Buckley: Tim Buckley
4. Don Cherry: Symphony for Improvisers
3. The Kinks: Face to Face
2. Otis Redding: Otis Blue
1. The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds

I feel like this year is overrated. The top six are all excellent, but I think Pet Sounds is the only one I listen to regularly.

1967
10. John Coltrane: Interstellar Space
9. Cream: Disraeli Gears
8. The Rolling Stones: Between the Buttons
7. Peter Brotzmann: For Adolphe Sax
6. Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow
5. Love: Forever Changes
4. Moby Grape: Moby Grape
3. The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground and Nico
2. The Kinks: Something Else
1. Albert Ayler: In Greenwich Village

This is the first year that I think is really good for both jazz and pop/rock. All of the top 6-8 are great IMO.

1968
5. The Kinks: The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society
4. Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay
3. The Band: Music from Big Pink
2. The Zombies: Odessey and Oracle
1. Peter Brotzmann: Machine Gun

I couldn't come up with much for '68, but what I could is all stuff that I totally love. All of these are totally essential. It was a really close race for #1, but I went with Brotzmann because I think the last two tracks on Odessey and Oracle are weak and out of place, respectively.

1969
10. Fairport Convention: Liege and Lief
9. The Who: Tommy
8. Sonny Sharrock: Black Woman
7. King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King
6. Peter Brotzmann: Nipples
5. Charlie Haden: Liberation Music Orchestra
4. The Beatles: Abbey Road
3. Pharoah Sanders: Karma
2. The Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed
1. The Band: The Band

This, now, is a fantastic year. The highs might be a little less high than the one before, but all of these albums are awesome. Definitely my favorite Beatles album, also.

1970
10. Stark Reality: The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael’s Music Shop
9. Neil Young: After the Gold Rush
8. The Velvet Underground: Loaded
7. Funkadelic: Free Your Mind… And Your Ass Will Follow
6. George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
5. Pink Floyd: Atom Heart Mother
4. The Band: Stage Fright
3. Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water
2. David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World
1. Curtis Mayfield: Curtis!

I hope Pet_Sounds is happy with my #3, which I do love. This is another really good year and all these albums are highly recommended - although with the exception of #10, they're all quite well-known, obviously.

I might continue this. When I do more, I'll hopefully be getting into some comparatively obscure stuff.

Pet_Sounds

Excellent lists overall. And yes, I am happy with your placement of Bridge Over Troubled Water, and Pet Sounds as well, for obvious reasons. Have you heard Simon and Garfunkel's Bookends? It would beef up that 1968 list very nicely. I'm also pleased to see you like Coltrane - he and Dave Brubeck are my favourite jazz musicians.

__________________
Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Josef K

I like Bookends, but I decided that if I couldn't get to ten, I'd only make a top five. "America" is definitely my favorite S&G song.

Josef K

Have some more lists while I put off getting debate blocks together.

1971:
10. Leonard Cohen: Songs of Love and Hate
9. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers
8. Jethro Tull: Aqualung
7. Pink Floyd: Meddle
6. Joni Mitchell: Blue
5. Sly and the Family Stone: There’s a Riot Goin’ On
4. The Who: Who’s Next
3. Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On
2. David Bowie: Hunky Dory
1. Funkadelic: Maggot Brain

A really good year with a really incredible top four. I don't imagine this list will be too controversial - all very well-known and acclaimed albums here.

1972:
10. Nick Drake: Pink Moon
9. War: The World is a Ghetto
8. Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick
7. Todd Rundgren: Something/Anything?
6. Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music
5. Neu!: Neu!
4. David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
3. The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street
2. Big Star: #1 Record
1. Miles Davis: On the Corner

Three of my favorite albums of all time here, and even if Ziggy Stardust is a little overrated, it's still pretty great.

1973:
10. Genesis: Selling England by the Pound
9. New York Dolls: New York Dolls
8. Faust: Faust IV
7. Fela Kuti: Gentleman
6. James Brown: The Payback
5. Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
4. Bruce Springsteen: Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ
3. David Bowie: Aladdin Sane
2. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
1. The Who: Quadrophenia

And now begins the part of the list-making where I acknowledge that everyone else here hates Springsteen. In fact, both of these two are deeply flawed albums, especially Asbury Park, but I love them both. We now enter the Boss's unimpeachable period.

1974:
10. Sparks: Propaganda
9. Leonard Cohen: New Skin for the Old Ceremony
8. Van Morrison: Veedon Fleece
7. Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets
6. David Bowie: Diamond Dogs
5. Sparks: Kimono My House
4. Kraftwerk: Autobahn
3. Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain
2. The Band and Bob Dylan: Before the Flood
1. Big Star: Radio City

Am I cheating a little by putting a live album at #2? Well, yes, but is said live album totally awesome? Also yes.

1975:
10. Patti Smith: Horses
9. David Bowie: Young Americans
8. Miles Davis: Agharta
7. Brian Eno: Another Green World
6. Fela Kuti: Confusion
5. Neil Young: Tonight’s the Night
4. Kraftwerk: Radio-Activity
3. Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
2. Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
1. Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run

Let's be honest: this is kind of a weak year. But we still get that great top three - my favorite Floyd album and one of my favorite Dylan albums.

1976:
5. Todd Rundgren: Faithful
4. Cecil Taylor: Dark to Themselves
3. The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers
2. Tom Waits: Small Change
1. David Bowie: Station to Station

It pains me to say that I couldn't even get to ten here. The year before punk blew up, and it's easy to see why. I basically never listen to 3-5, though I love the top two.

Josef K

I'll have a real, lengthy post coming Sunday. In the meantime, lemme knock off a couple more lists.

1977:
10. The Clash: The Clash
9. Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue
8. David Bowie: Low
7. Television: Marquee Moon
6. Talking Heads: Talking Heads ‘77
5. Fela Kuti: Zombie
4. Pink Floyd: Animals
3. Suicide: Suicide
2. Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express
1. Elvis Costello: My Aim is True

From here on out, there are albums I really love in every year. My Aim is True is not my favorite Costello album (see below), but it's his first and it's home to some of his rawest, best songwriting. Let's put it this way: the same song is on the album three times under different names and he completely sells it. Suicide are great, my favorites from Kraftwerk and Fela, and the most underrated Floyd album.

1978:
10. The Adverts: Crossing the Red Sea With
9. The Saints: Eternally Yours
8. Wire: Chairs Missing
7. Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food
6. The Clash: Give ‘Em Enough Rope
5. The Jam: All Mod Cons
4. X-Ray Spex: Germ Free Adolescents
3. Elvis Costello: This Year’s Model
2. Big Star: Third/Sister Lovers
1. Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town

This year is great because the list is all about punk until you get to the top three (some would say too). My favorite Springsteen album (back-and-forth with Nebraska, anyway), Big Star's brilliant posthumous release, great albums from Costello, the Jam, the Clash, Wire, Talking Heads (who are ranked that high just for "Found a Job"), and so on, plus one of my favorite punk albums in X-Ray Spex's only LP, which adds some dissonant free-jazz skronk to the formula.

1979:
10. Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps
9. Public Image Ltd.: Second Edition
8. The Jam: Setting Sons
7. Talking Heads: Fear of Music
6. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures
5. James Chance and the Contortions: Buy
4. The Clash: London Calling
3. Gang of Four: Entertainment!
2. The Fall: Live at the Witch Trials
1. The Pop Group: Y

I'll be honest: A Trip to Marineville is probably a better album than my #10 pick, although I love both. But I had to keep Young on the list because if I'd taken that off, this list would have been made up entirely of punk/post-punk/I guess new wave because of the Jam. This is a great year and it had more variation than you get from my list.

1980:
10. Joy Division: Closer
9. The Jam: Sound Affects
8. Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth
7. XTC: Black Sea
6. Talking Heads: Remain in Light
5. The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms
4. The Fall: Grotesque
3. Bruce Springsteen: The River
2. X: Los Angeles
1. Elvis Costello: Get Happy!!

Another absurdly good year where I feel awful about leaving off an album - in this case, Underwater Moonlight. Two of my favorite albums of all time up top, plus my favorite XTC album. Good stuff.

Pet_Sounds

I'm happy to see Pacific Ocean Blue in there. Brian said that Dennis was was a superior songwriter, and while I wouldn't go that far, I'd say that album proves that he was certainly not just a drummer.

__________________
Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Josef K

Josef K

Gonna model this after Goofle's listening log format-wise, though I don't listen to nearly as much music as he does.

MF DOOM - Operation: Doomsday (1999)

Can't believe I hadn't heard this before. Possibly even better than Madvillainy.

4/5

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Isis - Celestial (2000)

I listened to all of their albums, but this ended up my favorite. Not a big metal guy so I don't have anything intelligent to say, but good stuff.

3.5/5

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Menomena - I Am the Fun Blame Monster (2003)

This one is right down the middle for me - quirky indie rock, even from Portland. But hey, what's not to like? Just a lot of really solid songs.

3.5/5

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Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (2006)

I decided to look back into them and although the "look how pretty our harmonies are!" wears on me, this is a solid album.

3/5

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Menomena - Friend and Foe (2007)

I probably like this a little more than the debut. The first song, "Muscle'n Flo" is just so good.

4/5

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Sloan: The Double Cross (2011)

The only Sloan album I hadn't heard before, and it might be my favorite. Really good, and it's crazy how consistent they are.

4/5

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Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres (2011)

I'd heard this one before, but it had been too long. Guess what? It's still incredible.

4.5/5

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Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011)

I was sort of curious because I heard this was more intense than their debut EP and album, neither of which I'm a fan of, so I figured "Why not listen to it?" I like it, I like "The Shrine / An Argument" a lot, and maybe it would be a grower, but I doubt I'm going to end up listening to it much. Good stuff though, and probably my Pet_Sounds Pick (TM) for this entry.

2.5/5

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B L A C K I E - True Spirit and Not Giving a **** (2011)

Good noise-punk-rap. Very worth a listen.

3/5

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Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor (2011)

Serviceable poppy punk. I like what I've heard of their latest better.

2.5/5

Frownland

What are your thoughts on Coin Coin Chapter 2?

__________________

Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

Josef K

It's another one that's very due for a relisten - I remember liking it a little less than Chapter 1, but still enjoying it a lot. I'll probably talk about it briefly in here when I get around to listening again (I think I have you to thank for that, by the way, for bolding one of her tracks in the 10 Song Shuffle Thread).

Great avatar by the way!