Updated: January 9, 2025
In honor of my cat Chloe face-planting on the loveseat and for the purpose of writing about music (about anything, really, following a six-month exile), here are my favorite albums of each year since 19601, as good a year as any to mark the beginning of the modern music age. For your consideration: the Biffys® Creamys®. You’re welcome.
My favorite album from a young 20102 is Fuck You, First Alert, Maker of the Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm Outside My Bedroom That Boasts an Indecipherable Voice Feature and Enjoys Going Off in the Middle of the Night for No Reason at All, Even After I’ve Replaced the Goddamn Batteries Twice. It’s a concept album about violence.
| 1960 | Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain |
| 1961 | John Coltrane – Olé Coltrane |
| 1962 | Charles Mingus – Town Hall Concert |
| 1963 | Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady |
| 1964 | Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night 3 |
| 1965 | John Coltrane – A Love Supreme |
| 1966 | Monks – Black Monk Time |
| 1967 | The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced 4 |
| 1968 | Pretty Things – SF Sorrow |
| 1969 | Led Zeppelin |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Stooges – Fun House |
| 1971 | Groundhogs – Split |
| 1972 | Curtis Mayfield – Superfly |
| 1973 | Hawkwind – Space Ritual |
| 1974 | Kiss – Hotter Than Hell |
| 1975 | (The) Witch – Lazy Bones!! |
| 1976 | Ramones |
| 1977 | The Damned – Damned Damned Damned |
| 1978 | AC/DC – Powerage |
| 1979 | Chrome – Half Machine Lip Moves |
| 1980 | Motörhead – Ace of Spades |
| 1981 | Black Flag – Damaged |
| 1982 | The Fall – Hex Enduction Hour |
| 1983 | Bad Brains – Rock for Light |
| 1984 | Metallica – Ride the Lightning |
| 1985 | The Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace |
| 1986 | Dead Kennedys – Bedtime for Democracy |
| 1987 | Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded |
| 1988 | Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back |
| 1989 | Mudhoney |
| 1990 | Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet |
| 1991 | Black Sheep – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing |
| 1992 | The Jesus Lizard – Liar |
| 1993 | Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) |
| 1994 | The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Orange |
| 1995 | Six Finger Satellite – Severe Exposure |
| 1996 | DJ Shadow – Endtroducing….. |
| 1997 | Yo La Tengo – I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One |
| 1998 | Six Finger Satellite – Law of Ruins |
| 1999 | Make-Up – Save Yourself |
| 2000 | Deltron 3030 |
| 2001 | Unwound – Leaves Turn Inside You |
| 2002 | Mr. Lif – I Phantom |
| 2003 | White Stripes – Elephant |
| 2004 | Madvillain – Madvillainy |
| 2005 | Sleater-Kinney – The Woods |
| 2006 | Jay Reatard – Blood Visions |
| 2007 | Dungen – Tio Bitar |
| 2008 | Black Mountain – In the Future |
| 2009 | Flaming Lips – Embryonic |
| 2010 | Dead Meadow – Three Kings 5 |
| 2011 | Thee Oh Sees – Carrion Crawler/The Dream |
| 2012 | Off! |
| 2013 | Thee Oh Sees – Floating Coffin |
| 2014 | Shellac – Dude Incredible |
| 2015 | Fuzz – Fuzz II |
| 2016 | Ty Segall – Emotional Mugger |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | Oh Sees – Smote Reverser |
| 2019 | Ty Segall – First Taste |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | John Dwyer – Moon-Drenched |
| 2022 | Off! – Free LSD |
| 2023 | Osees – Intercepted Message |
| 2024 | Shellac – To All Trains |
1 I rolled us back four years in October of the awful 2020.
2 The list endures, of course, as audits and edits abound.
3 International (ex USA/Canada) edition.
4 American/Canadian edition.
5 Limited deluxe/extended edition.
This writer shall not be held responsible for busted retcons elsewhere in his archives.
More Cream Please 