Stolen from Abby
List your favorite record from every year you’ve been alive.
You can do it based purely on hindsight, or you can do it by listing the answer you would’ve given in that year (assuming you were aware of pop music at the time).
If you choose to do this silly thing you may find it useful to consult the Pazz & Jop archive to remember what even came out in each year.
1980: Dirty Mind-Prince
1981: October-U2
1982: Garlands-Cocteau Twins (runners up: 1999-Prince, Thriller-Michael Jackson)
1983: Madonna-Madonna (runner up: War-U2)
1984: Treasure-Cocteau Twins (runners up: The Smiths-The Smiths, Purple Rain-Prince, Stop Making Sense-Talking Heads)
1985: Hounds of Love-Kate Bush (runner up: Meat is Murder-The Smiths)
1986: Invisible Touch-Genesis
1987: Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me-The Cure (runners up: The Joshua Tree-U2, Strangeways Here We Come-The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs-The Smiths)
1988: Blue Bell Knoll-Cocteau Twins
1989: Doolittle-Pixies (runners up: Disintegration-The Cure, The Sensual World-Kate Bush, Pretty Hate Machine-NIN))
1990: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got-Sinead O'Connor (runner up: Rhythm Nation 1814-Janet Jackson)
1991: Little Earthquakes-Tori Amos
1992: Broken-NIN
1993: Exile in Guyville-Liz Phair (runners up: Pablo Honey-Radiohead, Gentlemen-Afghan Whigs, In Utero-Nirvana)
1994: Grace-Jeff Buckley (runners up: The Downward Spiral-NIN, Under the Pink-Tori Amos, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy-Sarah McLachlan)
1995: The Bends-Radiohead (runners up: To Bring You My Love-PJ Harvey, Protection-Massive Attack, Maxinequaye-Tricky)
1996: Dance Hall at Louse Point-PJ Harvey (runners up: Black Love-Afghan Whigs, Walking Wounded-Everything But the Girl, Milk and Kisses-Cocteau Twins)
1997: Either/Or-Elliott Smith (runners up: Living in Clip-Ani DiFranco, OK Computer-Radiohead)
1998: Is This Desire-PJ Harvey (runners up: 1965-Afghan Whigs, XO-Elliott Smith)
1999: The Fragile-NIN (runner up: Le Tigre-Le Tigre)
2000: Girls Can Tell-Spoon
2001: Music of the Spheres-Ian Brown
2002: Lost in Space-Aimee Mann
2003: Blackberry Belle-The Twilight Singers (runners up: Give Up-The Postal Service, Transatlanticism-Death Cab for Cutie, Hail to the Thief-Radiohead)
2004: You're a Woman I'm a Machine-Death From Above 1979 [NB: everything that came out this year sounded exactly the same, though all equally enjoyable]
2005: Silent Alarm-Bloc Party (runners up: Plans-Death Cab For Cutie, Lemon Jelly-'64-'95)
2006: FutureSex/LoveSounds-Justin Timberlake (runners up: Night Ripper-Girl Talk, Black Holes and Revelations-Muse)
2007: In Our Bedroom After the War-Stars (runners up: War Stories-UNKLE, Once soundtrack, Year Zero-NIN)
You can do it based purely on hindsight, or you can do it by listing the answer you would’ve given in that year (assuming you were aware of pop music at the time).
If you choose to do this silly thing you may find it useful to consult the Pazz & Jop archive to remember what even came out in each year.
1980: Dirty Mind-Prince
1981: October-U2
1982: Garlands-Cocteau Twins (runners up: 1999-Prince, Thriller-Michael Jackson)
1983: Madonna-Madonna (runner up: War-U2)
1984: Treasure-Cocteau Twins (runners up: The Smiths-The Smiths, Purple Rain-Prince, Stop Making Sense-Talking Heads)
1985: Hounds of Love-Kate Bush (runner up: Meat is Murder-The Smiths)
1986: Invisible Touch-Genesis
1987: Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me-The Cure (runners up: The Joshua Tree-U2, Strangeways Here We Come-The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs-The Smiths)
1988: Blue Bell Knoll-Cocteau Twins
1989: Doolittle-Pixies (runners up: Disintegration-The Cure, The Sensual World-Kate Bush, Pretty Hate Machine-NIN))
1990: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got-Sinead O'Connor (runner up: Rhythm Nation 1814-Janet Jackson)
1991: Little Earthquakes-Tori Amos
1992: Broken-NIN
1993: Exile in Guyville-Liz Phair (runners up: Pablo Honey-Radiohead, Gentlemen-Afghan Whigs, In Utero-Nirvana)
1994: Grace-Jeff Buckley (runners up: The Downward Spiral-NIN, Under the Pink-Tori Amos, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy-Sarah McLachlan)
1995: The Bends-Radiohead (runners up: To Bring You My Love-PJ Harvey, Protection-Massive Attack, Maxinequaye-Tricky)
1996: Dance Hall at Louse Point-PJ Harvey (runners up: Black Love-Afghan Whigs, Walking Wounded-Everything But the Girl, Milk and Kisses-Cocteau Twins)
1997: Either/Or-Elliott Smith (runners up: Living in Clip-Ani DiFranco, OK Computer-Radiohead)
1998: Is This Desire-PJ Harvey (runners up: 1965-Afghan Whigs, XO-Elliott Smith)
1999: The Fragile-NIN (runner up: Le Tigre-Le Tigre)
2000: Girls Can Tell-Spoon
2001: Music of the Spheres-Ian Brown
2002: Lost in Space-Aimee Mann
2003: Blackberry Belle-The Twilight Singers (runners up: Give Up-The Postal Service, Transatlanticism-Death Cab for Cutie, Hail to the Thief-Radiohead)
2004: You're a Woman I'm a Machine-Death From Above 1979 [NB: everything that came out this year sounded exactly the same, though all equally enjoyable]
2005: Silent Alarm-Bloc Party (runners up: Plans-Death Cab For Cutie, Lemon Jelly-'64-'95)
2006: FutureSex/LoveSounds-Justin Timberlake (runners up: Night Ripper-Girl Talk, Black Holes and Revelations-Muse)
2007: In Our Bedroom After the War-Stars (runners up: War Stories-UNKLE, Once soundtrack, Year Zero-NIN)