The List of Lists 2010

For the last day of each year, today and thereafter, I'll be posting a set of lists dealing with past records just for fun. These are based on whim and subject to be revised in future year-end posts. We're just doing albums this year; I'm a little tipsy and I can't do much more complicated than that. Happy new year to all. I'm late on a couple of reviews (a Stephin Merritt double-header), I realize, and I'll try to get those up tomorrow.

These lists aren't thought or meant to be a definitive musical portrait of any given year or decade they document. They're a reflection of my personal tastes as of 2010. The whole point of documenting them is that they will have completely changed by the time I compile them again, because there's so much more to discover. Please do the same if you've got time, as it's great fun, and it will be fun to compare them years from now.

TOP 1990S ALBUMS
1. My Bloody Valentine: Loveless (Sire '91)
2. The Fugees: The Score (Columbia '96)
3. A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory (Jive '91)
4. The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs (Merge '99)
5. Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge '98)
6. Leonard Cohen: The Future (Columbia '92)
7. Pavement: Slanted and Enchanted (Matador '92)
8. Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (Matador '97)
9. A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders (Jive '93)
10. Blur: Parklife (EMI '94)
11. The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die (Bad Boy '94)
12. Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (Matador '94)
13. Yo La Tengo: Fakebook (Bar/None '90)
14. Pet Shop Boys: Behavior (EMI '90)
15. Nas: Illmatic (Columbia '94)
16. Galaxie 500: This Is Our Music (Rough Trade '90)
17. R.E.M.: New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Warner Bros. '96)
18. Yo La Tengo: Electr-O-Pura (Matador '95)
19. The Chemical Brothers: Exit Planet Dust (astralwerks '95)
20. Pet Shop Boys: Bilingual (Atlantic '96)
21. Ben Folds Five: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (550 Music '99)
22. Radiohead: The Bends (Capitol '95)
23. Depeche Mode: Violator (Reprise '90)
24. Naughty by Nature (Tommy Boy '91)
25. R.E.M.: Out of Time (Warner Bros. '91)
26. De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy '91)
27. Belle & Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sinister (Jeepster '96)
28. L7: Bricks Are Heavy (Slash '92)
29. R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (Warner Bros. '92)
30. Pet Shop Boys: Very (EMI '93)
31. Radiohead: OK Computer (Capitol '97)
32. Blur: Modern Life Is Rubbish (SBK '93)
33. The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin (Warner Bros. '99)
34. Jeff Buckley: Grace (Columbia '94)
35. Oasis: Definitely Maybe (Epic '94)
36. The Notorious B.I.G.: Life After Death (Bad Boy '97)
37. XTC: Nonsuch (Virgin '92)
38. Everything But the Girl: Walking Wounded (Atlantic '96)
39. Madonna: Erotica (Maverick '92)
40. Pixies: Bossanova (4AD '90)
41. Yo La Tengo: Painful (Matador '93)
42. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Columbia '98)
43. The Cardigans: First Band on the Moon (Mercury '96)
44. Television (Capitol '92)
45. Outkast: ATLiens (Arista '96)
46. Matthew Sweet: Girlfriend (Zoo '91)
47. Outkast: Aquemini (Arista '98)
48. Elliott Smith: XO (DreamWorks '98)
49. Old 97's: Too Far to Care (Elektra '97)
50. The Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole (astralwerks '97)

***

2000 ALBUMS
1. Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (Matador)
2. Outkast: Stankonia (Arista)
3. The Avalanches: Since I Left You (Sire)
4. The New Pornographers: Mass Romantic (Matador)
5. Belle & Sebastian: Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant (Matador)
6. Elliott Smith: Figure 8 (DreamWorks)
7. Radiohead: Kid A (Capitol)
8. The Weakerthans: Left and Leaving (G7 Welcoming Committee)
9. Common: Like Water for Chocolate (MCA)
10. Cat Power: The Covers Record (Matador)
+
Björk: Selmasongs (Elektra)
The Apples in Stereo: The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (SpinART)
eels: Daisies of the Galaxy (DreamWorks)
Madonna: Music (Warner Bros.)

1990 ALBUMS
1. Yo La Tengo: Fakebook (Bar/None)
2. Pet Shop Boys: Behavior (EMI)
3. Galaxie 500: This Is Our Music (Rough Trade)
4. Depeche Mode: Violator (Reprise)
5. Pixies: Bossanova (4AD)
6. Information Society: Hack (Tommy Boy)
7. Boogie Down Productions: Edutainment (Jive)
8. Suzanne Vega: Days of Open Hand (A&M)
9. Deee-Lite: World Clique (Elektra)
10. Brian Eno & John Cale: Wrong Way Up (Warner Bros.)
+
A Tribe Called Quest: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Jive)

1980 ALBUMS
1. Talking Heads: Remain in Light (Sire)
2. The Clash: Sandinista! (Epic)
3. The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (I.R.S.)
4. The Jam: Sound Affects (Polydor)
5. Suicide [2] (Mute)
6. Devo: Freedom of Choice (Warner Bros.)
7. U2: Boy (Island)
8. Prince: Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)
9. John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy (Geffen)
10. Joy Division: Closer (Factory)
+
The Records: Crashes (Virgin)
Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July (Tamla)
Kurtis Blow (Mercury)
Alex Chilton: Like Flies on Sherbet (Peabody)
The Ramones: End of the Century (Sire)
Peter Gabriel (Geffen)
The B-52's: Wild Planet (Warner Bros.)
XTC: Black Sea (Virgin)
The Only Ones: Baby's Got a Gun (Epic)
Neil Young: Hawks & Doves (Reprise)
The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M)
The Cars: Panorama (Elektra)

1970 ALBUMS
1. The Velvet Underground: Loaded (Cotillon)
2. Neil Young: After the Gold Rush (Reprise)
3. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (Apple)
4. The Meters: Look-Ka-Py-Py (Josie)
5. Nick Drake: Bryter Layter (Island)
6. The Stooges: Fun House (Elektra)
7. The Kinks: Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround (Reprise)
8. David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World (Mercury)
9. Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (Columbia)
10. Van Morrison: Moondance (Warner Bros.)
+
Funkadelic: Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow (Westbound)
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Burrito Deluxe (A&M)
Simon & Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Columbia)
Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band (Apple)
Miles Davis: Jack Johnson (Columbia)
Van Morrison: His Band and the Street Choir (Warner Bros.)
Loudon Wainwright III: Album I (Atlantic)