Best Ever Albums

Re: Test Your Chronologic Bias

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 14:33:31 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 12/16/2013 19:33

yeah this is dumb.

I can tell you right now what my bias is (for albums, not songs; 1980s dom. songs)

1990s > 2000s > 1970s > 2010s > 1980s >>>1960s > 1950s

Re: Test Your Chronologic Bias

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 13:11:09 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 12/16/2013 18:11

This looks complicated. I'm biased toward the '90s. Sue me.

Re: Test Your Chronologic Bias

meezus — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 12:20:33 GMT

Author: meezus

Posted: 12/16/2013 17:20

Does this really measure bias, as it's based on music heard this year alone? If we were including long-term favorites, rather than only albums heard for the first time this year, this would probably turn out differently. I also don't quite follow how comparing albums in one decade increments, year for year, really measures overall decade preference. If anything, surveying how many "new" albums we listened to from each decade and, of those, how many we liked and how many made our charts would be a more accurate way to measure bias to a certain period. Or just looking at the decade percentages on an individual's "greatest" chart composition. Still, it's interesting enough, if not only as a way to look back at what I've heard in 2013. Anyway, I've had lots of first listens this year, so I can probably do this. Here goes.

1960 - Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis
1970 - The Madcap Laughs by Syd Barrett
1980 - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys
1990 - Nowhere by Ride
2000 - Kid A by Radiohead
2010 - This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem

1961 - N/A
1971 - Electric Warrior by T. Rex
1981 - Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne
1991 - Yerself Is Steam
2001 - Oh, Inverted World by The Shins
2011 - Yuck by Yuck

1962 - N/A
1972 - Transformer by Lou Reed
1982 - Combat Rock by The Clash
1992 - Magic And Loss by Lou Reed
2002 - Up The Bracket by The Libertines
2012 - Paralytic Stalks by of Montreal

1963 - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus
1973 - Berlin by Lou Reed
1983 - Soul Mining by The The
1993 - Modern Life Is Rubbish by Blur
2003 - Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins or Echoes by The Rapture. I'm not sure...
2013 - Random Access Memories by Daft Punk

1964 - N/A (wow, sixties...)
1974 - Diamond Dogs by David Bowie
1984 - Ocean Rain by Echo & The Bunnymen
1994 - Parklife by Blur
2004 - Satanic Panic in the Attic by of Montreal

1965 - Rubber Soul by The Beatles
1975 - Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
1985 - VU by The Velvet Underground
1995 - Different Class by Pulp
2005 - Demon Days by Gorillaz

1966 - Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
1976 - The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers
1986 - The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
1996 - Take It From The Man! by The Brian Jonestown Massacre
2006 - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys

1967 - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd
1977 - Blank Generation by Richard Hell & The Voidoids
1987 - Strangeways, Here We Come by The Smiths
1997 - Perfect From Now On by Built to Spill
2007 - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by of Montreal

1968 - White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
1978 - Real Life by Magazine
1988 - Opel by Syd Barrett (I'm not sure this one really counts. But I counted VU, so it's sort of the same.)
1998 - Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev
2008 - Visiter by The Dodos

1969 - The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground
1979 - London Calling by The Clash
1989 - New York by Lou Reed
1999 - Keep It Like A Secret by Built to Spill
2009 - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

I put first place in bold and second place picks in red.

So it looks like the 70s win, with 5 first place picks and 1 second place pick. I'd say the 2000s came in second place, with 4 second place picks, and 1 first place. I guess this is pretty much in line with my biases.

Re: Test Your Chronologic Bias

Dingerbell — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:20:04 GMT

Author: Dingerbell

Posted: 12/13/2013 20:20

Well this is good for me, as I'm relatively new to music- so have heard a lot of quality albums this year.

1960- Giant Steps by John Coltrane
1970- Paranoid by Black Sabbath
1980- Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys
1990- Nowhere by Ride
2000- The Moon & Antarctica by Modest Mouse
2010- Teen Dream by Beach House

1961- Waltz For Debby/Sunday At The Village Vanguard by Bill Evans (they're both inseparably good)
1971- Blue by Joni Mitchell
1981- Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
1991- Loveless by My Bloody Valentine/Spiderland by Slint (best year for music ever, and these two are 5 and 6 on my chart, so I'm not separating them)
2001- Oh, Inverted World by The Shins
2011- Yuck by Yuck

1962- Haven't heard anything, yet- quick, someone give me a rec.
1972- Hosianna Mantra by Popol Vuh
1982- You Can't Hide Your Love Forever by Orange Juice
1992- Rage Against The Machine by Rage Against The Machine
2002- Source Tags & Codes by ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
2012- Lonerism by Tame Impala

1963- The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus
1973- The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
1983- Murmur by R.E.M.
1993- Souvlaki by Slowdive
2003- The Meadowlands by The Wrens
2013- MCII by Mikal Cronin

1964- Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz & João Gilberto
1974- Court And Spark by Joni Mitchell
1984- Let It Be by The Replacements
1994- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement
2004- Funeral by Arcade Fire (probably the earliest new album of this year)

1965- A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
1975- The Hissing Of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell
1985- Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain
1995- Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins
2005- Takk... by Sigur Rós

1966- Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
1976- The Modern Lovers by The Modern Lovers
1986- The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths
1996- If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle & Sebastian
2006- Ys by Joanna Newsom

1967- Forever Changes by Love
1977- Marquee Moon by Television
1987- Come On Pilgrim by Pixies
1997- Perfect From Now On by Built To Spill
2007- In The Attic Of The Universe by The Antlers

1968- Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies
1978- The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu
1988- Surfer Rosa by Pixies
1998- In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel
2008- Dear Science, by TV On The Radio

1969- In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
1979- London Calling by The Clash
1989- Doolittle by Pixies
1999- Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós
2009- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix (it would be Hospice, but I think I first heard that last year)

1 win for the 80's, 5 for the 90's and 4 for the 00's. The strongest are the 0's and the 7's (one with five albums on my chart, the other with four- although one is an mini-LP that is good enough to be on my chart, but I've not included EP's/mini-albums in my chart). My least favourite is the 5's.

Test Your Chronologic Bias

Listmeister — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 14:43:13 GMT

Author: Listmeister

Posted: 12/13/2013 19:43

This is based on this thread, which asks whether the 1970's are better than the 2000's, or vice versa. In my answer, I discovered that I probably have a chronological bias in favor of the 1970's because I've been hearing those albums for years, while 2000's albums are relatively new to me.

I came up with a test for this. Here's how it works. Choose one album from each year that you heard for the first time during 2013, and compare them at 10 year increments, and highlight the one you like best, like so:

1970 The Who Live at Leeds
1980 Talking Heads - Remain in Light
1990 Depeche Mode - Violator
2000 Avalanches - Since I Left You
2010 Disturbed - Asylum

1971 Led Zeppelin IV
1981 ABBA - The Visitors
1991 Pearl Jam - Ten
2001 The Strokes - Is This It
2011 The Beach Boys - The Smile Sessions

1972 Deep Purple - Machine Head
1982 A Flock of Seagulls
1992 R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
2002 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
2012 Taylor Swift - Red

1963 The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
1973 The Who - Quadrophenia
1983 Dio - Holy Diver
1993 The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
2003 Evanescence - Fallen
2013 Arcade Fire - Reflektor

1964 Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica
1974 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
1984 Bob Marley & the Wailers - Legend
1994 Oasis - Definitely, Maybe
2004 Arcade Fire - Funeral

1965 The Who - My Generation
1975 The Eagles - One Of These Nights
1985 a-ha - Hunting High and Low
1995 Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory
2005 Gorillaz - Demon Days

1966 Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
1976 Klaatu - 3:47 EST
1986 Paul Simon - Graceland
1996 The Olivia Tremor Control - Music from the Unrealized Film Script Dusk at Cubist Castle
2006 My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

1967 The Who Sell Out
1977 Billy Joel - The Stranger
1987 Ladysmith Black Mombazo - Shaka Zulu
1997 Erikah Badu - Baduizm
2007 Timbaland Presents Shock Value

1968 Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
1978 Paul McCartney and Wings - London Town
1988 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1998 Antony and the Johnsons
2008 Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination

1969 King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
1979 Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
1989 The Stone Roses
1999 Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
2009 Muse - The Resistance

Result, three from the 60's, in spite of no entries for 1960-1962, indicates a significant chronological bias in favor of that decade. The rest is pretty evenly distributed.

Thank you, BEA, for all the recommendations and discoveries, and also giving me a means to track what albums I've listened to this year.