Best Ever Albums

Re: My discoveries per year

Repo — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 15:37:58 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 08/27/2026 19:37

I've got the PERFECT rec for ya when you get back to 1992...

Horseshoes And Hand Grenades (1992) by Chris Mars

Chris Mars is the drummer of The Replacements. Pretty sure you'll dig it!

Round 20: 1977

dihansse — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 16:22:48 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/20/2026 20:22

Two albums of 1977 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Bat Out Of Hell (1977) by Meat Loaf
In the year where punk was breaking through there was this album and there is no other album like it. It's completely over the top and therefore maybe to be viewed as a guilty pleasure but it's one of the best albums ever made. Why: because every track is some kind of a mini-opera with of course Paradise By The Dashboard Light as the ultimate proof, a track I know by heart. But the best example of that is the title track, a song that goes in a different direction by every heartbeat but nevertheless a gem. Heaven Can Wait as cheesy a slow as you can imagine but it completely works and is one of those other great songs of the album while maybe only For Crying Out Loud crosses the line of cheesiness. A classic album with maybe not so much Meat Loaf as the main character here but the producer and songwriter Jim Steinman. This album climbs from the 16th to the 5th rank of the year.

And an album from my wishlist:

Hurt (1977) by Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is most know for accompaying other artists both on albums and live but sometimes he released a solo album of which this one which has a bit of a punk spirit. If you listen attentively you can hear Chrissie Hynde on backing vocals on Lone Rider. Not everything is very good here but on some tracks like Silver Bullet he shows some fine songwriting and he surely can play guitar. So an album good enough to enter my year chart at the 42nd rank.

Round 20: 1976

dihansse — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:36:39 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/19/2026 19:36

Two albums of 1976 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

A New World Record (1976) by Electric Light Orchestra
The album with which ELO really broke through with big hits like Telephone Line and Livin' Thing. Jeff Lynne showed that he could not only make great arrangements with that fantastic fusion between classic and rock but also could write great songs. A classic album which firmly stays a the second rank of the year.

And an album from my wishlist:

La Düsseldorf (1976) by La Düsseldorf
When Neu! finished Klaus Dinger formed this band which is still centered around motorik rhythms but in a much more accessible form (a bit in the direction of what Kraftwerk did. The album only contains 4 sometimes very long track but they are certainly entertaining and I fairly liked it so it enters my year chart at the 23rd rank.

Round 20: 1975

dihansse — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:50:52 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/17/2026 19:50

These are two albums of 1975 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

Fleetwood Mac (1975) by Fleetwood Mac
The Album just before Rumors and a lot of the songs are already a preview of that classic album. Rhiannon is in my view still the (best) old Fleetwood Mac but tracks like I'm So Afraid are already a good match for what was to come. Already a great album which moves up from the 32nd to the 18th rank of the year.

And an album from my wishlist:

Four Wheel Drive (1975) by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
And another album from this underestimated band. OK, Hey You seems to be a (of course well done) carbon-copy of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet but the rest is just good old southern rock with She's Keeping Time as a personal favorite. This album enters my year chart at the 9th rank.

Round 20: 1974

dihansse — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:17:59 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/10/2026 20:17

Only an album I already own/know for 1974:

Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (1974) by Eno
Not the classic album many people make of it but fairly enjoyable with Third Uncle as the highlight and it climbs from the 25th to the 22nd rank of the year.

Round 20: 1973

dihansse — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 15:56:33 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/09/2026 19:56

Two albums of 1973 I listened to:

First an album I already own/know:

New York Dolls (1973) by New York Dolls
It just happens that I know this band especially by their odd and rarities album Seven Day Weekend and that I discovered this first album of theirs much later and maybe underestimated it a bit because now I think it's an absolute classic. This album is both sleazy, increadibly hard rocking and blessed with a great punk spirit. And the list of classic tracks coming out from this album is just too long to sum up with of course Personality Crisis but Also with Frankenstein and Subway Train as personal favorites. A very good album which moves up from the 21st to the 11th rank of the year.

And an album from my wishlist:

Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1973) by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
BTO is a bit of an overlooked band by me. Of course I know You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet by heart like everybody does but I didn't know more of them except for the fact that Randy Bachman was once part of The Guess Who. And then there's this first album of them and it's much harder than I imagined them to be: it's some kind of southern rock blues hardrock band although they come from Canada and especially the guitars really rock on great tracks like Gimme Your Money Please and Stayed Awake All Night. In fact they do sound a bit like the Allman Brothers also because of their sometimes jazzy side. Btw I'm now listening to a great live album of theirs: BTO Japan Tour. And their first album enters my year chart at the 8th rank.

Round 20: 1972

dihansse — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 15:27:12 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/06/2026 19:27

And only an album I already own/know from 1972:

Talking Book (1972) by Stevie Wonder
A bit too sugar sweet and the instrumentation sounds a bit dated except for those two magnificent tracks: Superstition and You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (and partly also I Believe). In any case: his next two albums would be much much better. But still ok for my year chart and it moves up from the 34th to the 30th rank of the year.

Round 20: 1971

dihansse — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 15:17:17 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/05/2026 19:17

For 1971 only an album I already own/know I listened to:

Ram (1971) by Paul & Linda McCartney
On this album there's two great (Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and Backseat Of My Car) and one good song (Dear Boy) and then...not so much. On his first solo albums after the Beatles (in fact together with Linda) there wasn't a real focus to his album and that's clearly heard on this one. But still some good songs so it goes from the 37th to the 24th rank on my year chart.

Round 20: 1970

dihansse — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 15:33:12 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 08/04/2026 19:33

For 1970 two albums a listened to:

First one I already own/know:

The Madcap Laughs (1970) by Syd Barrett
The importance of Syd Barrett for the growth of the early Pink Floyd can't be underestimated and there were some great songs coming from his hand on their first albums. But I think I somewhat overestimated this solo album of his because at the time it became clear that his health was going downhill both because of his mental condition as from other substances. The only really good track here is Terrapin which shows that he could still write a great song. But after listening to this album again I fear that that's it. Not that it is unlistenable, there are still some ok songs with whispers of his genius but overall, well no. So the album moves down from the 28th to the 38th rank.

And an album from my wishlist:

Climbing! (1970) by Mountain
A band with links to Clapton/Jack Bruce/Cream which is best heard on the song written by Jack Bruce, Theme From An Imaginary Western, for me also the best track of the album and not the best known and much covered Mississippi Queen. But there's more: it is a bit of a mix between the guitar rock of the Cream and Southern rock and it sounds very good on other great tracks like For Yasgur's Farm. All in all a good album I should have discovered earlier and it enters my year chart at the 27th rank.

Round 20: 1969

dihansse — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:21:36 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/31/2026 20:21

And again only an album I already own/know now for 1969:

Kick Out The Jams (1969) by MC5
For their debut album they chose to make it a debut album and what a debut album it was with surely a lot of energy as this version of their main hit Kick Out The Jams proves. In general you can call this a hard blues album but there's a real punk energy (except maybe for the very psychedelic end song), sometimes a bit messy but mostly hard rocking. A good album which has certainly set a standard and it moves up from the 35th to the 22nd rank.

Re: My discoveries per year

Johnnyo — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 02:28:37 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/31/2026 06:28

dihansse wrote:

Also in 1968 only an album I already own/know:

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) by Creedence Clearwater Revival
If this album would only contain songs written by the band (ie by John Fogerty) this would be a good but not great blues album with one better one: the closing Walking On the Water and just shows what a great band CCR would become on the following albums.
But this first album is in fact a classic because of two covers: Susie Q and I Put A Spell On You; it's not so much the quality of those two tracks although they are great but the way in which they are delivered. Especially I Put A Spell On You puts that great voice of John Fogerty at the absolute front and together with those wonderful guitar lines, they make this in one of the greatest song versions ever made. So no wonder this album moves up from the 12th to the 7th rank of the year.

Completely agree with your write up. CCR were a phonemically productive band over a very short time frame and the quality never really dropped during their short career. This was a great debut and the covers, especially I Put A Spell On You, are terrific.

I'd single out my favourite CCR cover, Heard It Through The Grapevine from Cosmos Factory, as the definitive version of this song (contentious viewpoint possibly)

Round 20: 1968

dihansse — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:15:33 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/30/2026 20:15

Also in 1968 only an album I already own/know:

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968) by Creedence Clearwater Revival
If this album would only contain songs written by the band (ie by John Fogerty) this would be a good but not great blues album with one better one: the closing Walking On the Water and just shows what a great band CCR would become on the following albums.
But this first album is in fact a classic because of two covers: Susie Q and I Put A Spell On You; it's not so much the quality of those two tracks although they are great but the way in which they are delivered. Especially I Put A Spell On You puts that great voice of John Fogerty at the absolute front and together with those wonderful guitar lines, they make this in one of the greatest song versions ever made. So no wonder this album moves up from the 12th to the 7th rank of the year.

Round 20: 1967

dihansse — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:16:26 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/28/2026 20:16

And also only an album I already own/know for 1967:

Forever Changes (1967) by Love
This album is generally viewed as a classic but I don't really see it that way. It's certainly a good album not because of the folky atmosphere but because there is some kind of early Floydian atmosphere in a lot of the songs here which makes it at lease interesting. Not a great album but a good one and it moves up from the 20th to the 12th rank of the year.

Re: Round 20: 1965

Johnnyo — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:31:08 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/28/2026 17:31

dihansse wrote:

Johnnyo wrote:

I do have this on my wishlist which I've heard is rather good

There's A Bond Between Us (1965) by The Graham Bond Organization

I tried to listen to a few tracks: not really original and not very interesting in my opinion...
But thx anyway Johnnyo

Fair enough.

Round 20: 1966

dihansse — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:27:23 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/27/2026 19:27

Also for 1966 I only have an album I already own/know and nothing currently on my wishlist:

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme (1966) by Simon & Garfunkel
There's some songs that just make you happy and Homeward Bound is one of those (maybe also because of its many changes in rhythm but mainly because of those gorgeous matching voices of Simon and Garfunkel) and one of my all-time favorite tracks. And Scarborough Fair is of course also fantastic and with hidden gems like For Emily, Whenever You May Find Her you can't go wrong with this album and the few misses like Patterns or The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine don't take away the pure pleasure of listening to it. And this album moves up from the 13th to the 4th rank.

Re: Round 20: 1965

dihansse — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:49:56 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/27/2026 18:49

Johnnyo wrote:

I do have this on my wishlist which I've heard is rather good

There's A Bond Between Us (1965) by The Graham Bond Organization

I tried to listen to a few tracks: not really original and not very interesting in my opinion...
But thx anyway Johnnyo

Re: Round 20: 1965

Johnnyo — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 05:36:28 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 07/26/2026 09:36

dihansse wrote:

Time to start another round where from every year I listen to an album I already own/know and an album from my wishlist and I'm starting with 1965 for round 20:

And only with an album I already own/know:

Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) by Otis Redding
I'm not a really big fan of soul music but this is Otis Redding, one of the best voices in music. And this is clear from this album in which he both sounds very soulful and very raw. And there are some really fine songs here like his take on Respect, I've Been Loving You Too Long, My Girl and a great cover of Satisfaction. The album moves up from the 16th to the 9th rank of the year.

A great 1st pick for round 20 dihansse. I was hoping to offer a recommendation of an obscure 1965 album that you might appreciate but came up short on that one.

I do have this on my wishlist which I've heard is rather good

There's A Bond Between Us (1965) by The Graham Bond Organization

Round 20: 1965

dihansse — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:38:33 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/25/2026 20:38

Time to start another round where from every year I listen to an album I already own/know and an album from my wishlist and I'm starting with 1965 for round 20:

And only with an album I already own/know:

Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) by Otis Redding
I'm not a really big fan of soul music but this is Otis Redding, one of the best voices in music. And this is clear from this album in which he both sounds very soulful and very raw. And there are some really fine songs here like his take on Respect, I've Been Loving You Too Long, My Girl and a great cover of Satisfaction. The album moves up from the 16th to the 9th rank of the year.

Round 19: 2024

dihansse — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:32:35 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/25/2026 20:32

In fact only as an aside as a last entry for this round:
I have seen a free concert of The Sheila Divine on a city festival and had some mixed feelings about that.
To start I listened back to their 2024 album:

I Am The Darkness. We Are The Light (2024) by The Sheila Divine
And realised again that this album is really bad: it has nothing of the old Sheila Divine I know from the nineties and it's not they lost it completely because I do think their new 2026 album is fairly good.
But again to the concert: In Belgium this band always plays some kind of a home match because they're really loved here. On this particular concert, Aaron Perrino seemed to be a bit uninterested and his great voice was not really mixed to the front which was a pity but overall the concert was good with especially their nineties hits as the highlight and the public loved it anyway.

Round 19: 2023

dihansse — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:43:00 GMT

Author: dihansse

Posted: 07/23/2026 19:43

And finally 2023:

With an album I already own/know:

New York City (2023) by The Men
Where the Men went back to their punk roots and doing a fabulous job in doing that with a mixture between The Stooges and The Strokes (of course from their Is This It period). Every track is a home run and it all sounds fantastic and exhilarating. I just love this album and it remains firmly at the second place of the year and is one of my favorite albums of this decade.

And I don't have any albums of this year on my wishlist any more.