Best Albums of 1979

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11.

Tusk 

 Fleetwood Mac

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"Rumors was an incredibly focused, accessible, and well written album. Most of Fleetwood Mac's fanbase undoubtedly came from that album for those reasons. Tusk has the misfortune of being the followup to Rumors, and was specifically designed to turn the Rumors formula on its head, while still maki...""Rumors was an incredibly focused, accessible, and well written album. Most of Fleetwood Mac's fanbase undoubtedly came from that album for those reasons. Tusk has the misfortune of being the followup to Rumors, and was specifically designed to turn the Rumors formula on its head, while still making a great piece of art. This means that Tusk was designed to be messy, inaccessible, but still well written. I feel that a lot of the detractors that this album has are hung up on the fact that this album is long and varied, and tend to overlook the incredible innovation and incredible songwriting on this beast. I first listened to this album probably seven years ago, and I could not make it through on my first few listens. However, as I have grown older, I have learned to appreciate this album more than Rumors. If Rumors is about the deconstruction of relationships, then Tusk is about the deconstruction of the self. Here we have a band who know each other very intimately- Stevie and Lindsay were a couple, Stevie and Mick had a fling, and the McVie's recently had a divorce. Each member is dealing with the memories of their intense relationships with each other, and coping in different ways. Buckingham has devolved into a paranoid cocaine abuser, Stevie Nicks is clearly traumatized by the betrayal of her new lover Mick Fleetwood as well as her recent abortion, and Christine McVie is still processing her divorce, and the breakdown of the band. This leads to a variety of music that ranges from beautiful, to heart-wrenching, to utterly deranged. "Sara" has one of my favorite drumming performance of all time, and is an utterly beautiful song where Nicks alludes to her aborted baby, Sara, as well as her friend that Fleetwood left her for (also Sara). Fleetwood apparently put 24 hours straight of effort into making the drumming for this song as perfect as possible, and it shows. I could be reading into it to much, but the drum tone almost conveys a sense of remorse that adds to the ethereal bitter-sweetness of the song. McVie's songs aren't quite as depressing as Nicks' contributions, but they exude a similar energy. "Over and Over" is a beautiful opener that sets the tone for what the rest of the album will be, but then is quickly subverted by the bonkers "The Ledge". Buckingham had succumbed to a "blizzard of cocaine" when writing this album, and was apparently obsessed with appealing to Talking Heads fans and Beach Boys fans alike with his compositions. This leads to occasionally beautiful harmonies like those in "Save Me a Place", but usually results in paranoid, angry songs like "Not that Funny". "Tusk" is the culmination of Buckingham's paranoia, which is essentially a song about telling Nicks and Fleetwood that he knows their dirty little secret and can blackmail them whenever he wants, then forces Fleetwood to give the best damn drumming performance of his career on it. At this point I am rambling, but that in a way is part of what Tusk is. It is rambling and unfocused, but contrary to what other commenters on here say, is devoid of filler. Filler implies that an artist wanted to reach the length of time required for a full album, but that is definitely not what is going on here. Each song has a unique soundscape and purpose that contributes to themes and sound that is Tusk."  [+]  Reply

- BLO | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

437 charts

Rank Score:

2,556

Rank in 1979:

11

Rank in 1970s:

153

Overall Rank:

678

Average Rating:

 77 (618 votes)

Comments:

41

12.

Damn The Torpedoes 

 Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

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"After a slightly disappointing 2nd album (You're Gonna Get It), Petty & the band broke out big with this album. Showing some punk attitude and the frustration over a recent fight with their record comany, Petty comes out with a bit of a snarl and a collection of great songs. From start to finish,...""After a slightly disappointing 2nd album (You're Gonna Get It), Petty & the band broke out big with this album. Showing some punk attitude and the frustration over a recent fight with their record comany, Petty comes out with a bit of a snarl and a collection of great songs. From start to finish, this album is loaded with well written songs. The band is dead on, and Petty sounds like he is ready to take over the world. The album has aged incredibly well, sounding just as fresh 30 years later. Has it really been 30 years since Refugee? Damn....."  [+]  Reply

- Romanelli | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

413 charts

Rank Score:

2,208

Rank in 1979:

12

Rank in 1970s:

170

Overall Rank:

783

Average Rating:

 80 (521 votes)

Comments:

38

13.

Ambient 1: Music For Airports 

 Brian Eno

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"I remember reading BEA user JulianR’s comment on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless “never has an album been so synonymous with a genre, yet so unique within it”, but my mind, however, leapt immediately to this one. So iconic was its release that the entire labelling of the ambient genre followed its...""I remember reading BEA user JulianR’s comment on My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless “never has an album been so synonymous with a genre, yet so unique within it”, but my mind, however, leapt immediately to this one. So iconic was its release that the entire labelling of the ambient genre followed its precedent. No other record wears its ethos so proudly on its sleeve (in this case quite literally) than this one. Its simplicity is often what leaves Ambient 1 so overlooked and overcriticized; yes, the album is sparse, but this is exactly where its impact lies; there’s no worth in comparing it to the complexity of jazz or prog since the entire manifesto of ambient is to do more with less. With tracks 1/1 and 2/1 being piano and vocal driven respectively, the third track combines the two elements to create a stunning harmony between the classical piano keys and the synth-laden vocals. The effect is transfixing and heartwrenching all at once; there seems to be a tragedy unfolding slowly before your eyes, but the lack of any lyrics leaves the nature of this tragedy just out of reach. Eno’s urge to move towards ambient music came as a result of a car accident, after which he was confined to his bed for a considerable time. A friend of his on their way out the door offered to put a record on, however Eno realised after she had left that the volume was far too low and moreover, the sound of the rain which had started to fall all but drowned out the music. This was his eureka moment, and both these elements are here if you look for them. Ambient 1 is the faintest remnant of the melody and the pounding cacophony of the rain. Most of this is copied from the description of the album in my overall chart, do check it out if you have the time!!"  [+]  Reply

- ForegroundNoise | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

364 charts

Rank Score:

2,064

Rank in 1979:

13

Rank in 1970s:

178

Overall Rank:

842

Average Rating:

 80 (556 votes)

Comments:

32

14.

Metal Box 

 Public Image Ltd.

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"I've been into weird post-punky side of rock for more than a decade but I finally got this album's vibe just a couple of days ago. As unbelievably amazing as Flowers of Romance is, this one is even better. A milestone album, really. On the same level of unique innovation and inventiveness as TMR ...""I've been into weird post-punky side of rock for more than a decade but I finally got this album's vibe just a couple of days ago. As unbelievably amazing as Flowers of Romance is, this one is even better. A milestone album, really. On the same level of unique innovation and inventiveness as TMR or WL/WH. And play damn good all along. "  [+]  Reply

- Amirkhosro | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

380 charts

Rank Score:

1,984

Rank in 1979:

14

Rank in 1970s:

180

Overall Rank:

870

Average Rating:

 77 (427 votes)

Comments:

27

15.

The B-52's 

 The B-52's

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"Such a quirky album, they really managed to capture a unique feel to all their songs which I love! It's a little bit post-punk, a little bit pop, a little bit new wave and that's the beauty of the album, you don't know what's going to happen next! Favourite tracks are 'Dance This Mess Around' and...""Such a quirky album, they really managed to capture a unique feel to all their songs which I love! It's a little bit post-punk, a little bit pop, a little bit new wave and that's the beauty of the album, you don't know what's going to happen next! Favourite tracks are 'Dance This Mess Around' and the classic 'Rock Lobster'. Love the vocals on 'Dance This Mess Around' - the sudden belt out of 'Why don't you dance with me' gets me every time, amazing vocals by Cindy Wilson (and the call and response between her and Schneider is awesome!) - Also gotta love the lyric 'Do the Hip O Crit'! All in all, an album I always come back to and an amazing debut!"  [+]  Reply

- TroutMaskGreg | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

421 charts

Rank Score:

1,953

Rank in 1979:

15

Rank in 1970s:

182

Overall Rank:

888

Average Rating:

 78 (516 votes)

Comments:

34

16.

Armed Forces 

 Elvis Costello And The Attractions

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"So the album originally known as, emotional fascism, would become Elvis Costello's greatest pop moment. Armed forces, was the record that skyrocketed, at least for a while, Costello to the status of a pop star. Off course the main factor in this was the wonderful single, Oliver's army, which hit ...""So the album originally known as, emotional fascism, would become Elvis Costello's greatest pop moment. Armed forces, was the record that skyrocketed, at least for a while, Costello to the status of a pop star. Off course the main factor in this was the wonderful single, Oliver's army, which hit no:2 in the charts. It's a great song, one of Costello's best, ABBA-esque piano and all. Accidents will happen, another of the album's great songs kicks the record off, and really there's no let up from there on in. Green shirt, goon squad, party girl, are all great, as are, moods for moderns, and, on some versions, an excellent cover of Nick Lowe's, what's so funny about peace, love, and understanding, brilliant. Overall, Armed forces doesn't quite have the bite of, This Years Model, but it is Costello's pop star moment, and there's nothing wrong with that. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

371 charts

Rank Score:

1,951

Rank in 1979:

16

Rank in 1970s:

183

Overall Rank:

890

Average Rating:

 78 (473 votes)

Comments:

33

17.

Specials 

 The Specials

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"This is ranked outside the top 500 albums! Incomprehensible!! This is a real classic- so much energy, humour and personality. This album is a joy. So many classics including their peerless cover of "a message to you Rudy". The pace never lets up and the tracks simply burst out of the speakers. Hi...""This is ranked outside the top 500 albums! Incomprehensible!! This is a real classic- so much energy, humour and personality. This album is a joy. So many classics including their peerless cover of "a message to you Rudy". The pace never lets up and the tracks simply burst out of the speakers. Highly recommended."  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

400 charts

Rank Score:

1,819

Rank in 1979:

17

Rank in 1970s:

198

Overall Rank:

960

Average Rating:

 78 (468 votes)

Comments:

22

18.

Setting Sons 

 The Jam

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"There are quite a few great song on this release and the energy of the group is perfect. Songs like Thick As Thieves and Little Boy soldier are brilliant and I always sing a long when I hear them. Then there is The Eton Rifles which is a thrilling listen. All of these songs and a few more have fa...""There are quite a few great song on this release and the energy of the group is perfect. Songs like Thick As Thieves and Little Boy soldier are brilliant and I always sing a long when I hear them. Then there is The Eton Rifles which is a thrilling listen. All of these songs and a few more have fantastic instrumental performances with a very diverse ensemble as well. Wellers vocal is great due to it being monotone yet can also easily display a vast emotional range. The lyrics are fun to explore as well and are generally well written. However, I am not a fan of the cover that closes the album out and I think it is a weak cut. Alongside this, there are a few other pretty average songs which struggle to keep me entertained. Furthermore, I am quite tired of their style by the closing tracks as well as they are quite repetitive in terms of their sound. Overall, there are lots of moments to enjoy on here and also moments that are pretty average or bad but I do enjoy revisiting this record when I do. "  [+]  Reply

- Untitled | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

287 charts

Rank Score:

1,732

Rank in 1979:

18

Rank in 1970s:

203

Overall Rank:

1,009

Average Rating:

 79 (350 votes)

Comments:

15

19.

Singles Going Steady 
Compilation

 Buzzcocks

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"For my money the best greatest hits compilation ever assembled. The track order flows so well and it feels like everything was released all at once. Not a bad song among the bunch, just one hit after another. Orgasm Addict, Ever Fallen in Love..., Promises, Harmony in My Head, and Autonomy are so...""For my money the best greatest hits compilation ever assembled. The track order flows so well and it feels like everything was released all at once. Not a bad song among the bunch, just one hit after another. Orgasm Addict, Ever Fallen in Love..., Promises, Harmony in My Head, and Autonomy are some of the best punk tracks I've heard."  [+]  Reply

- babyBlueSedan | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

279 charts

Rank Score:

1,650

Rank in 1979:

19

Rank in 1970s:

217

Overall Rank:

1,060

Average Rating:

 80 (345 votes)

Comments:

26

20.

154 

 Wire

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"Far removed from Pink Flag. Seems like another step forward into unchartered territory after Chairs Missing. Really inventive guitar sounds, creating a unique atmosphere."  Reply

- meccalecca | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1979

Appears in:

271 charts

Rank Score:

1,601

Rank in 1979:

20

Rank in 1970s:

226

Overall Rank:

1,091

Average Rating:

 79 (315 votes)

Comments:

12

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 2 of 100

Best Albums of 1979 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	17	2%
Frank Zappa	5	1%
Steve Hillage	4	0%
Motörhead	3	0%
The Residents	3	0%
Electric Light Orchestra	3	0%
Vangelis	3	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	365	37%
	246	25%
	41	4%
	41	4%
	37	4%
	32	3%
	30	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	949	95%
Yes	51	5%

Live?	Albums	%
No	967	97%
Yes	33	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	987	99%
Yes	13	1%