Best years for music, 1982-2006?

Following the poll for 1957–81 – see here: Best years for music, 1957-1981? » ...here's the next part.

As before, three votes. Only 25 options overall as that's all the poll allows.

Favourite years? Your favourite albums, singles, concerts from those years?

 

My two definites are '84 and '94. Not as sure about the third, but went with '87.

 

When are you doing 1932-1956?

 

I think the 80's may well (once the boomers die off) be recognised quite rightly as the best decade of music in terms of creativity, scope and execution. Just off the top of my head:


Bauhaus

Beastie Boys

Black Flag

Blondie

Clash

Cocteau Twins

Cure

Dead Can Dance

Depeche Mode

Dinosaur Jr

Echo & The Bunnymen

Elvis Costello

Eric B & Rakim

Fall

Go-Betweens

Husker Du

Jam

Jesus and Mary Chain

Joe Jackson

Joy Division/New Order

Kate Bush

Madonna

Mekons

My Bloody Valentine

Pixies

Police

Pretenders

Prince

Psychedelic Furs

Public Enemy

REM

Replacements

Run DMC

Simple Minds

Siouxsie & Banshees

Smiths

Sonic Youth

Talk Talk

Teardrop Explodes

Tears For Fears

The Minutemen

U2

Talking Heads

Guns ‘n’ Roses

Specials

Human League

O.M.D.

Billy Bragg

Wedding Present


So it's very difficult picking out one year when the quality was flowing so highly constantly.

And then in the 90's you had some great years as well as interesting movement after interesting movement came along.

So this could be completely different tomorrow but today I'll go 1986, 1995 and 1989.

 

The earlier the better! I picked the first three.

 

1984. It was the year of the blockbusters, "Purple Rain" and "Born in the U.S.A"... but also a good year on the 80s underground scene, "Reckoning" by R.E.M., "Hollowed Ground" by Violent Femmes, etc.
1991. I think the early 90s was a great excting period in music, lots of things going on. It was a mini-60s. 1993 is my favorite. I discovered lots of new bands and artists that year that I still listen to and follow.

 

I picked 89, 93, and 97, mostly because of my personal associations with the music of those years. And, to answer your question from the other thread, I far prefer this 25 year range.

 

My 3 favourite years with some favourite albums:

1982
Joe Jackson - Night And Day
Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
The Comsat Angels - Fiction
Van Morrison - Beautiful Vision
Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
Roxy Music - Avalon
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

1986
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
XTC - Skylarking
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
REM - Life's Rich Pageant
Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring
Toto - Fahrenheit

1989
Diesel Park West - Shakespeare Alabama
Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl
XTC - Oranges And Lemons
Kirsty MacColl - Kite
Jane Siberry - Bound By The Beauty
Shawn Colvin - Steady On
The Blue Nile - Hats

 

I'm tempted...

 

I went for 1982, 1985 and 1997, but I could have picked other years I'm sure......

1982 was the year that Peter Gabriel issued his fourth and IMO best album. I also attended the first WOMAD festival in Shepton Mallet, which was a game changer for me for the next 30 years. Bill Nelson's Love That Whirls album was another favourite of mine issued that year, and then of course there was Donald Fagen's The Nightfly, a completely perfect album.

1985 - Kate Bush Hounds of Love, The Waterboys This is the Sea, Talking Heads Little Creatures, Level 42 World Machine all of which are among my favourite '80s albums.

1997 - Radiohead OK Computer, Joseph Arthur Big City Secrets, both of which represent land mark albums for me so far as music I was discovering at that point plus Zeppelin's BBC Sessions which at the time it came out was one of the best archive releases and certainly the beginning of an obsession with such things.

 

1987

 

2001 was amazing. Radiohead touring behind Kid A and Amnesiac, Dylan's brilliant Love and Theft, the Strokes and the White Stripes bringing old fashioned rock and roll back to the mainstream with Is This It and White Blood Cells. Daft Punk released Discovery. Missy Elliot, Mary J Blige, Jay Z and Alicia Keys on the singles charts. And who can forget the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack bringing attention to a pure American music that many had never even heard before.

 

A sampling of some of my favorites from three absolutely brilliant years...

1998:
Spirit by Jewel (my all-time favorite album)
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie by Alanis Morissette (her best, IMO)
Ray of Light by Madonna
Yield by Pearl Jam
Ophelia by Natalie Merchant
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams
Is This Desire? by PJ Harvey
Dizzy Up the Girl by Goo Goo Dolls
Mutations by Beck
White Ladder by David Gray
Before These Crowded Streets by Dave Matthews Band

2002:
O by Damien Rice
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
Songs by Regina Spektor
Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
About a Boy by Badly Drawn Boy
Heathen by David Bowie
By the Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lifted by Bright Eyes
Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol
Lost in Space by Aimee Mann
Demolition by Ryan Adams
Live in Paris by Diana Krall
Scarlet's Walk by Tori Amos

2004:
Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens
Trouble by Ray LaMontagne
A Ghost is Born by Wilco
Funeral by Arcade Fire
Love is Hell by Ryan Adams
Get Away from Me by Nellie McKay
The Milk-Eyed Mender by Joanna Newsom
Hopes and Fears by Keane
Hot Fuss by the Killers
More Adventurous by Rilo Kiley
Medulla by Bjork

 

I went with 1985, 1983, and 1982. Most of my favorite albums of all time are from these 3 years. TBH, I could probably live off of 1985 alone:

A-ha - Hunting High and Low
AC/DC - Fly on the Wall
Aerosmith - Done With Mirrors
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required
Miles Davis - You're Under Arrest
The Firm - The Firm
Heart - Heart
Minako Honda - M' Syndrome
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Miami Sound Machine - Primitive Love
Mike and the Mechanics - Mike and the Mechanics
Olivia Newton-John - Soul Kiss
Stevie Nicks - Rock a Little
Robert Palmer - Riptide
Robert Plant - Shaken 'N' Stirred
The Power Station - The Power Station
Prince - Around the World in a Day
The Romantics - Rhythm Romance
Rush - Power Windows
Santana - Beyond Appearances
Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85
Carly Simon - Spoiled Girl
Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time
Sting - The Dream of the Blue Turtles
Talking Heads - Little Creatures
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
Triumph - Stages
Yes - 9012Live: The Solos
ZZ Top - Afterburner

 

'91 - 93 for me, though several years of the sixties and seventies are the best for pop / rock IMO.

Yes! First full Polly album I ever heard, a very good one and it made me a fan for life!

 

1994-1997 was really cool in my book.

But 1996 had many wonderful albums in particular:
Local H As Good as Dead
Failure Fantastic Planet
Marilyn Manson Anticrist Superstar
Cake Fashion Nugget
Reel Big Fish Turn the Radio Off
Gin Blossoms Congratulations, I'm Sorry
Bush Razorblade Suitcase
Jimmy Buffet Banana Wind
Weezer Pinkerton
Tool Ænima
Stone Temple Pilots Tiny Music....
Jamiroquai Traveling without Moving
Sublime
Rage Against the Machine Evil Empire

There are other famous ones, but I'm only including one's I like front to back.

Spotty albums include: Beck Odelay, Wilco Being There, Soundgarden Down on the Upside, Tori Amos Boys for Pele, Tupac All Eyez on Me, Fiona Apple Tidal

 

Down On The Upside is very nearly a masterpiece in my book.

Fantastic Planet and Aenima are undoubtedly landmark albums.

 

Easily 1982-1984.

 

yeah I have a soft-spot of the 'Garden album, but can't deny how much better Superunknown is.

Also to note Fantastic Planet and Pinkerton were not really appreciated for a few years after their release.

 

I didn't first hear Fantastic Planet until 2005.

And yeah, Upside is less than Superunknown, but I think Badmotorfinger is the band's best.

 

1995, 1997, 2001, those are the years that I have the most albums on my computer (50+) in that time span, and they are all amazing years in my music world.

 

82/83/84 no question whatsoever!

 

I chose for 1987-1989 (but I like to include 1986 too...) ; many of the albums in my collection are from that era. Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden, Gone To Earth, Secrets of the Beehive, Sign 'O' The Times, Tunnel of Love, Frank's Wild Years, Bring the Family, Fisherman's Blues, Temple of Low Men, etc!
I think this was the era when the synth-centric early '80s became more mellow, more acoustic and far more diverse. David Sylvian hooked up with guys like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp and Danny Thompson, Talk Talk went into their ''impressionistic'' phase, Prince and Michael Jackson were more popular than ever, Mark Knopfler was all over the place. Rich pickings in these few years!

 

I absolutely love 'Life Uncommon'. Must play this album again.

 

1991

Nirvana - Nevermind
R.E.M. - Out Of Time
Pearl Jam - Ten
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Pixies - Trompe le Monde
U2 - Achtung Baby
Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam
Prince & the New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls


and I could go on.