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The Best Albums 1980-2006

OK, they're just my personal choices but the following list gives you at least an indication of where my music tastes are at. I was only 5 at the turn of the 80s and even though I'm still discovering music from earlier than this period I'm not sure I can do justice to it yet. Please note, I occasionally make changes to this list as I catch up on releases from previous years.

Shortcuts for specific years:-

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

 

1980

Comsat Angels, The - Waiting For A Miracle

Joy Division - Closer

Modern English - Mesh And Lace

Monochrome Set, The - The Strange Boutique

Teardrop Explodes, The - Kilimanjaro

 

1981

Comsat Angels, The - Sleep No More

Durutti Column - LC

Kraftwerk - Computer World

Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark - Architecture & Morality

Siouxsie And The Banshees - JuJu

Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

The Sound - From The Lion's Mouth

 

1982

Associates - Sulk

China Crisis - Difficult Shapes And Passive Rhythms : Some People Think It's Fun To Entertain

Comsat Angels, The - Fiction

Elvis Costello And The Attractions - Imperial Bedroom

Fagen, Donald - The Nightfly

Rowland, Kevin & Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay

Thorn, Tracey - A Distant Shore

 

1983

Blue Nile, The - A Walk Across The Rooftops

Chameleons, The - Script Of The Bridge

Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels

Durutti Column - Another Setting

Echo And The Bunnymen - Porcupine

Eyeless In Gaza - Rust Red September

New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies

Tears For Fears - The Hurting

The The - Soul Mining

This Mortal Coil - It'll End In Tears

Watt, Ben - North Marine Drive

 

1984

Cole, Lloyd And The Commotions - Rattlesnakes

Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward

Echo And The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

Lotus Eaters, The - No Sense Of Sin

Orange Juice - Texas Fever

Prefab Sprout - Swoon

Room, The - In Evil Hour

Sylvian, David - Brilliant Trees

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

 

1985

Breathless - The Glass Bead Game

Bush, Kate - Hounds Of Love

China Crisis - Flaunt The Imperfection

Killing Joke - Night Time

New Order - Low-Life

Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen

Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85

 

1986

Cocteau Twins - Victorialand

New Order - Brotherhood

Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring

XTC - Skylarking

 

1987

Christians, The - The Christians

Jesus And Mary Chain, The - Darklands

That Petrol Emotion - Babble

Triffids, The - Calenture

 

1988

All About Eve - All About Eve

A. R. Kane - 'Sixty Nine'

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll

For Against - December

Momus - Tender Pervert

Morrissey - Viva Hate

Pet Shop Boys - Introspective

Prefab Sprout - From Langley Park To Memphis

Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden

 

1989

A. R. Kane - 'i'

Blue Nile, The - Hats

Kitchens Of Distinction - Love Is Hell

New Order - Technique

Prefab Sprout - Protest Songs

Shelleyan Orphan - Century Flower

Stone Roses, The - The Stone Roses

Sundays, The - Reading, Writing And Arithmetic

 

1990

Beloved, The - Happiness

Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas

Depeche Mode - Violator

Fall, The - Extricate

Happy Mondays, The - Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches

Jellyfish - Bellybutton

Kitchens Of Distinction - Strange Free World

La's, The - The La's

Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour

Prefab Sprout - Jordan The Comeback

 

1991

Breathless - Between Happiness And Heartache

Eg & Alice - 24 Years Of Hunger

Fall, The - Shift-Work

Massive Attack - Blue Lines

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Nirvana - Nevermind

P.M. Dawn - Of The Heart, Of The Soul And Of The Cross: The Utopian Experience

Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

U2 - Achtung Baby

 

1992

Comsat Angels - My Minds Eye

Cranberries, The - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?

Cure, The - Wish

Fall, The - Code Selfish

Kitchens Of Distinction - The Death Of Cool

Laibach - Kapital

Lang, K. D. - Ingénue

Momus - The Ultraconformist

Momus - Voyager

Pale Saints - In Ribbons

 

1993

Auteurs, The - New Wave

Björk - Debut

Boo Radleys, The - Giant Steps

Chicane - Firebombs

Cocteau Twins - Four Calendar Café

Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion

Devlins, The - Drift

Divine Comedy, The - Liberation

En Vogue - Funky Divas

Momus - Timelord

P.M.Dawn - Jesus Wept

Slowdive - Souvlaki

 

1994

Bark Psychosis - Hex

Cardigans, The - Emmerdale

Collins, Edwyn - Gorgeous George

Cranes, The - Loved

dEUS - Worst Case Scenario

Electronic - Electronic

Hall, Terry - Home

Kitchens Of Distinction - Cowboys And Aliens

Lush - Split

Massive Attack - Protection

Morrissey - Vauxhall And I

Nordenstam, Stina - And She Closed Her Eyes

Orbital - Snivilisation

Portishead - Dummy

Pulp - His 'N' Hers

Suede - Dog Man Star

Wolfgang Press - Funky Little Demons

 

1995

Björk - Post

Cardigans, The - Life

Earthling - Radar

Matthews, Eric - It's Heavy In Here

Molly Half Head - Dunce

Momus - The Philosophy Of Momus

Octopus - From A To B

Radiohead - The Bends

Slowdive - Pygmalion

Stereolab - Music For The Amorphous Body Study Centre

Swervedriver - Ejector Seat Reservation

Tindersticks - Tindersticks

Whipping Boy - Heartworm

 

1996

Aloof, The - Sinking

Babybird - Ugly Beautiful

Beck - Odelay

Blue Nile, The - Peace At Last

Bluetones, The - Expecting To Fly

Boo Radleys, The - C'Mon Kids

Cardigans, The - First Band On The Moon

Cocteau Twins - Milk And Kisses

Divine Comedy, The - Casanova

Earl Brutus - Your Majesty... We Are Here

Eels - Beautiful Freak

808 State - Don Solaris

Everything But The Girl - Walking Wounded

His Name Is Alive - Stars On ESP

Jack - Pioneer Soundtracks

Manic Street Preachers, The - Everything Must Go

Placebo - Placebo

Puressence - Puressence

Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X

Strangelove - Love And Other Demons

 

1997

Alpha - Come From Heaven

Ben Folds Five - Whatever And Ever Amen

Dawn Of The Replicants - One Head, Two Arms, Two Legs

Depeche Mode - Ultra

Experimental Pop Band - Discgrotesque

Gene - Drawn To The Deep End

Geneva - Further

Labradford - Mi Media Naranja

Mansun - Attack Of The Grey Lantern

Prefab Sprout - Andromeda Heights

Radiohead - OK Computer

Ragga And The Jack Magic Orchestra - Ragga And The Magic Orchestra

ROC - Virgin

Scarfo - Luxury Plane Crash

Stereolab - Dots And Loops

Strangelove - Strangelove

Sundays, The - Static & Silence

 

1998

Aloof, The - Seeking Pleasure

Babybird - There's Something Going On

Blake, Perry - Perry Blake

Cardigans, The - Gran Turismo

Cornelius - Fantasma

Devlins, The - Waiting

Eels - Electro-Shock Blues

Gastr Del Sol - Gastr Del Sol

Hood - Rustic Houses And Forlorn Valleys

Kent - Isola

Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs

Pecadiloes, The - Caught On Venus

Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing

Puressence - Only Forever

Six.By Seven - The Things We Make

Smashing Pumpkins, The - Adore

 

1999

Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner

Breathless - Blue Moon

Dawn Of The Replicants - Wrong Town, Wrong Planet, Three Hours Late

dEUS - The Ideal Crash

Experimental Pop Band, The - Homesick

Flaming Lips, The - The Soft Bulletin

Garbarek, Anja - Balloon Mood

Hood - The Cycle Of Days And Seasons

Luscious Jackson - Electric Honey

Merz - Merz

Mogwai - Come On Die Young

Scritti Politti - Anomie & Bonhomie

Sneaker Pimps - Splinter

 

2000

A-ha - Minor Earth | Major Sky

Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

Death Cab For Cutie - We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes

Doves - Lost Souls

Elbow - Asleep In The Back

Experimental Pop Band, The - The Tracksuit Trilogy

Geneva - Weather Underground

Hyplar - Artificially Flavoured

Labradford - Fixed::Context

Lisp - Cycles

Mansun - Little Kix

McCue, Anne - Amazing Ordinary Things

Montgolfier Brothers, The - Seventeen Stars

Piano Magic - Artists' Rifles

Radiohead - Kid A

Rialto - Girl On A Train

Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

Sea And Cake, The - Oui

Tarwater - Animals, Suns & Atoms

Ulver - Perdition City

Yellow6 - Overtone

 

2001

Arnold - Bahama

Avalanches, The - Since I Left You

Björk - Vespertine

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C.

Chameleons, The - Why Call It Anything

Chikinki - Experiment With Mother

Desert Hearts - Let's Get Worse

Divine Comedy, The - Regeneration

Hawley, Richard - Richard Hawley

Hawley, Richard - Late Night Final

Hood - Cold House

King Louis - Generation I Want

King Of Woolworths - Ming Star

Kings Of Convenience - Quiet Is The New Loud

Lift To Experience - The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads

Lotus Eaters, The - Silentspace

Mercury Rev - All Is Dream

Theselah - No Sleep, More Fun

Travis - The Invisible Band

(The Real) Tuesday Weld - When Cupid Meets Psyche

 

2002

Beck - Sea Change

Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi

Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head

Delgados, The - Hate

Epic45 - Reckless Engineers

Faultline - Your Love Means Everything

Flaming Lips, The - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

For Against - Coalesced

Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights

July Skies - Dreaming Of Spires

Leaves - Breathe

Montgolfier Brothers, The - The World Is Flat

My Computer - Vulnerabilia

Phobos 3 - Melody For Sleep

Pony Club - Home Truths

Puressence - Planet Helpless

Portal/Yellow6 - -Split-

Radio 4 - Gotham!

Sand - Still Born Alive

Saso - Big Group Hug

Silence Kit - Silence Kit

Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport

Snowblind - The Falls

Soft Cell - Cruelty Without Beauty

Styrofoam - I'm What's There To Show That Something's Missing

Theselah - Nice International

 

2003

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Falling Through A Field

British Sea Power - The Decline Of British Sea Power

Broadcast - Haha Sound

Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People

Colder - Again

Dream Into Dust - The Lathe Of Heaven

Fiel Garvie - Leave Me Out Of This

Gahan, Dave - Paper Monsters

Goldfrapp - Black Cherry

Gramophone - Gramophone

Great Depression, The - Unconscious Pilot

Hawley, Richard - Lowedges

Her Space Holiday - The Young Machines

Immense - Hidden Between Sleeves

Keys, The - The Keys

Kirk, James - You Can Make It If You Boogie

Lansing-Dreiden - The Incomplete Triangle

Lowgold - Welcome To Winners

Medium 21 - Killings From The Dial

Meeting Places, The - Find Yourself Along The Way

Mountaineers - Messy Century

Piano Magic - The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic

Portal - Promise

Questionnaires, The - Arctic Circles

Re:Cooperation - TransCollaboration

Sweet Trip - Velocity : Design : Comfort

William Hut - Road Star Doolittle

Workhouse, The - The End Of The Pier

Yellow6 - Merry6mas2003

 

2004

Adom - Idiot Savant

Argentine - In Other Fictions

Bark Psychosis - ///CODENAME:Dustsucker

Color Filter - Silent Way

Dawn Of The Replicants - The Extra Room

Dear, Matthew - Leave Luck To Heaven

Delays, The - Faded Seaside Glamour

Engineers - Folly

French Kicks - The Trial Of The Century

Girl Called Eddy, A - A Girl Called Eddy

Grand National - Kicking The National Habit

Junior Boys - Last Exit

Khonnor - Handwriting

Interpol - Antics

Keane - Hopes And Fears

Mice Parade - Obrigado Saudade

Organ, The - Grab That Gun

Radio Dept., The - Lesser Matters

Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere

Stills, The - Logic Will Break Your Heart

This Is A Process Of A Still Life - This Is A Process Of A Still Life

Vladislav Delay - Demo(n) Tracks

Waiting Room - Catering For Headphones

Windsor For The Derby - We Fight Til Death

 

2005

Ambulance Ltd - Ambulance Ltd

Burning Effigies, The - Pipe Dream

Colder - Heat

Coldplay - X&Y

Davis, Richard - Details

Diefenbach - Set & Drift

DK7 - Disarmed

Editors - The Back Room

Engineers - Engineers

Field Music - Field Music

Goldspot - Tally Of The Yes Men

Junkboy - Lost Parade

Merz - Loveheart

Michaels, Drayton - Low Stress In The Deep End

Misty Roses - Komodo Dragons

Motodestra - Motodestra

National, The - Alligator

Silent League, The - The Orchestra, Sadly, Has Refused

Skippy And The Bellbottoms - What Happened To Turn Signals?

Tahiti 80 - Fosbury

Thin Cities - Thin Cities

Vek, Tom - We Have Sound

Windsor For The Derby - Giving Up The Ghost

 

2006

Angel Tech - Angel Tech

Beauty Room, The - The Beauty Room

Bossanova - Hey, Sugar

Captain - This Is Hazelville

Eisenhowers, The - Almost Half Undressed

Great Depression, The - Preaching To The Fire

Hot Chip - The Warning

Hotels - Thank You For Choosing...

In Civilian Clothing - We Made A Killing, We Made A Mess

Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye

Keane - Under The Iron Sea

Kennedy, Inigo - Transaction

Lansing-Dreiden - The Dividing Island

Mahogany - Connectivity!

Mystery Jets - Making Dens

O'Rourke, Declan - Since Kyabram

Radio Dept., The - Lesser Matters

Riding Paper Airplanes - Riding Paper Airplanes

Royce - Tuff Love

Televise - Songs To Sing In A & E

Walkmen, The - A Hundred Miles Off

Workhouse, The - Flyover

Yorke, Thom - The Eraser

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