Reckognizing the very best albums released since 1970, this shamelessly biased list commemorates acts for damn fine music, and advises you the consumer about things you should buy.

The top five albums of each year, with "honorable mention" listed where applicable, are:

1970
1. Miles Davis Bitches Brew
2. The Velvet Underground Loaded
3. George Harrison All Things Must Pass
4. Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother
5. Paul McCartney McCartney

1971
1. David Bowie Hunky Dory
2. Joni Mitchell Blue
3. John Lennon Imagine
4. T. Rex Electric Warrior
5. Nico Desert Shore

1972
1. David Bowie The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
2. Roxy Music Roxy Music
3. Lou Reed Transformer
4. Big Star #1 Record
5. T. Rex The Slider

1973
1. Roxy Music For Your Pleasure
2. Iggy & the Stooges Raw Power
3. Paul McCartney & Wings Band on the Run
4. Roxy Music Stranded
5. David Bowie Aladdin Sane

1974
1. Roxy Music Country Life
2. Miles Davis Big Fun
3. King Crimson Red
4. Eno Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
5. John Lennon Walls & Bridges

1975
1. Eno Another Green World
2. Miles Davis Agharta
3. Roxy Music Siren
4. Alex Chilton Bach's Bottom
5. Fripp & Eno Evening Star

1976
1. David Bowie Station to Station
2. Lou Reed Coney Island Baby
3. Blondie Blondie
4. Bryan Ferry Let's Stick Together
5. 801 Live

1977
1. Iggy Pop Lust for Life
2. David Bowie "Heroes"
3. Elvis Costello My Aim is True
4. The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks
5. David Bowie Low

1978
1. The Patti Smith Group Easter
2. Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings and Food
3. The Jam All Mod Cons
4. Kate Bush The Kick Inside
5. Eno Before and After Science

1979
1. Joy Division Unknown Pleasures
2. Elvis Costello & the Attractions Armed Forces
3. David Bowie Lodger
4. The Clash London Calling
5. The Jam Setting Sons

1980
1. Elvis Costello & the Attractions Get Happy!!
2. Japan Gentlemen Take Polaroids
3. The Cure Seventeen Seconds
4. Echo & the Bunnymen Crocodiles
5. Joy Division Closer

1981
1. Japan Tin Drum
2. The Cure Faith
3. Siouxsie & the Banshees Juju
4. Echo & the Bunnymen Heaven Up Here
5. The Teardrop Explodes Wilder

1982
1. ABC The Lexicon of Love
2. Duran Duran Rio
3. Soft Cell Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
4. Depeche Mode A Broken Frame
5. Roxy Music Avalon

1983
1. R.E.M. Murmur
2. Yazoo You and Me Both
3. Echo & the Bunnymen Porcupine
4. Japan Oil on Canvas
5. Depeche Mode Construction Time Again

1984
1. David Sylvian Brilliant Trees
2. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain
3. The Smiths The Smiths
4. Echo & the Bunnymen Ocean Rain
5. Lloyd Cole & the Commotions Rattlesnakes
honorable mention to Siouxsie & the Banshees and Depeche Mode

1985
1. Bryan Ferry Boys & Girls
2. The Cure The Head on the Door
3. New Order Low-life
4. Kate Bush Hounds of Love
5. R.E.M. Fables of the Reconstruction

1986
1. The Smiths The Queen is Dead
2. Pet Shop Boys Please
3. The Costello Show King of America
4. David Sylvian Gone to Earth
5. R.E.M. Life's Rich Pageant

1987
1. David Sylvian Secrets of the Beehive
2. R.E.M. Document
3. Pet Shop Boys Actually
4. Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing
5. The Cure Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

1988
1. The House of Love The House of Love (first album)
2. Erasure The Innocents
3. Voice of the Beehive Let it Bee
4. Marc Almond The Stars We Are
5. Morrissey Viva Hate

1989
1. The Cure Disintegration
2. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses
3. Julia Fordham Porcelain
4. The Blue Nile Hats
5. Sarah McLachlan Vox
honorable mention to Elvis Costello

1990
1. The La's The La's
2. Edwyn Collins Hellbent on Compromise
3. Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole
4. Lush Gala
5. The House of Love The House of Love (second album)

1991
1. Julian Cope Peggy Suicide
2. Rain Tree Crow Rain Tree Crow
3. Sarah McLachlan Solace
4. The Magnetic Fields The Wayward Bus
5. Tori Amos Little Earthquakes
honorable mention to Kitchens of Distinction

1992
1. R.E.M. Automatic for the People
2. The Cure Wish
3. Manic Street Preachers Generation Terrorists
4. Paul Weller Paul Weller
5. Kitchens of Distinction The Death of Cool

1993
1. Paul Weller Wild Wood
2. Bryan Ferry Taxi
3. Suede Suede
4. October Project October Project
5. David Sylvian & Robert Fripp The First Day
honorable mention to David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys

1994
1. Oasis Definitely Maybe
2. Lush Split
3. Liz Phair Whip-Smart
4. Paul Quinn Will I Ever Be Inside of You
5. Pulp His 'n' Hers
honorable mention to Sarah McLachlan

1995
1. Pulp Different Class
2. The Magnetic Fields Get Lost
3. Scott Walker Tilt
4. Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory
5. Marianne Faithfull A Secret Life
honorable mention to Garbage

1996
1. Manic Street Preachers Everything Must Go
2. Suede Coming Up
3. Sam Phillips Omnipop
4. Tori Amos Boys for Pele
5. Beth Orton Trailer Park

1997
1. Sarah McLachlan Surfacing
2. Julia Fordham East West
3. David Bowie Earthling
4. Echo & the Bunnymen Evergreen
5. Texas White on Blonde

1998
1. Manic Street Preachers This is My Truth Tell Me Yours
2. Placebo Without You I'm Nothing
3. Pulp This is Hardcore
4. Garbage Version 2.0
5. R.E.M. Up

1999
1. Ben Folds Five The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
2. Echo & the Bunnymen What are You Going to Do With Your Life
3. David Bowie hours�
4. David Sylvian Dead Bees on a Cake
5. Beth Orton Central Reservation

2000
1. Neko Case & Her Boyfriends Furnace Room Lullaby
2. The Mendoza Line We're All in This Alone
3. David Sylvian Everything and Nothing
4. Jane Monheit Never Never Land
5. The Cure Bloodflowers

2001
1. R.E.M. Reveal
2. Suzanne Vega Songs in Red and Gray
3. Ivy Long Distance
4. The Four Corners Say You're a Scream
5. Paul McCartney Driving Rain

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