In posting last year's Top 40 Albums list, I realized that was the first time I have ever done that. My year-end has been very awful with history. I never look back on what position certain albums charted at years ago, and in some cases, i'm not even sure what was in my top 10 in a certain year. Well, that won't be the case any more! Here is every Top 40 Albums list, starting from 2010 to 2005 in complete form, and partial lists for 2004 and 2003. It was really fun to look back on my lists, for the first time ever, and see what charted in various years. In some cases, albums charted far lower than I would have liked them to today. And in other cases, i'm either embarrassed at what charted or had completely forgotten about the existence of certain albums. But that's OK! It's all history! And for these years, these were the 40 albums that I loved the most, so it's accurate to how I was feeling at the time. I hope you enjoy this trip through my Top 40 Albums lists from over the years:
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Let's begin at 2010:
40. The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelion
39. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
38. Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
37. Weezer - Hurley
36. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)
35. Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea
34. Sarah Harmer - Oh Little Fire
33. Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy* (was released in 2009, but didn't realize that when I ranked it)
32. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
31. Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses - Junky Star
30. Neil Young - Le Noise
29. Ty Segall - Melted
28. She & Him - Volume Two
27. Rick Ross - Teflon Don
26. The Walkmen - Lisbon
25. Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
24. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo
23. Devo - Something for Everybody
22. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
21. Elvis Costello - National Ransom
20. The New ****ographers - Together
19. The National - High Violet
18. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
17. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
16. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
15. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
14. John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
13. The Apples in Stereo - Travellers in Space and Time
12. The Roots - How I Got Over
11. The Black Keys - Brothers
10. The Foreign Exchange - Authenticity
09. Robyn - Body Talk
08. Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song
07. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
06. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
05. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
04. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
03. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
02. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
01. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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2009:
40. Weezer - Raditude
39. Norah Jones - The Fall
38. Converge - Axe to Fall
37. Grant Lee Phillips - Little Moon
36. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
35. Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap
34. Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
33. Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2
32. Mastodon - Crack The Skye
31. Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
30. Eminem - Relapse
29. Miranda Lambert - Revolution
28. Karen O & The Kids - Where The Wild Things Are
27. Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel - Willie and The Wheel
26. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
25. The Bird and The Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
24. Jarvis Cocker - "Further Complications"
23. Boston Spaceships - Zero to 99
22. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
21. The Lonely Island - Incredibad
20. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
19. The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World To Come
18. Pink Mountaintops - Outside Love
17. The Dead Weather - Horehound
16. UGK - UGK 4 Life
15. The Ettes - Do You Want Power
14. DJ Quik & Kurupt - BlaQKout
13. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
12. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
11. Coconut Records - Davy
10. Mos Def - The Ecstatic
09. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs/Condo ****s - ****book
08. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
07. Girls - Album
06. Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall
05. Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
04. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
03. U2 - No Line On The Horizon
02. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
01. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II
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2008:
40. The Killers - Day & Age
39. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
38. Taylor Swift - Fearless
37. Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers
36. ****ed Up - The Chemistry of Common Life
35. The Walkmen - You & Me
34. T.I. - Paper Trail
33. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
32. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
31. Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
30. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
29. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology
28. Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
27. Metallica - Death Magnetic
26. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
25. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
24. The Foreign Exchange - Leave It All Behind
23. Sons and Daughters - The Gift
22. Black Milk - Tronic
21. Portishead - Third
20. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
19. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
18. Santogold - Santogold
17. The Raconteurs - Consolers of The Lonely
16. Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
15. Kaiser Chiefs - Off With Their Heads
14. Young Jeezy - The Recession
13. Beck - Modern Guilt
12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
11. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
10. Kanye West - 808s and Heatbreak
09. Al Green - Lay It Down
08. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
07. The Black Keys - Attack & Release
06. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
05. She & Him - Volume One
04. The Roots - Rising Down
03. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
02. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
01. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
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2007:
40. Interpol - Our Love to Admire
39. Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High
38. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
37. Pharoahe Monch - Desire
36. Freeway - Free At Last
35. The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
34. Talib Kweli - Eardrum
33. 1990s - Cookies
32. Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
31. Devin the Dude - Waitin' to Inhale
30. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
29. Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up
28. M.I.A. - Kala
27. Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell
26. Bedouin Soundclash - Street Gospels
25. Prodigy - Return of the Mac
24. Little Brother - Getback
23. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
22. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
21. Menomena - Friend and Foe
20. Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob
19. Justice - †
18. Common - Finding Forever
17. Marrdest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Snak
16. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
15. Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life
14. Feist - The Reminder
13. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
12. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
11. UGK - Underground Kingz
10. The Hives - The Black and White Album
09. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
08. Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - Magic
07. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
06. Against Me! - New Wave
05. Kanye West - Graduation
04. Jay-Z - American Gangster
03. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
02. Radiohead - In Rainbows
01. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
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2006:
40. Outkast - Idlewild
39. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
38. Incubus - Light Grenades
37. Snoop Dogg - The Blue Carpet Treatment
36. The Killers - Sam's Town
35. Justin Timberlake - Futuresex/Lovesounds
34. Nelly Furtado - Loose
33. The Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
32. Cat Power - The Greatest
31. The Game - Doctor's Advocate
30. Method Man - 4:21... The Day After
29. The Evens - Get Even
28. Greg Graffin - Cold as the Clay
27. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
26. Lily Allen - Alright Still
25. Tom Petty - Highway Companion
24. Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
23. Mr. Lif - Mo' Mega
22. John Mayer - Continuum
21. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
20. Busta Rhymes - The Big Bang
19. T.I. - KING
18. MURS & 9th Wonder - Murray's Revenge
17. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soliders
15. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
15. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
14. The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
13. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
12. Neil Young - Living with War
11. Rhymefest - Blue Collar
10. Thom Yorke - the eraser
09. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
08. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
07. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
06. Beck - The Information
05. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
04. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
03. The Roots - Game Theory
02. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
01. J Dilla - Donuts
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2005, the very first year I did a Top 40 Albums list. The year prior I only did a Top 30 Albums list.
40. Various Artists - Tony Hawk's American Wasteland soundtrack
39. Wolf Parade - Apologizes to the Queen Mary
38. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
37. Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
36. Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
35. Juelz Santana - What The Game's Been Missing
34. Fort Minor - The Rising Tied
33. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
32. Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
31. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
30. The Game - The Documentary
29. Gorillaz - Demon Days
28. Little Brother - The Minstrel Show
27. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
26. The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning Strike
25. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
24. Audioslave - Out of Exile
23. The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
22. Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
21. Dwight Yoakam - Blame the Vain
20. David Banner - Certified
19. The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back
18. Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
16. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
15. The Bravery - The Bravery
14. Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard
13. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
12. Coldplay - X&Y
11. Dangerdoom - The Mouse and the Mask
10. Neil Diamond - 12 Songs
09. Hot Hot Heat - Elevator
08. Franz Ferdinand- You Could Have It So Much Better
07. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
06. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
05. Common - Be
04. Kanye West - Late Registration
03. Weezer - Make Believe
02. Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
01. Beck - Guero
(NOTE: A funny note about my top two albums of 2005: I didn't post them! ATRL's own Doc Watson, TC, posted them for me, as I had procrastinated in doing the write-ups.
TC's post is absolutely worth going back to, as it is maybe the funniest way any year-end has ever wrapped up.)
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Top 30 Albums of 2004. ATRL has deleted this thread, but I did post the top five in the Top 40 Albums of 2005 thread:
05. The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
04. Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First
03. Kanye West - College Dropout
02. Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
01. U2 - How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
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And the ____ Albums of 2003 list has long since been deleted, but I do remember that my #1 album was...
01. The Darkness - Permission to Land
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I hope everyone enjoyed "The Chart History of Ben's Top 40 Albums." I learned a lot by looking back, and am reminded of albums I haven't thought of in years. For the better, in most cases!
All of this is a lead-up to the start of THE 2012 LIST. I can say that quite a few artists, that have appeared on these lists from over the years, also make appearances on the 2012 list. Which ones? You'll find out all this month!
Thanks to everyone who commented! I always enjoy reading them.