An (exactly) 65-year old’s choices for the best albums of the past 65 years. By Eric Alterman

A public service

An (exactly) 65-year old’s choices for the best albums of the past 65 years.

By Eric Alterman

January 14, 2025

Some Notes:

The runners up are not in any particular order. Obviously, the choices are all subjective so there’s no reason to for anyone to get angry or offended. I don’t plan to argue about any of these, but other people are welcome to. I will, however, delete any comments I consider inappropriate for reasons of either tone or content. It is, after all, my birthday.

Ps. I only included titles. It would have been twice as long had I put in an artist’s name for each album. If you don’t recognize one, well, that’s why God invented Google. There are, I think, maybe two greatest hits collections on the list. One is by a person who died before I was born and the other is one I think it deserves to be treated as an album in and of itself, in part for historical reasons. Otherwise, I’ve included a tiny number of albums that are included exclusively for historical reasons. Live albums are included if they go beyond studio output or are historically important, and so are box sets if they are devoted to previously unreleased material, again, with one exception (or three, depending on how you count). Also, I sometimes chose albums in their historical moments that are inferior to their re-releases. This is definitely true, for instance, for “Eat a Peach, whose 2007 “deluxe edition” contains the entire 1971 Allmans’ set from the final night at the Fillmore, and of course, the Beatles’ box sets and the Stones reissues, among many, many others. I should add that even by its own standards, the list is imperfect. I added and subtracted albums from the last minute.

Finally, because I know I stopped paying close attention to new artists (as opposed to new music by old artists) pretty early in this process, I invited my good friend David Rudd, with whom I’ve seen much music and talked about more, to add to the list and fill out what he thinks ought to have been included in the later years. That list comes after mine.

Otherwise it should be self-explanatory. I hope it leads to lots of arguments, if only inside people’s heads, but here, too, is fine.

The List:

1960, Sketches of Spain,

Runner up, Giant Steps,

1961, Come Swing with Me

Runners Up: My Favorite Things, Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane

1962, My Son the Folksinger

Runner Up, The Bridge, Modern Sounds in Country Music, Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard

1963, James Brown, Live and Lowdown at the Apollo

Runners up. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Phil Spector Christmas album (released on November 22, alas) Freewheelin’, The Barbra Streisand Album

1964, Meet the Beatles

Runners up Stan Getz and Juao Gilberto, A Hard Day’s Night, Help, Guys and Dolls (1964 Studio Cast)

1965, three- way tie, Rubber Soul, Bringing it All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited

Runner up. A Love Supreme, September of my Years, Turn Turn Turn, Otis Blue

1966 Blonde on Blonde

Runner up, Revolver, Sinatra at the Sands, Pet Sounds, Yesterday and Today, Sounds of Silence

1967, Sergeant Pepper

Runners up. John Wesley Harding, Are You Experienced, Songs of Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground & Nico, I Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You, Magical Mystery Tour

1968, The White Album

Runners Up: Beggars’ Banquet, Music from the Big Pink, James Taylor, At Folsom Prison, Mama Tried, Electric Ladyland, Aretha Now, Otis Redding In Person at Whiskey A Go-Go. Dance to the Music, A Happening in Central Park, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Bookends

1969, tie, Let it Bleed, Abbey Road

Runners up, Tommy, Bitches Brew, The Band, Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Stand!, Willie and the Poor Boys, Bayou Country. In a Silent Way, Nashville Skyline

1970, tie, Layla and Other Love Songs, All Things Must Pass

Runners up: American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead, Plastic Ono Band, Bridge over Troubled Water, After the Gold Rush, Moondance, Sweet Baby James, Déjà vu, Get Your Ya-Yas Out, Tumbleweed Connection, The Man Who Sold the World, Stage Fright, Ladies of the Canyon, The Who Live at Leeds, Cosmo’s Factory, Let it Be, Hey Jude, Kristofferson

1971 tie, Tapestry, Who’s Next

Runners up: What’s Going On, Blue, The Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore, Sticky Fingers, Let’s Get it On, John Prine, Randy Newman live, Tupelo Honey, Madman Across the Water, Aqualung, Surf’s Up, Concert for Bangladesh, Imagine, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Every Picture Tells a Story, NRPS, Fragile, 11/17/70, Aretha Live at the Fillmore West, Jesus Christ Superstar

1972, tie, Exile on Main Street. Eat a Peach

Runners up, Sail Away, Ziggy Stardust, Can’t Buy a Thrill, Give it Up, Everybody’s in Showbiz, The Harder They Come (soundtrack), Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Thick as a Brick, Rock of Ages, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Europe ’72, Let’s Stay Together, Garcia, Ace, Close to the Edge

1973, tie, Dark Side of the Moon, Band on the Run

Runners Up, Innervisions, Quadrophenia, Greetings From Asbury Park, Wild and Innocent, Brothers and Sisters, Laid Back, Beginnings, Yessongs, Goats Heads Soup, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Living in the Material World, For Everyman, David Forman, The Flatlanders, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert, Piano Man, Shotgun Willie, New York Dolls, Wake of the Flood, The Adventures of Panama Red, Preservation Act 1,Ringo, Maria Muldaur

1974, Endless Summer

Runners Up, Late for the Sky, Welcome Back My Friends, Natty Dread, Court and Spark, Good Old Boys, Heart Like a Wheel, Slow Train Coming, On the Border, Quah, Heart of Saturday Night, It’s Too Late to Stop Now, From the Mars Hotel, Sneaking Sally Through the Alley, PreLogic

1975, tie, Born to Run, Blood on the Tracks,

Runners Up, Still Crazy After All These Years, Nighthawks at the Diner, Horses, Tonight’s the Night, Wish You Were Here, Katy Lied, Physical Graffiti, Venus and Mars, The Basement Tapes. Live! (Bob Marley and the Wailers), EC was Here, Zuma, Diamonds and Rust, One of these Nights, Home Plate,

1976, tie Hotel California, Songs in the Key of Life

Runners up, Desire, The Pretender, Night Moves, The Ramones, I Don’t Want to Go Home, Rastaman Vibration, Silk Degrees, Warren Zevon, One More from the Road, No Reason to Cry, David Live, My Spanish Heart, Howlin’ Wind, Heat Treatment, Reflections, Sweet Forgiveness, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, How Late’ll Ya Play ‘Til?, Luxury Liner

1977, My Aim is True

Runners up: The Clash, Never Mind the Bullocks, Rumors, Marquee Moon, Talking Heads 77, Running on Empty, Aja, Animals, Ghost Writer, Little Criminals, Bat Out of Hell, The Stranger, Sleepwalker, Hard Again, The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers,

1978, tie Some Girls, Darkness at the Edge of Town

Runners up: Excitable Boy, Waiting for Columbus, Street Hassle, Easter, This Year’s Model, Misfits, Street Legal, The Cars, Parallel Lines, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, Stardust, The Last Waltz, 40 Greatest Hits (Hank Williams), Stage, Pure Pop for Now People, David Johansen,

1979 London Calling

Runners up, Fear of Music, Squeezing Out Sparks, Armed Forces, Look Sharp!, The Specials, Rust Never Sleeps, Live Rust, Low Budget, Damn the Torpedoes, The Roches, The Pretenders, Armed Forces, Singles Going Steady, Running on Empty,

1980: The River

Runner up, Remain in Light, Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School, Get Happy, Hotter than July, Entre la jeunesse et la Sagesse, Live (Toots and the Maytals), I Am What I Am, American Music

1981, Sandinista

Runners up: Tattoo You, Almost Blue, Twanging, Escape Artist

1982, Nebraska

Runners up, The Blue Mask, One from the Heart, Shoot Out the Lights, Always on My Mind, Marshall Crenshaw, The Envoy, 1999,

1983, Infidels,

Trouble in Paradise, Let’s Dance, An Innocent Man, Hearts and Bones

1984 Born in the USA

Unforgettable Fire, Reckoning, Purple Rain, Stop Making Sense

1985, Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (Sam Cooke)

Runners up: Centerfield, Empire Burlesque, Fine Young Cannibals, Rain Dogs, Lost in the Stars, Les Miserables

1986, Graceland

Runners up, Famous Blue Raincoat, Strong Persuader, Life’s Rich Pageant, King of America

1987 Tunnel of Love

Runners up, The Joshua Tree, Frank’s Wild Years, Bring the Family, Introducing the Hardline, Sentimental Hygiene, Trio

1988 I’m Your Man

Runners up, Land of Dreams, The Trinity Session, Irish Heartbeat, Lucinda Williams, Tracy Chapman, Rattle and Hum

1989 Oh Mercy

New York, Nick of Time, Killin’ Time, The End of the Innocence, Freedom, L-Ranko Motel, Dreams

1990, The Blanton Webster Band (Duke Ellington Orchestra)

Runners up, Ragged Glory, We Three Kings, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

1991 Nevermind

Runners up. The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991, (Dylan) Out of Time, Achtung Baby, The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, Live in Japan (George Harrison with Eric Clapton), You Gotta Pay the Band, The Missing Years,

1992. tie, The Future, Lucky Town

Runners up: Automatic for the People, Harvest Moon, Sweet Old World, 4 Way Street, (expanded edition)

1993, From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters

Runners up: In Utero, The Wheel, Pablo Honey, Across the Borderline, Exile in Guyville, Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams, The 30^th Anniversary Concert Tribute to Bob Dylan

1994, American Recordings

Where It All Begins, Whip Smart, The Division Bell, Unplugged (Nirvana), Unplugged (Tony Bennett), Rhythm, Country and Blues, Tulare Dust: A Songwriter’s Tribute to Merle Haggard

1995, The Beatles Anthology volume 1

Runners up, The Bends, The Ghost of Tom Joad, Relish, I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (soundtrack) Randy Newman’s Faust, Jagged Little Pill, Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters (Elvis), Wrecking Ball

1996, The Beatles Anthology, volume 3

Runners up, The Beatles Anthology, volume 2, Time Out of Mind, Fountains of Wayne, Ten Song Demo, Songs from the Capeman, Odelay
1997, The Bootleg Series Volume 4, (Dylan, Royal Albert Hall, 1966)

Runners up, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Buena Vista Social Club, The John Lennon Anthology

1998 Travelling Wilburys Volume 1,

Runners up, Tracks, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Mermaid Avenue, Miles from Our Home, Painted from Memory, The McGarrigle Hour, Cry, Cry, Cry

1999 tie, 18 Tracks (because I take credit for getting The Fever and The Promise released on it), 69 Love Songs, Dick’s Picks, vol.15 (Englishtown)

Runners up, Magnolia (soundtrack) As Times Goes By, Return of the Grievous Angel

2000, The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961: (Miles and Coltrane)

Runners up, Kid A, Both Sides Now, The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings (Armstrong)

2001, Southern Rock Opera,

Runners up, Essence, Is This It, Love and Theft, Miranda Lambert, Field Commander Cohen, All that You Can’t Leave Behind, Straight Down Rain

2002, The Rising

Runner up: One More Car, One More Rider, Naked Ride Home, American IV: The Man Comes Around, The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue, Come Away with Me

2003, In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete (Miles)

Runners up, World Without Tears, 24 Nights, Hittin’ the Note, Welcome Interstate Managers, Arcade Fire, The Wind

2004 Funeral

Runners up, Get Away from Me, One Way Out, The Bootleg Series Vol. 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964, Concert at Philharmonic Hall, Dear Heather, American Idiot, Vertigo

2005 Devils and Dust

Runners up, Early 21^st Century Blues, Employment, Solo Acoustic, volume 1, (Jackson Browne), The Road Goes On Forever

2006, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Runners up, Back to Black, Surprise, Adieu False Heart, Modern Times

2007, Magic,

Runners Up, Last of the Breed, Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin, Neon Bible, In Rainbows, Traffic and Weather, Boxer, Breakfast in Bed, What’s Wrong With Right?

2008, tie Harps and Angels, The List

Runners up, Two Men with the Blues, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea

2009, Together Through Life,

Runner up, Twelve Nights in Hollywood (Ella Fitzgerald), The Jimmy Rogers All Stars: Blues, Blues, Blues, Under the Covers, Volume 2, Man of Somebody’s Dream

2010, The Promise

Runner up: High Violet, The Suburbs

2011, Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (Miles Davis Quintet)

Runner up. King of Lambs,

2012, Old Ideas,

For the Good Times, Wrecking Ball

2013, Southeastern

Runners up: In Time, The Next Day

2014, tie, High Hopes, Colfax

Runners up, Lost in the Dream, Mike Bloomfield, From His Head To His Heart To His Hands

2015 Cass County

Runners up, Sometimes I Sit and Think, Traveler

2016 tie, Blackstar, You Want it Darker

Runners up: A Moon Shaped Pool

2017 Cornell, 5/8/77

Everything Now, Hitchhiker

2018 The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 (Miles and Coltrane)

Runners up, In the Blue Light, Vanished Gardens

2019, Western Stars

Runners up, Three Chords and the Truth, Thanks for the Dance

2020 Rough and Rowdy Ways

Runners up, Letter to You, That’s How Rumors Get Started, Reunions, Way Down in the Rust Bucket, Kindred Spirit

2021 The Legendary No Nukes Shows

Runners up, Joni Mitchell archives, volume 2, The Weather Station, Layla Revisited. Half a Hundred Years, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, Promises

2022 Only the Strong Survive

Runners up, Just Like That, Downhill from Everywhere

2023: Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3

Runners up: Hackney Diamonds, Written in Their Soul

2024 Dave’s Picks, vol. 50, (Palladium, May 1977, [my first show!]

Runners up, Luck and Strange, No Name, CSNY Live at the Fillmore, 1969, The Complete Lee Morgan Live at the Lighthouse, Pharoah, Songwriter, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4,

Here are David Rudd’s choices of what albums he would have included but I left out:

1980 English Beat, Just Can’t Stop It

1981 Elvis Costello, Trust

Squeeze, East Side Story

Black Uhuru, Red

U2, Boy

1982 Elvis C, Imperial Bedroom

1983 REM, Murmur

New Order, Power, Corruption and Lies

1984 Bangles, All Over the Place

1985 The Replacements, Tim

Suzanne Vega

1986 Steve Earle, Guitar Town

The Pogues, Rum Sodomy and the Lash

1987 Prince, Sign O the Times

Replacements, Pleased to Meet Me

REM, Document

1988 John Hiatt, Slow Turning

Lyle Lovett, Pontiac

1989 Tom Petty, Full Moon Fever

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

1990 The Black Crowes, Shake Your Money Maker

1992 Pavement, Slanted and Enchanted

Los Lobos, Kiko

Freedy Johnston, Can You Fly

1993 The Breeders, Last Splash

Cassandra Wilson, Blue Light til Dawn

1994 The Mavericks, What a Crying Shame

Green Day, Dookie

1995 Oasis, What’s the Story

Rancid, And Out Come the Wolves

Wilco, A.M.

1996 Steve Earle, I Feel Alright

Wilco, Being There

Sublime

1997 Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac

The Jayhawks, Sound of Lies, Trailer Park

1998 Olu Dara, From Natchez to New York

Eels, Electro Shock Blues

The Miseducation ….

1999 Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin

2000 Marah, Kids in Philly

The Jayhawks, Smile

2002 Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Beck, Sea Change

2003 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell (just for the song Maps)

The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow

2004 Garden State soundtrack

Wilco, A Ghost Is Born

2005 The Hold Steady, Separation Sunday

2006 The Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way

2007 Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

2008 Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind

2009 The XX

Allen Toussaint, The Bright Mississippi

2010 Girl Talk, All Day