Favorite Albums Since Birth

Friday | July 11, 2008 | 3:51 PM

I was rereading High Fidelity this morning on the A train and made it to the part where the novel’s protagonist reorganizes his record collection “autobiographically.” Then I read this A.V. Club post on a similar meme.

So here are my favorite albums from every year since my birth. Surely there are omissions, misfires and regrets. But so what. Opinions are like assholes, in that I’m convinced mine smell better than yours.

I hope compilations and EPs count as albums because my list contains a few of each. I also noticed that the best albums by the Beatles, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder were released before my birth.

1973: Tom Waits, Closing Time

1974: Neil Young, On The Beach

1975: Bob Dylan, Blood On The Tracks

1976: The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers

1977: Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True

1978: Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings And Food

1979: The Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady

1980: The Pretenders, Pretenders

1981: The Pretenders, Pretenders II

1982: R.E.M., Chronic Town

1983: Tom Waits, Swordfishtrombones

1984: R.E.M., Reckoning