Best Year in Music

Ok, I have a topic for you that I don't think we had covered... in your opinion, what was the best year in music? As I write this, I am still having a difficult time deciding. I was looking over my music collection, and noticed alot of great CD's from 1981, and I remember MTV starting out and alot of cool New Wave stuff being played. Also 1978 seems to pop up quite a bit,, and 1987. Personally, I also remember 1991 being a good year. For some others, it might be 1968. I'm going to have to think about this one a bit more, but I just wanted to see other people's opinions.

Hard to decided but I give it a shot,

1967 this was the year that saw the debut albums from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, and Pink Floyd 'A Piper At the Gates of Dawn'

Also the Beatles released 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
&
Love-Forever Changes
The Who-The Who Sell Out
Jefferson Airplane-Surrealistic Pillow
The Rolling Stones-Their Satanic Majesties Request
The Doors-Strange Days
Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company)-Cheap Thrills
Jimi Hendrix Experience-Axis: Bold as Love

and the debut for The velvet Underground-The Velvet Underground and Nico

I will make my case for 1980 shortly.

manny wrote:

Hard to decided but I give it a shot,

1967 this was the year that saw the debut albums from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, and Pink Floyd 'A Piper At the Gates of Dawn'

Also the Beatles released 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
&
Love-Forever Changes
The Who-The Who Sell Out
Jefferson Airplane-Surrealistic Pillow
The Rolling Stones-Their Satanic Majesties Request
The Doors-Strange Days
Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company)-Cheap Thrills

and the debut for The velvet Underground-The Velvet Underground and Nico

I will make my case for 1980 shortly.

Wow, you make a pretty compeling argument for this year! Awesome choices to back you up... and Kudos on Love's "Forever Changes"

Here is for 1980:

AC/DC-Back In Black
Iron Maiden-s/t
Saxon-Wheels of Steel
Judas Priest-British Steel
Motorhead-Ace of Spades
Scorpions-Animal Magnetism
Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell
The Cure-Boys Don't Cry
U2-Boy
Alice Cooper-Flush The Fashion
Joy Division-Closer
Rush-Permanent Waves

and I would include Ozzy Osbourne-Blizzard of Oz but I have seen it listed that it was released in 1980 and other sources say 1981.

I'd say 1980 or 1981 for me.

1976

Per Wikipedia (and I am not saying I agree with this particular year):

With the release of Van Halen's 1984, Iron Maiden's Powerslave, Judas Priest's Defenders of the Faith, Scorpions' Love at First Sting, Accept's Balls to the Wall, Twisted Sister's Stay Hungry, Dokken's Tooth And Nail, Ratt's Out of the Cellar, and W.A.S.P.'s self-titled debut, heavy metal and hard rock both go mainstream, and 1984 becomes one of the biggest years for metal and hard rock artists in terms of album sales.

Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen loses his left arm in a car accident on December 31.

Deep Purple Reunite.

Quiet Riot 's Metal Health tops the charts at number 1, On November 26, 1983. Which starts the 80's L.A. glam metal scene.

Death and Morbid Angel form thus creating what will become death metal

Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle is killed in an automobile accident on December 9. The driver of the car is Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe. Vince later spends time in jail for vehicular manslaughter.
The debut albums of both Saint Vitus (Saint Vitus) and Trouble (Psalm 9) are released, which some say are the first doom metal records to be released.

1984 was a great year...

http://www.heartofmetal.net/rip-f4/1984-what-a-year-t8948.htm?highlight=1984

manny wrote:

Hard to decided but I give it a shot,

1967 this was the year that saw the debut albums from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, and Pink Floyd 'A Piper At the Gates of Dawn'

Also the Beatles released 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
&
Love-Forever Changes
The Who-The Who Sell Out
Jefferson Airplane-Surrealistic Pillow
The Rolling Stones-Their Satanic Majesties Request
The Doors-Strange Days
Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company)-Cheap Thrills
Jimi Hendrix Experience-Axis: Bold as Love

and the debut for The velvet Underground-The Velvet Underground and Nico

I will make my case for 1980 shortly.

Ha. 1967 and 1980 immediately came to my mind as well. I think 1992 was a good year too.

For me personally, I'm going with 1987. 3 records were released that year that would have a life-altering effect on me that still resonates to this day:

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation
Anthrax - Among the Living
Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

These were 3 landmark albums for me. Permanent Vacation introduced me to the band. Among the Living started me moshing. And Appetite was the one that lead me into to all things hard & heavy in music.

Some other noteable releases from '87:

Ozzy - Tribute
Motley Crue - Girs, Girls, Girls
Death Angel - The Ultra-Violence
Swing Out Sister - It's better to Travel ( I threw that one in for Spec)
Judas Priest - Priest...Live!!
King Diamond - Abigail
White Lion - Pride
Keel - Keel
Helix - Wild in the Streets
Great White - Once Bitten...
Testament - The Legacy
Dio - Dream Evil
Metallica - Garage Days Re-Revisited
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Savatage - Hall of the Mountian King

Hmm... that's a hard 'un. Everything from 1980 til 1987 was pretty damn perfect. '83 and '86 are probably my favorites though (Court In The Act, Awaken The Guardian, Show No Mercy, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Crimson Glory, Melissa, Kill 'Em All, Deliver Us, Peace Of Mind, Holy Diver, The Deluge, Somewhere In Time etc. etc. etc.).

1971. Lots of awesome stuff released that year:

Alice Cooper-Love It To Death
Alice Cooper-Killer
BB King-Live in Cook County Jail
Black Sabbath-Master of Reality
Blue Oyster Cult-s/t
Funkadelic-Maggot Brain
Jonathan Edwards-s/t
Led Zeppelin IV
Rod Stewart-Every Picture Tells A Story
Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers
The Who-Who's Next
Jethro Tull-Aqualung
Bonnie Raitt-s/t
Doobie Brothers-s/t
Grand Funk Railroad-E Pluribus Funk
Grand Funk Railroad-Survival
Yes-Fragile
Yes-The Yes Album
King Crimson-Islands
King Crimson-Lizard
Traffic-The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Pink Floyd-Meddle
ZZ Top-First Album

1971 also crossed my mind as I was thinking about this question... It did have some solid classic rock releases.

And, as far as 1984 goes, it saw the release of the holy trinity of alt-rock in the 80's...

The Replacements -- "Let it Be"
Husker Du -- "Zen Arcade"
The Minutemen -- "Double Nickels on the Dime"

Good year, both of those.

manny wrote:

Hard to decided but I give it a shot,

1967 this was the year that saw the debut albums from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Doors, and Pink Floyd 'A Piper At the Gates of Dawn'

Also the Beatles released 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
&
Love-Forever Changes
The Who-The Who Sell Out
Jefferson Airplane-Surrealistic Pillow
The Rolling Stones-Their Satanic Majesties Request
The Doors-Strange Days
Janis Joplin (Big Brother and the Holding Company)-Cheap Thrills
Jimi Hendrix Experience-Axis: Bold as Love

and the debut for The velvet Underground-The Velvet Underground and Nico

and..............

Cream - Disreali Gears
Love - Da Capo
Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk
Buffalo Springfield - Again
Nico - Chelsea Girl
The Kinks - Something Else
The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You
Leonard Cohen - The Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Scott Walker - Scott
Donovan - A Gift From A Flower To A Garden
13th Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere

etc etc etc

To throw but a few classics from the "Canon" out there and that's not including cult faves from the likes of Bobbie Gentry, William Bell, James Carr, Chocolate Watchband, Electric Prunes, Left Banke etc etc etc.

1969

The Beatles - Abbey Road
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King
The Allman Brothers Band - s/t
CCR - Bayou Country, Green River
Blind Faith - s/t
Crosby, Stills & Nash - s/t
Chicago Transit Authority
The Doobie Brothers - s/t
Blood, Sweat & Tears - s/t
Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Free - Free
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Led Zeppelin - I & II
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
Mott The Hoople - s/t
Santana - s/t
Johnny Cash at San Quinton
Jethro Tull - Stand Up
The Stooges - s/t
The Who - Tommy
The Velvet Underground - s/t
Yes - s/t
Charles Earland - Black Talk
John McLaughlin - Extrapolation
Les McCann & Eddie Harris - Swiss Movement
Wayne Shorter - Super Nova
Taj Mahal - Giant Step
Herbie Hancock - The Prisoner
Pharoah Sanders - Jewels Of Thought
Lonnie Smith - Turning Point

Yeah '69 was a great year, i'd add..........

Fairport Convention - What We Did On Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking, Liege & Lief (Staggering when you think about it)
Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
The Kinks - Arthur......
MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg - S/T
Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Memphis
Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
Scott Walker - Scott 3, Scott 4
The Band - S/T
Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace Of Sin
Jerry Lee Lewis - She Still Comes Around......
Merle Haggard - Same Train, A Different Time
Tony Joe White - Black And White
Nico - The Marble Index
Doris Duke - I'm A Loser
Silver Apples - Contact
Leonard Cohen - Songs From A Room
Soft Machine - Volume Two
Kevin Ayers - Joy Of A Toy
Pharoah Sanders - Karma
Sly & The Family Stone - Stand!
Townes Van Zant - S/T, Our Mother The Mountain
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
Skip Spence - Oar
Humble Pie - Town & Country


Come to think of it while '67 had the more iconic releases/debuts '69 wins hands down for depth!

For me the best year was easily 1988.

Some of my all time favorites were released that year:

Manowar - Kings of Metal
Riot - Thundersteel
Testament - The New Order
Stryper - In God We Trust
Saint - Too Late for Living
Bride - Live to Die
Bloodgood - Rock in a Hard Place
Barren Cross - Atomic Arena
King Diamond - Them
Britny Fox - Britny Fox
Kix - Blow My Fuse
Virgin Steele - Age of Consent
Candlemass - Ancient Dreams
Chastain - Voice of the Cult
Metallica - ... And Justice for All



just to name a handful ...

Id have to say anytime between 1967-1980

akeldama wrote:

1976

I hear that bro!. 1974 was an awesome year as well.

1990 clearly and a great year for metal

Megadeth - Rust in peace, Slayer Seasons in the Abyss, Spead Eagle, etc

Like manny said 1967.....

or 1987....


or 2007.......


I see a pattern.....


I'm looking forward to 2027. Eff the Mayan calendar.

Will have to think on that i can say this much it definitly isnt this year

1985

Exodus - Bonded By Blood
Abattoir - Vicious Attack
Accept - Metal Heart & Kaizoku Ban
AC/DC - Fly on the Wall
Exciter - Feel the Knife & Long Live the Loud
Overkill - Feel the Fire
Grim Reaper - Fear No Evil
Artillery - Fear of Tomorrow
Avenger (Germany) - Depraved to Black
Piledriver - Metal Inquisition
Helloween - Walls of Jericho
Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raids
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Kreator - Endless Pain
Dark Angel - We Have Arrived
Sacrifice - Torment in Fire
Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out
Loudness - Thunder in the East
Slayer - Hell Awaits & Live Undead
SOD - Speak English or Die
Destruction - Infernal Overkill
Sepultura - Bestial Devastation
Scorpions - World Wide Live
Dio - Sacred Heart
Hirax - Raging Violence
Ruffians - Ruffians (ep)
Whiplash - Power and Pain
Zoetrope - Amnesty
Venom - Possessed, Canadian Assault, American Assault, and Nightmare (single)
WASP - The Last Command
Trouble - The Skull

and much more!