Top Albums by Year

Here's a list of the top song by year, starting in 1963. Some years may change as I add more ratings. If enough of them do, I'll post this list again.

Update: Some years did in fact change, some as a result of new albums being rated, others a result of updated ratings. Previously there were five bands listed twice: The Beatles, The Yardbirds, Deep Purple, Queensrÿche and Gamma Ray. Now there are eight, with Anthem, Gillan and Megadeth joining that group. (As before, if you discount Queensrÿche because they released an EP in 1983 and not a full album, then Black Sabbath would replace them as the top band that year, making them the ninth band to be listed twice.) The list is still dominated by hard rock and heavy metal bands, which I suppose isn't a surprise as that's the music I like best.

One final note of interest. All the repeating bands had top albums either in back-to-back years or one year apart, except Queensrÿche, who repeated five years apart. And if you do discount the Queensrÿche EP, then Black Sabbath would be the band with the greatest difference in the top spot, at eight years.

Top Albums by Year (1963 - 2009)
1963 - The Beatles - Please Please Me (U.K.) (62.62)
1964 - The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (68.54)
1965 - The Yardbirds - Having A Rave Up (76.48)
1966 - The Yardbirds - Roger the Engineer (82.08)
1967 - Doors - The Doors (87.77)
1968 - Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (88.24)
1969 - Led Zeppelin - I (86.69)
1970 - Deep Purple - In Rock (98.14)
1971 - Jethro Tull - Aqualung (90.86)
1972 - Deep Purple - Machine Head (95.70)
1973 - Buffalo - Volcanic Rock (91.16)
1974 - Sweet - Desolation Boulevard (US) (91.00)
1975 - Black Sabbath - Sabotage (89.92)
1976 - Rainbow - Rising (97.98)
1977 - AC/DC - Let There Be Rock (90.80)
1978 - Bow Wow - Charge (87.67)
1979 - Scorpions - Lovedrive (92.75)
1980 - Gillan - Glory Road (91.11)
1981 - Gillan - Future Shock (90.64)
1982 - Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack (91.79)
1983 - Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (EP) (96.37)
1984 - Iron Maiden - Powerslave (94.86)
1985 - Fates Warning - The Spectre Within (89.56)
1986 - Sword - Metalized (88.47)
1987 - Angus - Warrior of the World (88.82)
1988 - Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (93.02)
1989 - Metal Church - Blessing In Disguise (91.76)
1990 - Megadeth - Rust In Peace (93.55)
1991 - Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation (91.18)
1992 - Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction (89.83)
1993 - Rage - The Missing Link (90.28)
1994 - Running Wild - Black Hand Inn (89.52)
1995 - Savatage - Dead Winter Dead (88.57)
1996 - Stratovarius - Episode (87.13)
1997 - Tierra Santa - Medieval (88.23)
1998 - Iced Earth - Something Wicked this Way Comes (91.18)
1999 - October 31 - Meet Thy Maker (91.04)
2000 - Anthem - Heavy Metal Anthem (91.67)
2001 - Anthem - Seven Hills (89.83)
2002 - W.A.S.P. - Dying for the World (90.49)
2003 - Elixir - The Idol (90.82)
2004 - Twisted Sister - Still Hungry (91.22)
2005 - Gamma Ray - Majestic (90.51)
2006 - Aria - Armageddon (90.97)
2007 - Gamma Ray - Land of the Free II (90.25)
2008 - Uriah Heep - Wake the Sleeper (91.45)
2009 - Slough Feg - Ape Uprising (90.64)