My 100 Favorite Albums of All Time (sorta kind of again)

On January 1, 2020 I started tracking my listening habits on a spreadsheet. When I first logged Dolly Parton's Jolene I had no idea what was ahead of me. I don't know if my passion for this would've been the same without a worldwide pandemic allowing me to indulge my listening habit more than ever (my guess is that, yes, it absolutely would have). This is the basic info I chronicle:

• Artist
• Album
• Release Date
• First Listen Date 
• Genre
• Play Count
• Rating
• Notes

Since I started this exercise I've listened to 2,165 albums, 951 of them being unique. While my primary listening focus is new music I make a conscious effort to look back at the past. This includes albums I've loved for years but also albums I've never listened to ever. It's tedious but rewarding. It's unnecessary but oh so necessary. 

In the midst of this OCD-fulfilling project I decided that each year, on my birthday, I'd throw on a filter and let Google tell me what my 100 favorite (aka top rated) album are. I am one to hem and haw until I pass out so it's been a bit thrilling to not overthink this. Yes, this is what passes for "thrilling" at 39. 

I haven't parsed over the data like Billy Bean or anything, but a bunch of albums were kicked off this list, making room for 19 subjectively better records. Some fell, other climbed. Such is life. 

Fun Fact #1: 96 of these 100 records are rated as a 9.0 or better. 

Fun Fact #2: I own 49 of these on vinyl. 

Disclaimer 1: As stated above, I started tracking my album listening and assigning ratings to said albums on 01.01.2020. As a result, this list is only comprised of albums listened to on or after that date (456 unique albums in total). The idea is that it’ll evolve and become more accurate over time. 

Disclaimer 2: I didn't allow myself to consider soundtracks (sorry Lost In Translation!), live albums (sorry Stop Making Sense!), or compilations albums (sorry Louder Than Bombs!). 

Elevator goiiinnnnggggg up!

1. The Clash - London Calling
2. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
3. Pavement - Wowee Zowee
4. Green Day - dookie
5. Pearl Jam - Ten
6. The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
7. The Promise Ring - Very Emergency
8. The Beatles - Revolver
9. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
10. Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
11. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
12. Beatles, The - Rubber Soul
13. Pearl Jam - Vs.
14. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
15. Nirvana - Nevermind
16. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
17. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
18. Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica
19. Camp Cope - Camp Cope
20. Silent Majority - Life of a Spectator
21. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps
22. Big Star - #1 Record
23. Pavement - Brighten the Corners
24. Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze
25. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
26. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
27. Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News
28. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour
29. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
30. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
31. Green Day - Insomniac
32. The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
33. Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
34. Weezer - Pinkerton
35. The Beatles - Let It Be
36. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Model
37. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
38. The Beatles - The Beatles
39. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
40. Nas - Illmatic
41. Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
42. The Beatles - Help!
43. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
44. R.E.M. - Reckoning
45. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
46. Rancid - ...And Out Come the Wolves
47. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
48. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
49. Sleater Kinney - No Cities To Love
50. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends
51. Glassjaw - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence
52. Father John Misty - Fear Fun
53. The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
54. Silver Jews - American Water
55. The B-52's - Cosmic Thing
56. Arcade Fire - Funeral
57. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
58. Taylor Swift - 1989
59. The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
60. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
61. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
62. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
63. Pixies - Doolittle
64. Bon Iver - i,i
65. Wilco - Summerteeth
66. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains
67. The Beatles - Abbey Road
68. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
69. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding
70. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
71. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
72. Mannequin Pussy - Patience
73. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags
74. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
75. Wire - Pink Flag
76. Pavement - Terror Twilight
77. R.E.M. - Document
78. John Lennon - Mind Games
79. Radiohead - OK Computer
80. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream
81. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
82. The Strokes - Is This It
83. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
84. Love - Forever Changes
85. Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION
86. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
87. Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
88. The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
89. Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
90. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
91. HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III
92. Tegan and Sara - The Con
93. The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile
94. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
95. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
96. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville
97. Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
98. The Replacements - Let It Be
99. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis
100. The Clash - The Clash