Earlier this week 1988 stormed to second place in the overall standings with a whopping 8.93 as we reached the 60% completion mark of the scope of this series. Today we are winding the dial even further back as we now ask you to consider 1969 in the sunshine.
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a number of days of posting and reminiscing, we’ll be rating the music of the year out of ten, based on the albums, singles, gigs, whatever that stand out for you that year, and voting for our favourite nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls two days before the thread closes - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to just posting clips or lists of songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
| Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | 1991 | 8.98 | Slint - Spiderland | Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy |
| 2 | 1988 | 8.93 | Pixies - Surfer Rosa | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat |
| 3 | 1997 | 8.6 | Radiohead - OK Computer | The Beta Band - Dry The Rain |
| 4 | 1967 | 8.48 | Love - Forever Changes | Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning |
| 5 | 1995 | 8.45 | Radiohead - The Bends | The Smashing Pumpkins - 1975 |
| 6 | 1977 | 8.41 | Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express | Donna Summer - I Feel Love |
| 7 | 1992 | 8.29 | Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted | Pulp - Babies |
| 7 | 2013 | 8.29 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street |
| 9 | 2019 | 8.14 | Self Esteem - Compliments Please | Big Thief - Not |
| 10 | 1975 | 8.13 | Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks | Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer |
| 10 | 2007 | 8.13 | LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows | LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes |
| 12 | 2004 | 8.1 | Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral | The Walkmen - The Rat |
| 12 | 2001 | 8.1 | The Strokes - Is This It | Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) / Mogwai - My Father My King |
| 14 | 1981 | 8.06 | The Cure - Faith | New Order - Ceremony |
| 14 | 2002 | 8.06 | Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights | LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge |
| 16 | 1979 | 7.96 | Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division - Transmission |
| 17 | 1982 | 7.76 | The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming | Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding / The Associates - Party Fears Two |
| 18 | 2014 | 7.69 | FKA Twigs - LP1 | FKA Twigs - Two Weeks |
| 19 | 2010 | 7.66 | Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream | Robyn - Dancing On My Own |
| 20 | 1970 | 7.61 | Neil Young - After the Goldrush | Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up |
| 21 | 1972 | 7.53 | Can - Ebe Gamyasi | Stevie Wonder - Superstition |
| 22 | 1990 | 7.47 | Sonic Youth - Goo | The Cure - Pictures of You |
| 22 | 1976 | 7.47 | David Bowie - Station to Station | Bob Dylan - Hurricane |
| 24 | 1986 | 7.42 | Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle |
| 25 | 2005 | 7.39 | Sufjan Stevens - Illinois | Amerie - 1 Thing |
| 26 | 1965 | 7.38 | The Beatles - Rubber Soul | Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) |
| 27 | 2017 | 7.36 | Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent | Kendrick Lamar - Humble |
| 28 | 1987 | 7.32 | Sonic Youth - Sister | The Cure - Just Like Heaven |
| 29 | 1999 | 7.3 | Mogwai - Come On Die Young | Björk - All Is Full Of Love |
| 30 | 2006 | 7.28 | J Dilla - Donuts | TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me |
| 31 | 2009 | 7.1 | Fever Ray - Fever Ray | Animal Collective - My Girls |
| 32 | 1974 | 6.95 | Neil Young - On The Beach | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle |
| 33 | 1963 | 6.57 | Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan | The Ronettes - Be My Baby |
| 34 | 1985 | 6.53 | Tom Waits - Rain Dogs | Prince and the Revolution - Raspberry Beret |
| 35 | 1962 | 6 | Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf | Dick Dale - Misirlou |
| 36 | 1961 | 5.16 | John Coltrane - My Favourite Things | Roy Orbison - Crying |
1969 was the year man first set foot on the moon, the Troubles in Northern Ireland escalated with the battle of Bogside and the subsequent deployment of British troops, 460,000 people attended Woodstock Festival, the Beatles played their last concert and John Lennon and Yoko Ono married and proceeded to honeymoon with a “Bed-In” for peace.
We said goodbye to Judy Garland, Rocky Marciano, Jack Kerouac and Boris Karloff, and hello to Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Dave Grohl, Peter Dinklage and Michael Schumacher.
But how good was the music?
You have roughly one week to nominate one album and one song which will then go into a poll along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close a few days later.
Some lists for inspiration:
Best Albums of 1969 : Best Ever Albums
https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1969/
100 Greatest Albums of 1969 - DigitalDreamDoor
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/1969/1
The 30 Best Albums of 1969
100 Greatest Songs From 1969 (ranked by DigitalDreamDoor)
https://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/1969s.htm
Nominations will be tallied here as the week goes on:
Album Nominations
Song Nominations
