This series started a full three years ago now, but tailed off last year due to time limitations on my part. I’ll be reinstating it for 2025, aiming for, realistically, about a thread a month to make it through the 21 remaining years to poll by the end of next year.
Last time out 1983 scraped a 7.26, placing it 33rd of 39 years polled to date. The song that won the poll, Robert Wyatt’s Shipbuilding, actually also finished joint top of the poll for 1982 - so I’ve dropped the song from joint billing in 1982 given it is now top pick for 1983 (I haven’t checked and don’t particularly care which is right, these aren’t scientific theads).
This time, we’ll be looking back at the much-hallowed year of 1994.
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a period of posting and reminiscing, Polls will be posted to rate 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 your favourite of the nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls which will be open for a few days - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to when just posting about songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
| 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 Street |
| 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 | 1969 | 8.35 | The Velvet Underground | The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog |
| 8 | 2013 | 8.29 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street |
| 8 | 1992 | 8.29 | Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted | Pulp - Babies |
| 10 | 2019 | 8.14 | Self Esteem - Compliments Please | Big Thief - Not |
| 11 | 2007 | 8.13 | LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows | LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes |
| 11 | 1975 | 8.13 | Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks | Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer |
| 13 | 2004 | 8.1 | Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral | The Walkmen - The Rat |
| 13 | 2001 | 8.1 | The Strokes - Is This It | Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) / Mogwai - My Father My King |
| 15 | 2002 | 8.06 | Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights | LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge |
| 15 | 1981 | 8.06 | The Cure - Faith | New Order - Ceremony |
| 17 | 1979 | 7.96 | Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division - Transmission |
| 18 | 1982 | 7.76 | The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming | The Associates - Party Fears Two |
| 19 | 2014 | 7.69 | FKA Twigs - LP1 | FKA Twigs - Two Weeks |
| 20 | 2010 | 7.66 | Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream | Robyn - Dancing On My Own |
| 21 | 1970 | 7.61 | Neil Young - After the Goldrush | Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up |
| 22 | 1972 | 7.53 | Can - Ebe Gamyasi | Stevie Wonder - Superstition |
| 23 | 1976 | 7.47 | David Bowie - Station to Station | Bob Dylan - Hurricane |
| 23 | 1990 | 7.47 | Sonic Youth - Goo | The Cure - Pictures of You |
| 25 | 2015 | 7.44 | Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell | Sufjan Stevens - No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross |
| 26 | 1986 | 7.42 | Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle |
| 27 | 2005 | 7.39 | Sufjan Stevens - Illinois | Amerie - 1 Thing |
| 28 | 1965 | 7.38 | The Beatles - Rubber Soul | Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) |
| 29 | 2017 | 7.36 | Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent | Kendrick Lamar - Humble |
| 30 | 1987 | 7.32 | Sonic Youth - Sister | The Cure - Just Like Heaven |
| 31 | 1999 | 7.3 | Mogwai - Come On Die Young | Björk - All Is Full Of Love |
| 32 | 2006 | 7.28 | J Dilla - Donuts | TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me |
| 33 | 1983 | 7.26 | REM - Murmur | Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding |
| 34 | 2009 | 7.1 | Fever Ray - Fever Ray | Animal Collective - My Girls |
| 35 | 1974 | 6.95 | Neil Young - On The Beach | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle |
| 36 | 1963 | 6.57 | Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan | The Ronettes -Be My Baby |
| 37 | 1985 | 6.53 | Tom Waits - Rain Dogs | Prince and the Revolution - Raspberry Beret |
| 38 | 1962 | 6 | Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf | Dick Dale - Misirlou |
| 39 | 1961 | 5.16 | John Coltrane - My Favourite Things | Roy Orbison - Crying |
1994 was the year Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa following their first interracial election, the IRA declared a ceasefire in Northern Ireland, Ayrton Senna died in a crash whilst racing in the San Marino Grand Prix, Kurt Cobain was found dead in his attic, Edvard Munch’s The Scream was stolen from a gallery in Oslo, the Channel Tunnel between England and France was opened, Friends debuted on television and Sony launched the Playstation console.
We said goodbye to Ayrton Senna, Kurt Cobain, John Candy, Richard Nixon, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Raoul Julia, Bill Hicks, Fanny Craddock and Charles Bukowski, and hello to Kali Uchis, Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Saiorse Ronan, Halsey, Joseph Quinn and Raheem Stirling.
But how good was the music?
You have roughly one week to nominate one album and/or one song which will then go into polls along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close a few days later. Please state when something you share is a nomination so I can catch it for the poll, but feel free to share as much as you wish during the thread!
Some lists for inspiration:
Best Albums of 1994 : Best Ever Albums
https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1994/
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/1994/1
NME's best albums and tracks of 1994
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/the-50-greatest-albums-of-1994-ranked
Nominations will be tallied here as the week goes on:
Album Nominations
Song Nominations
