If you had to pick just one album which means the most to you from each decade, what would you chose?
Me:
1950’s - Kind of Blue
1960’s - Let it Bleed
1970’s - Bop Till You Drop
1980’s - Hounds of Love
1990’s - Buena Vista Social Club
2020’s - Heaven and Earth
G
1950s - too early for me
1960s - Pentangle
1970s - Meddle
1980s - The Passion of Christ
Actually, it’s really difficult to select just one album for each decade.
Off to the footy but won’t be able to resist later 
Aaarrrgghhh… this is not doing justice to soooo many great albums! 
1950s - Kind of Blue
1960s - Electric Ladyland
1970s - Rumours
1980s - Graceland
1990s - Badu Live
2000s - Voodoo
60s Help - The Beatles
70s Aladdin Sane - Bowie/DSOTM - Pink Floyd (couldn’t split them)
80s Blue Mask- Lou Reed
90s Ok Computer- Radiohead
00s Sea Change - Beck
10s Blackstar - Bowie
I have no idea and it would change every time I played an old favourite I hadn’t played for a while. So much good music in my collection.
After yesterday’s Radio 6 focus on Nirvana’s Nevermind today this is my favourite album of the 90s again. Likely this will change when I pull another album out of my collection from that decade and I will have a new favourite, clearly, I am very fickle when it comes to musical favourites.
1950 - Duane Eddy Have twangy guitar will travel
1960 - Love Forever Changes
1970 - Dire Straits 1st Album
1980 - Sade - Diamond Life
1990 - Nirvana - Nevermind
2000- Neil Young- Psychedelic Pill
Regards,
Martin
Could easily be a completely different set on a different night and I do feel guilty leaving out the likes of Led Zep 2, Soul’s Core, Hysteria, Down Under, Back in black, Appetite for destruction etc etc etc, ouch and Rumours too!!
1950s - ?
1060s - the Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
1970s - 2112, Rush
1980s - Heartbeat City, the Cars
1990s - Tuesday Night Music Club, Sheryl Crow
2000 - Fires, Nerina Pallot
Tonight the list is:
1940s Chansons Des Cafés De Paris by Edith Piaf
1950s Blue Train by John Coltrane
1960s The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
1970s Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
1980s The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
1990s Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
2000s Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not by Arctic Monkeys
2010s To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
Impossibru…
50s - The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
60s - The Beatles - Revolver
70s - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
80s - Metallica - Ride The Lightning
90s - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
00s - Max Richter - Memoryhouse
10s - Olafur Arnalds - Island Songs
1950s – Time Out – Dave Brubeck Quartet (Columbia 1959)
1960s – The Beatles (The White Album) – The Beatles (Apple 1968) / Ummagumma – Pink Floyd (Harvest 1969)
1970s – Low – David Bowie (RCA 1977) / Unknown Pleasures – Joy Division (Factory 1979)
1980s – Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth (Blas First 1988) / Technique – New Order (Factory 1989)
1990s – Mezzanine – Massive Attack (Virgin 1998)
2000s – The Noise Made By People – Broadcast (Warp 2000) / Felt Mountain – Goldfrapp (Mute 2000) / Aerial – Kate Bush (EMI 2005)
2010s Blackstar – David Bowie (Columbia 2016)
50s. Kind of Blue
60s. White Album
70s. Whos Next
80s. Sign o the Times
90s Grace
00. Stories from the City,Stories from the sea
10. Purple Mountains
50s - Here’s Little Richard/Kind Of Blue
60s - Impossible to choose
70s - Blood On The Tracks/Blue/Who’s Next/Marquee Moon/London Calling
80s - Close to impossible to choose but Doolittle, Remain In Light, Raindogs, 16 Lovers Lane, New Day Rising and Let It Be
90s - Ritual De Lo Habitulo, Automatic For The People, Unplugged In New York/Nevermind, OK Computer
00s - Funeral, Stankonia, Ys, For Emma, Forever Ago
10s - To Pimp A Butterfly, Blackstar, Lemonade
50’s - Kind of Blue, Time Out
60’s - Otis Blue/Otis Redding sings Soul, Sidewinder, Someday My Prince Will Come
70’s - Catch a Fire, What’s Going On, Quadrophenia, The Touch of Your Lips
80’s- Sound Effects, Black Uhuru, More Gregory
90’s - Wild Wood, Definitely Maybe, The Chronic, Blue Lines
20’s - 22 Dreams, Sam’s Town, Original Pirate Material
10’s - True Meanings, Ali and Toumani
It is very difficult to pick a single favourite “album of decade”, because preference varies by mood, and I might choose different one day from another… this is my attempt as of this moment:
1950s - None stand out for me at all
1960s - Far too many excellent albums to be able to even attempt to pick one
1970s - Ditto
1980s - Not such a huge number but still too many to be able to pick one
1990s - Roger Waters. - Amused to death
2000s - Mostly Autumn - Passengers
2010s - Karnataka - The Gathering Light
Tomorrow my answers be 1990s, 2000s & 2010s could be different!
First, the disclaimer we appear to have all agreed to put in: There is no ONE record that defines a decade. This can’t be done. I torture myself doing it…
1920 - Bessie Smith (DECCA recordings, I think)
1930 - Sol Hoopii; Fascinatin’ Rhythm
1940 - Mezz Mezzrow; Really The Blues
1950 - Andrés Segovia; An Evening With Andrés Segovia
1960 - Bob Dylan; The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
1970 - Yes; Tales from Topographic Ocean
1980 - Michael Hedges; Aerial Boundaries
1990 - Rammstein; Herzeleid
2000 - Chris Thile & Edgar Mayer; Bass & Mandolin
2010 - Robert Plant; Band of Joy
2020 - Afsky; Ofte jeg drømmer mig død
1920 - There are propably many, but I don’t know precisely who peaked in ‘20 or ‘30, but Bessie Smith readily springs to mind as does, of course, Robert Johnson.
1930 - Sol Hoopii; Fascinatin’ Rhythm / Django Reinhardt; Minor Swing
1940 - Mezz Mezzrow; Really The Blues
1950 - Andrés Segovia; An Evening With Andrés Segovia / Miles Davis; Kind of Blue
1960 - Bob Dylan; The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
1970 - An insane decade for me, but some do stand out: Black Sabbath; Paranoid / Yes; Tales from Topographic Ocean / Ry Cooder; Into the Purple Valley / Mike Oldfield; Tubular Bells
1980 - The police; Zenyatta Mondatta / ELO; Time / Ultravox; Vienna / John McLaughlin; Belo Horizonte / Michael Hedges; Aerial Boundaries
1990 - Nirvana; Nevermind / Paul Weller; Stanley Road / Roger Waters; Amused to Death / Rammstein; Herzeleid / Dream Theater; A Change of Seasons
2000 - Judas Priest; Nostradamus / Chris Thile & Edgar Mayer; Bass & Mandolin
2010 - Jack White; Blunderbuss / Polyphia; Renaissance / Sturgill Simpson; Sound & Fury / Robert Plant; Band of Joy
2020 - Rhiannon Giddens; They’re Calling Me Home / Afsky; Ofte jeg drømmer mig død
While i am definitly still failling to compile that list, i would also list The Noise Made by People as one of the most inspirational records for me.
It is funny you also mention Goldfrapp’s first album, i remember reading about it back in the day in a magazine and tried to get my hands on the album from the store i used to shop music. It was sold out for many many weeks and tired of waiting, i ended up with an illegal download. I went to their show and it was quite dull, that is one of the reasons why their upcoming album was much more upbeat, as they have said in some interview back in those days…
Takes me kind of back to these student years as i am writing about it.
Ooh - you’re cheating!
This is so difficult to put together but here is my take.
50’s - John Coltrane - Giant Steps (recorded in the 50’s)
60’s - The Velvet Underground - s/t
70’s - Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountains
80’s - Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
90’s - Björk - Homogenic
00’s - Broadcast - The Noise Made by People
10’s - Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
20’s- Jessie Ware - What’s your Pleasure
Yes, sooo difficult, but I reckon I wouldn’t change any of these, but perhaps, arghhhh!
1950’s Kind Of Blue - Miles Davis
1960’s Five Leaves Left – Nick Drake
1970’s Station To Station – David Bowie
1980’s Closer – Joy Division
1990’s OK Computer - Radiohead
2000’s Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
2010’s Blackstar – David Bowie