2020: My Top Albums and Artists of the Year

The 40 Best Albums I Listened to in 2020:

For the top ten albums, I took a hundred points and split them among the albums to show how I think about them in comparison to each other. However, don't think I enjoy the top 3 twice as much as the bottom 3 even though they have twice as many points. In preparation for making the list, I listened to every single album on the list at least once in late December and most of them in the week preceding my posting of this. Obviously, in addition to the albums on this list, I also listened to several albums that I thought were close to making it. Note that there were A- records that didn't make the list because that's the way it goes when you listen to a total of 385 albums in a year locked up inside. Other than The Rolling Stones (who are represented four times), no artist was allowed more than three albums on the list. In addition to not allowing some artists be on the list too much, I also made an effort to get as many different artists on the list as I could. Don't forget to check out my accompanying essay 2020: My Year in Review afterwards. Without further ado:

1. Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" (2001) 15

2. The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St. (1972) 15

3. Joni Mitchell: Blue (1971) 14

4. Patti Smith: Horses (1975) 10

5. The Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed (1969) 10

6. Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic (1974) 9

7. Joni Mitchell: For the Roses (1972) 8

8. Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV (1971) 7

9. Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. (1984) 6

10. Grateful Dead: Workingman's Dead (1970) 6

11. The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet (1968)

12. Steely Dan: Countdown to Ecstasy (1973)

13. Elton John: Rock of the Westies (1975)

14. Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (1974)

15. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced Leh'-nerd Skin'-nerd (1973)

16. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (1975)

17. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)

18. Big Star: Radio City (1974)

19. The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (1971)

20. John Lennon: Imagine (1971)

21. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland (1968)

22. Bob Dylan: Modern Times (2006)

23. Grateful Dead: Live/Dead (1969)

24. Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love (1987)

25. John Prine: Sweet Revenge (1973)

26. Neil Young: Freedom (1989)

27. Patti Smith: Land (1975-2002) (2002)

28. Steely Dan: Can't Buy a Thrill (1972)

29. Bruce Springsteen: The River (1980)

30. Franco and Rochereau: Omona Wapi (1985)

31. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Green River (1969)

32. Neil Young: Americana (2012)

33. Grateful Dead: Anthem of the Sun (1968)

34. Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind (1997)

35. Big Brother & the Holding Company: Cheap Thrills (1968)

36. The Doors: L.A. Woman (1971)

37. Elton John: Honky Château (1972)

38. James Talley: Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love (1975)

39. Neil Young: Ragged Glory (1990)

40. The Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band (1969)

Here's a list of notable albums that didn't make the cut. This is not really hating on these artists or albums although it is a little funny at times. It mostly serves to show the insane amount of famous albums that I listened to this year. Some of these albums--the ones from The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, and Grateful Dead--were excluded from the above list because the artist was already represented three times. These are not necessarily albums that were in contention for the list above--obviously, I did not even consider Black Sabbath's albums.

The Allman Brothers Band's Live at Fillmore East, Eat a Peach, and Brothers and Sisters
The Doors’ The Doors, Strange Days, and Morrison Hotel

Elton John's Elton John, Madman Across the Water, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Second Helping and Street Survivors

Grateful Dead's American Beauty and Europe '72

Creedence Clearwater Revival's Cosmo's Factory

Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, and Hejira

Steely Dan’s Aja and Katy Lied
Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska
Jimi Hendrix’s Axis: Bold as Love

The Rolling Stones' Aftermath and Some Girls

Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Masters of Reality

King Crimson's In the Court of the Crimson King

My Favorite Artists I Began in 2020:

Similar to the album list, I divided 100 points among the top ten. I'm confident with the listing as it is now, but the order of the artists could change with time, especially everyone after Elton John. Note that I already started listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Jimi Hendrix before 2020, which is why they aren't on this list but some of their albums are on the albums list.

1. The Rolling Stones 19

2. Joni Mitchell 17

3. Steely Dan 15

4. Grateful Dead 11

5. Led Zeppelin 11

6. Elton John 7

7. Patti Smith 5

8. Lynyrd Skynyrd 5

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival 5

10. John Prine 5

11. The Doors

12. Janis Joplin/Big Brother & the Holding Company