Having completed my Best Albums of 2021 report earlier this week, I am reminded that it has been awhile since I’ve updated my running list of most-loved albums, so I’m going to remedy that situation today. As I’ve noted for background before, I’ve been keeping lists of my favorite albums since the very early ’70s, when I was a grade school Steppenwolf fan. My tastes have evolved dramatically over the years (though I still like Steppenwolf), so I review and update this list periodically, dropping things that haven’t aged well, and adding new things that excite me and seem to have staying power.

For many years, this was a “Top 100 List,” but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve felt entitled to expand the roster beyond the century mark, since I’ve listened to a whole lot more music now than I had when I was a whole lot younger. I also used to exclude “Greatest Hits” and other compilation or live albums, but I’ve gotten less uptight about that, too, since for some artists, their best work may have appeared on singles that only saw long-form release via “Best Of” collections.

So here’s the update, in alphabetical order by artist name. Maybe you’ll be reminded of some old favorites and give ’em some nostalgia spins. Or maybe you’ll find something new to rock your home world. Or maybe you’ll just sigh and wonder what the hell goes on in my head to produce an all-over-the-place listing like this. It’s all good. As is the music.

1. 54-40: 54-40
2. Arab Strap: As Days Get Dark
3. Asian Dub Foundation: Rafi’s Revenge
4. Bauhaus: The Sky’s Gone Out
5. Bee Gees: Main Course
6. Birthday Party: Mutiny/The Bad Seed
7. Blacc, Aloe: All Love Everything
8. Bogmen: Life Begins at 40 Million
9. Bongwater: The Power of Pussy
10. Bonzo Dog Band: Keynsham
11. Bonzo Dog Band: The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse
12. Bowie, David: Low
13. Bowie, David: “Heroes”
14. Bowie, David: Lodger
15. Buggy Jive: The Buggy Jive Mix Tape
16. Buggy Jive: The B-Side
17. Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey
18. Bush, Kate: Hounds of Love
19. Butthole Surfers: Hairway to Steven
20. Butthole Surfers: Locust Abortion Technician
21. Camberwell Now: All’s Well
22. Cave, Nick and the Bad Seeds: Henry’s Dream
23. Chap: Mega Breakfast
24. Christian Death: Catastrophe Ballet
25. Chrome Hoof: Pre-Emptive False Rapture
26. Clash: Combat Rock
27. Clash: London Calling
28. Cleveland, Reverend James: Sings Songs of Dedication
29. Clutch: Book of Bad Decisions
30. Clutch: Elephant Riders
31. Clutch: Robot Hive/Exodus
32. Coil: Horse Rotorvator
33. Coil: The Ape of Naples
34. Collins, Phil: Face Value
35. Coup: Sorry to Bother You
36. Coup: Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack
37. Cramps: Bad Music for Bad People
38. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Déjà Vu
39. Culture: Two Sevens Clash
40. Cup and Ring: Cup and Ring
41. Dälek: Absence
42. Dälek: Gutter Tactics
43. Death Grips: Ex-Military
44. Death Grips: Government Plates
45. Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
46. Dogbowl: Flan
47. Dogg, Snoop: BUSH
48. Dolenz, Micky: Dolenz Sings Nesmith
49. Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment: Surf
50. Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg
51. Dunnery, Francis: Tall Blonde Helicopter
52. Eagles: Desperado
53. Einstürzende Neubauten: Haus der Lüge
54. Einstürzende Neubauten: Halber Mensch
55. Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Tarkus
56. Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
57. Eno, Brian: Here Come the Warm Jets
58. Eno, Brian: Another Green World
59. Eno, Brian: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
60. Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking
61. Fairport Convention: What We Did On Our Holidays
62. Fall: Hex Enduction Hour
63. Fall: Slates (EP)
64. Fall: The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)
65. Fall: Imperial Wax Solvent
66. Family: Bandstand
67. Family: Fearless
68. First Aid Kit: Stay Gold
69. First Aid Kit: Ruins
70. Fleetwood Mac: Future Games
71. Fleetwood Mac: Rumours
72. Focus: Live At The Rainbow
73. Funkadelic: Maggotbrain
74. Gabriel, Peter: Peter Gabriel (III/Melt)
75. Gang of Four: Entertainment!
76. Gang of Four: Songs of the Free
77. Geils, J. Band: Freeze Frame
78. Genesis: Duke
79. Genesis: Abacab
80. Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
81. Genesis: Wind and Wuthering
82. Good Rats: Tasty
83. Grateful Dead: American Beauty
84. Grateful Dead: Workingman’s Dead
85. Hall, Daryl: Sacred Songs
86. Hanslick Rebellion: The Rebellion is Here
87. Hitchcock, Robyn and the Egyptians: Element of Light
88. Hogg: Solar Phallic Lion
89. Hogg: Self-Extinguishing Emission
90. Human Sexual Response: Fig. 14
91. Human Sexual Response: In a Roman Mood
92. Hüsker Dü: Zen Arcade
93. Jarre, Jean-Michel: Equinoxe
94. Jesu/Sun Kil Moon: Jesu/Sun Kil Moon
95. Jethro Tull: Songs From the Wood
96. Jethro Tull: Heavy Horses
97. Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick
98. Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures
99. Joy Division: Closer
100. Juluka: Scatterlings
101. Kamikaze Hearts: Oneida Road
102. Kaukonen, Jorma: Quah
103. Keineg, Katell: Jet
104. Killdozer: Twelve Point Buck
105. Killers: Imploding the Mirage
106. Killers: Pressure Machine
107. King Crimson: Starless and Bible Black
108. King Crimson: In The Court of the Crimson King
109. Kraftwerk: Minimum-Maximum
110. Kurki-Suonio, Sanna: Musta
111. Lateef, Yusef: Eastern Sounds
112. Lateef, Yusef: The Complete Yusef Lateef
113. Laurels, L
114. London, Theophilus: Bebey
115. Magma: Üdü Ẁüdü
116. McCartney, Paul: McCartney II
117. McCartney, Paul: McCartney III
118. Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell
119. Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime
120. Mitchel, Joni: For the Roses
121. Mitchell, John Cameron and Stephen Trask: Hedwig And The Angry Inch
122. Mos Def: The Ecstatic
123. Mould, Bob: District Line
124. Napalm Death: Time Waits For No Slave
125. Napalm Death: Utilitarian
126. Napalm Death: Apex Predator — Easy Meat
127. Napalm Death: Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
128. New Order: Movement
129. New Order: Power, Corruption and Lies
130. Nyman, Michael: A Zed and Two Noughts (Original Soundtrack)
131. Palmer, Robert: Pride
     
132. Phair, Liz: Exile in Guyville
133. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon
134. Pink Floyd: Animals
135. Pink Floyd: The Wall
136. Presley, Elvis: Peace In The Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings
137. Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet
138. Public Enemy: Apocalypse ’91 . . . The Enemy Strikes Black
139. Public Enemy: What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?
140. R.E.M.: Life’s Rich Pageant
141. Renaldo and the Loaf: Songs for Swinging Larvae
142. Replacements: Let It Be
143. Residents: Animal Lover
144. Residents: Demons Dance Alone
145. Residents: Wormwood
146. Richman, Jonathan: It’s Time For . . .
147. Richman, Jonathan: Ishkode! Ishkode!
148. Rolling Stones: Exile on Main St.
149. Rolling Stones: Tattoo You
150. Rundgren, Todd: Healing
151. Run The Jewels: RTJ4
152. Sepultura: Roots
153. Shah, Nadine: Kitchen Sink
154. Simon & Garfunkel: Sounds of Silence
155. Simple Minds: Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call
156. Snog: Last of the Great Romantics
157. Snog: Lullabies for the Lithium Age
158. Sparks: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
159. Special A.K.A.: In the Studio
160. Steely Dan: Aja
161. Steely Dan: The Royal Scam
162. Steppenwolf: Gold
163. Swans: Filth
164. Swans: Holy Money
165. Talking Heads: Fear of Music
166. Tastee, Gay: Songs for the Sodomites
167. Television Personalities: Closer to God
168. Ten Years After: Cricklewood Green
169. The The: Soul Mining
170. This Heat: Deceit
171. Tosh, Peter: Mama Africa
172. Tosh, Peter: Equal Rights
173. Tracey, Stan Quartet: Under Milk Wood: Jazz Suite
174. Tragic Mulatto: Italians Fall Down and Look Up Your Dress
175. Tsukerman, Slava et. al.: Liquid Sky (Original Soundtrack)
176. Utopia: Utopia
177. Utopia: Swing to the Right
178. Various Artists: If You Can’t Please Yourself You Can’t, Please Your Soul
179. Various Artists: The Harder They Come (Original Soundtrack Recording)
180. Wailer, Bunny: Blackheart Man
181. Wall of Voodoo: Happy Planet
182. Wall of Voodoo: Seven Days in Sammystown
183. Wasted: We Are Already in Hell
184. Weasels: Uranus or Bust
185. Weasels: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
186. Who: Who’s Next
187. Who: Tommy
188. Wings: Band on the Run
189. Wings: Venus and Mars
190. Wire: The Ideal Copy/Snakedrill
     
191. Wire: It’s Beginning To And Back Again
192. Wishbone Ash: Argus
193. Xiu Xiu: Angel Guts: Red Classroom
194. Xiu Xiu: Girl With Basket of Fruit
195. XTC: Black Sea
196. XTC: English Settlement
197. Yes: The Yes Album
198. Young, Neil and Crazy Horse: re-ac-tor
199. Zappa, Frank and the Mothers of Invention: One Size Fits All
200. Zappa, Frank: Joe’s Garage, Parts I, II and III

A very early favorite album, still on the big list, half-a-century later.