What's the saddest thing to happen to music this year? The death of Sandy West from the Runaways? the death of Freddy Fender? The death of Arthur Lee? the dead of Syd Barrett? The closing of record stores? The closing of CBGBs? the breakup of Sleater-Kinney? the end of Top of the Pops? etc.

Didn't George Harrison die this year too? Or was that last year?

It's been a little while now. Maybe about 4 or 5 years

Truly great music died on April 5th, 1994

And Radiohead is the afterlife

The fact there was no really good albums this year I think.

This is is by far the most improved year of the decade. Pop music wasn't nearly as sleazy and women finally dominated.

Claptrap. Women dominated? Who exactly?

the past year blew. So did the year before. The music industry is going through the biggest change it's ever faced and that means that all real music is on hold until it stabilizes and reestablishes itself in the marketplace. No one's really sure what this new manifestation will look like but the product will probably be digital not physical and it will probably be led by small independent auteurs rather than mainstream celebrities. The music industry dropped from a 42 to 37 billion dollar industry. Once the new technology and average age of the population is considered they're predicting it to rise to 54 billion dollars by 2010. Right now we're enduring the calm before the storm. In a couple years expect things to explode.

Neko Case, Cat Power, Corin Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall, Natasha Beddingfied, Camera Obscura, Isobell Campbell, the Gossip, the Long Blondes, Joanna Newsom,(though I think she's overrated), Lily Allen, the Pipettes, the Concretes, Lady Sovereign, Nelly Furtado, Pink, Goldfrapp (late 05), Christina Aguilarra, Regina Spektor, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beth Orton, Jenny Lewis, Rosanne Cash, the Dixie Chicks, Serena Maneesh, the Be Good Tanyas, Ladyfuzz, Go Betty Go, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Nelly McKay, the Ditty Bops, Be Your Own Pet, Smoosh... that's just scrapping the barrel. Pop music was good to us this year. Less sluts making records and more motivated songwriters.

KT Tunstall was last year. And most of those you list arent even that good. Try again.

Oh sorry! The one mistake I make and of course you have to correct me. She made it big in 06. We also had the Grates, Los Abondoned, the Horrors, the High Violets, the Handcuffs, the Roger Sisters, Dressy Bessy, the Randies, the Oohlas, Ultra Violet, the Sounds. No wonder you didn't like music this year. You're probably one of those music snobs that listens to Pavement, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. Sorry if you have some kind prejudice against women but this was a great year because of them.

Oh yeah also Imogen Heap!

any possibility to exclude tim AND bullfinch? they both suck

Why? What did I do :-(

Absolutely nothing. No one who talks about the music he/she likes should be punished for that.

Congratulations SWYK on not talking about music at all.

What about excluding SWYK ?
Isn't it a good idea ?

yea, it kinda sucks that arthur lee died. but it's all good.

No, honestly, you both (tim and bullfinch) explicitely DON'T SUCK. it's my alter ego who does (SWYK is just a reference to one of these racist idiots continuously posting irrelevant comments on topix.net). and though BF suspiciously often seems to tend downhill if it comes to judge contemporary (pop) music in general (that's my ole daddy talking), the argument between you two was essential to what AM's supposed to be, and I just meant to spit fuel into the fire to keep the post alive... and hell, it fairly worked!
thus, in excuse of the stupid intervention I provoked, herewith I exclude myself personally from AMF in order to save and retransform the remnants into my former self. There's another annual EOY list on AM getting little by little into shape..

John Lennon 1980
Harry Nilsson 1994
George Harrison 2004
My Friends should never die before I

Big Bopper, Richie Valens and Buddy Holly,
Why were they together on that plane? they wrote a song together which was not a hit but if you listen now they still say something. "Its all right." Recorded by Blind Faith back in the day. The Music died for me when John Lennon died. My dad came over to me and daid "See, all of these rock guys die from drugs." I just said "He was shot to death by a crazy fool." I had the chance to know him and even got a tip or two about writing and on guitar. Harry was a pisser and when he died my guitar went in its case. What a loss for me. Yoko always said she wished it was her instead of John. I agree for the first time in my life. Well John, Harry and all the others, In my Life I loved you more.

George Harrison died in 2001.

But I think the biggest music legend who died this year was James Brown, who passed away today.