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Acclaimed Music: The 50 best years (part 1)

Taking AM's rankings of 6 best albums and songs per release year, using Henrik's logarythmic formula, what would be the top years?

Some information before we shoot off with the top 50:
- 59 release years have at least one album in the AM 3000.
- 92 release years have at least one song in the AM 3000.
- 92 release years have at least one song or album in the AM 3000.
- All years before 1954 did not make it to any top 50 (not in the album year top 50, song year top 50, nor overall year top 50). That leaves us with only 53 years, the years 1954-2006.

Bubbling under are:
#53: 1962 (album rank: 50, song rank: 47)
#52: 1954 (53, 25)
#51: 1961 (49, 33)

This is part 1 of the countdown, position 50 down to 41.

#50: 1955

Album rank: 52

Song rank: 17

Top albums:
224 - Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours
683 - Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
743 - Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown - Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
1310 - Count Basie - Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings
1509 - Dinah Washington - Dinah Jams
1547 - Dizzy Gillespie - Groovin' High

Top songs:
28 - Little Richard - Tutti Frutti
78 - Chuck Berry - Maybellene
85 - Elvis Presley - Mystery Train
177 - Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
240 - Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy
329 - The Platters - The Great Pretender

#49: 1960

Album rank: 48

Song rank: 27

Top albums:
373 - Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
399 - Bobby Bland - Two Steps from the Blues
557 - Muddy Waters - Muddy Waters at Newport
560 - Elvis Presley - Elvis Is Back!
690 - Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
754 - Gil Evans - Out of the Cool

Top songs:
98 - The Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow
139 - Roy Orbison - Only the Lonely
146 - Patsy Cline - Crazy
209 - Chubby Checker - The Twist
260 - The Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown
322 - Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind

#48: 1981

Album rank: 46

Song rank: 30

Top albums:
214 - The Human League - Dare!
327 - Brian Eno - David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
405 - Black Flag - Damaged
495 - Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith
549 - Kraftwerk - Computer Welt
606 - X - Wild Gift

Top songs:
95 - The Specials - Ghost Town
148 - Soft Cell - Tainted Love
184 - The Human League - Don't You Want Me
246 - R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
250 - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel
446 - Laurie Anderson - O Superman

#47: 1958

Album rank: 51

Song rank: 13

Top albums:
546 - Miles Davis - Porgy & Bess
625 - Frank Sinatra - Sings for Only the Lonely
639 - Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
712 - Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else
781 - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
829 - Miles Davis - Milestones

Top songs:
6 - Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
79 - Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues
152 - Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
171 - The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do Is Dream
245 - Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly
262 - The Coasters - Yakety Yak

#46: 1990

Album rank: 44

Song rank: 39

Top albums:
124 - Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
296 - Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
354 - Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
371 - Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
449 - Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory
461 - Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour

Top songs:
100 - Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
185 - Deee-Lite - Groove Is in the Heart
254 - The LA's - There She Goes
352 - Happy Mondays - Step On
399 - Primal Scream - Loaded
469 - Garth Brooks - Friends in Low Places

#45: 1999

Album rank: 39

Song rank: 50

Top albums:
138 - The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
222 - Moby - Play
226 - Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
265 - Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
320 - Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I See a Darkness
361 - Basement Jaxx - Remedy

Top songs:
170 - Eminem - My Name Is
212 - TLC - No Scrubs
356 - Aphex Twin - Window Licker
411 - Britney Spears - Baby One More Time
579 - Santana Feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth
602 - Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

#44: 1985

Album rank: 30

Song rank: 53

Top albums:
82 - The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
123 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
228 - Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
252 - The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
263 - Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good
436 - Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising

Top songs:
234 - Madonna - Into the Groove
434 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
445 - Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
540 - The Jesus and Mary Chain - Never Understand
599 - The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
714 - Doug E. Fresh - The Show

#43: 1996

Album rank: 31

Song rank: 52

Top albums:
55 - Beck - Odelay
103 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing.....
289 - Fugees - The Score
308 - Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die
341 - Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
447 - Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go

Top songs:
167 - The Prodigy - Firestarter
407 - Beck - Where It's At
495 - Blackstreet Feat. Dr. Dre - No Diggity
570 - The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
688 - Manic Street Preachers - A Design for Life
751 - Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! (Got You All in Check)

#42: 2002

Album rank: 42

Song rank: 44

Top albums:
115 - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
194 - The Streets - Original Pirate Material
283 - Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
321 - The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
353 - Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights
369 - Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf

Top songs:
149 - Missy Misdemeanor Elliott - Work It
210 - The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers
267 - LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge
346 - Eminem - Lose Yourself
480 - Johnny Cash - Hurt
520 - Electric Six - Danger! High Voltage

#41: 1957

Album rank: 47

Song rank: 14

Top albums:
329 - The Crickets - The Chirpin' Crickets
382 - Little Richard - Here's Little Richard
429 - Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
613 - John Coltrane - Blue Train
657 - Count Basie - The Atomic Mr. Basie/The Complete Atomic Basie
733 - Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane

Top songs:
43 - The Crickets - That'll Be the Day
64 - Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
104 - Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue
124 - Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire
144 - The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love
189 - Sam Cooke - You Send Me

Re: Acclaimed Music: The 50 best years (part 1)

So, enough material to keep you busy for a while. Hope to post part 2 tomorrow ...

Re: Acclaimed Music: The 50 best years (part 1)

Looks fantastic, Andre!

Re: Acclaimed Music: The 50 best years (part 1)

Excellent stuff. Very interesting, especially to see how highly ranked the 50s years are in the song ranks.