Choose your Top 3 albums for each year!

I spent a few hours putting up this list. It's my personal Top 3 for each year from 1981 to 2014. I started with 1981 because that is the first year I have at least three albums from!. Feel free to start with another year.


1981
1. Anthony Philips - 1984
2. Tangerine Dream - Thief
3. Tangerine Dream - Exit

1982
1. Roxy Music - Avalon
2. Giorgio Moroder - Cat People
3. Vangelis - Blade Runner

1983
1. Simple Minds - Sparkle In The Rain
2. Vangelis - Antarctica
3. Tangerine Dream - Hyperborea

1984
1. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
2. Talk Talk - It's My Life
3. Tangerine Dream - Firestarter

1985
1. Simple Minds - Once Upon A Time
2. Michael Cretu - The Invisible Man
3. Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair

1986
1. David Foster - David Foster
2. Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring
3. Genesis - Invisible Touch

1987
1. Cock Robin - After Here Through Midland
2. Jan Hammer - Escape From Television
3. Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses

1988
1. Bruce Hornsby & The Range - Scenes From The Southside
2. Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden
3. Peter Cetera - One More Story

1989
1. Tears For Fears - The Seeds Of Love
2. Simple Minds - Street Fighting Years
3. Cock Robin - First Love/Last Rites

1990
1. Depeche Mode - Violator
2. Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour
3. Peter Maunu - Warm Sound In A Grey Field

1991
1. Electronic - Electronic
2. Simple Minds - Real Life
3. Patrick O'Hearn - Indigo

1992
1. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
2. Pat Metheny - Secret Story
3. Sandra - Close To Seven

1993
1. The Beloved - Conscience
2. Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith And Devotion
3. Øystein Sevåg - Link

1994
1. Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
2. Mike Oldfield - The Songs Of Distant Earth
3. Øystein Sevåg & Lakki Patey - Visual

1995
1. Simple Minds - Good News From The Next World
2. Deep Forest - Boheme
3. Vangelis - Voices

1996
1. Enigma - Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
2. The Beloved - X
3. Electronic - Raise The Pressure

1997
1. Depeche Mode - Ultra
2. End Of Orgy - Caramel Amer
3. Robert Miles - 23 A.M.

1998
1. Jon Jenkins - Flow
2. Seal - Human Being
3. Wes - Welenga

1999
1. New Order - Get Ready
2. Mick MacNeil - People Places Things
3. Secret Garden - Dawn Of A New Century

2000
1. Michael W. Smith - Freedom
2. Enigma - The Screen Behind The Mirror
3. Patrick O'Hearn - So Flows The Current

2001
1. Erik Wøllo - Wind Journey
2. W. G. Snuffy Walden - Music By
3. Green Isac - Groundrush

2002
1. Planet Funk - Non Zero Sumness
2. Peter Gabriel - Up
3. Vince DiCola - In-VINCE-ible!

2003
1. Bel Canto - Dorothy's Victory
2. BT - Monster
3. Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place

2004
1. Vangelis - Alexander
2. Keane - Hopes And Fears
3. Trevor Rabin - National Treasure

2005
1. Schiller - Tag Und Nacht
2. Jon Jenkins - Beyond City Light
3. Jerome Froese - Neptunes

2006
1. Maxxess - Offroad
2. Bermuda Triangle - 33 RPM
3. Pet Shop Boys - Fundamental

2007
1. Tangerine Dream - Madcap's Flaming Duty
2. Ulrich Schnauss . Goodbye
3. David Helpling & Jon Jenkins - Treasure

2008
1. Oceanlab - Sirens Of The Sea
2. Bit Pixel - The All Clear
3. William Joseph - Beyond

2009
1. Simple Minds - Graffiti Soul
2. Paul Hertzog - Freeing The Waters
3. Moonbooter - Cosmoclimax

2010
1. David Helpling & Jon Jenkins - The Crossing
2. Lostboy AKA Jim Kerr - Lostboy AKA Jim kerr
3. Erik Wøllo - Gateway

2011
1. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming!
2. Patrick O'Hearn - Transitions
3. Michael W. Smith - Glory

2012
1. Sverre Knut Johansen - Planets
2. Exchange - Eleven Eleven
3. Øystein Sevåg - Space For A Crowded World

2013
1. David Helpling & Jon Jenkins - Found
2. Loom - The Tree Hates The Forest
3. Pet Shop Boys - Electric

2014
1. Simple Minds - Big Music
2. Pink Floyd - The Endless River
3. Tangerine Dream - GTA5

My list:

1981
1. Jean Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields
2. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire OST
3. Tangerine Dream - Exit

1982
1. Jean Michel Jarre - The Concerts in China
2. Giorgio Moroder - Cat People
3. Vangelis - Blade Runner OST

1983
1. Klaus Schulze - Audentity
2. Edgar Froese - Pinnacles
3. Brian Eno - Apollo

1984
1. Jean Michel Jarre - Zoolook
2. Ray Linch - Deep Breakfast
3. Tangerine Dream - Poland

1985
1. Tangerine Dream - Le Parc
2. Harald Grosskopf - Oceanheart
3. Mark Shreeve - Legion

1986
1. Jean Michel Jarre - Rendez Vous
2. Constance Demby - Novus Magnificat
3. Johannes Schmoelling - Wuivend Riet

1987
1. Robert Schroeder - Time Waves
2. Jan Hammer - Escape From Television
3. David Arkenstone - Valley in the Clouds

1988
1. Vangelis - Direct
2. Jean Michel Jarre - Revolutions
3. Steve Roach - Dreamtime Return

1989
1. Depeche Mode - 101
2. Hans Zimmer - Black Rain OST
3. Lito Vitale - Viento Sur

1990
1. Kitaro - Kojiki
2. Mike Oldfield - Amarok
3. David Parsons - Yatra

1991
1. David Arkenstone - In the Wake of the Wind
2. David Lanz - Skyline Firedance
3. Peter Buffett - Lost Frontier

1992
1. Deep Forest - Deep Forest
2. Himekami - Zipangu
3. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells II

1993
1. Jean Michel Jarre - Chronologie
2. Yanni - In My Time
3. Øystein Sevåg - Link

1994
1. Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
2. Mike Oldfield - The Songs Of Distant Earth
3. Øystein Sevåg & Lakki Patey - Visual

1995
1. Robert Rich & B. Lustmord - Stalker
2. Michael Garrison - Live
3. Vangelis - Voices

1996
1. David Antony Clark - Before Africa
2. Alan Parsons - On Air
3. Vangelis - Oceanic

1997
1. John Foxx - Cathedral Oceans
2. Tangerine Dream - Oasis
3. Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene 7-13

1998
1. Vangelis - El Greco
2. Hans Zimmer - The Thin Red LIne OST
3. Redshift - Ether

1999
1. Rudy Adrian - Sub-Antarctica
2. Free System Projekt - Pointless Reminder
3. Frank Van Bogaert - Geographic

2000
1. Hans Zimmer - Gladiator OST
2. Rudy Adrian - Kinetic Flow (Sequencer Sketches vol.1)
3. Patrick O'Hearn - So Flows The Current

2001
1. Rudy Adrian - Iridiscence (Sequencer Sketches vol.2)
2. Telomere - Zoetosis
3. Johannes Schmoelling - White Out (re-recording)

2002
1. Under The Dome - Bellerophon
2. Rudy Adrian - Starfields (Sequencer Sketches vol.3)
3. Redshift - Wild

2003
1. VoLt - The Far Canal
2. Craig Padilla & Skip Murphy - Planetary Elements
3. Steve Roach - Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces

2004
1. Vangelis - Alexander OST
2. Frank Van Bogaert - Closer
3. Steve Roach - Places Beyond (The Lost Pieces Vol. 4)

2005
1. Arc - Arcturus
2. Can Atilla - Concorde
3. VoLt - Through the Rings

2006
1. Johannes Schmoelling - Instant City
2. Hans Zimmer - The Da Vinci Code OST
3. Redshift - Wild 2

2007
1. Frank Van Bogaert - Nomads
2. Redshift - Last
3. Arc - Fracture

2008
1. Steve Roach - Empetus (2 CD edition)
2. Redshift - Turning Toward us
3. Jeffrey Koepper - Sequentaria

2009
1. Johannes Schmoelling - A Thousand Times
2. Paul Ellis - The Last Hiding Place Of Beauty
3. Redshift - Wild 3

2010
1. David Helpling & Jon Jenkins - The Crossing
2. Arc - Church
3. Rene Splinter - Transit Realities

2011
1. Paul Ellis - From Out Of The Vast Comes Nearness
2. Steve Roach - Quiet Music (3 CD edition)
3. Redshift - Colder

2012
1. Loom - Scored
2. Rene Splinter - Singularities
3. Paul Ellis - I Am Here

2013
1. David Helpling & Jon Jenkins - Found
2. Loom - The Tree Hates The Forest
3. Rene Splinter - Modern Ruins

2014
1. Erren Fleissig Schottler Steffen - Night On Oudodorp
2. Pink Floyd - The Endless River
3. Hans Zimmer - Interstellar OST

That's all, Folks!

Impressive list, Alvaro! Thanks for taking the challenge!

I counted 16 titles we had in common on our lists. 1994 was identical!

I guess my list shows my interest for pop music with vocals more than yours, which is more plain electronic/instrumental.

Like you, I'm a fan of Hans Zimmer, but I often feel that his soundtracks don't quite work as a well-developed studio album. Not strange, as he often doesn't have much time to do them. Are you familiar with this limited 2CD version of Black Rain?

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Ra…ed+edition

So, here it is!

1981
- Kitaro - Tunhuang
- Robert Schroeder - Floating Music
- TD - Exit

1982
- TD - White Eagle
- Jarre - The Concerts in China
- Yazoo - Upstairs at Eric's

1983
- Vangelis - Antarctica
- KS - Audentity
- TD - Logos

1984
- Vangelis - Soil Festivities
- TD - Poland
- Stomu Yamash'ta - Sea & Sky

1985
- KS - Inter*Face
- Roger Eno - Voices
- Eddie Jobson - Theme of Secrets

1986 - nothing special! Sorry

1987
- Pet Shop Boys - Actually

1988
- Vangelis - Direct
- Recoil - Hydrology
- Currie / Howe - Transportation

1989
- Patrick O'Hearn - Eldorado
- Ash Ra Tempel - Walkin' The Desert
- TD - Lily On The Beach

1990
- Vangelis - The City
- DM - Violator
- Mike Oldfield - Amarok

1991
- KS - Beyond Recall

1992
- Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells II
- Michael Brook - Cobalt Blue
- Tomita - Storm From The East ost

1993
- Wakeman with Wakeman - No Expense Spared
- Yanni - In My Time
- KS - The Dome Event

1994
- Mike Oldfield - The Song of Distant Earth
- Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
- Cluster - One Hour

1995
- KS - In Blue
- Vangelis - Voices
- Tomita & KODO - Nasca Fantasy

1996
- KS - Are You Sequenced?
- Vangelis - Oceanic
- Sacred Spirit - Culture Clash

1997
- KS - Tradition and Vision
- Peter Mergener - Instinctive Traveller
- Jarre - Oxygene 7-13

1998
- Vangelis - El Greco
- Redshift - Ether
- Wendy Carlos - Tales of Heaven and Hell

1999
- Rick Wakeman - Return To The Centre of The Earth
- Kitaro - Thinking of You
- Roger Eno / Lol Hammond - Damage

2000
- Robert Fox - Talking Heads
- Roedelius - Roedeliusweg
- TD - The Seven Letters from Tibet

2001
- Irmin Schmidt & Kumo - Masters of Confusion
- Vangelis - Mythodea
- Peter Mergener - Wet Places

2002
- Redshift - Wild
- Jarre - Sessions 2000
- Klangwelt - Weltweit

2003 - nothing special! Sorry

2004
- Vangelis - Alexander ost
- Edgar Froese - DaliNETopia
- Redshift - Oblivion

2005
- TD - Jeanne D'Arc

2006
- Rick Wakeman - Retro

2007
- Vangelis - Blade Runner Trilogy * Vol. 3
- ARC - Fracture
- Jon Lord - Durham Concerto

2008 - nothing special! Sorry

2009 - nothing special! Sorry

2010 - nothing special! Sorry

2011
- ['ramp] - Steel and Steam
- Immram - The Voyage of the Corvus Corrone

2012 - nothing special! Sorry

2013
- Remy & My Breath My Music - Sessions 2012
- Sankt Otten - Gottes Synthesizer
- Von Hallgath - Intersection

2014
- Cosmic Ground - Cosmic Ground
- Node - Node 2
- Pink Floyd - The Endless River

That's all!