BORED BEFORE THE BANK...

     We have all been asked what our favorite music period is. My general answer is 1957-2000 with some stuff from before (it goes back as far as 1939) and some stuff later (it takes a while for new stuff to catch on with me) with the main period being the mid-1970s to mid-1980s and then the late-1950s to mid-1960s as my second favorite.

     Based loosely on a conversation I had the other day, I decided to find out if this holds water. I did an (admittedly) unscientific survey of all the albums I own. Now, these are albums, not compilations. Those will have to wait for another survey.

     I own a total of 198 albums. I have every year from 1963-2009 represented at least once with the exception of 2007 and two albums from 1959. My oldest album is "An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer" and my most recent is "Raditude" by Weezer.

     The results show five or more albums for the years 1967-1971 (1970 peeks with 7. That was the year the now ex-Beatles released their first solo albums) and another period of five or more albums for the years 1976-1986 (with the exception of 1984 which has 3 so 1976-1983 if you wanna get technical). There's also a third period from 1991-1997 (with the exception of 1992 having only 3). 1998-2001 are all tied at 4 each.

     The only 21st century artist I have three or more albums for is John Mayer. Every one else got their start in the 20th century.

1959 - 2     1971 - 5     1981 - 8     1991 - 7     2001 - 4
                  1972 - 2     1982 - 8     1992 - 3     2002 - 3
1963 - 2     1973 - 5     1983 - 6     1993 - 5     2003 - 2
1964 - 2     1974 - 4     1984 - 3     1994 - 5     2004 - 2
1965 - 4     1975 - 2     1985 - 5     1995 - 6     2005 - 2
1966 - 1     1976 - 7     1986 - 6     1996 - 5     2006 - 1
1967 - 6     1977 - 6     1987 - 3     1997 - 5    
1968 - 5     1978 - 9     1988 - 3     1998 - 4     2008 - 1
1969 - 5     1979 - 6     1989 - 5     1999 - 4     2009 - 1
1970 - 7     1980 - 6     1990 - 1     2000 - 4

The year 1978 is the clear winner. The albums I have from that year are as follows:

1978:

52nd Street - Billy Joel (singles: Big Shot, My Life, Honesty)
U.K. Squeeze - Squeeze (single: Take Me I'm Yours)
And Then There Were Three - Genesis (single: Follow You Follow Me)
Peter Gabriel II - Peter Gabriel (single: D.I.Y.)
Octave - The Moody Blues (single: Steppin' in a Slide Zone)
More Songs About Buildings and Food - Talking Heads (single: Take Me to the River)
The Cars - The Cars (singles: Let the Good Times Roll, My Best Friend's Girl, Just What I Needed, etc.)
Parallel Lines - Blondie (singles: Hanging on the Telephone, One Way or Another, Heart of Glass, etc.)
But Seriously Folks - John Walsh (single: Life's Been Good)

1981: (tied for third)

Argybargy - Squeeze (singles: Pulling Mussels, Another Nail for My Heart, If I Didn't Love You)
East Side Story - Squeeze (singles: Tempted, Is That Love)
Abacab - Genesis (singles: Abacab, No Reply at All, Man on the Corner)
Face Value - Phil Collins (singles: In the Air Tonight, I Missed Again)
Long Distance Voyager - The Moody Blues (singles: Gemini Dream; 22,000 Days)
Shake It Up - The Cars (singles: Shake It Up, Since You're Gone, I'm Not the One)
Somewhere in England - George Harrison (singles: All Those Years Ago, Life Itself)
Time - Electric Light Orchestra (singles: Hold on Tight, Twilight, The Lights Go Down)

1982: (tied for third)

The Nylon Curtain - Billy Joel (singles: Allentown, Pressure)
Sweets from a Stranger - Squeeze (single: Black Coffee in Bed)
Security - Peter Gabriel (single: Shock the Monkey)
Hello, I Must Be Going - Phil Collins (singles: I Don't Care Anymore, Can't Hurry Love)
Beatitude - Ric Ocasek (single: Jimmy Jimmy)
Gone Troppo - George Harrison (singles: Wake Up My Love, That's the Way It Goes, Gone Troppo)
Abracadabra - Steve Miller (single: Abracadabra)
Business As Usual - Men at Work (singles: Who Can It Be Now?, Down Under, Underground, etc.)

Make of this information as you wish. When I get bored again, I'll see how my collection of singles adds up.

(originally posted in That Other Journal on August 16, 2010)