Top 5 Albums 1964-2012
(Listed by year of release instead of chart peak)

 
2012

1. The Wallflowers - Glad All Over
2. Owl City - The Midsummer Station
3. Rita Wilson - AM/FM
4. Passion Pit - Gossamer
5. Dwight Yoakam - 3 Pears

 
2011

1. Ashton Shepherd - Where Country Grows
2. Dolly Parton - Better Day
3. Chris Isaak - Beyond the Sun
4. Adele - 21
5. The Kooks - Junk of the Heart

 
2010

1. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
2. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
3. Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces
4. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
5. Sade - Soldier of Love

 
2009

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. The Mary Onettes - Islands
3. Rosanne Cash - The List
4. Bad Lieutenant - Never Cry Another Tear
5. Patty Loveless - Mountain Soul II

 
2008

1. The B-52's - Funplex
2. The Kooks - Konk
3. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
4. Patty Loveless - Sleepless Nights
5. The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

 
2007

1. Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo
2. The Mary Onettes - The Mary Onettes
3. Roisin Murphy - Overpowered
4. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
5. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long

 
2006

1. Head Automatica - Popaganda
2. Keane - Under the Iron Sea
3. Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
4. Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
5. Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun

 

2005

1. Coldplay - X&Y
2. Bananarama - Drama
3. Keane - Hopes & Fears
4. Doves - Some Cities
5. Dolly Parton - Those Were the Days

 
2004

1. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
2. The Trash Can Sinatras - Weightlifting
3. Duran Duran - Astronaut
4. Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
5. Morrissey - You Are the Quarry

 
2003

1. Rosanne Cash - Rules of Travel
2. The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart
3. Jody Watley - Midnight Lounge
4. Deana Carter - I'm Just a Girl
5. Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow

 
2002

1. Dolly Parton - Halos and Horns
2. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
3. Dixie Chicks - Home
4. Chris Isaak - Always Got Tonight
5. Keith Urban - Golden Road

 
2001

1. Cher - Living Proof
2. Suzanne Vega - Songs in Red and Gray
3. Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter
4. Daft Punk - Discovery
5. Dolly Parton - Little Sparrow

 
2000

1. Coldplay - Parachutes
2. Doves - Lost Souls
3. Sade - Lovers Rock
4. Dwight Yoakam - Tomorrow's Sounds Today
5. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl

 
1999

1. Everything But the Girl - Temperamental
2. Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
3. The Pretenders - ¡Viva el Amor!
4. Backstreet Boys - Millennium
5. The Art of Noise - The Seduction of Claude Debussy

 
1998

1. Madonna - Ray of Light
2. Cher - Believe
3. The High Llamas - Cold and Bouncy
4. The Cardigans - Gran Turismo
5. Garbage - Version 2.0

 
1997

1. Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing
2. Dwight Yoakam - Under The Covers
3. Björk - Homogenic
4. Shania Twain - Come on Over
5. Erasure - Cowboy

 
1996

1. Cher - It's a Man's World
2. Everything But the Girl - Walking Wounded
3. Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs
4. The Cardigans - First Band on the Moon
5. Lush - Lovelife

 
1995

1. The 6ths - Wasps' Nests
2. The Bucketheads - All in the Mind
3. Gene - Olympian
4. The Cardigans - Life
5. Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball

 
1994

1. Pam Tillis - Sweetheart's Dance
2. Deee-Lite - Dewdrops in the Garden
3. Morrissey - Vauxhall and I
4. Mary J. Blige - My Life
5. Crystal Waters - Storyteller

 
1993

1. Carlene Carter - Little Love Letters
2. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
3. Rosanne Cash - The Wheel
4. Chris Isaak - San Francisco Days
5. Patty Loveless - Only What I Feel

 
1992

1. Meat Beat Manifesto - Satyricon
2. Catherine Wheel - Ferment
3. Suzanne Vega - 99.9° F
4. k.d. lang - Ingenue
5. Sade - Love Deluxe

 
1991

1. Electronic - Electronic
2. 808 State - Ex-El
3. R.E.M. - Out of Time
4. Enya - Shepherd Moons
5. U2 - Achtung Baby

 
1990

1. Rosanne Cash - Interiors
2. Carlene Carter - I Fell in Love
3. World Party - Goodbye Jumbo
4. Candyflip - Madstock
5. Ernie Isley - High Wire

 
1989

1. k.d.lang - Absolute Torch and Twang
2. The Cure - Disintegration
3. Peter Murphy - Deep
4. New Order - Technique
5. Deborah Harry - Def, Dumb, and Blonde

 
1988

1. Sade - Stronger Than Pride
2. Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll
3. Crowded House - Temple of Low Men
4. The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane
5. Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust

 
1987

1. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris - Trio
2. Rosanne Cash - King's Record Shop
3. The Railway Children - Reunion Wilderness
4. Eurythmics - Savage
5. George Michael - Faith

 
1986

1. The Art of Noise - In Visible Silence
2. New Order - Brotherhood
3. Peter Gabriel - So
4. Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
5. Grace Jones - Inside Story

 
1985

1. Propaganda - A Secret Wish
2. The Smiths - Meat is Murder
3. Scritti Politti - Cupid and Psyche '85
4. Chris Isaak - Silvertone
5. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

 
1984

1. Bananarama - Bananarama
2. Tina Turner - Private Dancer
3. Sade - Diamond Life
4. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
5. King - Steps in Time

 
1983

1. The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
2. Eurythmics - Touch
3. The The - Soul Mining
4. Shalamar - The Look
5. Tears for Fears - The Hurting

 
1982

1. Kate Bush - The Dreaming
2. Bananarama - Deep Sea Skiving
3. ABC - The Lexicon of Love
4. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
5. Michael Jackson - Thriller

 
1981

1. Kraftwerk - Computer World
2. The Go-Go's - Beauty and the Beat
3. The Pretenders - II
4. Rosanne Cash - Seven Year Ache
5. Grace Jones - Living My Life

 
1980

1. Diana Ross - diana
2. The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
3. Linda Ronstadt - Mad Love
4. The Pretenders - The Pretenders
5. Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs

 
1979

1. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
2. The B-52's - The B-52's
3. Donna Summer - Bad Girls
4. Dolly Parton - Great Balls of Fire
5. Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery

 
1978

1. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
2. Kraftwerk - The Man Machine
3. Dolly Parton - Heartbreaker
4. Blondie - Parallel Lines
5. The Pointer Sisters - Energy

 
1977

1. Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams
2. Mary Kay Place - Aimin' to Please
3. Rita Coolidge - Anytime…Anywhere
4. Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again
5. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

 
1976

1. Linda Ronstadt - Hasten Down the Wind
2. Mary Kay Place - Tonite! At the Capri Lounge Loretta Haggers
3. Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
4. Natalie Cole - Natalie
5. Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record

 
1975

1. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
2. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
3. Natalie Cole - Inseparable
4. Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner in Disguise
5. Earth, Wind, & Fire - That's the Way of the World

 
1974

1. Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel
2. Dolly Parton - Jolene
3. Cher - Dark Lady
4. John Denver - Back Home Again
5. Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale

 
1973

1. Cher - Half Breed
2. Dolly Parton - My Tennesee Mountain Home
3. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Imagination
4. The Staple Singers - Be What You Are
5. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

 
1972

1. The Eagles - The Eagles
2. Neil Young - Harvest
3. Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner - Together Always
4. Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted, and Black
5. Curtis Mayfield - Superfly

 
1971

1. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
2. Carole King - Tapestry
3. The Doors - L.A. Woman
4. Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors
5. Cat Stevens - Teaser and the Firecat

 
1970

1. The Doors - Morrison Hotel
2. Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner - Porter Wayne And Dolly Rebecca
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
4. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - Déjà Vu
5. Santana - Abraxas

 
1969

1. Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis
2. Sly & The Family Stone - Stand!
3. Cher - 3614 Jackson Highway
4. Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline
5. The Beatles - Abbey Road

 
1968

1. Wendy Carlos - Switched on Bach
2. The Doors - Waiting for the Sun
3. Tammy Wynette - Stand by Your Man
4. Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now
5. Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul

 
1967

1. The Doors - Strange Days
2. The Doors - The Doors
3. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. Dolly Parton - Hello, I'm Dolly
5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

 
1966

1. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
2. The Beatles - Revolver
3. The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
4. The Four Tops - Reach Out
5. The Supremes - The Supremes A' Go-Go

 
1965

1. The Beatles - Rubber Soul
2. Sonny & Cher - Look at Us
3. Horace Silver - Song for My Father
4. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream and Other Delights
5. The Supremes - More Hits by the Supremes

 
1964

1. The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
2. Dionne Warwick - Make Way for Dionne Warwick
3. Skeeter Davis - Let Me Get Close to You
4. The Four Tops - The Four Tops
5. The Ronettes - Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes