NME Album of the Year

Every December, British music magazine NME compiles a list of what it considers the best albums of the year. It was started in 1974. The list is usually published in one of the issues sold before Christmas – in 2006 it was published in the issue for December the 9th. The companion list is NME single of the year.

The NME Album of the Year list is compiled by the music reviewers and independent journalists who work for the magazine and for NME.com. Each picks his or her top 20 albums of the year and hands them in to the editor. An album marked at Number One gets 20 points, Number Two gets 19 points and so on until the 20th, which gets one point. All of the points from the various top 20s are then gathered together and the overall favourites are worked out and ranked for publication in the official list. The album with the most points overall is Number One in the list, the one with the second most points is Number Two and so on.

Sometimes, winners may change in the NME Awards. For example, the NME Album of the Year for 2000 was Rated R by Queens of the Stone Age, with XTRMNTR by Primal Scream in 2nd place, XTRMNTR was later voted the best album of 2000 however in the NME Carling Awards 2001.

Albums of the Year

YearArtistAlbumTop five1974Steely DanPretzel Logic 2nd: The Rolling Stones – It's Only Rock 'n' Roll 3rd: Bob Dylan – Before the Flood 4th: Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard 5th: Todd Rundgren – Todd1975Blood on the Tracks 2nd: Bob Marley & The Wailers – Natty Dread 3rd: Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live 4th: Little Feat – The Last Record Album 5th: Nils Lofgren – Nils Lofgren1976Desire 2nd: David Bowie – Station to Station 3rd: Dr. Feelgood – Stupidity 4th: Graham Parker – Heat Treatment 5th: The Ramones – The Ramones1977 2nd: Ian Dury – New Boots and Panties!! 3rd: Elvis Costello – My Aim is True 4th: Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols 5th: Television – Marquee Moon1978Darkness on the Edge of Town 2nd: The Jam – All Mod Cons 3rd: Elvis Costello – This Year's Model 4th: Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings & Food 5th: Culture – Africa Stand Alone1979Talking HeadsFear of Music 2nd: Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box 3rd: Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures 4th: The Jam – Setting Sons 5th: Gang of Four – Entertainment!1980Joy DivisionCloser 2nd: Elvis Costello – Get Happy!! 3rd: The Beat – I Just Can't Stop It 4th: Black Uhuru – Sinsemilla 5th: Holger Czukay – Movies1981Nightclubbing 2nd: Kraftwerk – Computer World 3rd: Black Uhuru – Red 4th: The Beat – Wha'ppen? 5th: Heaven 17 – Penthouse and Pavement1982Midnight Love 2nd: Elvis Costello – Imperial Bedroom 3rd: ABC – The Lexicon of Love 4th: The Clash – Combat Rock 5th: Dexy's Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Ay1983Punch the Clock 2nd: Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombone 3rd: Billy Bragg – Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy 4th: Soft Cell – The Art of Falling Apart 5th: Michael Jackson – Thriller1984 2nd: Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA 3rd: The Special AKA – In the Studio 4th: Womack and Womack – Love Wars 5th: Scott Walker – Climate of Hunter1985Rain Dogs 2nd: The Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy 3rd: The Velvet Underground – VU 4th: Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen 5th: Madness – Mad Not Mad1986Prince & The RevolutionParade 2nd: Anita Baker – Rapture 3rd: Janet Jackson – Control 4th: Sonic Youth – Evol 5th: Cameo – Word Up!1987Public EnemyYo! Bum Rush the Show 2nd: Prince – Sign o' the Times 3rd: The Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come 4th: Sonic Youth – Sister 5th: Tom Waits – Frank's Wild Years1988Public EnemyIt Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back 2nd: Van Morrison and the Chieftains – Irish Heartbeat 3rd: R.E.M. – Green 4th: Morrissey – Viva Hate 5th: The Todd Terry Project – To the Batmobile Let's Go1989De La Soul3 Feet and Rising 2nd: The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses 3rd: Lou Reed – New York 4th: Pixies – Doolittle 5th: New Order – Technique1990Happy MondaysPills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches 2nd: Sinéad O'Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got 3rd: Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet 4th: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Ragged Glory 5th: James – Gold Mother1991NirvanaNevermind 2nd: Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque 3rd: Primal Scream – Screamadelica 4th: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Weld 5th: R.E.M. – Out of Time1992SugarCopper Blue 2nd: R.E.M. – Automatic for the People 3rd: Spiritualized – Lazer Guided Melodies 4th: The Lemonheads – It's a Shame About Ray 5th: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Henry's Dream1993BjörkDebut 2nd: The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps 3rd: Suede – Suede 4th: The Lemonheads – Come on Feel the Lemonheads 5th: Belly – Star1994OasisDefinitely Maybe 2nd: Blur – Parklife 3rd: Beastie Boys – Ill Communication 4th: Nirvana – Unplugged in New York 5th: Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible1995TrickyMaxinquaye 2nd: Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory 3rd: Black Grape – It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah 4th: Radiohead – The Bends 5th: Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix1996BeckOdelay 2nd: Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go 3rd: Orbital – In Sides 4th: Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic 5th: DJ Shadow – Endtroducing.....1997SpiritualizedLadies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space 2nd: Radiohead – OK Computer 3rd: The Verve – Urban Hymns 4th: Primal Scream – Vanishing Point 5th: Super Furry Animals – Radiator1998Mercury RevDeserter's Songs 2nd: Beastie Boys – Hello Nasty 3rd: Beck – Mutations 4th: Air – Moon Safari 5th: Massive Attack – Mezzanine1999 2nd: Shack – HMS Fable 3rd: Super Furry Animals – Guerrilla 4th: Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions 5th: Beck – Midnite Vultures2000Queens of the Stone AgeRated R 2nd: Primal Scream – XTRMNTR 3rd: PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea 4th: Badly Drawn Boy – The Hour of Bewilderbeast 5th: At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command2001Is This It 2nd: Spiritualized – Let It Come Down 3rd: The White Stripes – White Blood Cells 4th: Jay-Z – The Blueprint 5th: Starsailor – Love Is Here2002Coldplay 2nd: The Vines – Highly Evolved 3rd: The Streets – Original Pirate Material 4th: The Coral – The Coral 5th: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – BRMC2003Elephant 2nd: The Rapture – Echoes 3rd: The Strokes – Room on Fire 4th: Elbow – Cast of Thousands 5th: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell2004Franz FerdinandFranz Ferdinand 2nd: The Libertines – The Libertines 3rd: The Streets – A Grand Don't Come for Free 4th: Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters 5th: The Futureheads – The Futureheads2005Bloc PartySilent Alarm 2nd: Arcade Fire – Funeral 3rd: Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better 4th: Antony & the Johnsons – I Am a Bird Now 5th: Kaiser Chiefs – Employment2006Arctic MonkeysWhatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 2nd: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones 3rd: Muse – Black Holes and Revelations 4th: Hot Chip – The Warning 5th: CSS – Cansei de Ser Sexy2007KlaxonsMyths of the Near Future 2nd: Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare 3rd: Radiohead – In Rainbows 4th: Arcade Fire – Neon Bible 5th: Les Savy Fav – Let's Stay Friends2008MGMTOracular Spectacular 2nd: TV on the Radio – Dear Science 3rd: Glasvegas – Glasvegas 4th: Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend 5th: Foals – Antidotes2009Primary Colours 2nd: The xx – xx 3rd: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz 4th: Wild Beasts – Two Dancers 5th: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion2010These New PuritansHidden 2nd: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs 3rd: Beach House – Teen Dream 4th: LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening 5th: Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can2011Let England Shake 2nd: Metronomy – The English Riviera 3rd: The Horrors – Skying 4th: Wild Beasts – Smother 5th: Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo2012Tame ImpalaLonerism 2nd: Grimes – Visions 3rd: Frank Ocean – Channel Orange 4th: Crystal Castles – III 5th: Alt-J – An Awesome Wave2013Arctic MonkeysAM 2nd: Kanye West – Yeezus 3rd: Queens of the Stone Age – ...Like Clockwork 4th: Foals – Holy Fire 5th: Savages – Silence Yourself2014St. VincentSt. Vincent 2nd: Mac Demarco – Salad Days 3rd: The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream 4th: Aphex Twin – Syro 5th: Caribou – Our Love2015GrimesArt Angels 2nd: Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly 3rd: Jamie XX – In Colour 4th: Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool 5th: Tame Impala – Currents2016I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It 2nd: Kanye West – The Life of Pablo 3rd: Christine and the Queens – Chaleur Humaine 4th: Skepta – Konnichiwa 5th: Kaytranada – 99.9%2017LordeMelodrama 2nd: Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life 3rd: Kendrick Lamar – Damn 4th: Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 5th: LCD Soundsystem – American Dream2018The 1975 2nd: Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino 3rd: IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance 4th: Sunflower Bean – Twentytwo in Blue 5th: Pusha T – Daytona2019Billie EilishWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go 2nd: Tyler, the Creator – Igor 3rd: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell! 4th: Slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain 5th: Little Simz – Grey Area2020Run the JewelsRTJ4 2nd: Taylor Swift – folklore 3rd: Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia 4th: The Strokes – The New Abnormal 5th: Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher2021Sam FenderSeventeen Going Under 2nd: Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 3rd: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend 4th: Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure 5th: Tyler, the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost2022Arctic Monkeys 2nd: Wet Leg – Wet Leg 3rd: Beyoncé – Renaissance 4th: Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia 5th: Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers2023Boygenius 2nd: Olivia Rodrigo – Guts 3rd: Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy 4th: Troye Sivan – Something to Give Each Other 5th: Paramore – This Is Why2024Charli XCXBrat 2nd: Fontaines D.C. – Romance 3rd: English Teacher – This Could Be Texas 4th: Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud 5th: Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk2025GeeseGetting Killed 2nd: Addison Rae – Addison 3rd: FKA Twigs – Eusexua 4th: Nia Archives – Euro-Country 5th: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos

See also

NME Single of the Year

References

NME magazine, 9 December 2006