# 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

| Year | Artist | Album | Top five |
| 1974 | Steely Dan | Pretzel 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 – Todd |
| 1975 | Bob Dylan | Blood 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 Lofgren |
| 1976 | Bob Dylan | Desire | 2nd: David Bowie – Station to Station 3rd: Dr. Feelgood – Stupidity 4th: Graham Parker – Heat Treatment 5th: The Ramones – The Ramones |
| 1977 | David Bowie | "Heroes" | 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 Moon |
| 1978 | Bruce Springsteen | Darkness 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 Alone |
| 1979 | Talking Heads | Fear of Music | 2nd: Public Image Ltd. – Metal Box 3rd: Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures 4th: The Jam – Setting Sons 5th: Gang of Four – Entertainment! |
| 1980 | Joy Division | Closer | 2nd: Elvis Costello – Get Happy!! 3rd: The Beat – I Just Can't Stop It 4th: Black Uhuru – Sinsemilla 5th: Holger Czukay – Movies |
| 1981 | Grace Jones | Nightclubbing | 2nd: Kraftwerk – Computer World 3rd: Black Uhuru – Red 4th: The Beat – Wha'ppen? 5th: Heaven 17 – Penthouse and Pavement |
| 1982 | Marvin Gaye | Midnight Love | 2nd: Elvis Costello – Imperial Bedroom 3rd: ABC – The Lexicon of Love 4th: The Clash – Combat Rock 5th: Dexy's Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Ay |
| 1983 | Elvis Costello | Punch 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 – Thriller |
| 1984 | Bobby Womack | The Poet II | 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 Hunter |
| 1985 | Tom Waits | Rain Dogs | 2nd: The Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy 3rd: The Velvet Underground – VU 4th: Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen 5th: Madness – Mad Not Mad |
| 1986 | Prince & The Revolution | Parade | 2nd: Anita Baker – Rapture 3rd: Janet Jackson – Control 4th: Sonic Youth – Evol 5th: Cameo – Word Up! |
| 1987 | Public Enemy | Yo! 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 Years |
| 1988 | Public Enemy | It 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 Go |
| 1989 | De La Soul | 3 Feet and Rising | 2nd: The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses 3rd: Lou Reed – New York 4th: Pixies – Doolittle 5th: New Order – Technique |
| 1990 | Happy Mondays | Pills '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 Mother |
| 1991 | Nirvana | Nevermind | 2nd: Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque 3rd: Primal Scream – Screamadelica 4th: Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Weld 5th: R.E.M. – Out of Time |
| 1992 | Sugar | Copper 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 Dream |
| 1993 | Björk | Debut | 2nd: The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps 3rd: Suede – Suede 4th: The Lemonheads – Come on Feel the Lemonheads 5th: Belly – Star |
| 1994 | Oasis | Definitely Maybe | 2nd: Blur – Parklife 3rd: Beastie Boys – Ill Communication 4th: Nirvana – Unplugged in New York 5th: Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible |
| 1995 | Tricky | Maxinquaye | 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 Prix |
| 1996 | Beck | Odelay | 2nd: Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go 3rd: Orbital – In Sides 4th: Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic 5th: DJ Shadow – Endtroducing..... |
| 1997 | Spiritualized | Ladies 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 – Radiator |
| 1998 | Mercury Rev | Deserter's Songs | 2nd: Beastie Boys – Hello Nasty 3rd: Beck – Mutations 4th: Air – Moon Safari 5th: Massive Attack – Mezzanine |
| 1999 | The Flaming Lips | The Soft Bulletin | 2nd: Shack – HMS Fable 3rd: Super Furry Animals – Guerrilla 4th: Death in Vegas – The Contino Sessions 5th: Beck – Midnite Vultures |
| 2000 | Queens of the Stone Age | Rated 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 Command |
| 2001 | The Strokes | Is This It | 2nd: Spiritualized – Let It Come Down 3rd: The White Stripes – White Blood Cells 4th: Jay-Z – The Blueprint 5th: Starsailor – Love Is Here |
| 2002 | Coldplay | A Rush of Blood to the Head | 2nd: The Vines – Highly Evolved 3rd: The Streets – Original Pirate Material 4th: The Coral – The Coral 5th: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – BRMC |
| 2003 | The White Stripes | Elephant | 2nd: The Rapture – Echoes 3rd: The Strokes – Room on Fire 4th: Elbow – Cast of Thousands 5th: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell |
| 2004 | Franz Ferdinand | Franz 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 Futureheads |
| 2005 | Bloc Party | Silent 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 – Employment |
| 2006 | Arctic Monkeys | Whatever 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 Sexy |
| 2007 | Klaxons | Myths 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 Friends |
| 2008 | MGMT | Oracular Spectacular | 2nd: TV on the Radio – Dear Science 3rd: Glasvegas – Glasvegas 4th: Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend 5th: Foals – Antidotes |
| 2009 | The Horrors | Primary Colours | 2nd: The xx – xx 3rd: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It's Blitz 4th: Wild Beasts – Two Dancers 5th: Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion |
| 2010 | These New Puritans | Hidden | 2nd: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs 3rd: Beach House – Teen Dream 4th: LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening 5th: Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can |
| 2011 | PJ Harvey | Let England Shake | 2nd: Metronomy – The English Riviera 3rd: The Horrors – Skying 4th: Wild Beasts – Smother 5th: Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo |
| 2012 | Tame Impala | Lonerism | 2nd: Grimes – Visions 3rd: Frank Ocean – Channel Orange 4th: Crystal Castles – III 5th: Alt-J – An Awesome Wave |
| 2013 | Arctic Monkeys | AM | 2nd: Kanye West – Yeezus 3rd: Queens of the Stone Age – ...Like Clockwork 4th: Foals – Holy Fire 5th: Savages – Silence Yourself |
| 2014 | St. Vincent | St. Vincent | 2nd: Mac Demarco – Salad Days 3rd: The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream 4th: Aphex Twin – Syro 5th: Caribou – Our Love |
| 2015 | Grimes | Art Angels | 2nd: Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly 3rd: Jamie XX – In Colour 4th: Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool 5th: Tame Impala – Currents |
| 2016 | The 1975 | I 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% |
| 2017 | Lorde | Melodrama | 2nd: Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life 3rd: Kendrick Lamar – Damn 4th: Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 5th: LCD Soundsystem – American Dream |
| 2018 | The 1975 | A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships | 2nd: Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino 3rd: IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance 4th: Sunflower Bean – Twentytwo in Blue 5th: Pusha T – Daytona |
| 2019 | Billie Eilish | When 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 Area |
| 2020 | Run the Jewels | RTJ4 | 2nd: Taylor Swift – folklore 3rd: Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia 4th: The Strokes – The New Abnormal 5th: Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher |
| 2021 | Sam Fender | Seventeen 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 Lost |
| 2022 | Arctic Monkeys | The Car | 2nd: Wet Leg – Wet Leg 3rd: Beyoncé – Renaissance 4th: Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia 5th: Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers |
| 2023 | Boygenius | The Record | 2nd: Olivia Rodrigo – Guts 3rd: Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy 4th: Troye Sivan – Something to Give Each Other 5th: Paramore – This Is Why |
| 2024 | Charli XCX | Brat | 2nd: Fontaines D.C. – Romance 3rd: English Teacher – This Could Be Texas 4th: Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud 5th: Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk |