best albums, year-to-year
If you disagree... you're probably wrong.
1966 - The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!

1967 - The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

1968 - The Beatles - The Beatles

1969 - Frank Zappa - Hot Rats

1970 - Yoko Ono - Plastic Ono Band

1971 - T. Rex - Electric Warrior

1972 - David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

1973 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

1974 - Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets

1975 - Patti Smith - Horses

1976 - Blondie - Blondie

1977 - Ramones - Rocket to Russia

1978 - Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

1979 - Talking Heads - Fear of Music

1980 - John Lennon/Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy

1981 - Soft Cell - Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

1982 - Duran Duran - Rio

1983 - New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies

1984 - The Art of Noise - (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise!

1985 - The Cure - The Head on the Door

1986 - Depeche Mode - Black Celebration

1987 - Cabaret Voltaire - Code

1988 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

1989 - Pixies - Doolittle

1990 - Depeche Mode - Violator

1991 - Coil - Love's Secret Domain

1992 - Madonna - Erotica

1993 - Pet Shop Boys - Very

1994 - Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

1995 - Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante

1996 - Daft Punk - Homework

1997 - Björk - Homogenic

1998 - Boredoms - Super Ae

1999 - The Faint - Blank-Wave Arcade

2000 - Kylie Minogue - Light Years

2001 - Daft Punk - Discovery

2002 - Fischerspooner - #1

2003 - Shiina Ringo - Karuki Zamen Kuri No Hana

2004 - Annie - Anniemal

2005 - Rachel Stevens - Come and Get It

2006 - The Sounds - Dying to Say This to You

(ok, so 2006 hasn't yet ended... but I doubt anything else will top this.)