Has it really been that long?
Years later, these albums still feel timeless. Take a nostalgia trip and listen to albums turning 10, 20, 30, 40, & 50 this year. Check out the featured albums below or click the banners to explore the entire collections on Hoopla!
Tenth Anniversary
Albums Released in 2016
Blackstar by David Bowie
Blackstar (stylised as ★) is the twenty-sixth and final studio album by David Bowie. Released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday, the album was recorded in secret in New York City with his longtime co-producer Tony Visconti and a group of local jazz musicians: Donny McCaslin (saxophone), Jason Lindner (piano), Tim Lefebvre (bass) and Mark Guiliana (drums). Ben Monder and James Murphy contributed additional guitar and percussion, respectively.
Starboy by The Weeknd
Starboy is the third studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, released on November 25, 2016, through XO and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and Future. As the album's executive producers, the Weeknd and Doc McKinney enlisted a variety of producers such as Diplo, Cashmere Cat, Metro Boomin, Frank Dukes, and Labrinth, among others.
24K Magic by Bruno Mars
24K Magic is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released by Atlantic Records on November 18, 2016. Mars reunited with Philip Lawrence and Christopher Brody Brown, who composed the album under their joint alias Shampoo Press & Curl. Mars enlisted new composers including the Stereotypes and James Fauntleroy. Recording sessions for 24K Magic took place between late 2015 and September 2016 at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California.
Awaken, My Love by Childish Gambino
Awaken, My Love is the third studio album by the American actor and singer Donald Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino. It was released by Glassnote Records on December 2, 2016. Its fusion of psychedelic soul, funk and R&B influences was considered Glover's first artistic departure from the predominantly hip hop style of his prior work. The album was produced by Glover and his longtime collaborator, Ludwig Göransson.
Anti (Deluxe) by Rihanna
Anti is the eighth studio album by the Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on January 28, 2016, by Roc Nation and Westbury Road. Rihanna started recording in 2013 after departing from Def Jam Recordings, who had released all of her albums since her 2005 debut. As executive producer, Rihanna recorded Anti with producers including Jeff Bhasker, Boi-1da, DJ Mustard, Hit-Boy, Brian Kennedy, Timbaland and No I.D., at studios in Canada, the United States and France. SZA and Drake contribute guest vocals.
Twentieth Anniversary
Albums Released in 2006
Sam's Town by The Killers
Sam's Town is the second studio album by American rock band the Killers. It was released on September 27, 2006, by Island Records. Regarding the album, frontman Brandon Flowers noted that he "wanted to create an album that captured, chronologically, everything important that got me to where I am today." Sam's Town has sold almost five million copies worldwide. Includes the hit singles "When We Were Young" and "Read My Mind."
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
Back to Black is the second and final studio album by the English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, who temporarily left her to pursue an ex-girlfriend. Their brief separation spurred Winehouse to create an album that explores themes of guilt, grief, infidelity, heartbreak and trauma in a relationship.
Awake by Josh Groban
Awake is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Josh Groban. Announced on September 13, 2006, it is a follow-up to his multi-platinum album Closer. Awake was released on November 7, 2006. The album was certified 2× platinum in the US by the RIAA on January 31, 2008, It is the third top selling classical album of the 2000s in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Black Holes and Revelations by Muse
Black Holes and Revelations is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Muse. It was released on 3 July 2006 through Warner Bros. Records and Helium-3. It was produced by Rich Costey over four months in London, Milan, New York City, and southern France.
Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stadium Arcadium is the ninth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is a double album released on May 9, 2006 in the United States on Warner Bros. Records. It produced five singles: "Dani California", "Tell Me Baby," "Snow (Hey Oh)", "Desecration Smile" and "Hump de Bump," along with the band's first fan-made music video, for the song "Charlie". In the United States, Stadium Arcadium became the band's first number-one album. Stadium Arcadium was originally scheduled to be a trilogy of albums each released six months apart, but was eventually condensed into a double album
Thirtieth Anniversary
Albums Released in 1996
Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop by Stone Temple Pilots
Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop is the third studio album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on March 26, 1996, through Atlantic Records. After a brief hiatus throughout 1995, the band regrouped to record the album together at Westerly Ranch in Santa Ynez, California, where they also lived at the time. Like all of the band's albums up to that point, production was handled by Brendan O'Brien.
New Adventures In Hi-Fi by R.E.M.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi is the tenth studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was their fifth major-label release for Warner Bros. Records, released on September 10, 1996, in the United States. New Adventures in Hi-Fi was the band's final album recorded with founding drummer Bill Berry (who left the band amicably the following year), original manager Jefferson Holt, and longtime producer Scott Litt.
Down on the Upside by Soundgarden
Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group's preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.
Spice by Spice Girls
Spice is the debut studio album by English girl group the Spice Girls, released on 19 September 1996 by Virgin Records. The album was recorded between 1995 and 1996 at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, and Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch, London, by producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and the production duo Absolute. Spice is a pop album that incorporates styles such as dance, R&B and hip hop. It is considered to be the record that brought teen pop back, opening the doors for a wave of teen pop artists.
Odelay by Beck
Odelay is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.
Fortieth Anniversary
Albums Released in 1986
Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi
Slippery When Wet is the third studio album by American rock band Bon Jovi, released on August 18, 1986, by Mercury Records in North America. It was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, with recording sessions taking place between January and July 1986 at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver. The album features many of Bon Jovi's best-known songs, including "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", and "Wanted Dead or Alive", resulting in the first glam metal album to have 3 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Master of Puppets by Metallica
Master of Puppets is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it is the band's final album to feature bassist Cliff Burton. While touring in support of Master of Puppets, he died on September 27, 1986, after the band's tour bus was involved in an accident in Dörarp, Sweden.
Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys
Licensed to Ill is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records. The album became the first rap LP to top the Billboard 200 chart, and was the second rap album to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is one of Columbia Records' fastest-selling debut records to date and was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2015 for shipping over ten million copies in the United States. The album received critical acclaim for its unique musical style, chemistry between the group members, and their stylized rapping. Since its release, Licensed to Ill has been ranked by critics as one of the greatest hip-hop and debut albums of all time.
True Blue by Madonna
True Blue is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on June 30, 1986, by Sire Records. Madonna had greater control over the creative direction of True Blue than on her second studio album, Like a Virgin (1984), as she attempted to establish herself as a serious artist and appeal to a broader, more mature audience.
Control by Janet Jackson
Control is the third studio album by American singer Janet Jackson, released on February 4, 1986, by A&M Records. Her collaborations with the songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis resulted in an unconventional sound: a fusion of rhythm and blues, rap vocals, funk, disco, and synthesized percussion that established Jackson, Jam, and Lewis as leading innovators of contemporary R&B. The distinctive triplet swing beat used on the record is a precursor to the new jack swing genre. The album became Jackson's commercial breakthrough, helped her transition into the popular music market, and made Control one of the defining albums of the 1980s and contemporary music.
Fiftieth Anniversary
Albums Released in 1976
Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton
Frampton Comes Alive! is a double live album by the English musician and songwriter Peter Frampton, released in 1976 by A&M Records. Following four studio albums with little success and sales, Frampton Comes Alive! was a breakthrough for Frampton and is one of the best-selling live albums ever. "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do" were released as singles; all three reached the top 10 in Canada and the top 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and frequently receive airplay on classic rock radio stations.
Arrival by ABBA
Arrival is the fourth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 11 October 1976 by Polar Records. It became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date, producing some of their biggest hits: "Dancing Queen", "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You." Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Wings at the Speed of Sound by Wings
Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, released on 25 March 1976. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, it reached the top spot on the US album chart—the band's fourth consecutive album to do so—and peaked at number 2 on the UK album chart. Both singles from the album also reached the top 5 of the UK and US singles charts, with "Silly Love Songs" reaching number 1 in the US.
Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder
Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by the American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. A triple album, it was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. The album is regarded as the culmination of Wonder's "classic period" of recording which began in 1972 with Music of My Mind.
Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 by Eagles
Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is the first compilation album by the American rock band the Eagles, released by Asylum Records on February 17, 1976. It contains a selection of songs from the band's first four albums, which were released from 1972 to 1975. On the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, the album reached number 1, where it stayed for five weeks..