I'm only letting myself keep 20 albums from every year now (spent the last year and a half figuring out what those twenty are and copying my favorite songs from the albums that didn't make the list. Nerdy stats about that project will be coming soon). The only year since '77 where I DON'T already ready own 20 is 1984. Odd, since that's a year I've frequently referred to as my favorite year in pop history (both the mainstream and indie putting out earth-shatteringly amazing stuff). The 84 in my IM name comes from this long-held belief. Judging by my record collection, 1979 (my birth year!) is the more obvious choice.

Anyhow, here's a list of albums I want to check out so that I can actually have a 20 Albums From 1984 I'm Bothering To Keep list:

DeBarge, In A Special Way
Go-Go's, Talk Show
David Johansen, Sweet Revenge
Cyndi Lauper, She's So Unusual
Christine McVie, Christine McVie
NRBQ, Tapdancin' Bats
Billy Ocean, Suddenly
Pretenders, Learning To Crawl
Robert Quine/Fred Maher, Basic
Lou Reed, New Sensations
Run-DMC, Run-DMC
Tom Verlaine, Cover
Peter Wolf, Lights Out

Please feel free to recommend more, though I already own 12 or so albums from this year and you lose two cool points for each album you recommend that I already own. Don't go for the hella obvious! suh-PRISE me!