Readers’ Poll: The Best Albums of 2011
Rolling Stone revealed its 50 best albums of 2011 last week. The list covered an eclectic mix of artists including Jay-Z and Kanye West, Wild Flag, Paul Simon and Lady Gaga, with Adele's blockbuster 21 taking the top spot. After we had our say, we asked you what your favorite album of the year is, and we've compiled this list of your 10 favorites. As it turned out, you were mostly on the same page – all but one of the discs appears in our Top 50, and half of our Top 10 is in your Top 10. Click through to find out what you picked.
By Matthew Perpetua
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10. Lady Gaga, ‘Born This Way’
Lady Gaga's dance-pop extravaganza came in at Number Six on our list, but it just made your list by a hair. (It narrowly edged out P.J. Harvey's grim yet brilliant album Let England Shake.) Here's the video for the album's anthemic title track, which came out so early in the year that it actually somehow seems much older than it is.
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9. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’
Noel Gallagher's first post-Oasis album is one of two records to appear on your list but not our own. However, this track, "The Death of You and Me," placed at Number 48 on our list of the year's best singles.
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8. Red Hot Chili Peppers, ‘I’m With You’
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' first record with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is your other pick that didn't make our albums list, though its lead single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie," placed at Number 50 in our list of the year's best singles.
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7. Bon Iver, ‘Bon Iver’
Bon Iver's second album is 2011's biggest indie crossover, with songwriter Justin Vernon earning fans well beyond the hipster set with his plaintive, luxuriously produced soft rock tunes.
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6. Jay-Z and Kanye West, ‘Watch the Throne’
Jay-Z and Kanye West's blockbuster team-up was ranked at Number Two on Rolling Stone's list, but it didn't rise quite so high on yours. Here's the Spike Jonze-directed video for "Otis," the set's jubilant first single.
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5. Fleet Foxes, ‘Helplessness Blues’
You were big fans of Fleet Foxes' second album, a gorgeous set of folk-pop tunes that harken back to the glory days of CSNY and the Beach Boys while dealing with very contemporary lyrical themes, such as struggling with a sense of purpose in the midst of the Great Recession.
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4. Adele, ’21’
Adele's 21 topped our list, but only came in at Number Four here. That's still pretty high, obviously – if we learned anything in 2011, it's that people just can't get enough of Adele. Here's the video for "Rolling in the Deep," the most inescapable tune of the year.
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3. The Black Keys, ‘El Camino’
The Black Keys' El Camino just hit stores this month, but that didn't stop a huge number of you from throwing your support behind it as your favorite of the year. It's not too surprising – if you love this band, this record just pushes everything that's great about them to the next level.
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2. Radiohead, ‘The King of Limbs’
Radiohead's The King of Limbs placed at Number Five on our list, but you loved it just a bit more, landing just shy of the top spot. Here's the video for "Lotus Flower," the only single from the year's most subtle record by a major rock band.
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1. Foo Fighters, ‘Wasting Light’
Foo Fighters' Wasting Light only came in at Number 20 on Rolling Stone's list, but it was your favorite album of the year by a wide margin. This isn't too surprising – the Foos are one of the great populist rock bands of this era, and intense tunes like the disc's second single, "Walk," made it clear that Dave Grohl and company are still experts at blending melody with aggression.