There are a few things that will make you feel old. Dropping a pop-culture reference that a younger generation doesn’t understand. Enjoying the taste of brussel sprouts. The birthday of your child. The birthday of your adult child. The anniversary of a beloved record.
Just like your adult children celebrating birthdays, your favorite albums celebrate anniversaries. Below is a list of the best music releases with a milestone anniversary coming up in January 2021.
We’ve broken up the albums by year. For example, records released in 1971 will be turning 50 years old in January.
The year 1976 boasts the most popular albums among all the releases celebrating an anniversary. Bob Dylan’s Desire is the most-collected (meaning it appears in the most Discogs users’ Collections) and David Bowie’s Station to Station is the most-wanted (it’s on the most users’ Wantlists). Both records are turning 45 years old at the top of 2021.
You’ll notice that the list below resembles a chart. That’s because we’ve also determined how “desirable” each release is by pulling the Wantlist and Collection quantity and using that data to create a want/have ratio. (It’s the same math we used to find the best albums of 2020.) Gang Starr’s Step in the Arena, which is turning 30 years old, is the most desirable album celebrating an anniversary in January 2021.
Albums Turning 50 in January 2021
- PearlJanis JoplinRelease Date: January 11, 1971
- Chicago IIIChicagoRelease Date: January 11, 1971
- Hooker ‘n HeatJohn Lee Hooker and Canned HeatRelease Date: January 15, 1971
- ZZ Top’s First AlbumZZ TopRelease Date: January 16, 1971
Albums Turning 45 in January 2021
- DesireBob DylanRelease Date: January 5, 1976
- Frampton Comes Alive!Peter FramptonRelease Date: January 6, 1976
- Wanted! The OutlawsWaylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter & Tompall GlaserRelease Date: January 12, 1976
- Coney Island BabyLou ReedRelease Date: January 19, 1976
- Station to StationDavid BowieRelease Date: January 23, 1976
Albums Turning 40 in January 2021
- Paradise TheatreStyxRelease Date: January 19, 1981
- TrustElvis Costello and the AttractionsRelease Date: January 23, 1981
Albums Turning 35 in January 2021
- AtomizerBig BlackRelease Date: January 1, 1986
- AlbumPublic Image Ltd.Release Date: January 27, 1986
- Seventh StarBlack SabbathRelease Date: January 28, 1986
Albums Turning 30 in January 2021
- Soulside JourneyDarkthroneRelease Date: January 13, 1991
- Step In the ArenaGang StarrRelease Date: January 15, 1991
- 1916MotörheadRelease Date: January 21, 1991
- The Soul CagesStingRelease Date: January 22, 1991
Albums Turning 25 in January 2021
- Boys for PeleTori AmosRelease Date: January 22, 1996
- Millions Now Living Will Never DieTortoiseRelease Date: January 30, 1996
Albums Turning 20 in January 2021
Albums Turning 15 in January 2021
- First Impressions of EarthThe StrokesRelease Date: January 3, 2006
- The GreatestCat PowerRelease Date: January 20, 2006
- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m NotArctic MonkeysRelease Date: January 23, 2006
Albums Turning 10 in January 2021
- 21AdeleRelease Date: January 24, 2011
