Albums Celebrating 10 and 20-Year Anniversaries in 2018

There is nothing more popular than nostalgia. In our current collective culture, we delight in celebrating the music that we love. And when it comes to big anniversaries, we love to look back and celebrate it even more.

A lot has happened in music in the last 10 to 20 years. Pop and rock continued to shift and evolve into include new and different aspects. Over the last two decades, we’ve seen the rise of both bubble-gum and electronic pop. Nu metal broke out, followed by pop punk, indie rock and other genres. We’ve also seen albums become classics of R&B, pop and rock.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at just a few of the albums celebrating tenth and twentieth anniversaries in 2018. Here are ten that will get you feeling all nostalgic for the “good old days.”

(Note: For this article, we’ve chosen to look at albums released in 2008 and 1998. Another article with albums turning 30, 40 and 50 will be released soon.)

10 Years

1.       Vampire Weekend, ‘Vampire Weekend’: Vampire Weekend broke out in 2008 with their self-titled, self-produced debut album. Their sound borrowed from African music, combining that with punk and airy indie-rock, which gave the band a unique niche that no one has been able to replicate yet. The album was ranked as one of the best albums of the year, as well as of the last decade.

2.       Coldplay, ‘Viva La Vida’: While Coldplay had their initial success in the early 2000s, the band had a real pop breakthrough with their fourth album, ‘Viva La Vida,’ in 2008. The album debuted a new, more pop-rock influenced sound for the band, which both fans and critics loved. Its title track earned the band its first number one hit in the US and UK, as well as a Grammy for Best Rock Album.

3.       The Gaslight Anthem, ‘The ‘59 Sound’: The Gaslight Anthem became punk’s breakout band in 2018, releasing their sophomore album, ‘The ’59 Sound,’ to critical acclaim. The album led to tours with Social Distortion, as well as Bruce Springsteen, an artist the band would find themselves compared to until their break-up in 2015.

4.       Adele, ‘19’: In 2008, Adele was a fresh-faced pop singer-songwriter just hitting the pop charts. Releasing her debut album, ‘19,’ that January, it quickly rose to the top of the charts, hitting number one in her native UK and four in the US. “Chasing Pavements” was a modest hit, but it got Adele recognized by VH1, who featured the singer as one of their “You Outta Know” artists.

5.       Lady Gaga, ‘The Fame’: When Lady Gaga released her debut album, ‘The Fame,’ in 2008, it blew up. The album topped the charts all over the world for nearly two years and became one of the best-selling albums of the last decade. The singer’s electronic pop helping to usher in a more dance-centric new era of pop music.

20 Years

1.       Korn, ‘Follow the Leader’: In 1998, nu metal was coming into its own and Korn were at the forefront of the new genre. Their third album, ‘Follow the Leader’ became one of the genre’s cornerstones, producing hits “Got the Life” and “Freak on a Leash” that dominated airplay on MTV.

2.       Destiny’s Child, ‘Destiny’s Child’: Before Beyonce became one of the biggest names in pop music, she was a member of the ultra-successful girl group Destiny’s Child. In 1998, the group released their eponymous debut album introduced the world to their sweet harmonies and laid the groundwork for their later success.

3.       Lauryn Hill, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’: Following her time with The Fugees, Lauryn Hill released her only solo album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’ The album received a lot of praise, even being called one of the greatest albums of all time. In fact, the album was so highly regarded that it was included in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Following the album’s success, Hill virtually disappeared from the public eye, though people are still raving about it two decades later.

4.       Hole, ‘Celebrity Skin’: Hole hit their stride in 1998, releasing their third and most commercially popular album, ‘Celebrity Skin.’ Led by the success of the album’s title track, ‘Celebrity Skin’ went platinum multiple times and became the band’s first album to chart in the top ten of the Billboard 200.

5.       The Offspring, ‘Americana’: Before ‘Americana’ was released, The Offspring had already gained a big commercial following. However, post-‘Americana,’ that following grew. “Pretty Fly for a White Guy,” “The Kids Aren’t Alright” and “Why Don’t You Get A Job” played in heavy rotation on MTV. The album remains the band’s second-best-selling album, going more than 10 million copies over the last two decades.

There are a lot of great albums that are celebrating 10 and 20 year anniversaries in 2018.  For a trip down memory lane, check out the albums above and let us know what albums you’re nostalgic for.

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Feed your nostalgia by picking up music from these artists and more at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in an array of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.