Do I Even Dare Attempt It?

Although I have barely scratched the surface of my 'Best of 2013' list (which is still 'in progress'), the devil on my shoulder is whispering in my ear. Prodding me, provoking me.

The reality is that I spend literally weeks each year agonising over my top 20 (30 or whatever) albums...yet despite this, I am considering compiling a list of my all-time favourite albums!

Now, here is where it really gets crazy. Believe it or not, I actually think it will be a whole lot EASIER than the top 20 of 2013 has been. The reason being that, although there has been lots of great albums released that I love this year and will be next year, there won't be many that are just THAT good - you know, good enough that you remember them 5, 10 or even 15 years later. The type of album that will feature on a list you can just reel off without too much effort.

I think (think being the keyword here) that I can compile such a list without too many headaches and without really putting too much thought into it. I mean, as I am typing (and as you are reading), I'm sure that we are both already naming albums in our minds.

Many of these are likely to be albums that made a big impact on me in my formative years or those released during the golden 'discovery' years as these are the ones I listened to the most and when music was still fresh and new to me...and they are the ones that have almost burned themselves into my subconscious. There is a 'but', however.

The risk here is that of bias. Are the albums from the early 90's (when I was discovering myself and my musical tastes) really better than those released in the subsequent 2 decades? Honestly? Probably not. Therein lies the hidden thorn in this rose. If I decide to approach this idea, then I want to do it in a subjective and fair way. This will inevitably result in giving me the very headaches that I would prefer to avoid. I am not one to back down from a (personal) challenge, though - even if there is a very real chance that I am being over-confident, cocky even, and that this will be too much for me handle, mentally (Scanners, anybody?).

Now, do I do it or not? And if I do, will it be a top 20, 30 or more? Personally, I'm thinking 40 or even 50. What do YOU think? And, for the purposes of solidarity, would you be willing to share your list?

Edit: I've just realised, with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, that the problem here may not be deciding which albums make the cut, but rather compiling the list and placement positions. Hmm.