We last counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library four years ago. Since that time, the world has literally changed, and my commute has decreased from 1+ hours each way to 25 steps. So, despite the decrease in potential listening time, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through the morning of January 1, 2022.
We continue today with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, breaking the triple digit total play plateau with three compilations, and music from the 60s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.
#129: Various Artists – Fonzie’s Make Out Music
iTunes stats: 97 plays
Previous Ranking: 143
Six classic tracks from the 1950s, from artists such as The Flamingos, The Platters, and Fats Domino, powered a nearly 80% increase in plays for this compilation.
#129: Green Day – American Idiot
iTunes stats: 97 plays
Previous Ranking: 120
The seventh studio album from the East Bay punk band added 36 new listens to four of the thirteen songs from the album.
#128: The Beatles – Let It Be… Naked
iTunes stats: 98 plays
Previous Ranking: 115
Released in 2003, this remastered and remixed version of the Beatles final album, minus Phil Spector’s patented “Wall of Sound”, adds 34 new listens to the five different tracks that make up its total.
#125: Bush – Sixteen Stone
iTunes stats: 100 plays
Previous Ranking: 108
Five out of the twelve tracks from the band’s 1994 debut album totaled only 34 additional plays over the past four years.
#125: Bon Jovi – VH1 Storytellers
iTunes stats: 100 plays
Previous Ranking: 151
Ripped from the DVD of the band’s September 2000 appearance on VH1 Storytellers, the boys from New Jersey nearly double their total from four years ago.
#125: Various Artists – Friends – Music From The T.V. Series
iTunes stats: 100 plays
Previous Ranking: 136
This soundtrack compilation, released following the smash first season of the television show, increased its total by 78% thanks to seven songs, from the likes of Joni Mitchell, The Pretenders, and, of course, The Rembrandts.
#122: Various Artists – Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 2
iTunes stats: 101 plays
Previous Ranking: 115
The second edition of this long running compilation series, released in 1999, drops seven spots in the rankings due to 37 new plays for singles from Jay Z and Britney Spears, among others.
#122: Hole – Live Through This
iTunes stats: 101 plays
Previous Ranking: 109
Hole’s second, and breakthrough, studio album, rumored to be mostly written by Courtney Love’s husband Kurt Cobain, increases its plays by 55% while dropping thirteen spots on the chart.
#122: The Outfield – Play Deep
iTunes stats: 101 plays
Previous Ranking: 72
Only one song, the at bat music for former White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, accounted for the 12% increase for the debut album from the British 80s band.
#119: Def Leppard – Adrenalize
iTunes stats: 103 plays
Previous Ranking: 118
The band’s fifth studio album, the first following the death of guitarist Steve Clark, added 41 new listens to the five songs out of ten.