Ah, 2003, what a lovely, lovely year you were. And it's not enough that we celebrated that fact with our own top 50s of the year, hell no. Instead, as ever, we asked you lot for your favourites and, good lord, did you oblige. More of you than ever sent us your thoughts this time round, finding space as usual for lots of excellent stuff that us scribblers somehow overlooked in our final charts (The Neptunes! Hope Of The States! The Shins! Good calls, folks), and we'll be getting in touch with one of you lucky voters shortly so we can send though our top albums. Yay! Meanwhile, here are your fabulous fifties, folks...
ALBUMS
1 Speakerboxxx / The Love Below - Outkast (Arista)
2 Hail To The Thief - Radiohead (Parlophone)
3 Elephant - The White Stripes (XL)
4 Echoes - The Rapture (Vertigo)
5 Phantom Power - Super Furry Animals (Epic)
6 Rounds - Four Tet (Domino)
7 Boy In Da Corner - Dizzee Rascal (XL)
8 Deloused In The Comatorium - The Mars Volta (Universal)
9 Think Tank - Blur (Parlophone)
10 Permission To Land - The Darkness (Must Destroy)
11 Happy Songs For Happy People - Mogwai (PIAS)
12 Dear Catastrophe Waitress - Belle And Sebastian (Rough Trade)
13 Stellastarr* - Stellastarr* (2020)
14 Keep On Your Mean Side - The Kills (Domino)
15 Chain Gang Of Love - The Raveonettes (Columbia)
16 Kick Up The Fire, And Let The Flames Break Loose - The Cooper Temple Clause (Morning)
17 The Decline Of... - British Sea Power (Rough Trade)
18 Amazing Grace - Spiritualized (Sanctuary)
19 Room On Fire - The Strokes (Rough Trade)
20 Fever To Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Island)
21 Cast Of Thousands - Elbow (V2)
22 Give Up - The Postal Service (Sub Pop)
23 One Word Extinguisher - Prefuse 73 (Warp)
24 The Real New Fall Album - The Fall (Action)
25 Absolution - Muse (Mushroom)
26 My Elixir, My Poison - Meanwhile, Back In Comunnist Russia (Truck)
27 Effloresce - Oceansize (Beggars Banquet)
28 D-d-don't Don't Stop The Beat - Junior Senior (Crunchy Frog)
29 This Is Not A Test - Missy Elliott (Gold Mind)
30 Chutes Too Narrow - The Shins (Sub Pop)
31 The Smell Of Our Own - The Hidden Cameras (Rough Trade)
32 Youth & Young Manhood - Kings Of Leon (RCA)
33 Black Cherry - Goldfrapp (Mute)
34 100th Window - Massive Attack (Melankolic)
35 Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts - M83 (Labels)
36 Z - Gonzales (Kitty-Yo)
37 Nocturama - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Mute)
38 Long Gone Before Daylight - Cardigans (Stockholm)
39 The Picture Show - Buffseeds (Fantastic Plastic)
40 Baby I'm Bored - Evan Dando (Setanta)
41 ...Present The Clones - The Neptunes (Star Trak)
42 Up In Flames - Manitoba (Leaf)
43 Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation - Funeral For A Friend (east west)
44 Want One - Rufus Wainwright (DreamWorks)
45 Movement - The Gossip (Kill Rock Stars)
46 Kish Kash - Basement Jaxx (XL)
47 You Are Free - Cat Power (Matador)
48 Young Miss America - Gold Chains (PIAS)
49 Uluru - The Rock Of Travolta (Tablature)
50 Whip It On - The Raveonettes (Columbia)
SINGLES
1 Hey Ya! - Outkast (Arista)
2 Crazy In Love - Beyonce (Columbia)
3 7 Nation Army - The White Stripes (XL)
4 Hurt / Personal Jesus - Johnny Cash (American Recordings)
5 I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness (Must Destroy)
6 Psychosis Safari - The 80s Matchbox B~Line Disaster (No Death)
7 House Of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture (Vertigo)
8 Darts Of Pleasure - Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
9 I Luv U - Dizzee Rascal (XL)
10 Out Of Time - Blur (Parlophone)
11 Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Island)
12 Black Dollar Bills - Hope Of The States (Seeker)
13 That Great Love Sound - The Raveonettes (Columbia)
14 Enemies/Friends - Hope Of The States (Seeker)
15 There There - Radiohead (Parlophone)
16 In Da Club - 50 Cent (Aftermath)
17 Pass That Dutch - Missy Elliott (Gold Mind)
18 Fix Up Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal (XL)
19 Rip It Up - Razorlight (Vertigo)
20 Don't Look Back Into The Sun - The Libertines (Rough Trade)
21 Scandalous - Mis-Teeq (Telstar)
22 Remember Me - British Sea Power (Rough Trade)
23 Date With The Night - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Island)
24 Get Busy - Sean Paul (Atlantic)
25 The Seed (2.0) - Roots featuring Cody Chesnutt (Island)
26 The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service (Sub Pop)
27 No Good Advice - Girls Aloud (Polydor)
28 Ignition - R Kelly (Jive)
29 Danger! High Voltage - Electric Six (XL)
30 Fugitive Motel - Elbow (V2)
31 Junior Kickstart - The Go! Team (Memphis Industries)
32 Beautiful - Christina Aguilera (RCA)
33 Move Your Feet - Junior Senior (Crunchy Frog)
34 Coma Girl - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros (Hellcat)
35 Not Gonna Get Us - tATu (Polydor)
36 A.D.I.D.A.S. - Killer Mike (Sony)
37 She Moves She - Four Tet (Domino)
38 Part Of You / I'm Going - The Vaults (Red Flag)
39 Sparkle Me - Buffseeds (Fantastic Plastic)
40 The Sea & The Rhythm - Iron & Wine (Sub Pop)
41 Blind Pilots - The Cooper Temple Clause (Morning)
42 The Jump Off - Lil' Kim (Atlantic)
43 Thrill Me - Undertones (Sanctuary)
44 Bad Day - REM (Warner Bros)
45 Growing On Me - The Darkness (Must Destroy)
46 Don't Think You're The First - The Coral (Deltasonic)
47 Power Lunch - Har Mar Superstar (B-Unique)
48 Come Here EP - The Wow (Hermit)
49 Juneau - Funeral For A Friend (east west)
50 Whatever You Say - Little Brother (ABB)
Or, read the 2003 Top 50, as voted by the PlayLouder writers...
