So, as most everyone else has noted, this was not an easy task. For a number of years, I had a bunch of albums that I couldn't decide on ('86-'90). For some years, I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to even come up with anything ('03, '05, in particular). So I've listed my favorite from that year, and honorable mentions in parentheses. Some are pretty obvious, some may come as a surprise:
1975 Kiss Alive
1976 Rush 2112 (Boston Boston / Kiss - Rock and Roll Over)
1977 Fleetwood Mac Rumors
1978 Van Halen Van Halen 1
1979 AC/DC Highway to Hell
1980 AC/DC Back in Black
1981 Van Halen Fair Warning
1982 Kiss Creatures of the Night (Rainbow Straight Between the Eyes)
1983 Quiet Riot Metal Health (Def Leppard Pyromania / Night Ranger Midnight Madness)
1984 Van Halen 1984 (Prince Purple Rain Soundtrack / Kiss Animalize / Dokken Tooth and Nail)
1985 Dokken Under Lock and Key (Descendents I Dont Wanna Grow Up / Anthrax Spreading the Disease)
1986 Metallica Master of Puppets (Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet / Tesla Mechanical Resonance / DLR Eat Em and Smile / Poison Look What the Cat Dragged In / Vinnie Moore Minds Eye)
1987 Guns n Roses Appetite for Destruction (Def Leppard Hysteria / Frehleys Comet Frehleys Comet / Whitesnake Whitesnake / Satriani Surfing with the Alien / Roy Orbison In Dreams: The Greatest Hits)
1988 Warrant Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinkin Rich (Jason Becker Perpetual Burn / LA Guns LA Guns / Queensryche Operation: Mindcrime / Poison Open Up and Say Ahh / Winger Winger / Racer X Extreme Volume Live)
1989 Mr. Big Mr. Big (The Smithereens 11 / Enuff ZNuff Enuff ZNuff / Motley Crue Dr. Feelgood / Skid Row Skid Row / Stevie Ray Vaughan In Step)
1990 Steve Vai Passion and Warfare ( The Black Crowes Shake Your Money Maker / Eric Johnson Ah Via Musicom / Pantera Cowboys From Hell / Extreme Pornograffiti / Warrant Cherry Pie / Kings X Fath Hope Love)
1991 Bill and Teds Bogus Journey Soundtrack (Mr. Big Lean Into It / Van Halen For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge / Spin Doctors Pocket Full of Kryptonite)
1992 Kiss Revenge (Dream Theater Images and Words / Steelheart Tangled in Reins / Joe Satriani The Extremist)
1993 Van Halen Live Right Here, Right Now (Steve Vai Sex and Religion / Coverdale Page Coverdale Page / Candlebox Candlebox / Rush Counterparts)
1994 Dream Theater Awake (Kings X Dogman / Sammy Hagar Unboxed)
1995 Extreme Waiting for the Punchline
1996 Kiss Unplugged (Working Man Tribute to Rush)
1997 Ace Frehley 12 Picks
1998 Talas If Only We Knew Then What We Know Now (Kiss Psycho Circus / Paul Gilbert King of Clubs and Flying Dog)
1999 Dream Theater Metropolis 2
2000 Racer X Technical Difficulties (Paul Gilbert Alligator Farm)
2001 Racer X Superheroes
2002 Paul Gilbert Burning Organ
2003 Dream Theater Train of Thought
2004 ZO2 Tuesdays and Thursdays
2005 Dream Theater Octavarium
2006 Joe Satriani Super Colossal
2007 ZO2 Aint It Beautiful
2008 Whitesnake Good to Be Bad
2009 Steel Panther Feel the Steel (ZO2 Casino Logic)
2010 Paul Gilbert Fuzz Universe
2011 Steel Panther Balls Out (Mr. Big What If)
2012 Paul Gilbert Vibrato
2013 Winery Dogs Winery Dogs
2014 Steel Panther All You Can Eat