The Guitarist Team's Top Five Albums Of 2009

Contrary to rumour and wild speculation, we don't sit around the Guitarist lair sweep picking on our PRSs all day while munching mince pies. We also take time to listen to music too, and it's been a great year for guitar fans in that regard.

With tastes wider than The Grand Canyon Of Mars, we couldn't face the frenzied verbal brawl involved in carving out a definitive team top 5. So we settled on our own individual lists of what we considered our pick of the best…

Mick Taylor, editor



1. John Mayer - Battle Studies
2. Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad Of John Henry
3. Benjamin Taylor - The Legend Of King Folk
4. Martin Simpson - True Stories
5. Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream



Owen Bailey, deputy editor



1. The Invisible - The Invisible
2. Grizzly Bear - Vekitamest
3. Jeffrey Lewis And The Junkyard - ´Em Are I
4. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
5. Doves - Kingdom Of Rust



Paul Robson, Operations editor



1. Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
2. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
3. Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream
4. Jeniferever - Spring Tides
5. Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball



Simon Bradley, CD & multi-media editor



1. Kiss - Sonic Boom
2. The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Songs From Lonely Avenue
3. Richard Hawley - Truelove´s Gutter
4. Rammstein - Liebe Is Fur Alle Da
5. Heaven And Hell - The Devil You Know


Josh Gardner, production assistant



1. Converge - Axe To Fall
2. Russian Circles - Geneva
3. Lamb Of God - Wrath
4. People In Planes - Beyond The Horizon
5. Butterfly Effect - Final Conversation Of Kings


Rob Antonello, designer



1. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
2. Russian Circles - Geneva
3. John Mayer - Battle Studies
4. Dan Arborise - Of Tide & Trail
5. Derek Trucks Band - Already Free


Dave Durban, editorial assistant



1. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions
2. Manchester Orchestra - Everything To Nothing
3. Brand New - Daisy
4. John Mayer - Battle Studies
5. Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today I'm Sorry They Washed Away



Phil Millard, art editor



1. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
2. Russian Circles - Geneva
3. Isis - Wavering Radiant
4. Polvo - In Prism
5. Lydia Lunch´s Big Sexy Noise



Rob Laing, senior staff writer



1. Katatonia - Night Is The New Day
2. Karnivool - Sound Awake
3. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
4. Russian Circles - Geneva
5. Paradise Lost - Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us



Here's to an even better 2010!