Critics acclaim Kanye as best of 2004

Hip-hop star Kanye West’s debut album was named the best album of 2004.

The College Dropout topped the annual Poll of Polls compiled by music retailer HMV.

HMV takes the end-of-year lists from every music magazine, newspaper and guide in the UK and turns them into one definitive list.

West came out on top with The College Dropout, which went platinum and helped earn him three Mobo Awards.

This year’s top three albums were all debuts – self-titled albums from Scissor Sisters and Mercury Prize winners Franz Ferdinand were second and third respectively.

The Streets’ A Grand Don’t Come For Free and Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds made up the top five.

Dizzee Rascal’s Showtime was sixth, followed by 70-year-old country legend Loretta Lynn with Van Lear Rose.

Brian Wilson was in eighth place with Smile, the album which took 37 years to see the light of day.

Killers and Sufjan Stevens made up the rest of the top 10.

The Libertines, Kings Of Leon, Morrissey and U2 all made the top 20.

:: The 2004 HMV Poll of Polls

1 Kanye West – The College Dropout

2 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters

3 Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand

4 The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come For Free

5 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus

6 Dizzee Rascal – Showtime

7 Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose

8 Brian Wilson – Smile

9 Killers – Hot Fuss

10 Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans

11 The Libertines – The Libertines

12 Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak

13 Tom Waits – Real Gone

14 U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb

15 Mark Lanegan Band – Bubblegum

16 Devendra Banhart – Rejoicing In The Hands

17 The Futureheads – The Futureheads

18 Elliott Smith – From A Basement On The Hill

19 Morrissey – You Are The Quarry

20 Wilco – A Ghost Is Born