I always thought "Smiley Smile" from 1967 was one of The Beach Boys more inspired efforts, so I chose it instead of the 1970 "Sunflower!"
For me, Blood, Sweat And Tears second album was far superior to their first one "Child Is Father To The Man!" Both records came out in 1968!
Inspiration and uniqueness are one thing, but for sheer listen-ability time after time, I much prefer Funkadelic's 1976 sloppy cosmic release called "Hardcore Jollies," as compared to "Maggot Brain" that came out in 1971!
The same thing is true for Miles Davis! There's no denying that "Bitches Brew" that was released in 1970 is one of the most unique records of all time, but for something to listen to over and over, I'll take the funky ass "Jack Johnson" soundtrack from 1971 any day!
Arguably all the records by The Meters should be on this list, but just to make space for other artists, I'm picking the super hot "Fire On The Bayou" from 1975 over their 1969 effort titled "Look-Ka Py Py!"