I think everybody's got a list of their favourite albums that they can't understand why everybody else doesn't think are the best ever. Well here's mine. This list is not necessarily in any particular order because it depends on what mood I was in the day I compiled it.
Eurythmics - Sweat dreams (are made of this)
This is a great piece of keyboard pop. Recorded on an eight track mixer the songs are on the whole simple but with Annie Lennix fantastic voice the end result is quite hypnotic
The Pixies-Doolittle
The
fathers of grunge, yes before all those Seattle groups came along Boston's
finest were thrashing out this masterpiece singing about dead, mutilation, tattoos and even
the odd religious monkey. Anyone who likes grunge/punk and hasn't got this should, NOW.
Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Originally
from East kilbride in Scotland the Mary Chain caused mayhem with their early (very short)
live gigs. This album is full of that early arrogance which they never quite managed to
achieve again. Like the name suggests some of it is nice guitar based pop songs but the
rest has enough feed back on them to last the rest of your
life.
Nivarna - Nevermind
I don't
even know or think I should say anything about this, enough been said already
The Specials-The Specials
This came out in those late seventies early eighties British Ska movement times. After punk was officially laid to rest the Rude Boys hit the seen, there were other Ska bands but none quite as good as the Specials. This album is a mix of what was left of the punk era and what was happening in the big bad British heart lands. This type of reggae at the time was nearly always political and this is no exception.
The Triffids - Born sandy devotional
Who bought Triffid albums? not that many people I think but I was one of
those people. This is on a small Ausy label called , they did
eventually move to Britain and a major label but still know one really bought them. Born
Sandy devotional is an extremely eerie record. Most of the songs are about lost love or
death and have an empty lost in the outback sound. This is not to be listened to if your in
the middle of winter with a knife in your hand.
OMD - Architect and morality
The two lads from OMD came from just down the road from me and some of the song titles reflect thing in this area
Portishead - Dummy
Back to the depressing stuff. This album mixes guitars with an awful lot of scratching and sampling. It really is very hard to explain but this is a very inspired and original record, the depressing bit comes when you add the vocals. Beths voice and delivery and the content of the songs themselves make this a truly remarkable if not unusual sound.
R.E.M. - Document
XTC-
Pulp - Different class
This
is, in my opinion the best pop album of the last ten years. With the singles Common People,
Mis-Shapes, Disco 2000, Sorted for E's & Wizz and more there's no getting away from
the fact that Jarvis Cocker writes some extremely catchy songs with fantastic hooks and
choruses.
P.J.Harvey - Dry
This album is
brilliant because of it's simplicity and general under production. Songs have a haunting
feeling with the use of violin and cello on some tracks and Polly's ability to sing with
such feeling and sound like she means every word.
Blur - Parklife
This 1995 record by them cheeky lads from down south sort of captured a moment. I suppose you could say it's 60's retro taking inspiration from the likes of the Small Faces but really it just sits there on it's own with very little to compare it to.
Dinosaur jr - Where you been
I remember the first time I saw these was on MTV doing a live set for I
think a program a the time called 120 minutes. What struck me was his, at times, slightly
off key gravely voice. Luckily I'd videoed it and realised after a number of listens that
this was bril. then went and bought the album.
Blondie - Parallel lines
Blondie
had a lot of very good hit singles from the latish 70's through the early 80's and this
record came along just as the success was beginning. I think it boast four of those singles
but the rest of the album is just as good. They were always classed as a punk band at the
time but they were really just an excellent guitar pop band. There is a song called Get you
which was recently on the Rug Rats movie, sung by Angelica although the words were
slightly altered. My daughter thinks Angelica's version is best but there's no comparison.
Echo and the Bunnymen - Porcupine
This
was the third album from the Liverpool group that never quite made it total big but
believe me they should. Probably one of the least commercial of all the Bunnymen LP's and
saw them drifting away from their predominantly guitar based sound but not with the
orchestral instrument that were to follow. The first four albums were all worthy of being
in this list and it was a very hard choice
Manic Street Preachers-Everything must go
Radiohead - Ok computer
The Pogues - Rum sodomy and the lash
I
remember being with my brother at a student party in Birmingham in this grotty three
bedroom house with different music in each room. In one of those rooms was playing the
Pogues first album, which to this day I haven't got but it did inspire me to go out and
get the new album. The mix of traditional Irish songs and their own modern brand of Irish
Foke added to the unbelievable vocals of Shane McGowen makes this a great record.
Sisters of Mercy-First last and always
