A musical interlude
A little while ago I posted my Top 50 albums of all time, a futile and vacuous exercise demonstrating that I had too much time on my hands. Well, just to prove that I can still tick all of those boxes, I've updated it to a Top 100 albums... idle hands and all that. Unlike the last list, this is not in any order other than alphabetical - I cannot put them in order of preference, that is just impossible - or at least too difficult to successfully complete with any real meaning. I did try!
There will be better albums that are not on it, albums that are musically and vocally superior, and others that were groundbreaking, broke the mould or redefined a genre. But music is a highly personal thing. A mediocre, or average album can come along and speak volumes to you. They sneak up on you when you are at your most vulnerable or receptive. They become your friends, comfort blankets and injectors of joy. The past can flood back with just a few notes played. They become a part of your life. So I make no apologies for anything that appears on the list, even though there will be purists who will deride some of the choices and not understand why there isn't any Stones, Hendrix or Dylan on it. Enjoy.
There will be better albums that are not on it, albums that are musically and vocally superior, and others that were groundbreaking, broke the mould or redefined a genre. But music is a highly personal thing. A mediocre, or average album can come along and speak volumes to you. They sneak up on you when you are at your most vulnerable or receptive. They become your friends, comfort blankets and injectors of joy. The past can flood back with just a few notes played. They become a part of your life. So I make no apologies for anything that appears on the list, even though there will be purists who will deride some of the choices and not understand why there isn't any Stones, Hendrix or Dylan on it. Enjoy.
Aberfeldy – Young Forever
Arcade Fire - Funeral
Tori Amos – Little
Earthquakes
B52s – Cosmic Thing
Bat for Lashes – The
Haunted Man
Beach Boys – Surf’s Up
Beatles – Revolver
Beatles – Sgt Pepper
Beatles – White Album
Beatles – Abbey Road
Belle and Sebastian –
Tigermilk
Belle and Sebastian – The
Life Pursuit
Blur – Modern Life is
Rubbish
Blur – 13
David Bowie – Hunk Dory
David Bowie – Ziggy
Stardust
David Bowie – Low
Breaks Co-op – The Sound
Inside
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Kate Bush – The Kick Inside
Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
Kate Bush – Aerial
Bernard Butler – People
Move On
Caravan – In the Land of
the Grey and Pink
Cocteau Twins – Treasure
Cocteau Twins – Blue Bell
Knoll
Crosby, Stills and Nash –
Crosby, Stills and Nash
Deacon Blue – Raintown
Dexy’s Midnight Runners –
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
The Doors – The Doors
The Doors – LA Woman
Nick Drake – Bryter Later
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
The Duckworth Lewis Method
– The Duckworth Lewis Method
Ian Dury – New Boots and
Panties
The Eagles – The Long Run
Elbow – Seldom Seen Kid
ELO – New World Record
ELO – Out of the Blue
Everything But the Girl –
Amplified Heart
Fairport Convention –
Unhalfbricking
Fairport Convention – Liege
and Lief
Field Music – Tones of Town
Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood
Mac
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
Peter Gabriel – 4
Genesis – Selling England
by the Pound
Go-betweens – Oceans Apart
Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
John Grant – Queen of
Denmark
Groove Armada – Goodbye
Country
Groove Armada – Love Box
Hall and Oates – Abandoned
Luncheonette
Steve Hillage -L
Norah Jones – Come Away
With Me
Kings of Convenience –
Quiet is the New Loud
LCD Soundsystem – LCD
Soundsystem
Aimee Mann – Bachelor No.2
Laura Marling – A Creature
I Don’t Know
Led Zeppelin – Physical
Graffitti
Lemon Jelly – Lemon Jelly
Massive Attack – Mezzanine
Paul McCartney - Ram
Midlake – The Trials of Van
Occupanther
Joni Mitchell – Ladies of
the Canyon
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Joni Mitchell – Court and
Spark
Joni Mitchell – The Hissing
of Summer Lawns
The 1975 – I like it when
you go to sleep…
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
Pink Floyd – Meddle
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were
Here
Robert Plant and Alison
Krause – Raising Sand
Primal Scream –
Screamadelica
Queen – Queen 2
Radiohead – The Bends
Radiohead – OK Computer
Lou Reed – Transformer
Sigur Ros – Takk
Simple Minds – New Gold
Dream
Spirit – The Family That
Plays Together
Spirit – The Twelve Dreams
of Dr. Sardonicus
Bruce Springsteen – Born to
Run
The Staves – If I Was
Sufjan Stevens – Welcome to
Michigan
Sufjan Stevens – Come on
Feel the Illinois
Suede – Dog Man Star
Supertramp – Even In The
Quietest Moments
James Taylor – Sweet Baby
James
10cc – How Dare You
Turin Brakes – The Optimist
LP
Undertones – Undertones
Rufus Wainwright – Release
the Stars
The Who – Quadrophenia
Wings – Venus and Mars
Neil Young – Everybody
Knows this is Nowhere
Neil Young – After the
Goldrush
Neil Young – Harvest
Neil Young – Comes a Time
Neil Young – Prairie Wind
Neil Young – Prairie Wind
Comments
Raising Sand? Seriously? Possibly the dullest and most tedious group of sings ever released.
3x David Bowie but no Station to Station?
If I had to choose a Genesis album it would be A Trick of The Tail - the optimum mid-point between twee progressive introspection and pop.
I would have thought a man of your wit and taste would have had Aja by Steely Dan in their list - like having liquid honey poured down your lug-holes. Just a fantastic album.
No Van Morrison? What's he ever done to you to deserve that?
And I'm slightly surprised, given some of the others on your list, not to see a Richard Hawley album or two in their. Coles Corner, Lady's Bridge, Trueloves' Gutter all excellent.
Some choices I haven't given much attention to in the past. You Tube may get a few visits today.
Raising Sand is a warm bath of an album that I luxuriate in.
I would prefer Aladdin Sane to Station to Station, but that does not mean I disagree with its excellence.
My next Genesis pick would be Lamb lies down on Broadway.
Steely Dan unlucky not to make it with Can't buy a thrill and Countdown to Ecstacy
Van just doesn't do it for me.
Richard Hawley is an artist I admire and only possess Standing at the skies edge.
Thank's for the thorough analysis!
I've dug out my copy of Raising Sand, bought in a moment of foolish weakness, and have been listening in the car. TBH I'm still not quite feeling it, although their soulful interpretation of Ukranian funeral marches and Moldovan Death music is certainly unique.
If you haven't heard Aja then you really need to. I know for a fact I'm not the only Bishop's Stortford birder to regard it as the finest album of all time.