Jeff posted a list of his favourite albums of all time. I am always a sucker for such things, so I'm going to do one too. I did a Top 5 recently, but this is more comprehensive. Not really in order, except the first few..Hounds of Love- Kate Bush (1985). A beautiful, beautiful album divided into two parts, the first side a bunch of brilliant pop songs, the second a weird concept thing about someone drowning.
Pet Sounds- The Beach Boys (1966). The perfect example of the genius that is Brian Wilson. Heartbreakingly beautiful, groundbreaking songs, impeccably produced.
Daydream Nation- Sonic Youth (1987). Strange, sprawling soundscapes that still feel like the soundtrack to my life, and stop me in my tracks whenever I give it a spin.
Disintegration- The Cure (1989). Beautiful, spooky love songs that bring my teenage years flooding back.
For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver (2008). Fantastic! Best new music I've heard for a decade. Written and recorded by one guy holed up in a log cabin for the winter.
Homogenic- Bjork (1997). This album sounds exactly like the giant, freezing glaciers of Iceland where Bjork is from. Her voice is incredible.
Surfer Rosa- The Pixies (1987). Doolittle is a great album, but I've always kinda liked this one more. When my brother leant me the tape in year 7, it blew my mind.
Don't Break The Oath- Mercyful Fate (1984). My biggest discovery of the last year is this Danish metal band. You've never heard anyone sing quite as strangely as King Diamond, and the riffs and solos, and songs about witches and demons are too much for me to resist.
Ten- Pearl Jam (1990). I'll always have a soft spot for this. Kinda overblown, and maybe over-produced, but just great none the less. So passionate and earnest.
Ritual De Lo Habitual- Jane's Addiction (1990). A cool hybrid of lots of influences, punk, metal, funk, goth, all rolled in together.
The Psycho Social...-Jedi Mind Tricks (1997). To me, the epitome of hip hop. I love lots of hip hop, but this weird underground mix of spooky production, great rapping and conspiracy theories is amazing.
New Morning- Bob Dylan (1970). Bob retires from the public eye, moves to the country and has a couple of kids. Less scathing, and more layed back and at peace, I love this album.
Music From Big Pink- The Band (1968). Dylan's backing band release their own album. It is exquisite. Three beautiful voices, five brilliant musicians, and a great songwriter.
Tango In The Night- Fleetwood Mac (1985). Awesome songs on a very 80's sounding album. Synthesised up the yin-yang, but amazingly it doesn't sound cheesy or lame.
Loveless- My Bloody Valentine (1991). This will always remind me of my brother, and listening to it with him in his room. Weird guitar and keyboard messes with ethereal vocals.
Where You Been- Dinosaur Jr (1993). My soundtrack to year 10 at school. Introverted love songs about the girls I couldn't get--this was right up my alley!
Treasure- Cocteau Twins (1984). Elizabeth Fraser is one of the most incredible singers I've ever heard. She doesn't sing actual lyrics, just strange wordless sounds that break my heart.
After The Goldrush- Neil Young (1970). A wonderful, relaxing way to spend half an hour. Great acoustic sounding songs with lots of piano and nice harmonies.
The White Album- The Beatles (1968). Hard to choose just one Beatles album, but I love the diversity of the White Album; just chock full of ideas and new new sounds.
Ride The Lightning- Metallica (1984). For me, both the quintessential Metallica album, and the quintessential metal album. Anything that I want in a metal album, this has it.
Crocodiles- Echo and The Bunnymen (1980). Sort of like a cooler, tougher, darker and better version of early U2. Awesome post punk sort of sound.
Three Feet High and Rising- De La Soul (1988). Fantastic, funny, crazy, un-pretentious psychedelic hip hop, from the masters.
Painkiller- Judas Priest (1990). Absolutely cranking metal. Loud, heavy, awesome. Rob Halford at his screaming best.
Hatful of Hollow- The Smiths (1984). A great young band full of ideas. The vibrant enthusiastic playing of Johnny Marr was the perfect foil to Morrisey's boo-hooing.
Raise- Swervedriver (1991). Great indie guitar songs about driving fast cars.
Show No Mercy- Slayer (1984). Awesome early thrash metal. A meaner, nastier Metallica.
Pacific Ocean Blue- Dennis Wilson (1977). The solo album by the overlooked Beach Boys drummer turned out to be one of the most amazingly touching things you'll ever hear.
5 comments:
What's extraordinary (apart from the fact that I somehow managed to get to here at work) is how few of them I have heard, but "synthesised up the yin-yang" made me burst out laughing! Context tells me everything, but what the ... :)
What can I say. It was poetry that just came to me in a wave of inspiration.
Oh, no, well I have since done my googling and you are quite correct in your usage! I obviously don't hang around enough "ricers" (they are apparently people who accessorise imported cars - big mufflers and the like), which is where the phrase supposedly came from.
Oh yeah, I'm totally down with ricers, Ali.
:), yeah I am sure you have a Honda somewhere with a spoiler that looks like something Boeing made for a 747.
Anyhoo, back to the music ...
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