please note, for the sake of consistency, this list now excludes all albums i haven't yet reviewed for this site.
last updated : 30/03/07
- Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
'Let’s Go Away For Awhile' matches its title in its musical description of places to acheive a state of joy and relaxation. 'Caroline No' fades out with the sounds of a train going past behind dogs barking. Pet Sounds, indeed. We are all fortunate Brian shared these sounds with us all.
- Revolver - The Beatles
How the hell The Beatles did it is a thing we'll never quite know. It seems almost superhuman that such a thing could exist in 1966. But, there you go.
- The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
'Shoot You Down' with it's little shuffling rhythm. 'This Is The One' - a mighty guitar workout. And, ending of course with the epic 'I Am The Resurrection' which nicely ties up what had been begun with 'I Wanna Be Adored'. The belief is infectious.
- The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
Yeah, this is an emotional record. This isn't easy listening and its not Green Day either. A masterpiece, and certainly The Smiths peak as both writers and performers.
- Who's Next - The Who
Pete comes in with some crashing guitar chords, the synth continues underneath all of this. "Don't cry, don't raise your eye, it's only teenage wasteland....." - a smattering of drums, more and more listening pleasure creeps in. Well, not even creeps in! This is fucking brilliant, joyous musical perfection of the highest order.
- Notorious Byrd Brothers - The Byrds
The song has a floaty ethereal feel and is extremely beautiful. Jim Gordon comes in towards the end with a fantastic, superbly timed drum roll and the whole thing is an impossible triumph against all odds.
- Closer - Joy Division
The drum pattern is again a key to the musical build-up of the song, the bass rumbles deeply around the drums, the guitar slashes and is allowed the freedom to do so. The rhythm section has already created such a strong melody and groove, the guitar doesn't have to provide 'the tune', so to speak. The lyrical content is dark and poetic, Ian sings almost matter of factly and the overall effect is quite something.
- Doolittle - The Pixies
'Debaser' is the quintessential sound of The Pixies in full-flight, the one song that springs to the mind of many fans if forced to choose just one song to represent the group.
- OK Computer - Radiohead
'Airbag' is a re-write of 'Planet Telex' only it has twice as good lyrics, three times the atmosphere and is generally better all around. If you have some special attachment to 'Planet Telex', congratulations, but I cannot comprehend anybody preferring 'Planet Telex' to 'Airbag' myself. The improvement in the lyrics alone should be enough to convince anyone, and that's ignoring the much improved music. 'Paranoid Android' is a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' for the nineties, a 'Good Vibrations' or a 'Telstar' for the nineties.
- Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart
And, oh my good god, that "Gimmie that old time religion" section is just so glorious I nearly fall out of my chair every time I hear it. It fades, the sound of Beefheart plugging back into the blues, into Howlin Wolf mode, but Howlin Wolf never EVER sounded as astonishingly brilliant as this.
- Fragile - Yes
- Sunflower - The Beach Boys
- Promenade - The Divine Comedy
- Five Leaves Left - Nick Drake
- Seamonsters - The Wedding Present
- Alice - Tom Waits
- Smile - Brian Wilson
- The Boatmans Call - Nick Cave
- Muswell Hillbillies - The Kinks
- Relayer - Yes
- Sail Away - Randy Newman
- All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
- 200 Motels - Frank Zappa
- Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
- Friends - The Beach Boys
- Back In Denim - Denim
- Scott 4 - Scott Walker
- Close To The Edge - Yes
- Desire - Bob Dylan
- Pink Moon - Nick Drake
- Tonight's The Night - Neil Young
- We're Only In It For The Money - Frank Zappa
- Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Pink Floyd
- Giant Steps - The Boo Radleys
- White Album - The Beatles
- Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
- Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan
- Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds
- Blonde On Blonde - Bob Dylan
- Full House - Fairport Convention
- Extricate - The Fall
- The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis
- Trompe Le Monde - The Pixies
- Something Else - The Kinks
- I Hear A New World - Joe Meek
- Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
- Kimono My House - Sparks
- The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other - Van Der Graaf Generator
- Disintegration - The Cure
- Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
- Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
- The Libertines - The Libertines
- From The Choirgirl Hotel - Tori Amos
- Skylarking - XTC
- Dots And Loops - Stereolab
- Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
- The Wall - Pink Floyd
- I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight - Richard Thompson
- The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground
- Lil Beethoven - Sparks
- King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo
- Tindersticks - Tindersticks
- Achtung Baby - U2
- Baduizm - Eyrkah Badu
- Selected Ambient Works Vol 2 - Aphex Twin
- New Wave - The Auteurs
- Surfs Up - The Beach Boys
- If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle And Sebastian
- Teenager Of The Year - Frank Black
- Sunshine Hit Me - The Bees
- Burlesque - Bellowhead
- Haha Sound - Broadcast
- Hunky Dory - David Bowie
- Tender Prey - Nick Cave
- Red - Eliza Carthy
- Diamond Dogs - David Bowie
- Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
- Educated Guess - Ani Difranco
- Todays Active Lifestyles - Polvo
- Dragnet - The Fall
- Let The Snakes Crinkle Their Heads To Death - Felt
- Electric Warrior - T Rex
- Small Change - Tom Waits
- Chairs Missing - Wire
- Out To Lunch - Eric Dolphy
- Paid In Full - Eric B & Rakim
- The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips
- Hex Enducation Hour - The Fall
- Band On The Run - Paul McCartney
- Liege And Lief - Fairport Convention
- Forever Breathes The Lonely Word - Felt
- Sgt Pepper - The Beatles
- Poem Of The River - Felt
- Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
- Red - King Crimson
- Hawaii - The High Llamas
- Nowhere - Ride
- Ron Sexsmith - Ron
- White Light/White Heat - Velvet Underground
- End Of The Century - Ramones