Dai’s Rules still apply:
1) Post 10 albums ONLY
2) Place them in order 1 to 10. Number 1 will be allocated 10 points down to 1 pt in 10th place.
3) If you post more than 10 only the first 10 will be counted.
4) If you don’t post a preference in the 10 then each will be allocated 5 pts
5) Post exactly like this :
Number – Album – Artist
e.g. 1 – Dare – The Human League
Use proper names not The Fabs or HJHM etc
If you don’t your choice may not be counted.
Logically the next poll has been agreed to be your Fave Albums of the period 1980 to 1999.
Blue Boy may get us all looking at the less predictable period 2000 to 2020 at a later date.
Fire Away!!
Cheers! Is there a deadline?
(Also: can we get Moose and Bingo back to vote for London 0 Hull 4 and Enter The Wu Tang Clan respectively..)
Let us set a deadline of midday, Midsummer’s day 21st June 2020
As for Moose (fnaar) and Bingo – Well if they maintain radio silence, their fave albums could be given an honorary scoring – “Cinq points pour moi”!
Sorry mid-day on the 20th June is the deadline.
1 – The Crossing – Big Country
2 – Misplaced Childhood – Marillion
3 – 30 Something – Carter USM
4 – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – Dexys Midnight Runners
5 – The Rise and Fall – Madness
6 – Flood – They Might Be Giants
7 – Give Out But Don’t Give Up – Primal Scream
8 – Definitely Maybe – Oasis
9 – Stanley Road – Paul Weller
10 – Live After Death – Iron Maiden
The Top 3 were in the my All-Time Top 10 – after 2 weeks, I couldn’t really (a) leave them out, or (b) change the order.
The next 2 were oh so nearly in my All-Time 10.
1 – Black Love – Afghan Whigs
2 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
3 – Thunder And Consolation – New Model Army
4 – Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris
5 – Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers) – Wu Tang Clan
6 – Deserters Songs – Mercury Rev
7 – Floodland – The Sisters Of Mercy
8 – Reign In Blood – Slayer
9 – Onwards And Upwards – Culture Shock
10 – Illmatic – Nas
only had to change two albums from my list in the original thread….21st century will be all new titles though!
Thunder and Consolation.
Good choice, I need to go and play that again.
I have been a bleeding idiot and forgotten The Pogues. Can I stick If I Should Fall From Grace With God in at 8 instead of Slayer please?
Thanks for getting the ball rolling Monsieurs Digit et Dynamite.
Interesting exercise – I don’t think of the 80s and 90s as decades like I do 60s & 70s, it’s just the years of kids. But I’m happy with this list.
1 – Pontiac – Lyle Lovett
2 – Travelling Wilburys Vol.1 – Travelling Wilburys
3 – Riding with the King – John Hiatt
4 – Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
5 – Graceland – Paul Simon
6 – Lucinda Williams – Lucinda Williams
7 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
8 – 69 Love Songs – Magnetic Fields
9 – Beck – Mutations
10 – Little Creatures – Talking Heads
1. – Dead Bees On A Cake – David Sylvian
2. – One Trick Pony – Paul Simon
3. – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
4. – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
5. – Screamadelica – Primal Scream
6. – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
7. – High Land, Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
8. – Eden – Everything But The Girl
9. – Pirates – Rickie Lee Jones
10. – The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
Once again my main criteria is how regularly I still listen to them. Any of the following could have been included at number 11:
Avalon; Beautiful Vision; Bella Donna; Boat To Bolivia; Catholic Boy; Heartattack and Vine; Hipsway; Neither Washington, Nor Moscow; Penthouse & Pavement and The Luxury Gap; Peter Gabriel 3 & 4; Shades; Tattoo You; The Game’s Up; The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking; Tin Drum
Hi @Gary
Pirates just missed my top ten as did The Final Cut.
Good to see support for Steve McQueen!
Great initiative! I am looking forward to browsing through the votes and may even vote. It is refreshing to not be able to resort to all my old LP faves from the 60s and 70s
Serious question from an old man – how the hell does anyone remember if an album was released in 1979 or 2000? I remember buying John Wesley Harding in 1967 and Norman Fuckin Rockwell in 2020. The rest is a bit of a blur.
I added the year of release column into the iTunes display. It’s not 100%, gets confused by re-release years and so on, and probably misses loads, but it’s how I drew up a short list to whittle down.
Wait a minute, you’re saying that you haven’t put the correct date in the info for every album in your iTunes library? I… the… what… I… don’t… I… how… not… I…
…
… …
?
Are you sure you’re in the right place?
I know. I demonstrate a shockingly lax attitude to tags and let iTunes do what it will, however eccentric. To be honest I count myself lucky to be allowed in here when I still use iTunes at all.
Well yeeees.. The committee were already investigating how it was that you managed to slip in here. You may have just sabotaged your own case.
Use Discogs.
Are you suggesting that I have the time, the patience and, most importantly, the ability to look at Discogs in order to discover whether or not Billy Boo-Boo And The Boo-Boos seminal first album is eligible for this poll?
ps what is iTunes?
1 – Sound Affects – The Jam
2 – Lexicon Of Love – ABC
3 – The Visitors – Abba
4 – In My Tribe – 10,000 Maniacs
5 – Dazzle Ships – OMD
6 – Warehouse: Songs & Stories – Husker Du
7 – Heaven Up Here – Echo & The Bunnymen
8 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
9 – Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello
10 – Dare – Human League
1 – Remain in Light – Talking Heads
2 – Spirit of Eden – Talk Talk
3 – Hats – Blue Nile
4 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
5 – Graceland – Paul Simon
6 – Mezzanine – Massive Attack
7 – Swordfishtrombone – Tom Waits
8 – Gaucho – Steely Dan
9 – Heaven Up Here – Echo and the Bunnymen
10 – Reckoning – REM
When I was trying to my overall top 10, I put together a longlist of 160, 49 of which were in the 1980 – 1999 period. 5 from the 80s actually made my top 10, so I didn’t have a lot of room to play with this time. I suppose that I had better keep the top 5 as they were in the previous top 10.
1 – 3 – Peter Gabriel
2 – Remain in Light – Talking Heads
3 – imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
4 – A Secret Wish – Propaganda
5 – Swordfishtrombones- Tom Waits
6 – Being There – Wilco
7 – Different Class – Pulp
8 – The Joshua Tree – U2
9 – Time Out Of Mind – Bob Dylan
10 – OK Computer – Radiohead
And the ones that I couldn’t quite fit in were Green (REM), New York (Lou Reed), Nebraska (Bruce Springsteen), Apple Venus Vol 1 (XTC) and Jordan The Comeback (Prefab Sprout)
1 – Automatic For the People – R.E.M.
2 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
3 – The Holy Bible – Manic Street Preachers
4 – OK Computer – Radiohead
5 – Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
6 – Kilimanjaro – The Teardrop Explodes
7 – Summerteeth – Wilco
8 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young and Crazy Horse
9 – New Gold Dream – Simple Minds
10 – Cloud Nine – George Harrison
1 – Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
2 – Mock Tudor – Richard Thompson
3 – King of America – Elvis Costello
4 – The Impossible Bird – Nick Lowe
5 – Absolute Jit! – The Bhundu Boys
6 – Lone Justice – Lone Justice
7 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
8 – The Trinty Sessions – Cowboy Junkies
9 – The Hounds of Love – Kate bush
10 – Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – David Bowie
Quick q @craig42blue – If you had eligible albums from @dai all time list should they automatically be included in this list?
I have wondered about this – a few on Dai’s 80s list weren’t from the 80s (or 90s).
I am happy to add in an entry of the top 10 from the 80s and 90s from the overall album vote.
Do we have agreement?
Don’t understand this. This is a new vote, right? Starting from zero. I posted an 80s list just for the fun of it, don’t think anything should be included from previous one when it comes to this vote.
Actually, yes, you are right Dai, the best thing would be to leave the previous poll’s out of this but people can compare with the overall chart once this 80s and 90s chart is complete.
For Info: the deadline has been set as mid-day (1pm BST) on Midsummers day the 20th June 2020.
So I can include here the ones I put on the overall poll eg Automatic FTP but I can choose not too as well if I decide I’ve
Changed my mind in the last fortnight.
But to be clear Hounds I’d Love is already no 1 yes? Or is this vote the 80s-99 that you didn’t include in your all time list?
Hi Moseley. You can vote for any of your favourite albums of the 80s and 90s. Yes some of these may also be on your all time list and yes you can change your mind from your previous voting.
No, completely different vote. Hounds of Love may or may not win.
So looking good with 80 different albums from 9 pollsters. No album has more than 2 votes, as yet.
If anyone disputes the original year of release not being in the period 1980 to 1999, please raise it here.
Rockin’ and Romance – Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
High Land Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84) – Simple Minds
Remain in Light – Talking Heads
Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
A Pagan Place – The Waterboys
The Tender Pervert – Momus
Soul Mining – The The
Discipline – King Crimson
Hope and Despair – Edwyn Collins
Very Scottish selection for an Irishman.
Hi Bamber, can I assume the Modern Lovers are your number 1 choice etc..
Yes. Sorry too late to edit.
No surprises here:
1 – Violator – Depeche Mode
2 – Remain in Light – Talking Heads
3 – Dazzle Ships – OMD
4 – New Gold Dream – Simple Minds
5 – Telekon – Gary Numan
6 – Back in the DHSS – Half Man Half Biscuit
7 – Provision – Scritti Politti
8 – Introspective – Pet Shop Boys
9 – Difficult Shapes…- China Crisis
10 – The Fat of the Land – Prodigy
Here is my vote, most played/favourites
1 – Grace And Danger – John MARTYN
2 – Work Of Heart – Roy HARPER
3 – 3 – Peter Gabriel
4 – Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good – PREFAB SPROUT
5 – Protection – MASSIVE ATTACK
6 – Never For Ever – Kate BUSH
7 – Attack Of The Blue Lanterns – MANSUN
8 – NUYORICAN SOUL – Nuyorican Soul
9 – There And Back – Jeff BECK
10 – The Completion Backwards Principle – The TUBES
Bobbins – Protection should have made it onto my list.
Double bobbins – how could I have forgotten to include Bandwagonesque? I’ll stop now but I’m sure there will be plenty more I should have included.
think I’ve seen all three 90s Massive Attack albums so far. Just need someone to add the dub version of Protection and we’ve got a full house.
Ten is not enough…I had to bump Massive Attack off my list so I could give XTC the two spots they deserve. Ouch!
1 – Black Sea – XTC
2 – Remain In Light – Talking Heads
3 – Purple Rain – Prince
4 – Being There – Wilco
5 – English Settlement – XTC
6 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
7 – Saint Julian – Julian Cope
8 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
9 – Texas Fever – Orange Juice
10 – Sandinista! – The Clash
I found this list more painful to make than the previous one, strangely.
Sandinista – interesting choice. Hard work, but ultimately rewarding (if it was a double).
It is the best of 80s Clash though.
Combat Rock is patchy, and Cut The Crap has 2 extraneous words in the title.
Thankfully they made it easy for me to turn it into a brilliant double – just cut out sides 1 and 6! 😀
1 – Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
2 – Aquemini – Outkast
3 – TNT – Tortoise
4 – Endtroducing… – DJ Shadow
5 – Definitely Maybe – Oasis
6 – I Should Coco – Supergrass
7 – Oh Mercy – Bob Dylan
8 – Illmatic – Nas
9 – Warehouse: Songs and Stories – Husker Du
10 – This Is Hardcore – Pulp
Ooh, forgot Supergrass.
1 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
2 – Homogenic – Björk
3 – Doolittle – Pixies
4 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
5 – Parade – Prince And The Revolution
6 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
7 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
8 – Second Toughest In The Infants – Underworld
9 – Control – Janet Jackson
10 – Ágaetis Byrjun – Sigur Rós
I found it easier to stick to ten this time but I’d still like more.
ooof, should have had Parade
Not a fan of Homogenic, then?
bit like the Underworld one there – decent album and I enjoy listening, but not a top ten of its twenty year period for me
1 – Bright Red – Laurie Anderson
2 – Rising Above Bedlam – Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart
3 – Playing With Fire – Spacemen 3
4 – Screamadelica – Primal Scream
5 – Sleeps With Angels – Neil Young and Crazy Horse
6 – First and Last and Always – The Sisters of Mercy
7 – Common One – Van Morrison
8 – In The Flat Field – Bauhaus
9 – Back To Basics – Billy Bragg
10 – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Empires and Dance -Simple Minds
Never forever- Kate Bush
Tin Drum-Japan
Zoo look- Jean Michelle Jarre
Aural Sculpture- The Stranglers
Blind- The Sundays
Goodbye Jumbo- World Party
Blemish- David Sylvian
The Next Day- David Bowie
Clearing-Softspot
Next to impossible of course but there it is.
Blemish was 2003. Top choice though. If I ruled the thread I’d allow it. In fact, I’d darn well insist on its inclusion in everyone’s list.
The Next Day was 2013. That’s just taking the piss.
I do my best.
Except with formatting.
Bellows, Bellows, Bellows…. damn good weed on The Island I assume?
@MrBellows
Nice selection, but could do better.
Would you like to submit a numbered list featuring albums released in the period 1980 to 1999?
Thanks
Thanks for the heads up.
Can I do it here?
Remain in light ( Sorry I was just talking to myself there.)
1. Remain in light- Talking Heads
2. Never forever- Kate Bush 😘❤️
3.The Golden Age of wireless- Thomas Dolby.
4. Huang Chung-Huang Chung
5. Zoo-Look-Jean Michelle Jarre
6. Laughingstock-TalkTalk
7. Solitude Standing-Suzanne Vega
8. Moon Safari-Air
9. Struggling to think of anything worthwhile in the ‘90’s. I know I’m missing a couple of jewels.
9. Astronauts. Lilac Time
10. Fuck. I don’t even know if I bought any music in the ‘90’s.
10. The first Day-Sylvian/Fripp
Cheers Mr B
Here goes….
1 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
2 – Love Over Gold – Dire Straits
3 – Skylarking – XTC
4 – Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
5 – Hats – Blue Nile
6 – Duke – Genesis
7 – Automatic For The People – REM
8 – OK Computer – Radiohead
9 – Kite – Kirsty MacColl
10 – Welcome Home – ‘Til Tuesday
That was harder than I expected – had to leave out Spirit Of Eden, Seeds Of Love, Bang!, Rattlesnakes and many others that could have made the Top 10
1.Hex – Bark Psychosis
2.Lexicon of Love – ABC
3.Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
4.Food, Sex & Paranoia – Furniture
5.The Queen is Dead – The Smiths
6.Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
7.The House of Love* – The House of Love
8.Soul Mining – The The
9.Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
10.High Land Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
*that’s the first album (on Creation and opens with Christine)
Bollocks, forgot the House Of Love. Destroy the chart!
Hi @Barry
I could edit your list if you wish?
Cheers, Craig. Let’s ditch Abba at 3, and replace with House Of Love. Ta!
👍👍
😀😀
🙏🙏
Shouldn’t Abba move down to 4? (If posted in order of preference)
Nah,I’m feeling fickle today 🙂
Here goes:
1 – This Is The Sea – The Waterboys
2 – Skylarking – XTC
3 – Time Out Of Mind – Bob Dylan
4 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
5 – Spirit Of Eden – Talk Talk
6 – Goodbye Jumbo – World Party
7 – Nebraska- Bruce Springsteen
8 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young
9 – The Lonesome Jubilee – John Mellencamp
10 – Copperhead Road – Steve Earle & The Dukes
Going off that list the 80’s weren’t as shyte as the 90’s.
Lonesome Jubilee is great!!
Its his best album.
1 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
2 – Fried – Julian Cope
3 – Apple Venus Volume 1 – XTC
4 – In it for the Money – Supergrass
5 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
6 – The Queen is Dead – The Smiths
7 – Chips from the Chocolate Fireball – The Dukes of Stratosphear
8 – Talking Timbuktu – Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder
9 – Penguin Eggs – Nic Jones
10 – Secrets of the Beehive – David Sylvian
The Top 4 were in my Top 5 of all time anyway.
1. GET HAPPY Elvis Costello
2. GAUCHO Steely Dan
3. THE NIGHTFLY Donald Fagen
4. APPLE VENUS XTC
5. SWORDFISHTROMBONES Tom Waits
6. BLACKSTAR David Bowie
7. REMAIN IN LIGHT Talking Heads
8. WOODFACE Crowded House
9. FINN Finn Brothers
10.DIAMONDS AND PEARLS Prince
I think you’ll find Blackstar was released in 2016. You obviously mistyped ‘Outside’.
I’m kicking myself because I should have included The Buddha Of Suburbia in my ten, one of Bowie’s best in my view.
Oh of course what a fuckwit I am!
Er, calling @craig2blue – please can you replace No 6 Blackstar with Scary Monsters
Thank you!
That’d be @craig42blue of course – sorry!
Done. Ta very much
1 – Parade – Prince & the Revolution
2 – Moon Safari – Air
3 – Different Class – Pulp
4 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
5 – Mishima – Philip Glass
6 – Computer World – Kraftwerk
7 – Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret – Soft Cell
8 – If I Should Fall From Grace With God – The Pogues
9 -It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back – Public Enemy
10 – Dog Man Star – Suede
1 – Endtroducing – DJ Shadow
2 – Hats – The Blue Nile
3 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
4 – OK Computer – Radiohead
5 – Love Over Gold – Dire Straits
6 – Moon Safari – Air
7 – Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space- Spiritualized
8 – Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld – The Orb
9 – Odelay- Beck
10 – Graceland – Paul Simon
This is a great idea by the way. It’s so easy to gravitate towards the “classic” 70s albums, so cutting that off really makes you think a bit harder, especially for someone like me who is more at home in the 70s.
I agree Arthur, more difficult, but wait till Blue_Boy does his 2000-2020 chart!!
I think I’ll sit that one out!
UPDATE:
It may surprise some that there were more than 3 Kate Bush albums in the 1980s alone.
Can everyone yet to vote use the format in the OP please.
Any votes for Blackstar are a ‘spoilt ballot paper’, only 9 choices counted, this is a shame when many AWs have had to leave out a favourite: e.g. House Of Love, Protection and Seeds Of Love…
My first post since the days of the actual Word mag website. Where does the time go etc etc…?
This is stupidly hard as due to age this is definitely my most loved and listened to period. Literally dozens of other contenders. No room for Cocteaus, OMD, Orange Juice, Bunnymen, Bowie, Dylan, Stone Roses, La’s, Pogues, Wilco, Jayhawks, Calexico, Auteurs, Tom Petty, Nick Lowe, Billy Bragg, World Party, Blue Nile, Spacemen 3 and on and on…
1 – Songs from Northern Britain – Teenage Fanclub
2 – Me and a Monkey on the Moon – Felt
3 – Spirit of Eden – Talk Talk
4 – The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
5 – The House of Love – The House of Love
6 – Peggy Suicide – Julian Cope
7 – Technique – New Order
8 – Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
9 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Coen
10 – Darklands – Jesus and Mary Chain
Welcome back! The Word mag website? Decades before my time. Didn’t it fold in about 1866?
My my! How time flies when we are having fun!
Ta! Probably best for me (or any of us) not to think about how long it’s really been. But, with lockdown, what’s time anyway? It flies by and yet is infinite at the same time…
I remember when the blog started up. Hepworth and Ellen on the podcast seemed very taken by the novelty of it.
I remember the first Word mingle getting organised as well. Not that I went as I am at the opposite end of the country.
Mark Ellen said as much in his autobiography. He was surprised by the community it created.
I think Pencilsqueezer and Drakeygirl even get a name check.
It was a great magazine for a good long while. And one of the v few websites I ever really got involved with (though rarely). Plus one of the first and (still) best podcasts around. Great deal of affection for all that surrounds it and them.
I feel bad for not finding room for one of Lawrence’s albums, Back in Denim and Forever Breathes The Lonely Word being my favourites.
B*gger. Forgot Back in Denim.
Me too … Back In Denim was in my top 14, but got the chop.
1 – Lexicon of Love – ABC
2 – Tunnel Of Love – Bruce Springsteen
3 – Dare – The Human League
4 – Purple Rain – Prince
5 – Hounds Of Love – Kate Bush
6 – So – Peter Gabriel
7 – Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson
8 – Infected- The The
9 – Hats – The Blue Nile
10 – Zooropa – U2
1. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) – Bowie
2. Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and The Commotions
3. Ariel – Kate Bush
4. Strange Communion – Thea Gilmore
5. Woodface – Crowded House
6. Vienna – Ultravox
7. Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
8. Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
9. Fashion Nugget – Cake
10. Idlewild – Everything But The Girl
Ah! Up to ’99. Silly me.
1. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) – Bowie
2. Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and The Commotions
3. Woodface – Crowded House
4. Vienna – Ultravox
5. Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
6. Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
7. Fashion Nugget – Cake
8. Idlewild – Everything But The Girl
9 Pretenders II – The Pretenders
10. OK Computer – Radiohead
Sorry Chiz, but Aerial was out in 2005!
Sorted now Chiz
1 – Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
2 – Overcome By Happiness – Pernice Brothers
3 – The White Room – The KLF
4 – Illmatic – NaS
5 – Moon Safari – Air
6 – Life’s Rich Pageant – R.E.M.
7 – The Ups And Downs – Stephen Duffy
8 – Please – Pet Shop Boys
9 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
10 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
I have left so many of my favourite albums out of that top 10 that it’s driving me crazy writing it down. The minimalist approach just doesn’t suit me!
We have 4 strong contenders but there is plenty of time to go till midsummer (20 June).
There are probably going to be more unique suggestions than we had for the overall chart that Dai organised.
1 – Scary monsters (and super creeps) – David Bowie
2 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
4 – The Final Cut – Pink Floyd
5 – Grace and Danger – John Martyn
6 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
7 – Outside – David Bowie
8 – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – Sparklehorse
9 – Girlfriend – Matthew Sweet
10 – A black box – Peter Hammill
Bubbling under: The Bends – Radiohead; Tin Drum – Japan; Discipline – King Crimson, etc, etc,…..still room for two Bowie albums in the top ten, even allowing for the quality goods that I’m omitting….
Great to see Grace and Danger listed!
Well, that’s two votes anyway – you and me!
1)) Paul Simon Graceland
2) Prince sign O’ the Times
3) 10,000 Maniacs – In My tribe
4) Elvis Costello – King of America
5) Steve Earle – Guitar Town
6) Primal Scream – Screamadelica
7) Sinead O’Connor – I do not want what I havent got
8) Van Morrison Hymns to the silence
9) Randy Newman – Land of Dreams
10) Julian Cope – Peggy Suicide
Hi Steve Could I trouble you to enter your votes in the format:
e.g. 1 – Graceland – Paul Simon
Ta very much
1) Graceland – Paul Simon
2) Sign O’the times – Prince
3) In my tribe – 10,000 Maniacs
4) King of America – Elvis Costello
5) Guitar Town – Steve Earle
6) Screamadelica – Primal Scream
7) I do not want what I havent got – Sinead O’Connor
8) Hymns to the silence – Van Morrison
9) Land of dreams – Randy Newman
10) Peggy Suicide – Julian Cope
Try again 😉
As I suspected ‘Brit Pap’ was all just a bad dream 😉
There are only a few mentions of Pump, Oasic and Bluf, so far, Boys and Girls.
(sorry wrong thread)
And even less love for its predecessor Glunge. Such a shame…
1 – Mambo Show – The Ensemble Of Latin Music Legends
2 – Psychedelic Jungle – The Cramps
3 – Psychocandy – Jesus and Mary Chain
4 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
5 – Drop The Bomb – Trouble Funk
6 – Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
7 – 3 Feet High and Rising – De La Soul
8 – Sensimilia – Black Uhuru
9 – Immigres – Youssou N’Dour
10 – Doggy Style –Snoop Doggy Dog
1 – A Walk Across the Rooftops – The Blue Nile
2 – Grace and Danger – John Martyn
3 – Life’s Rich Pageant – R.E.M.
4 – Being There – Wilco
5 – Skylarking – XTC
6 – Raindogs – Tom Waits
7 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
8 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
9 – The Bends – Radiohead
10 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
1 – Scary monsters – David Bowie
2 – Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
3 – Dare – Human league
4 – Leftism – Leftfield
5 – Dummy – Portishead
6 – forever blue – Chris Izaak
7 – Avalon – Roxy music
7 – Odelay – Beck
8 – Punch the clock – Elvis Costelloe
9 – Combat rock – The Clash
10 – Tango in the night – Fleetwood Mac
Nice try Jack
Which of your 11 votes do you wish to lose?
@Jackthebiscuit can you choose, one to lose?
Oops – sorry – please remove Avalon.
I’m not worthy…
Sorted Jack
1 – A Secret Wish – Propaganda
2 – Heaven and Hell – Black Sabbath
3 – The Blurred Crusade – The Church
4 – Signals – Rush
5 – Infected – The The
6 – Life’s Hard and then you Die – Its Immaterial
7 – The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
8 – Mainstream – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
9 – Samurai – Grand Prix
10 – 16 Lovers Lane – The Go-betweens
1 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
2 – This Is The Sea – The Waterboys
3 – Get Happy – Elvis Costello
4 – High Land Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
5 – Reckoning – R.E.M.
6 – The River – Bruce Springsteen
7 – Hand Of Kindness – Richard Thompson
8 – Eliminator – ZZ Top
9 – Graceland – Paul Simon
10 – Purple Rain – Prince
So difficult to choose. I’ve picked things I actually played a lot at the time (and still enjoy now!) rather than swap in some of the cooler albums that were tempting me from the shelves.
Ended up with all 80s. Since then, although I listen to a much wider range of great music, I rarely play anything often enough to make it genuine ‘top album’ material like these. If I do a list for the 2000s poll, there might be a lot of coin tossing to decide 🙂
A Top 5 is beginning to take shape but there’s four weeks still to go.
1 Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
2 Sound Affects – The Jam
3 Get Happy – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
4 I Just Can’t Stop It – The Beat
5 New York – Lou Reed
6 Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
7 Reckoning – R.E.M.
8 Dookie – Green Day
9 The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
10 The La’s – The La’s
1 – The Boatman’s Call – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2 – New York – Lou Reed
3 – Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
4 – Freedom – Neil Young
5 – Amused To Death – Roger Waters
6 – Floodland – The Sisters Of Mercy
7 – Empires And Dance – Simple Minds
8 – Movement – New Order
9 – Back On Top – Van Morrison
10 – Deserter’s Songs – Mercury Rev
1 – Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
2 – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
3 – OK Computer – Radiohead
4 – 3 – Peter Gabriel
5 – Murmur – R.E.M.
6 – Discipline – King Crimson
7 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
8 – A Secret Wish – Propaganda
9 – Love Over Gold – Dire Straits
10 – Wish – The Cure
1 – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill
2 – Grace – Jeff Buckley
3 – Sign O’ The Times – Prince
4 – Ready To Die – The Notorious B.I.G.
5 – Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
6 – Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
7 – Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
8 – Different Class – Pulp
9 – Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
10 – What Up, Dog? – Was (Not Was)
Makes you realise what a great era it was. I really struggled here.
1 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
2 – Guitar town – Steve Earle
3 – Almost Blue – Elvis Costello
4 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
6 – Night and Day – Joe Jackson
7 – Surfing with the Alien – Joe Satriani
8 – Idlewild – Everything But The Girl
9 – Better days – Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
10 – The Meaning of Life – Gretchen Peters
I am keen to know more about your number 5 choice Twang!
Has to be Bruce surely!
Bet in play now with Honest Slug’s latest odds on Twang’s number 5:
5-1 Bruce ‘The River’
10-1 Bruce ‘Tunnel Of Love’
30-1 Bruce ‘Born in the USA’
250-1 Rolling Stones ‘Bridges To Babylon”
500-1 Vanilla Ice ‘To the Extreme’
1000-1 Hootie & The Blowfish ‘Cracked Rear View’
5000-1 Tin Machine ‘Tin Machine 2’
I get muddled up. Is Tin Machine 2 the rubbish one or the really rubbish one?
Tin Machine 2 is the one with the cover picture of naked Greek statues that was so RUDE and EXPLICIT that it couldn’t be displayed in stores in the United States. It had to be kept behind the counter in a brown bag or something.
They are both quite good, I think TM2 may be better but the Hunt(?) Scales tracks are excruciating. Bowie on decent form.
Arrgh
5 – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Uprising
Cheers Twang!
Yay! The bookie wins again. I’m off to buy another Ferrari now…
Actually Almost Blue is way too high but never mind.
I am very confused
1 – Cupid & Psyche 85 – Scritti Politti
2 – English Settlement – XTC
3 – Lost In Space – Aimee Mann
4 – Discipline – King Crimson
5 – Steady On – Shawn Colvin
6 – Uprising – Bob Marley & The Wailers
7 – Bring The Family – John Hiatt
8 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
9 – Pirates – Rickie Lee Jones
10 – 24 Years of Hunger – Eg & Alice
A few years ago I would have C&P as my Scritti album, but in recent times Provision has taken over. I bought it on release, played it a few times – thought it wasn’t a patch on C&P and then left it well alone for at least two decades – and then slowly came back to it and ended up completely won over. A slow burner of 32 years.
If anything, I have probably played Provision more than C&P, but I voted for C&P because it was the first one. I can still remember hearing Wood Beez on Anne Nightingale’s radio show and knowing I just had to have it. It was the same with all the singles. I still have the 12″s of Absolute, Hypnotise and The Word Girl.
Provision is my favourite of his albums too. It takes the lushness of Cupid & Psyche to a whole other level! I always compare it to Conscience by The Beloved, which has a similar feel.
Glad to see “24 Years of Hunger”. It was my number 11.
It’s a great album. Indian was on the very first mixtape I made when I was wooing my missus!
It has stood the test of time too. That’s one from my late nights listening to Bob Harris in ’91
Lost In Space is from 2002 – you’ll have to save it for the next list!
Oh, well spotted Locust.
OK then @craig42blue can I put ‘Around The World In A Day’ by Prince in at 3?
Thanks
Hi Nick – sorted thanks…
1 – Passion – Peter Gabriel
2 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
3 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
4 – Achtung Baby – U2
5 – The Crossing – Big Country
6 – Dummy – Portishead
7 – Bandwagonesque – Teenage Fanclub
8 – The Spirit Of Eden – Talk Talk
9 – My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts – Brian Eno & David Byrne
10 – Rei Momo – David Byrne
More support for The Crossing. I am not alone in my belief in the FOFH
It was Steeltown that nearly made my list.
As did a significant number of your choices; that was almost my 11-20.
Rei Momo is a fabulous album that still gets played often in my house and which I forgot about when compiling my list.
the smiths are doing well … “not.”
The Smiths (who were they again) – see also Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Supergrass, oh and “Grunge”, “House”, “Reggae”, “Soul”, “Folk”, “Ambient”, “Jazz”, “Metal” and “Pop”.
To be fair none of the above were in my top 10!
I think post brexit (remember that), artists from “Europe” are not faring well.
I’m pretty sure there are numerous AWers who liked The Smiths, still do and at least own The Queen Is Dead, but no longer like to talk about it in polite company. It’s as if the frontman of your favourite band woke up one morning and had become Tommy Robinson overnight.
The Queen is Dead is doing OK, I have struggled too.
(Spoiler alert: I sold my ticket)
Head held high. (see above)
thecheshirecat says
24/05/2020 at 08:47
1 – The Dreaming – Kate Bush
2 – Fried – Julian Cope
3 – Apple Venus Volume 1 – XTC
4 – In it for the Money – Supergrass
5 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
6 – The Queen is Dead – The Smiths
7 – Chips from the Chocolate Fireball – The Dukes of Stratosphear
8 – Talking Timbuktu – Ali Farka Toure & Ry Cooder
9 – Penguin Eggs – Nic Jones
10 – Secrets of the Beehive – David Sylvian
Attempt at a double vote alert !!! @craig42blue
Hi Dai
Thanks but @thecheshirecat did refer to his list being above.
I know, but you have to keep track of these things (speaking from bitter experience)
thecheshirecat is innocent!
Dai gives good advice – but I find you ‘not guilty’!
If we were doing top 10 tracks of the 80s, I think the Smiths would do better. My favourite Smiths album is still Hatfull of Hollow. I just don’t think they were an album band.
And that’s without mentioning the elephant in the room..
Mind you the one time I saw the Smiths I thought they were blown off stage by the Red Guitars, so what do I know?
OK, again without looking at any of the lists or comments above, here is my list.
I have excluded anything that I listed in the “full” Top 10 list (therefore, no “Tattoo You” this time) but all these albums appeared on my “full” Top 10 long list.
1 – Fisherman’s Blues – The Waterboys
2 – The Trinity Session – Cowboy Junkies
3 – Lyle Lovett – Lyle Lovett
4 – Get Happy – Elvis Costello
5 – Summerteeth – Wilco
6 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
7 – Girl At Her Volcano – Rickie Lee Jones
8 – You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever – Orange Juice
9 – The Wishing Chair – 10000 Maniacs
10 – Together Alone – Crowded House
A couple of comments first.
Tim Buckley’s “Dream Letter – Live in London” (not released until 1990) would definitely have been in my Top 10, but I was unsure of whether a live album recorded in 1968 would’ve been within the rules of this poll, so I left it out.
Similarly, I was going to put Keith Jarrett’s “Live at the Blue Note: Complete” in my 10, but I wasn’t sure whether a 6CD live jazz box set was quite in the spirit of this survey either.
So I’m left with these 10.
I’m a little disappointed that they’re such a mainstream, orthodox bunch of albums. But there we are. If I could’ve submitted 30 records, there would’ve been a lot more interesting choices. Hah!
1 – Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
2 – Djam Leelii – Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck
3 – 69 Love Songs – Magnetic Fields
4 – Penguin Eggs – Nic Jones
5 – Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
6 – Sandinista! – The Clash
7 – Automatic For the People – R.E.M.
8 – XO – Elliott Smith
9 – Apple Venus Vol.1 – XTC
10 – Once in a Blue Moon – Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight
1 – Freedom & Rain – June Tabor & the Oysterband
2 – Some Fantastic Place – Squeeze
3 – Volume Two, Release – Afro-Celt Sound System
4 – King of America – Elvis Costello
5 – Lucinda Williams – Lucinda Williams
6 – Songs From the Argyll Cycle, Volume 1 – Jackie Leven
7 – Setting the Woods on Fire – The Walkabouts
8 – Anarchy – Chumbawamba
9 – Searching For the Young Soul Rebels – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
10 – West Textures – Robert Earl Keen
Bubbling under:
Cupid & Psyche 85 – Scritti Politti
Room to Roam – The Waterboys
Levelling the Land – The Levellers
Arkansas Traveller – Michelle Shocked
Pale Sun, Cresent Moon – Cowboy Junkies
Swamp Ophelia – The Indigo Girls
The Mirror Pool – Lisa Gerrard
Tigerlily – Natalie Merchant
Curtains – Tindersticks
The Charity of Night – Bruce Cockburn
El Corazon – Steve Earle
Clandestino – Manu Chao
Mezzanine – Massive Attack
Holding Back the Years – Jimmy Scott
The River – Bruce Springsteen
Love & Dancing – League Unlimited Orchestra
Irish Heartbeat – Van Morrison & the Chieftains
Rumour & Sigh – Richard Thompson
The Lonesome Jubilee – John Mellencamp
Slow Turning – John Hiatt
Amazingly, I hadn’t actually heard Steve Earle’s “El Corazón” album until about 2 weeks ago.
Great record: the sound of an artist in his absolute prime!
We have had over 40 Afterworders send in their choices – let’s try and match the 100+ that Dai received for the overall best album poll. It is still pretty open (even for the top 5 to change).
Be patient. There’s a month to go!
😉
Thanks Tigger – I do need to be more patient…
Over sixty now and counting!
Here we are
1 – Mornington Crescent – My Life Story
2 – Chill Out – KLF
3 – Sound of Water – Saint Etienne
4 – Stop Making Sense – Talking Heads
5 – Raindogs – Tom Waits
6 – If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle and Sebastian
7 – Lexicon of Love – ABC
8 – Gentlemen – Afghan Whigs
9 – Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous – David Devant and his Spirit Wife
10 – This is Hardcore – Pulp
1 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
2 – Sign O The Times – Prince
3 – Automatic for the People – REM
4 – Script of the Bridge – The Chameleons
5 – Low Life – New Order
6 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
7 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
8 – Heaven Up Here – Echo and the Bunnymen
9 – Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
10 – In MY Tribe – 10000 Maniacs
Not a huge amount of change as 1-5 were in my all time list, and 6-8 just missed out last time. Bubbling under Smashing Pumpkins, both Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie just missing out. Will be much more interested personally in the C21 list and what happens there…
1- Get Happy !! – Elvis Costello
2- The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3- Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
4- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
5- Graceland – Paul Simon
6- No Guru, No Method, No Teacher – Van Morrison
7- Hounds Of Love – Kate Bush
8- King Of America- The Costello Show
9- So – Peter Gabriel
10- The Bends – Radiohead
For me this would be like asking a football manager to pick his best team out of the reserves.
Just imagine it’s the Caribou Cup.
1- Nobody’s Perfect – The Distractions
2- Wasp Star – XTC
3- Some Fantastic Place – Squeeze
4- Skylarking – XTC
5- Kite – Kirsty MacColl
6- Twelve Stops and Home – The Feeling
7- Woodface – Crowded House
8-OK Computer – Radiohead
9-Trust – Elvis Costello
10- Andromeda Heights – Prefab Sprout
…and about 400 bubbling under. Much harder than the “all-time” list.
1 – Graceland – Paul Simon
2 – McCartney II – Paul McCartney
3 – Zooropa – U2
4 – Brutal Youth – Elvis Costello
5 – Oranges & Lemons – XTC
6 – Together Alone – Crowded House
7 – John Henry – They Might Be Giants
8 – Time – ELO
9 – Tango In The Night – Fleetwood Mac
10 – Don’t Stand Me Down – Dexys Midnight Runners
Not really sure I agree with my own ordering of 1-10, but these are definitely up there in some order. It’s an interesting question, trying to get the balance between what’s “the best” versus “what I actually keep going back to”. There are loads of Britpop era albums I like a lot, but I don’t go back to them a lot, for some reason.
1 Hats – The Blue Nile
2 Sign O the times – Prince
3 Loveless – My Bloody Valentine
4 Automatic for the People – REM
5 The Queen is Dead – The Smiths
6 Brotherhood – New Order
7 Joshua Tree – U2
8 Life’s a riot…- Billy Bragg
9 The Bends – Radiohead
10 Tunnel of love – Bruce Springsteen
I could get behind that list
1 – Gentlemen Take Polaroids – Japan
2 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
3 – A Walk Across The Rooftops – The Blue Nile
4 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
5 – Spirit Of Eden – Talk Talk
6 – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
7 – Lifes Rich Pageant – REM
8 – Remain In Light – Talking Heads
9 – Deserters Songs – Mercury Rev
10 – Gaucho – Steely Dan
1-Screamadelica-Primal Scream
2-The Stone Roses-The Stone Roses
3-Dummy-Portishead
4-Ill Communication-Beastie Boys
5-Blue Lines-Massive Attack
6-Moon Safari-Air
7-Odelay-Beck
8-Technique-New Order
9-Nevermind-Nirvana
10-Maxinequaye-Tricky
This could easily be my list if you added in Public Enemy.
1-Dexys Midnight Runners – Don’t Stand Me Down
2-Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden
3-ABC – Beauty Stab
4-Simple Minds – Sparkle In The Rain
5-Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love
6-The Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come
7-Electronic – Electronic
8- The Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues
9-R.E.M. – Green
10-Wilco – Summerteeth
1 – Reckoning – R.E.M.
2 – On the Way to the Peak of Normal – Holger Czukay
3 – Dare – The Human League
4 – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
5 – Utopia Parkway – Fountains of Wayne
6 – Mercury – American Music Club
7 – Remain in Light – Talking Heads
8 – Heaven up Here – Echo and the Bunnymen
9 – Gentlemen Take Polaroids – Japan
10 – Hex Enduction Hour – The Fall
As someone above said, this was *much* harder than the all-time list. I still can’t believe I couldn’t find room for English Settlement or Swordfishtrombones, or Sulk, or New Gold Dream etc.
… but you still found room to give Mark E. Smith and his granny on bongos their first votes on this chart. Hurrah!
I love “The Classical”, “Fortress/Deer Park”, “Hip Priest” and “Who Makes the Nazis”, but 10 minutes of “And This Day” has always been … a bit much for me.
I wouldn’t swear to making it through the full 10:19 *every* time but I’m still glad it’s there.
1- Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello
2- Get Happy – Elvis Costello
3- Graceland – Paul Simon
4- Bring the Family – John Hiatt
5- Girlfriend – Matthew Sweet
6- It’s a Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads
7- Rum, Sodomy & The Lash – The Pogues
8- The Impossible Bird – Nick Lowe
9- Where You Been – Dinosaur Jr
10- Ragged Glory – Neil Young
1 – Be Bop Moptop – Danny Wilson
2 – Spilt Milk – Jellyfish
3 – Out of the Cradle – Lindsey Buckingham
4 – The Dream of the Blue Turtle – Sting
5 – Song – It’s Immaterial
6 – Dreamland – Aztec Camera
7 – Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
8 – Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys
9 – Hawaii – The High Llamas
10 – The Christians – The Christians
This was my main time for buying & listening to music – walking into work, with a cassette on my Walkman – and I could have quite happily given 10 eighties & 10 nineties choices.
I opted for a “you can only take ten with you” approach & chose It’s Immaterial to avoid having to decide which Blue Nile should be included.
Interesting that you have Bebop Moptop at number one. Meet Danny Wilson was close to making my list. Very underrated band. There’s a great clip on youtube of them singing my favourite song from Bebop Moptop, I Can’t Wait, live, where Kit’s voice almost goes at the end. I never saw a full Danny Wilson show, but I managed to see Gary Clark twice in Manchester, once with Boo Hewerdene and once with a band, including Ged Grimes on bass. Towards the end of that show they wheeled Kit out for a couple of numbers, so I sort of saw the band. I wish they’d have done the whole set as Danny Wilson.
Have you ever seen this?
I hadn’t, but I have now, so thanks for that. A real rarity at the end too. An ex had it away with the special edition of Sweet Danny Wilson when we split up, so I haven’t heard that track for about 25 years. I think it’s the only track of theirs I don’t have in one form or other.
@timbar
The Christians…that’s still a great album. As is “Song” in an understated way. Still hoping their 3rd album will see the light of day.
I listened to “The Christians” this afternoon, to check that it should be on the list.
“Song” was a cheapie that I bought about a year after release & is a real gem.
Former member of It’s Immaterial (& Yachts) was Henry Priestman – main songwriter of The Christians!
Ooh yes. Never heard anything by Yachts.
Let’s put that right.
https://youtu.be/zMITJ4Knhtg
Well I like that. A mixture of styles and the spoken-ish word bits are very It’s Immaterial .
Haven’t seen that Radar Records logo in some time!
And plenty more worthy of your ears on the 3CD box – under 20 quid from the dodgers
1 – Jordan The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
2 – My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts – Brian Eno & David Byrne
3 – 69 Love Songs – The Magnetic Fields
4 – Tilt – Scott Walker
5 – Dazzle Ships – OMD
6 – A Walk Across The Rooftops – The Blue Nile
7 – Hex Enduction Hour – The Fall
8 – Jonathan Goes Country – Jonathan Richman
9 – Skylarking – XTC
10 – Fried – Julian Cope
Re: “Jonathan Goes Country”. Yeah – that’s a nice call.
“She’s got a brown suntan starting just above her collar
Her lower arms they’re brown, but the rest is kinda pale
She’d buy betadine if she only had a dollar
And she’d live out in the pasture if she only had a tail.”
That’s classic Richman.
1 – Apple Venus – XTC
2 – East Side Story – Squeeze
3 – Wasp Star – XTC
4 – The Delivery Man – Elvis Costello
5 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
6 – Egyptology – World Party
7 – Abbatoir Blues – Nick Cave
8 – The Impossible Bird – Nick Lowe
9 – Ole Tarantula – Robyn Hitchcock
10 – Ron Sexsmith – Ron Sexsmith
Back to the drawing board @Billybob Dylan Abbatoir Blues was released in 2004.
Damn and blast! I’ll find another one.
Should I re-list my entire selection or just the new one?
I’ll re-list ’em.
1 – Stones In The Road – Mary Chapin Carpenter
2 – Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris
3 – Freedom – Neil Young
4 – The Wheel – Rosanne Cash
5 – The Charity Of Night – Bruce Cockburn
6 – Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
7 – August and Everything After – Counting Crows
8 – Remain In Light – Talking Heads
9 – Perfectly Good Guitar – John Hiatt
10 – Kilimanjaro – The Teardop Explodes
I’m predicting that Bruce Cockburn has received his only nomination in this list.
‘Fraid he only made bubbling under in mine: perhaps 27?
Hiatt was bubbling under on mine too, and Wrecking Ball.
1 – Tunnel of Love – Bruce Springsteen
2 – The Nighfly – Donald Fagen
3 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
4 – Un “Sung” Stories – Phil Alvin
5 – Spirit of Eden – Talk Talk
6 – New York – Lou Reed
7 – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
8 – If I Should Fall From Grace with God – The Pogues
9 – Sign o’ the Times – Prince
10 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young
I’ll probably think something completely different the second after I hit enter, but at this moment…
1 – Scary Monsters – David Bowie
2 – Rumor And Sigh – Richard Thompson
3 – Apple Venus Volume 1 – XTC
4 – Some Fantastic Place – Squeeze
5 – Electric Cafe – Kraftwerk
6 – Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
7 – Blood & Chocolate – Elvis Costello & The Attractions
8 – Jordan: The Comeback – Prefab Sprout
9 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
10 – Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins – Sparks
Much tougher than the all time favourites. Have imposed own rule of only 1 album per artist otherwise there would have been 3 Talk Talks and 3 Pat Metheny –
1 – As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls – Pat Metheny
2 – Spirit of Eden – Talk Talk
3 – Hats – The Blue Nile
4 – The NightFly – Donald Fagen
5 – Deserters Songs – Mercury Rev
6 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
7 – Meet Danny Wilson – Danny Wilson
8 – The Sound of Lies – The Jayhawks
9 – Moon Safari – Air
10 – Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Great to see this Metheny/Mays album in your list. Wichita and Travels were in my top 20.
Please disregard my original list. I fielded an ineligible player, so I’ve had to bring on a sub at the last minute. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused (the ineligible player has since been sold to a Turkish second division team).
1 – Apple Venus – XTC
2 – East Side Story – Squeeze
3 – Wasp Star – XTC
4 – The Delivery Man – Elvis Costello
5 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
6 – Egyptology – World Party
7 – The Impossible Bird – Nick Lowe
8 – Ole Tarantula – Robyn Hitchcock
9 – Ron Sexsmith – Ron Sexsmith
10 – Heaven – Jai
1 – The Clock Comes down the Stairs – Microdisney
2 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3 – Eden – Everything But the Girl
4 – Concert – The Cure
5 – Sign O’ the Times – Prince
6 – Treasure – Cocteau Twins
7 – Graceland – Paul Simon
8 – Walking Wounded – Everything But the Girl
9 – Unplugged – Nirvana
10 – Reckoning – R.E.M.
More 80s than 90s by a long way.
1 – Scary Monsters – David Bowie
2 – OK Computer – Radiohead
3 – Gaucho – Steely Dan
4 – Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
5 – New Gold Dream – Simple Minds
6 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young
7 – Remain In Light – Talking Heads
8 – Substance – New Order
9 – Heaven Or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins
10 – Sign ‘O’ The Times – Prince
The 90s records are currently nailed to the shelves, with a few expectations. They will probably be rediscovered someday, as is the way of things.
Reading Rip It Up And Start Again on post punk confirms to me that 79-81, as I believed, was an especially fertile period. I am reminded of that when coming up with this list.
Exceptions not expectations
That is some list. Would be very similar to mine if I was doing one.
Well it is the actual best 10 albums of 1980-1999 so it should be. Thanks for the endorsement.
Ack. Post your own list, MC. Yer will, yer will, yer will. Even if it’s identical.
This is a toughy. Some old pals are going to have to be left out.
1 – Skylarking – XTC
2 – Last Days Of Pompeii –Nova Mob
3 – Sign O The Times – Prince
4 – Six – Mansun
5 – In It For The Money – Supergrass
6 – Back In The DHSS – Half Man Half Biscuit
7 – Songs From Northern Britain – Teenage Fanclub
8 – Bum Rush The Show – Public Enemy
9 – Talking With The Taxman About Poetry – Billy Bragg
10 – Automatic For The People – REM
Could probably have done a top 50 tbh.
Good shout on Nova Mob
My name is Pliny, and these are observations I have made
The top ten albums are changing almost daily.
There are still 3 weeks in which you can vote.
Closure is a mid-day on 20th June (mid-summers day).
Pubs should be opening before then!
Just as well, as, the more I listen to (and thanks for the prompt – I am having a blast), the longer my laughably-named “shortlist” gets..
I just need to share my pain…I can’t believe I forgot Basher’s entire 1980-99 oeuvre, which includes Party of One, Dig My Mood and Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit, 3 of my favourite albums. As you were.
1 – King of America – Elvis Costello
2 – Swordfishtrombones – Tom Waits
3 – Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
4 – Time out of Mind – Bob Dylan
5 – Grace – Jeff Buckley
6 – Rum, Sodomy & the Lash – The Pogues
7 – The Trinity Session – Cowboy Junkies
8 – Automatic for the People- R.E.M.
9 – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
10 – The Queen is Dead -The Smiths
1 – It takes a nation of millions – Public Enemy
2 – Blue Lines – Massive attack
3 – Rid of me – PJ Harvey
4 – Postcard CV – Senseless Things
5 – Radiator – Super Furry Animals
6 – I often dream of trains – Robyn Hitchcock
7 – Lazer Guided Melodies – Spiritualized
8 – Perfect Prescription – Spacemen 3
9 – Stone Roses – Stone Roses
10 – Come on die young – Mogwai
This list was a hell of a lot harder to put together, for some reason. Gutted that I couldn’t fit Husker Du, Five Thirty or Tricky on to the list. Interestingly (or not) the Robyn Hitchcock album is the one I’ve got into most recently as a result of a recommendation from this website. Perhaps the next top 10 we do could be ‘afterword recommendations?’
Based on about five minutes of thought to avoid vanishing down a rabbit-hole…
1 – House Tornado – Throwing Muses
2 – Will Anything Happen – The Shop Assistants
3 – Songs About Fucking – Big Black
4 – The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord – Cabaret Voltaire
5 – Surfer Rosa – Pixies
6 – Her Handwriting – Trembling Blue Stars
7 – Psychocandy – The Jesus and Mary Chain
8 – Document – REM
9 – Leave The Straight Life Behind – Bob
10 – Disintegration – The Cure
1-Hounds of Love-Kate Bush
2-Fisherman’s Blues -The Waterboys
3-Solo in Soho-Phil Lynott
4-In My Tribe-10,000Maniacs
5-Diamond Life -Sade
6-Your Funeral My Trial-Nick Cave
7-Vauxhall and I -Morrissey
8-Beautiful Vision -Van Morrison
9-Blue Lines – Massive Attack
10-Still got the Blues -Gary Moore
In the first week of voting we have had 365 different albums listed from 65 AW site members.
How many votes for No Parlez so far?
I think it was eliminated from the poll as it would be too obvious a winner, like having Hendrix in Best Guitarist polls.
Or Judith Chalmers in Best Holiday Programme Presenter polls.
With a number of us being big ‘chazza” shoppers, hoovering up classic vinyl, you may be surprised how many votes the former Q-Tip has amassed.
However, for now, I can’t speak on exact numbers for No Parlez!
Bit late, but here you go:
1 Gracelands Paul Simon
2. Stone roses -Stone Roses
3. A walk across the rooftops – The Blue Nile
4. Music has the Right to Children – The Board of Canada
5. Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
6. World Shut your Mouth – Julian Cope
7. Behaviour – The Pet Shop Boys
8. Rattlesnakes -Lloyd Cole and The Commotions
9. Emperor Tomato Ketchup – Stereolab
10. Moon Safari – Air
I’m impressed, BJB! Virtually every list on here I think either “That selection is mostly not half bad” or ” Wow, each and every one is crap”.
Yours is different. IMHO there are five belters and five absolute stinkers. I’m impressed.
Intriguing. I could parse Them into two Groups but which is which?? I take that as a complement btw guess it shows distinctive tastes
Definitely a compliment!
A compliment is better than my (typo) complement. My typing/proof reading is falling to peaces.🙄
Oh dear, I may have to have a minor rethink because I have just remembered how much I love Eureka by The Bible. Let me think where it goes in…
1. Different class – pulp
2. Grand Prix – Teenage fanclub
3. speaking in tongues – talking heads
4. swordfishtrombones – tom waits
5. mezzanine – massive attack
6. emperor tomato ketchup -stereolab
7. if you are feeling sinister – belle and sebastian
8. Apple Venus Vol 1 – XTC
9. its great when you’re straight yeah – Black grape
10. Out of Time -REM
1 – Gaucho – Steely Dan
2 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3 – Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics – Brian Eno + Jon Hassell
4 – Discipline – King Crimson
5 – Coup De Tete – Kip Hanrahan
6 – Time Out Of Mind – Bob Dylan
7 – Garbage – Garbage
8 – Spirit of Eden – Talk Talk
9 – Dummy – Portishead
10 – Open – Cowboy Junkies
Actually, Open is too new (2001) so I’ll have
10 – John Zorn – Spillane
instead.
😉
@Declan I know the name John Zorn but nothing about him – is he musically related to Fred Frith – is he more avant garde Jazz?
Zorn is a trans-genre genius. He can play jazz but doesn’t restrict himself, in fact many of his recent works have been as composer and conductor rather than musician. His 80s project Naked City included Frith.
Spillane is a lot of fun, give it a go @craig42blue
Re: “Zorn is a trans-genre genius”
Listen to Declan on this point.
For a gentler introduction to Zorn’s music, try the recordings of his Bar Kokhba sextet, where he conducts Marc Ribot (guitar), Erik Friedlander (cello), Mark Feldman (violin), Greg Cohen (string bass), Cyro Baptista (percussion) and Joey Baron (drums) but does not play himself.
Like a fusion of East-European and middle-eastern folk with jazz and surf music.
‘Spillane’ is a lot of fun! I don’t anyone who’s even heard of this album, let alone owns a copy.
1-Hounds of Love-Kate Bush
2-King of America-Elvis Costello
3-Everything’s Different Now-Til Tuesday
4-Apple Venus Pt 1-XTC
5-Around the world in a day-Prince
6-East Side Story-Squeeze
7-Making Movies-Dire Straits
8-Different Class- Pulp
9-Special Beat Service- The Beat
10-Graceland – Paul Simon
bump
Here we go then….
1. Get Happy!! – Elvis Costello & The Atractions
2. Stone Roses – Stone Roses
3. August & Everything After – Counting Crows
4. Wild Wood – Paul Weller
5. Rain Dogs – Tom Waits
6. Document – R.E.M.
7. Parade – Prince
8. Different Class – Pulp
9. Dummy – Portishead
10. Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
I wasn’t going to participate but then someone put John Zorn in their list and the idea became more interesting. Out of my initial list of 113 albums, I arrived at this list of 10:
1. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts – Brian Eno/David Byrne
2. The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3. Apollo: Atmospheres – Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois/Roger Eno
4. Friends – Shalamar
5. E2-E4 – Manuel Göttsching
6. Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
7. Chill Out – The KLF
8. Chips From The Chocolate Fireball – The Dukes Of Stratosfear
9. Songs From My Funeral – Snakefarm
10. Jazz In Film – Terence Blanchard
Nearly but not quite:
The Legendary Marvin Pontiac
Matapedia – Kate & Anna McGarrigle
The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
Nós – Virginia Rodrigues
Moments From This Theatre – Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham
Introducing Rubén González
Dummy – Portishead
Different Class – Pulp
Bending New Corners – Erik Truffaz
Archaeology – The Rutles
oooh, I was very into that Snakefarm album when it came out. Haven’t gone back for years, might dig it out later.
A pearl.
Chips From The Chocolate Fireball is actually a compilation of their two albums, or album and mini-album, to be more precise. Of the two, I prefer the mini-album, 25 O’Clock.
But why, if you’re not a collectorist but you enjoy the music, buy both of those when CFTCF contains both?
Well, I just had CFTCF myself and didn’t bother with the remastered individual CDs, but I gave it away and bought the CD/Blu Ray set that came out last year, as it has the 5:1 mixes and tons of bonus tracks. These XTC CD/Blu Ray releases are fab.
No equipment to play 5:1 mixes or Blu Ray and no inclination to buy any.
The bonus tracks might be of interest but might equally possibly be disappointing. I’m far less of a completist these days, having found quite a lot of bonus material from artists to be play-once-and-forget stuff.
@mike_h
You and me both. Half the time I never get round to playing bonus tracks, rough mixes, anyway.
Here’s mine. Most of my old favourites from the 70s were still producing great work so to be honest this doesn’t feel like a very 80s/90s list. Did toy with ditching Van, Bob, Bruce etc, and putting in people like Weller, Costello, Eurythmics, Bjork, Crowded House, EBTG. But what the hell, these are all great albums so I’ll stick with them.
1 – Common One – Van Morrison
2 – Time out of mind – Bob Dylan
3 – Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris
4 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack
5 – I do not want what I haven’t got – Sinead O’Connor
6 – Tunnel of Love – Bruce Springsteen
7 – Graceland – Paul Simon
8 – Achtung Baby – U2
9 – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
10 – Shoot Out the Lights – Richard and Linda Thompson
Sir, sir! @blue-boy has chosen a U2 album Sir!
Yes, I did wonder if that would lead me to being blackballed from the club, but hoped that Van, Bob, RT, Paul Simon, Emmylou and Bruce would be considered in mitigation.
I had three U2 albums in my long list, none made the cut.
Achtung Baby is a belter.
It seems that Bono’s crimes against humanity make him the one pop person who’ll never be allowed back in.
It is easily their best one, though but.
Confession. I don’t mind a bit of U2. Not enough to put them in my top ten but still. Poor old Bono does get a lot of stick doesn’t he?
Other news. I should have put 16 Lovers Lane by the Go-betweens in my top ten.
Re: 16 Lovers Lane by the Go-Betweens = cracking good album.
Listen to Mr Steady on this point.
@duco01
Thank you. It’s an immaculate album and has a really big, bright sound.
Have you seen the Go-betweena film? It’s heartbreaking but almost comical as each album comes out and doesn’t sell.
Yes, “Right Here” certainly is a superb documentary. An absolute treat for all Go-Betweens fans.
If you haven’t got them, I can also recommend:
1. “That Striped Sunlight Sound”. Concert DVD + film of Robert and Grant playing songs acoustically at home and chatting about them.
2. Robert Forster’s book “Grant and I”. A moving, well-written memoir. He’s done his old mate proud.
Yep, got the book. Haven’t seen that concert dvd though…thanks.
There are signed copies of Forster’s book available at Cole’s Books, if that’s your kind of thing.
https://coles-books.co.uk/signed-books/grant-i-inside-and-outside-the-go-betweens-by-robert-forster-4202
16 Lovers Lane is an album I only recently discovered (while reading Robert Forster’s Grant & I).
I don’t know how it passed me by at the time of release, but it did. However it is an excellent album and had it been more deeply embedded in my psyche I’m sure it could have been a contender.
16 LL is a very fine album. I could have put any one of Tallulah, Liberty Belle or 16LL. If I was thinking of how others vote I would have gone for 16LL, but Liberty Belle is the one I go to more often.
The film is heartbreaking.
IIRC two of my favourite bands (Go-Betweens and Microdisney) broke up straight after being support bands for U2.
@paulwright
It was probably Bono’s fault.
I just think 16LL sounds sumptuous. Oh, and there’s not any filler.
Stick entirely brought on by himself via his preposterous and sanctimonius posturing. He needs to choose his political and corporate fat cat friends with a little more wisdom and discretion, rather than through the mirror of his own reflected glory.
Aren’t we supposed to look beyond all that and just, you know, focus on the music? Separate the art from the artist and all that.
Can we rely on your vote though?
Why are we picking on Blue Boy? He is the sixth person to vote for U2 so far.
Oh, nothing personal Tigger. I just saw his choices and thought I’d make an hilarious comment.
Sorry if you’re upset.
It’s fine by me. I always enjoy U2 getting a good kicking. However, they did make some fine records. The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa have attracted two votes each. Deservedly so, but not enough to trouble the final top one hundred I would hope.
Jolly good Tiggs👍
Out of interest only 2 U2 albums appear so far in the voting.
Sorry but I am wrong, there are 3 U2 LPs in danger of making the top 300!
You can’t beat a good pair of cat’s eyes!
1 – King of America’s – Elvis Costello
2 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
3 – New Adventures In Hi-Fi – R.E.M.
4 – Hearts and Bones – Paul Simon
5 – Exile on Coldharbour Lane – Alabama 3
6 – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – Sparklehorse
7 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
8 – Sky Motel – Kristin Hersh
9 – Worker’s Playtime – Billy Bragg
10 – Being There – Wilco
Christ, that was hard!
1 – You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever – Orange juice
2 – High Land Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
3 – Soul Mining – The The
4 – Lost & Found – Jason & The Scorchers
5 – Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
6 – Scary Monsters & Super Creeps – David Bowie
7 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fan Club
8 – Boat to Bolivia – Martin Stephenson & The Daintees
9 – American Recordings – Johnny Cash
10- The Convincer – Nick Lowe
You a weegie, @turtleface ?
Embra…. (originally) – folks from Grangemouth…
1 – Grace – Jeff Buckley
2 – Boom Town – David and David
3 – Soro – Salif Keita
4 – The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
5 – Maria McKee – Maria McKee
6 – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy – Sarah McLachlan
7 – New Gold Dream – Simple Minds
8 – Steve McQueen – Prefab Sprout
9 – The Bends – Radiohead
10 – Fisherman’s Blues – The Waterboys
Great to see Soro in a list ! I did consider it. The first gig I took my then new girlfriend now wife to was Salif Keta – she still dines out on that one.
Who with? You?
Anyone
There’s an album I had completely forgotten about – Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Do I need to reconsider my list?
No
Not a fan of Nova Scotia’s finest daughter then, Tigs?
She’s wonderful but don’t go changing your list now.
I won’t be changing it.
However Rufus’s list throws up the album Boomtown by David and David.
That’s an album I don’t know, but investigation reveals one of the Davids is David Baerwald, who produced the magnificent Triage, which I should also have considered for my list.
Baerwald’s 1990 album Bedtime Stories is also worth investigating, although the Larry Klein production is quite dated. With David Ricketts – the other David – he was heavily involved in Sheryl Crow’s breakthrough Tuesday Night Music Club. And David Ricketts’ work with Toni Childs – especially her album Union – is another strand worth seeking out.
My list can be re-used from the lockdown one, except for a Beatles entry, so I’ve replaced that;
1 – The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths
2 – Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys
3 – Violator – Depeche Mode
4 – Electronic – Electronic
5 – Technique – New Order
6 – Lifeblood – Manic Street Preachers
7 – Vauxhall & I – Morrissey
8 – Introspective – Pet Shop Boys
9 – Disintegration – The Cure
10 – Dare! – The Human League
@Native I believe that Lifeblood by the Manic Street Preachers was released in 2003?
Thanks Craig – yes, you’re right.
I’ll replace it with –
Depeche Mode – Songs Of Faith And Devotion.
Sorry!
No problem
Ha! I was just looking at your list, thinking you‘d had a similar 20 years to me if it wasn’t for for that Manic Street Preachers one, but you’ve taken care of that!
I found this far easier to put together than the massive top 100 a few years ago. Easier because I think in the early ’80’s I had fairly well established the kind of groove I liked and whittled my tastes down accordingly.
1 – Gaucho – Steely Dan
2 – The Nightfly – Donald Fagen
3 – The Apprentice – John Martyn
4 – The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk
5 – Road Tested – Bonnie Raitt
6 – Uprising – Bob Marley
7 – Yellow Moon – Neville Brothers
8 – Van Morrison – Days Like This
9 – Bang – World Party
10 – Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and The Commotions
Great selection attackdog
I was surprised to notice that Brooooce’s Tunnel Of Love and Time Out Of Mind are on an equal footing and that his Nebraska shares a position with Wrecking Ball (and no, that’s not the Miley Cyrus hit).
I went for Tunnel Of Love But it was a close call against The Ghost of Tom Joad which I think is a criminally underrated record and has two of my all time favourite Springsteen songs, Across the Border and The Line.
OH TO BE SO PERVERSE
1. – From Here to Eternity – Nick Cave
2. – The First Born Is Dead – Nick Cave
3. – Kicking Against The Pricks – Nick Cave
4. – Your Funeral ..My Trial – Nick Cave
5. – Tender Prey – Nick Cave
6. – The Good Son – Nick Cave
7. – Henry’s Dream – Nick Cave
8. – Let Love In – Nick Cave
9. – Murder Ballads – Nick Cave
10. – Murder In The Graveyard – Screaming Lord Sutch
TO LISTEN SUCH GOLDEN GLORIOUS GORY VERSES
Taken my time choosing the ten. Bought loads of vinyl & cassettes during this period but they’ve all gone now and very little has been replaced on cd or digitally. I’ve limited myself to one album per artist otherwise David Lindley’s “El Rayo X” would definitely have made the cut.
1 – Win This Record – David Lindley & El Rayo X
2 – Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
3 – The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
4 – Borderline – Ry Cooder
5 – Balinese Dancer – Chuck Prophet
6 – Big Science – Laurie Anderson
7 – Emergency Third Rail Power Trip – The Rain Parade
8 – Bring The Family – John Hiatt
9 – The Trinity Session – Cowboy Junkies
10 – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Nice to see Rattlesnakes getting a fair few votes. I’d have put it in my own ten if I wasn’t so daft.
Will Yazoo and Howard Jones continue to gather support?
Could Nik Kershaw’s late surge surpass that of Nick Cave?
Is Uprising the only well liked reggae album of the 80s?
Did Broooce Springsteen release to many good but not great albums in the 80s and 90s?
Am I spending too much time compiling all your votes?
All will be revealed in 2 weeks!
As list-compiler-in-chief it’s probably impossible not to overthink this whole thing, but I too wondered about Uprising.
Uprising was the last great release by Bob Marley and it successfully married superb songs with a strong pop sensibility. It’s very playable whilst still carrying a strong message and was a worldwide hit. Is it the best? Probably not, as the recent reggae post suggested.
Gregory Issacs with Night Nurse and Black Uhuru generally should be strong contenders here, but they, like other reggae artists of the period, just didn’t have Marley’s mass appeal.
I have both Sinsemilla and Red from Black Uhuru’s releases and while I enjoyed them both at the time, I can’t say that either entered my thinking for this list.
Such a tricky business, this – I mean, how to directly compare the 2 hours plus of Suede’s Sci Fi Lullabies with the 33 minutes of Aphex Twin’s Richard D James album (is it right to punish 90s CD era releases for having some fat, which, when trimmed leaves more lean material than some early eighties LPs? If disc one of SFL could stand alone, it would be in my top 5).
And isn’t Sci Fi Lullabies a compilation anyway? – well, none of its songs appear on any of their albums proper. But then, New Order’s Substance has already received a few votes and, while I know none of these versions of its songs are on their other albums, being a repository of hits, it really feels like a compilation to me.
But the bigger problem is the old football fan-favourite question. Some records, like Costello’s King Of America are like Steve Bruce – trustworthy and reliable, offering a solid performance every time, while others, such as The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa are more like the mercurial John Barnes – capable of catching fire on one occasion, but on another day, when you’re not so much in the right mood, their spell just doesn’t work so well.
Then there’s the small matter of the record whose brilliance you can’t even explain to yourself, but which you find you always want to play – the chief example of which, on my list, is Shinehead’s Unity.
Anyway, here’s 10:
1 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back – Public Enemy
2 – You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever – Orange Juice
3 – The Holy Bible – Manic Street Preachers
4 – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – Dexys Midnight Runners
5 – Countrymen – Twinkle Brothers
6 – High Land, Hard Rain – Aztec Camera
7 – Giant Steps – The Boo Radleys
8 – Unity – Shinehead
9 – George Best – The Wedding Present
10 – The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill – Ms. Lauryn Hill
(…and, cos this is hard, the next ten)
Let Love In – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Behaviour – Pet Shop Boys
In Sides – Orbital
Either/Or – Elliott Smith
Neither Washington Nor Moscow.. – Redskins
Road Music – Grand Drive
The Eight Legged Groove Machine – The Wonder Stuff
Technique – New Order
Black On Both Sides – Mos Def
Workers Playtime – Billy Bragg
@sewer-robot
You make some good points there about being in the right mood. I could well have put Technique or Giant Steps in my list but when I compiled it , I wasn’t, er, in the right mood for them.
Cheers Freddy! I like to believe I only come here to drop gold..
1. Moon Safari – Air
2. Absolutely – Madness
3. Experience – The Prodigy
4. Wide Angle – Hybrid
5. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
6. The Rise & Fall – Madness
7. Different Class – Pulp
8. OK Computer – Radiohead
9. Music For The Jilted Generation – The Prodigy
10. Mezzanine – Massive Attack
1 – Once in a Blue Moon – Lal Waterson and Oliver Knight
2 – Old Rottenhat – Robert Wyatt
3 – Swagger – The Blue Aeroplanes
4 – Penguin Eggs – Nic Jones
5 – Soul Mining – The The
6 – Promenade – The Divine Comedy
7 – The Fawn – The Sea and Cake
8 – Hounds of Love – Kate Bush
9 – Dubnobasswithmyheadman – Underworld
10 – The Charm of the Highway Strip – The Magnetic Fields
If I could have had twenty:
Tiger Bay – Saint Etienne
The Natural Bridge – Silver Jews
Laughing Stock – Talk Talk
Dots and Loops – Stereolab
If You’re Feeling Sinister – Belle and Sebastian
Shhh – Chumbawamba
Smog – Red Apple Falls
Witch – Leslie Winer
Camoufleur – Gastr del Sol
Floodland – The Sisters Of Mercy
Yay…another Swagger!
Yay…another “Once in a Blue Moon”!
1. 69 LOVE SONGS – THE MAGNETIC FIELDS
2. STEVE MCQUEEN – PREFAB SPROUT
3. GRAND PRIX – TEENAGE FANCLUB
4. PROMENADE – THE DIVINE COMEDY
5. TECHNIQUE – NEW ORDER
6. GIANT STEPS – THE BOO RADLEYS
7. THE STONE ROSES – THE STONE ROSES
8. THE QUEEN IS DEAD – THE SMITHS
9. IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER – BELLE & SEBASTIAN
10.LIFES RICH PAGEANT – REM
To put into a context that no-one asked for, this is my era. I was born in ’75, and really got into music around 1990. Slowly, the 1980s started to reveal themselves in a way that I think the 70s have for a lot of you on here so I’ve had to make some agonising choices and leave out some absolute favourites from that period – hello Madness, Orange Juice, Go-Betweens, Dexys among others. I was also very much a kid of the oft-maligned Britpop as well, so Suede, Pulp and Blur were all very close to making the cut. And the Pet Shop Boys – an 80s band who made their best album in the 90s (Very) have been robbed. Great fun trying to whittle it down.
Interesting to see how the voting is going too. Some bands realistically only have one shot at getting on this list – The Stone Roses being a prime example – but others are seeing a serious split in their vote. Quite a few different albums by REM and Elvis being chosen for a start.
@monsignorbonehead
I’m 10 years older than you and could easily have chosen 3 or 4 of your selection. No idea what that means but some good choices there!
1 – Skylarking – XTC
2 – Spilt Milk – Jellyfish
3 – Sign ‘O’ The Times – Prince
4 – Murmur – REM
5 – I’m With Stupid – Aimee Mann
6 – Can You Still Feel – Jason Falkner
7 – Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub
8 – Sheryl Crow – Sheryl Crow
9 – Utopia Parkway – Fountains of Wayne
10 – The Trinity Session – Cowboy Junkies
These are maybe not the most chin-stroking choices, but the ones I play again and again.
Thanks TrypF and everyone here – we have now had 90 AWs casting 900 votes for 450 different albums with 9 days to go!
Wohoo!
… When I feel heavy metal
My entry is so late because of the agony it has caused me. I’ve restricted it to 1 per artist which helped me narrow it down. The order could change daily (as could the selections).
1 – Imperial Bedroom – Elvis Costello and the Attractions
2 – Goodbye Jumbo – World Party
3 – Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
4 – Poetic Champions Compose – Van Morrison
5 – Pontiac – Lyle Lovett
6 – Ingenue – K D Lang
7 – El Corazon – Steve Earle
8 – Architecture and Morality – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
9 – Avalon – Roxy Music
10 – New Gold Dream 81/82/83/84 – Simple Minds
I realise that this is embarrassingly white and mostly male which does not reflect my overall tastes but it is an honest list. Next 2 decades will have more females I think.
All 80s releases which wasn’t intentional, must be an age thing (I was 17-27 in the 80s).
Some notes on my choices:
1 – Could have been Get Happy.
2 – I’m happy with this.
3 – Ditto.
4 – Could have been No Method, No Guru, No Teacher but Poetic Champions was what got me into Van.
5 – Could have been any of his 1st three albums.
6 – My favourite voice. Could have chosen Shadowland.
7 – Could have been I Feel Alright.
8 – I see many have chosen Dazzle Ships but Architecture is the one for me.
9 – Could have been Boys and Girls by Bryan Ferry. Close call.
10 – I’m happy with this.
I’m sure I have forgotten some classics and will kick myself after I post this, but I can’t procrastinate any longer.
think El Corazon was 90s…you have redeemed yourself.
You are correct. 1997 it was.
It was the 80s that I got into him which caused my confusion.
And Ingenue was 1992, Again, I associate early KD with the 80s.
Ok. Today it’s…
1 – Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris.
2 – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space – Spiritualised.
3 – Moon Safari – Air.
4 – Dummy – Portishead.
5 – In Sides – Orbital.
6 – Blue Lines – Massive Attack.
7 – Leftism – Leftfield.
8 – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – Sparkle horse.
9 – Nixon – Lambchop.
10 – XO – Elliot Smith.
That’s a remarkably ‘dance’ orientated selection, if I may say so. Nice.
XO is a masterpiece, forgot about it when I posted though
@pencilsqueezer I was thinking of including Nixon until it dawned on me that it was released in the early part of 2000. I will probably vote for some Lambchop in the next poll (2000 onward).
Do you want to suggest an alternative in your top ten?
Ok. In that case off the top of my head swap it out for Loveless by My Bloody Valentine. Diolch.
Tomorrow it will be all Romanian funeral whistling goat jazz.
1 – Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman
2 – Graceland – Paul Simon
3 – Kite – Kirsty MacColl
4 – Surfacing – Sarah McLachlan
5 – Titanic Days – Kirsty MacColl
6 – Songs From The Big Chair – Tears For Fears
7 – Diva – Annie Lennox
8 – Super Trouper – ABBA
9 – Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
10 – Play – The Nields
It’s a fairly mainstream list, but it’s the ones that I play most from start to end. Super Trouper earns its place as the first LP I owned and was a Christmas present from my parents.
@Katharine It is good to see some more votes for female artists.
It’s also great to see a new name posting on The Afterword.
Hello, Katharine.
Hear,hear!
Welcome Katherine! Hope you will stick around and post some bollocks..
Welcome Katharine.
I had completely forgotten about Tracy Chapman’s first and then had a listen to it again yesterday after reading this piece on the Paste magazine website, published a couple of days ago:
The Everlasting Relevance of Tracy Chapman
Talking About A Revolution, among many great songs, is just superb.
Just a nudge to the procrastinators among us:
The deadline is 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT) on this Saturday (20 June).
@pencilsqueezer Still no votes for anything Romanian or caprino and not much Jazz either! I have however noticed votes for Nick Cave’s funereal songs
I was having one of my increasingly rare not obsessively jazz moments. I’m ok again now. I had a little lie down.
It’s ok @pencilsqueezer, we understand. We really do!
Thought you would. 😊
1–Closer–Joy Division
2–Murmur–REM
3–King Of America–Elvis Costello
4–Dubnobasswithmyheadman–Underworld
5–Frosting On The Beater–The Posies
6–No Guru, No Method, No Teacher–Van Morrison
7–New York–Lou Reed
8–Warehouse: Songs and Stories–Husker Du
9–Fire Of Love–The Gun Club
10–Whiskey For The Holy Ghost–Mark Lanegan
1 – Night Lilies – Jackie Leven
2 – Tunnel of Love – Bruce Springsteen
3 – Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot – Sparklehorse
4 – Bob Mould – Bob Mould
5 – Closer – Joy Division
6 – Brotherhood – New Order
7 – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels – Dexys Midnight Runners
8 – Hallowed Ground – Violent Femmes
9 – Rum Sodomy and The Lash – The Pouges
10 – Red Sails In The Sunset – Midnight Oil
Stuck to the only one album by an artist otherwise could have filled the list with Jackie Leven album’s, it also meant that the Doll by Doll albums didn’t get a look in because they were JL’s old band, and Copper Blue missed out by a gnats whisker to Bob’s solo.
Those bubbling under ….
Swordfishtrombones – Ton Waits
The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere – Utah Phillips and Anni De Franco
Mirror Man – David Thomas and The Pale Orchestra
Electo-shock Blues – Eels
3 Years 5 Months and 2 Days in the life of – Arrested Development
Chappaquiddick Bridge – Poison Girls
Post – Bjork
Leftisim – Leftfield
Holy Bible – Manic Street Preachers
Pyschocandy – Jesus and Mary chain
1 – Just Ain’t Good Enough – Johnnie Taylor
2 – Abandoned Garden– Michael Franks
3 – Here’s to Life – Shirley Horn
4 – The Audience With – Betty Carter
5 – Love Remains – Bobby Watson
6 – We Live Here – Pat Metheny
7 – Lone Star State of Mind– Nanci Griffith
8 – Anniversary – Stan Getz
9 – Black Woman – Judy Mowatt
10 – By The Time It Gets Dark – Mary Black
Marvellous list, Morrison. Thank you.
Sorry if I’ve missed this in the 300+ comments, but I presume we’re doing 2000-2019 next?
@Ainsley
Yes, Blue Boy offered to get us all looking at the less predictable period 2000 to 2020 at a later date.
Excellent
For me, I am expecting 2000 to 2020 to be far harder to choose between so many contenders, almost none of which will be shared with anyone else!
Don’t bet on it…
There’s a challenge.
I’m on it. Will give craig a bit of time to post the scores on the doors and allow us to mull on them – then will get all 21st Century on your ass…
A Gentle Reminder –
Mid-day, tomorrow, the 20th June is the deadline for this poll on albums 1980-1999.
For clarity and our international Afterword community, this will be 13:00 (BST), 12:00 (GMT), 14:00 (in Sweden) 22:00 (AUS), 08:00 (EDT)
Glad mittenårsdag – Feliz dia de medio año – Gelukkige mid-jaar dag – Great Winter solstice (Southerners).
Summer Solstice https://www.facebook.com/events/581183132524229/
“Glad mittenårsdag” may be my new favourite Google Translate expression – I’ll use that one next year! 😀
(And Glad Midsommar to you as well… 🙂 )
I’ve pondered this for some time. A top ten of my favourite Manchester City footballers would be easy, but music is such a mood dependent thing, it’s a task that seems at odds with the medium. With that waffly preamble out of the way, here’s ten that have resonated down the years.
1 – Power, Corruption & Lies – New Order
2 – Circuses and Bread – The Durutti Column
3 – Everything is Wrong – Moby
4 – Wrong Way Up – Brian Eno & John Cale
5 – Architecture & Morality – OMD
6 – Playing With Fire – Spacemen 3
7 – Happiness – The Beloved
8 – No. 10 Upping Street – Big Audio Dynamite
9 – Don’t Try This At Home – Billy Bragg
10 – Gone To Earth – David Sylvian
Thanks Martin – I hope we have a few more people voting as we are fast approaching 100 replies. I could easily have had Gone To Earth in my top 10.
For me that would be easy too:
Corrigan, Book, Doyle, Donachie, Hartford, Oakes,Young, Summerbee, Marsh, Bell, Lee, Tuart
I think you’ll find that’s ‘Tueart’, Craig. The only England international to have three vowels in a row in his surname.
A City supporting friend took a big banner to the ’76 League Cup Final against Newcastle, which read ‘Book’s Blue Boys’, but I’ve just thought of a better one – Tueart’s True Art’ – and he certainly lived up to it with that overhead kick. And I’m only 44 years late.
Magnificent! Tueart scoring the winner, and in such style, had added lustre what with him having been born in Newcastle but choosing to play for Sunderland.
Paul Coia also holds the sane accolade for presenters of Pebble Mill at One. Small world!
Paul Coia was the first voice heard on Channel 4
And then Richard Whiteley, I assume.
That was genuinely a really exciting day. FOUR channels!
1 – Before Hollywood – Go-Betweens
2 – Night Lilies – Jackie Leven
3 – Born Sandy Devotional – The Triffids
4 – Doll By Doll – Doll By Doll
5 – The Boatman’s Call – Nick Cave
6 – Bone Machine – Tom Waits
7 – I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen
8 – Wrong Way Up – Brian Eno & John Cale
9 – Ragged Glory – Neil Young
10 – Graceland – Paul Simon
Nice to see Night Lilies get another vote, a wonderful album.
Before Hollywood…there’s an original choice!
Yes … I’m a HUGE Go-Betweens fan, and I’ve never really rated that album, with the exception of “Cattle and Cane” and “Dusty in Here”.
Hopefully sneaking in before the deadline, here goes.
1 – The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion – The Black Crowes
2 – Spilt Milk – Jellyfish
3 – Living With The Law – Chris Whitley
4 – Scarecrow – John ‘Cougar’ Mellencamp
5 – Strange Kind Of Love – Love and Money
6 – Goodbye Jumbo – World Party
7 – Wildflowers – Tom Petty
8 – Utopia Parkway – Fountains of Wayne
9 – Eureka – The Bible
10 – Fishermans Blues – The Waterboys
Top 1 is relatively set.
Top 5 are always there or there about, top 10 is as at this moment. I’d love to say that I just dashed this list off in a few mins but in reality it’s been agonized over. As always it’s the ones you left out, sorry Mr Springsteen, Simon, The Feeling etc……
VOTING CLOSED – SEE NEW THREAD – Final Score