As it’s nearly the end of the year, how about a handy place to keep links to various end of year charts? Here’s the chart from the lovely people at Piccadilly Records to set us on our way.
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=934
And here are their best compilations:
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=935
and reissues:
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/feature.php?feature=936
I’m sorry, but that reissue chart is a shocker.
Next time any of us have the urge to criticise Uncut, Mojo or Record Collector, I think we should remember that abysmal Top 20.
Each to their own. I have six of those and an interest in another four.
Any list with I Trawl The Megahertz at No 1 and includes The Fall, The Beatles, Mort Garson, Eno, Gene Clark, Stereolab, A Certain Ratio etc, is a brilliant choice. All essential purchases.
Don’t mind him. If he finds himself enjoying a song from outside the ‘golden age’ TM, he is obliged to indulge in a bout of self flagellation.
They collect most of the lists here:
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/summary/2019/
The Guardian:
20 best songs of the year (I know 2 of them):
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/02/the-20-best-songs-of-2019-tracks
2019 “Braddies” (film awards)
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/02/2019-braddies-peter-bradshaw-films-of-the-year
(I rarely agree with him)
I’m holding fire on my personal Top 10.
Mojo have placed The Who album at 59 – and it isn’t even released yet
(I know they have advance copies and all that, but still)
Heard a lot of positive things about it so far – and the couple of early tracks seem promising.
I’ve heard of 17.5 of the 100 artists on that list. Needless to say, I have not heard one note of any of the music.
I used to be a regular visitor to the physical Piccadilly Records, and always enjoyed it for being a proper record shop. For a while, I would receive their weekly email of new releases and ‘what’s on’ news. After a certain point, it just became so wilfully obscure that I gave up on them.
The Piccadilly Records chart is decided by the staff who work in the shop so inevitably will favour local artists, local tastes of their customers (or indeed former Staffers, hence ….ahem….Horsebeach at No.2) – but that’s OK that’s what a local Record Shop should do – if their Top 100 mirrored the Guardian or Mojo they wouldn’t be doing their job.
… and, of course, their fantastically low interest/knowledge of Rock ‘n’ Roll (started in 1965 apparently) has meant walking out of such shops with numerous expensive records and CDs that have been bought for peanuts.
Paste magazine seem to have sneaked past my wall, sending me some daily tosh, but here is their list. I feel like a dinosaur reading it, but they have about 5 I agree with. Never has a list seemed so female laden, though, this not being a bad thing, but old lone groovers must be beginning to feel a threatened species
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/12/best-albums-of-2019.html?utm_source=PMNTNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=191202
Some nice folky and Americana stuff on the list from Mike Ganley’s Crooked Road
I haven’t bought a single ‘new’ album this year but, so far anyway, the best re-issue (lavish and beautifully-presented…and reasonably cheap) has been ‘Stormwatch’ by Tull.
Each to his/her own etc. etc. but with the set you mention retailing at £29 for 6 CDs, it seems strange that people are prepared to pay “think-of-a-number, double-that-number, add £128” for packages that obviously offer considerably less.
Indeed. I was attracted to the Zappa ‘Hot Rats Sessions’ but £100 plus for six discs seems a bit steep. Regardless of whether you like Jethro Tull or not their series of anniversary editions of Steven Wilson remixes has been a glowing example of value for money- great sound, 5.1 mixes (if that’s your thing), a superb and meaningful book and two live CDs from the period.
Crazy, isn’t it?
Hot Rats is £108 … the 4cd Freak Out is £32 … the 3cd Uncle Meat is £8!
Is Hot Rats better than Freak Out?
If it is, is it that much better than Freak Out?
I think Zappa’s people have just thought “We’ve been providing excellent value for a decade but for this one we might as well do a Pink Floyd.”
Apparently you get a ‘special’ board game. Mmm. I’m sure Frank would have been disgusted.
Uncle Meat is better than all of them.
Ironically enough, my favourite has always been ‘We’re Only In It For the Money’…
Bit of nostalgia for the old folks…
BONGO FURY!!!! BONGO FURY!!!!
HEAR MY PLEA!!!
In the value stakes, see also: XTC. CD plus BD for 20 quid.
Brighton’s Resident’s Top 100:
http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=1042413&f=14598&s=15325&m=581119&t=0caf99a2fdb3b2c07f8d7ab0185d3a945c78c9c47c84c41f385c5df530caa4ae
(Fingers crossed that this long link works.)
(Edit – it seems to.)
Are we actually going to do an Afterword best of 2019 poll or just talk about others? I am happy to start on separate post but didn’t want to be seen as muscling in.
I think Lodey has actually asked permission. Given all the spreadsheet malarkey it no doubt involves, I would be happy to let him indulge his homoerotic fantasies therearound and do it.
Juno Records:
https://www.juno.co.uk/promotions/Best_Vinyl_Albums_Of_2019/?utm_source=vinyl_all&utm_medium=jr_email&utm_campaign=best_vinyl_albums_2019_email