Okay so Part 1
can be found here.
As mentioned
before, I might not get much interest in Part 2 given some of the choices in
Part 1, but I bet a lot of the readers bought the same albums as I did in
actuality, so I’ll say it again:
I really don’t
care if any of the albums chosen get laughed at.
Music stays with
us for many reasons, and people should never be ashamed of the music
they like. Even Doop by Doop was liked by some
people… (not yours truly!)
Note to self: Do
a blog about annoying songs…
Anyways, I give
you my top five, and again feel free to click on the hyperlinks…
05. The Great Escape – Blur
Me and a mate were on a trip in early 1995 when he persuaded me
to listen to a few songs on some album called Parklife by Blur. I knew about the
song Girls
and Boys,
but little else. Anyways I listened to a few songs and thought it was all
reasonably good, but then we got to track 9.
Every so often when listening to a song, I get struck by a
'goose pimples' moment, in that I instantly fall in love with it. Some songs
have genuinely made me feel that way - like I love them (yes I know I'm odd)...and
track 9 To The End was one such song.
It set me up for listening to more Blur songs and when The Great Escape and Oasis' (What's the Story?) Morning
Glory
were
released in the late summer of 1995, BritPop exploded and musically it became a
way of life for a good couple of years… and it was great!
I remember going to see Blur in concert at Wembley Arena just
before Christmas that year, and during stand out song (and my favourite) The Universal, I'd like to think that whilst
singing, Damon Albarn really, really, really WAS pointing directly at me! #itreallyreallyreallycouldhappen
04. True Blue – Madonna
I wasn’t particularly fond of Madonna in the early part of her
career, though this was probably more due to a lack of exposure to her material
than anything else – besides which I was also very young.
In the mid 1980’s though, two things happened:
1. I learnt that girls liked Madonna (there’s a trend developing
here…)
2. Just as I started to listen to chart music, I discovered Borderline (re-released in 1986) and soon after, I also heard Live to Tell.
To clarify
point 1, I don’t particularly think I’m a Machiavellian type. I just wanted an ‘in’! The more salient reasons are in
point 2. The girl could sing and I was hooked, and I still am to a degree, but
the True Blue era was my
favourite Madonna period and I feel that nigh on the whole album was absolute
pop perfection and very much of it’s time. White Heat took some getting used to,
but I liked it just as much as the others in the end. I frequently borrowed a friend’s copy of the
album on cassette during 1986 and 1987 and fell in love with all the songs.
Not least
my favourite La Isla Bonita, which is up there amongst
the most beautiful songs of all time. In the accompanying music video,
Madonna’s look as the un-made up, timid, austere and
passive girl (contrasting with the red senorita) absolutely did it for me. I
can’t think of a more stunning image of such an apparently plain character. Just
wow! > La Isla Bonita
I digress.
So yes obviously this has stayed with me since forever
ago – and the poor girl that I initially kept borrowing the cassette off
eventually bought me a copy for my 12th birthday!
Oh and when my daughter was born in 2012, the title track was playing on the radio in the background!
Oh and when my daughter was born in 2012, the title track was playing on the radio in the background!
03. Bad – Michael Jackson
"You can’t have two albums by the same artist dammit!"
– Yes I can, it's my list!
Jackson's second biggest selling
album (just the 40 million units sold) but definitely my favourite of his. For
me it's every bit as good as the world record selling Thriller, and just a bit more 'zingy' to make it sound even better.
Much like True Blue above, this was released at
an age (11-12ish) when as I was getting seriously into music from my own era
(having largely listened to my parents music up to that point), and was now
purposefully listening to the charts of a Sunday evening on BBC Radio One. I
struggle to find fault with any song, and again like True Blue it's near enough pop perfection. Each song very much gives
me a fond memory of the time, and even now they don’t sound dated at all
Favourite song: Man in the Mirror
02. Abbey Road – The Beatles
I could have filled this entire list with Beatles albums, but
that would have just been a bit daft!
This album for me was all about craft in the sound and structure
of music. Side A of the album is very good in it’s own right, but I could
listen to the B-side Abbey Road Medley
jam session (which it wasn’t) till the Blue Meanies came home. During Michael
Jackson’s Dangerous / Heal the World concert tour, Abbey Road would play over the PA systems at the stadiums he was
performing in right before he went on stage (he was a huge fan of The Beatles.)
Being in the crowd at Wembley in 1992 for one such concert, it helped pass the
time for sure.
People often say The Beatles peaked in 1966 – 1967 with the
Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt Pepper albums, but whilst all those albums are
terrific, nothing tops the artistry of Abbey Road in my view. The album also
contains my favourite lyric ever:
“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” from The End
Favourite song: You Never Give Me Your Money
01. Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
Although I was aware of quite a few of the songs on Pet Sounds,
and had heard people laud it, and had read reviews that continually praised it,
I didn't actually take the time to listen to the album itself until probably
1994 or 1995. It should have been no chore at a mere 36 minutes long, but one
sunny afternoon I decided to give it a go.
The word genius is often overused in culture, but Brian Wilson
might just have nailed it with his production of what I had just listened to in
fullness for the first time – and for me to get that excited about a mono
production is pretty rare. In fact, purists will shudder when I say that I
prefer the stereo version that was released in the late 90's, but that's just a
preference rather than a criticism.
I believe the content of the album could encapsulate the love
life of anyone aged 16-25. How did Wilson
manage it? Who knows but it nearly drove him insane in the process searching
for perfection.
Favourite song: I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times
Paul McCartney once said "I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it
for their education in life – I figure no one is educated musically 'til
they've heard that album"... 'nuff said.
And I’ll leave you with one final ‘nuff said:
