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Post by raliverpool on Sept 22, 2020 18:51:43 GMT 1
As I turn 50 in June, and with the current lockdown I decided it was time to review my music collection and compile my favourite albums.
The oldest album dates back to 1964, and the latest album is from this year (* indeed should whilst I count these down one per day, and a new album appears which I think is worthwhile including then I will mention it in this thread).
My Top 250* Albums Of All Time
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152 Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited 1965 153 The Beatles - Rubber Soul 1965
154 Blur - Parklife 1994
155 Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now 2011
156 Laura Mvula - Sing To The Moon 2013
157 Deee-Lite - World Clique 1990
158 Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way 2002
159 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass 1970
160 Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka 2019
161 Portishead - Third 2008
162 Pearl Jam - Ten 1991
163 Marina & The Diamonds - The Family Jewels 2010
164 Prince - 1999 1982
165 Green Day - American Idiot 2004
166 David Gray - White Ladder 1998
167 The Velvet Underground - Loaded 1970
168 INXS - Welcome To Wherever You Are 1992 169 Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising 2019
170 Elbow - Asleep In The Back 2001
171 Genesis - Selling England By The Pound 1973
172 OutKast - Speakerboxxx / The Love Below 2003
173 Kirsty MacColl - Tropical Brainstorm 2000
174 The Pretty Things - SF Sorrow 1968
175 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 3: Melt 1980
176 Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer 2018
177 The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night 1964
178 Blondie - Parallel Lines 1978
179 Jellyfish - Bellybutton 1990
180 Susanne Sundfor - Ten Love Songs 2015
181 Robbie Williams - Life Thru A Lens 1997
182 Semisonic - All About Chemistry 2001
183 Travis - The Man Who 1999
184 Kate Bush - The Kick Inside 1978
185 Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree 2008
186 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Nancy & Lee 1968
187 Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy 1975
188 Justin Timberlake - Justified 2002
189 John Lennon - Imagine 1971
190 Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor 2001
191 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique 1989
192 Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke 2008
193 Janet Jackson - Janet 1993
194 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack 1974
195 Take That - Beautiful World 2006
196 Abba - Super Trouper 1980
197 Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson 1971
198 Duran Duran - Medazzaland 1997
199 10cc - The Original Soundtrack 1975
200 The Divine Comedy - Casanova 1996
201 Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York 1994
202 Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman 1970
203 The Weeknd - After Hours 2020
204 The Corrs - Forgiven Not Forgotten 1995
205 Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? 1995
206 Prince - Parade 1986
207 Lana Del Rey - Born To Die 2012
208 Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (OST)1972
209 Joan As Police Woman - Real Life 2006
210 Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water 1970
211 Peter Gabriel - So 1986
212 Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) 1982
213 M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming 2011
214 P!nk - I'm Not Dead 2006
215 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club 1993
216 The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour 1967
217 Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance 2018
218 The National - High Violet 2010
219 Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel 1974
220 REM - Out Of Time 1991
221 SZA - Ctrl 2017
222 Radiohead - The Bends 1995
223 Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour 1990
224 Beach House - Teen Dream 2010
225 Donna Summer - Bad Girls 1979
226 The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album) 1968
227 The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 1995
228 Cathy Dennis - Am I The Kind Of Girl? 1996
229 Scott Walker - Scott 4 1969
230 Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters 2004
231 Paul Simon - Hearts & Bones 1983
232 TLC - CrazySexyCool 1994
233 T Rex - Electric Warrior 1971
234 The Police - Synchronicity 1983
235 Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow 2019
236 Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You 2009
237 Electric Light Orchestra - Time 1981
238 Pierces - You & I 2011
239 Led Zeppelin - House Of The Holy 1973
240 The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers 1971
241 Cherry Ghost - Thirst For Romance 2007
242 Catatonia - Paper Scissors Stone 2001
243 Supertramp - Breakfast In America 1979
244 Shelby Lynne - I Am 1999
245 Grateful Dead - American Beauty 1970
246 The Killers - Hot Fuss 2004
247 Kirsty MacColl - Kite 1989
248 Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials 2011
249 Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake 1968
250 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular 2007
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 22, 2020 19:02:56 GMT 1
250 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (2007)
This Brooklyn neo-psychedelic duo came out of nowhere with their breakthrough singles "Time To Pretend" & "Electric Feel" which are the stand outs on their debut album alongside "Kids" which took this album up a gear in terms of popularity. With hindsight they were the prototype for Tame Impala.
They have since gone on to release three further albums, of which I think their last album Little Dark Age from 2018 is the best of the rest.
So I plan to post a youtube video/audio of a lesser track from the corresponding album which I think is worth a listen.
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Roo.
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Post by Roo. on Sept 22, 2020 19:39:35 GMT 1
MGMT are one of those acts where I absolutely love one song - Time To Pretend - but nothing else really grabs my attention the same way.
Funnily enough I'd also been compiling a list of my favourite albums to possibly post up here. It's nowhere near finished, and I suspect won't overlap too much anyway, so I will be enjoying this thread and it might inspire me!
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Post by suedehead on Sept 22, 2020 19:47:27 GMT 1
These “significant” birthdays are coming thick and fast! Oracular Spectacular is a brilliant debut album. They haven’t matched it since but there’s still hope.
I’ve only seen MGMT once - on 24 September 2010, my fiftieth birthday.
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Post by Jordan on Sept 22, 2020 20:28:26 GMT 1
And off to a cracking start! Adore every track on this album, though nothing they’ve done since has grabbed me anywhere near as much.
Looking forward to the rest of the countdown.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Sept 22, 2020 20:55:04 GMT 1
I think 'Kids' is just as good as 'Time To Pretend', but it's a great album in general.
This is something I've often thought of doing, but really wouldn't know where to start!
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Sept 22, 2020 21:14:34 GMT 1
Good start, one I have and one I can listen too all the way through, you know its a strong album then they left Love Always Remains off the album but it did make it onto Time to Pretend (EP) |
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Sept 23, 2020 7:49:10 GMT 1
This is going to be good and a great start, thinking would it have made my top 250? it would have been about here as well i think. Three awesome singles really need to revisit the rest of it as it has faded from memory.
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Post by Shireblogger on Sept 23, 2020 8:08:43 GMT 1
What an awesome challenge. I can generally get to a Top 10 albums, and then my head starts hurting.
I'll be intrigued to see how this develops.
MGMT wouldn't make my Top 250, but they might have a place in the Top 2500. The three brilliant songs that you mention, but not a lot else.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 23, 2020 19:24:49 GMT 1
249 Small Faces - Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968)
The third studio album, and first concept (Side 2's: Happiness Stan suite) album by the London Mod Rock band Small Faces. Musically it showcased a variety of sounds from psychedelic rock (such as the instrumental title track); and proto-Heavy Metal (Afterglow (Of Your Love)) through to whimsical Cockney music hall (the UK #2 Lazy Sunday). It spent six weeks at UK #1 in the album charts during the summer of 1968.
Alas the end was near for the band and the Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane songwriting partnership (with one further 1968 single "The Universal"). Singer/guitarist Marriott officially quit the band at the end of 1968, walking off stage during a live New Year's Eve gig yelling "I quit". Citing frustration at their failure to break out of their pop image and their inability to reproduce the more sophisticated material properly on stage, Marriott was already looking ahead to a new band, Humble Pie, with Peter Frampton (of The Herd). After Small Faces split (with their farewell double A sided single Afterglow of Your Love/Wham Bam Thank You Man), bass guitarist Lane, drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist Ian McLagan joined forces with two former members of The Jeff Beck Group, singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood to become The Faces ...
They unquestionably became their most influential during the 1990s BritPop movement where their musical DNA could be found in the output of Paul Weller; Ocean Colour Scene; Blur; & especially Supergrass.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 24, 2020 18:37:46 GMT 1
248 Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials (2011)
The second studio album by English indie rock band fronted by Florence Welch. The standard edition of the album was entirely produced by Paul Epworth, and was a more bolder, confident, consistent, & stronger album (for me) than their breakthrough debut album Lungs, and remains their finest effort of their four albums to date as I feel it perfects that Adele meets Kate Bush ethereal indie rock sound with some Tori Amos & Siouxsie & The Banshees thrown in for good measure. The album debuted at #1, and peaked at USA #6.
I can tell you the (then unknown) backing vocalist on this album will be making (at least one) appearance further up my countdown.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Sept 24, 2020 19:00:15 GMT 1
Its probably her best album but don't think it would be my top 250, think I have 3 of her albums though
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Post by Whitneyfan on Sept 24, 2020 20:39:06 GMT 1
The first 3 Florence albums are all fantastic
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Post by Jordan on Sept 25, 2020 10:30:50 GMT 1
I have all Florence + the Machine albums, she's just never lost my attention since she debuted. I do think I prefer Lungs to Ceremonials though, but there really isn't much in it.
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 25, 2020 19:13:43 GMT 1
247 Kirsty MacColl - Kite (1989)
Ten years into her stop start (record labels; house-wife & mother; session singer extraordinaire) career, the daughter of folk singer Ewan "The First Time I Saw Your Face; Dirty Old Town" MacColl released her second album, produced by her husband Steve Lillywhite.
It is a tribute to her understated "ordinary extraordinary" personality that this album featured a cast of whose who of 1980s musicians: Johnny Marr; Dave Gilmour; Pino Palladino; Mel Gaynor; Guy Pratt; Robbie McIntosh; Pete Glenister; etc.
Her always terrific vocals (If both Kate Bush & Alison Moyet say MacColl was the best British female singer of her generation then I'm not arguing) are overdubbed several times on most tracks to create thick, lush Beach Boy/1960s Girl Groups harmonies, most notably on the gorgeous cover of the Kinks' "Days." Her songwriting is very strong as well, with some of her sharpest and cleverest words and most memorable melodies found here. The piercing "Innocence" and "Free World" are two of MacColl's most combative songs (aided by an uncredited Johnny Marr as he was being sued by Morrissey over songwriting/publishing over this pre album release first single), while "What Do Pretty Girls Do?" and "Fifteen Minutes," for all their sharp lines, are MacColl at her most sympathetic.
Annoyingly, I have the 15 track CD second issue (released shortly after her Innocence single remake which replaces the inferior original opening track; and her superb cover of The Smiths "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby"; plus an original self penned French language track and a cover of Kate and Anna McGarrigle's "Complainte pour Ste"), which is not available on Spotify, so you have to make do with the original 12 track album; or the extended Deluxe Edition (which is the one I've attached).
Overall, this album showcases her wide ranging talents, which is why this album almost comes across as a compilation rather than one concise artistic statement.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Sept 26, 2020 12:43:12 GMT 1
Yes, 'Kite' is great - there's not a bad song on that album. I don't know if she'll appear again on your countdown but I equally love 'Titanic Days' and 'Electric Landlady'.
I always felt Kirsty could have been much bigger if her earlier career had been handled better. 'They Don't Know', her first single in 1979, would have been a big hit if it hadn't been for a post office strike that stopped supplies getting to the shops. Then she had the odd hits, but a lot of brilliant singles which flopped. There was also the shelved second album 'Real', of which some tracks have popped up on Kirsty compilations, but I'm still hoping for a release of it some day!
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Post by raliverpool on Sept 26, 2020 19:36:48 GMT 1
246 The Killers - Hot Fuss (2004)
The debut album by Las Vegas alternative rock band which spawned four 21st rock classics: "Mr. Brightside", "Somebody Told Me", "All These Things That I've Done" and "Smile Like You Mean It" which I enjoyed at the time as it wore its new wave influences on its sleeve as was certainly a far better Duran Duran sounding album than that band's fab five reunion album from the same year "Astronaut".
Brandon Flowers group were equally as good live as they were on record; but like several 21st century acts their debut album was their best artistic statement, and they have certainly suffered the inevitable decreasing returns in their respective album releases since; with their founding lead guitarist Dave Keuning leaving after the release of their 5th studio album "Wonderful, Wonderful" I found their latest album "Imploding The Mirage" to be their weakest to date.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Sept 26, 2020 19:54:48 GMT 1
Would be in my top 50 for sure as it’s in my top 5 of the 21st century. Don’t think their new album is the weakest, best since Sams Town for me but it lacks that killer single every other record has.
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Post by Razzle Dazzle on Sept 26, 2020 20:20:36 GMT 1
Would be in my top 50 for sure as it’s in my top 5 of the 21st century. Don’t think their new album is the weakest, best since Sams Town for me but it lacks that killer single every other record has. Same, perfect album for me, no filler, all bangers |
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Post by Whitneyfan on Sept 26, 2020 20:56:15 GMT 1
The Killers' debut is undoubtedly their best, even if I could live without hearing 'Mr Brightside' for another 5 years. They've done some great stuff since too though, although I wasn't taken with 'Wonderful, Wonderful'. The 2 solo albums are up there with his best work though, and some of the Christmas songs are just fantastic.... in fact I'd say that 'Boots' is the best song they've ever done!
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