Please note: this list is not in any particular order, I couldn't do that to myself or these albums. I rate them all with such high regard.
Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks
With the first strum of the guitar you can tell Dylan has something very special to share with you. Like all great artists, tragic events can create things of beauty and although he claims this had nothing to do with his (then) recent divorce, you are very aware it must have had some major influence. He need never admit it, you can hear it all echoing in his voice, his words and with every painful note.
I’ll listen to this album regardless of my mood; it’ll always give me a strange sense of belonging.
Nirvana: Unplugged In New York
A brilliantly crafted piece of perfection, which I couldn’t fault even if I tried. There’s not a single note in this entire album that isn’t out of place, everything is just perfectly placed in a pristine way. Every word sung, every strum played never fails to send a shiver down my spine. A beautiful album, of which shows us a slight glimpse of where this talent may have headed. A tragic swansong that I will gladly take with me to the grave, and beyond.
Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream
Along with ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, I feel this album belongs in nearly every household. Anyone that doesn’t yet own this album should hang their heads in shame, go now and buy it, you will not regret it. The Gods themselves listen to this very album. Smashing Pumpkins, oh how I owe you many thanks for writing one of the most beautiful albums my ears will ever have had the privilege of listening to.
Radiohead: Ok Computer
The toughest decision I had to make when creating this list was picking which Radiohead album meant the most to me. As much as I tried to kid myself, Ok Computer won every time. One of the greatest albums ever to be recorded, it not only contains some of my favourite Radiohead songs but my all time favourite songs. My only hope is that this album is playing on my way to the pearly gates.
The Libertines: The Libertines
I don’t care what anyone says about this band. I highly recommend this album; it’s as raw as any of The Libertines’ followers. They made a great team and a great couple of albums. It’s just a shame that all that’s left in their wake is a zillion awful imitations and a lot of headline articles about a drugged up musician who fails time and time again to realise his potential.
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes
One of the best albums I’ve heard in the last couple of years. Seems to me like Sub-Pop has struck gold again. Listening to this album makes me feel a great hope for modern music and for the future of folk music. It’s pure, honest music that’ll send you diving into the back catalog of the old greats now lost in a sea of anger and noise.
I will gladly carry on watching this group with great interest and if this album is anything to go by then their future looks very bright indeed.
Gray Matter: Food For Thought + Take It Back
Forget ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’; this is by far a much more fast-paced, powerful punk record. Imagine The Ramones on heat, with more chords. Contains one of the best Beatles covers I have ever heard. Often wonder where I’d be without a punk version of ‘I am the Walrus’. This album is basically a skater’s wet dream, full of teenage angst and noise. Listen, love and scream it out loud to your hearts content.
The Doors: Best Of
For all of his flaws and narcotics abuse, Jim Morrison certainly knew his poetry. Entering the scene when Dylan and The Beatles were all the rage, The Doors were unlike anything. Even to this day I can’t think of a band that contains as much mystic and sex as The Doors. As much as I love their self titled debut album and ‘L.A. Woman’, their 2003 edition of ‘The Best Of’ is a collection of the finest poetry you shall ever hear this side of the 20th century.
Deerhunter: Microcastle
I remember when I first stumbled upon Deerhunter; it was like finding gold amongst a pile of coal. I could never imagine myself having so much admiration for a modern-day band. It’s a mix of every genre of music I’ve ever loved; shoegaze, noise, ambient, alternative etc. Listening to this album compares to staring out of a train window looking out at the amber glow of the sun glistening over a field of tall green grass. I recommend this album of every inch of my soul.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever To Tell
One of the most promising debut albums I have ever heard. The noise, the screams, the sexual innuendos’, and the pounding of every drum-beat are just pure brilliance to my ears. Next to the EP ‘Is Is’ this is the best of their back catalogue. Every word that echoes’ out of Karen O’s lungs make me fall for her more and more, such a mesmerising, passionate voice. Never has an album made me want to pick up a guitar more than this.
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