ALL-TIME TOP 10 ALBUMS
10. 'American Epic: The Collection' - Various Artists (2017)
This album presents a number of the first-ever-made American roots music performances from the 1920s and 1930s. It is quite remarkable to think that some of these songs are now nearly one hundred years old. The album is part of the bigger 'American Epic' project featuring documentary films, a book and additional albums, including one where the songs are made by modern artists on the recording equipment used on this album. If you like this kind of thing there is a lot here to keep you busy.
9. 'Tigerlily' - Natalie Merchant (1995)
I think this is a really beautiful album. I first heard it in my final year as an undergraduate, playing in a local record shop. I took it home and was blown away. The variety, depth and musicianship on this LP are first-rate, as exemplified in songs such 'Wonder' and 'I May Know The Word', the latter building slowly over its 8-minute length to an all-powerful crescendo. NB There was even a sequel to this album that was released twenty years later, entitled 'Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings'. For me, though, the original is definitely the best.
8. 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984)
What can I say about this album? Released by Frankie at the height of their fame, this album sounds stunning over both loudspeakers or a pair of headphones. There seem to be two types of tracks: the more organic music created by the band with real instruments (such as 'Born To Run'), and the more synthetic computer-programmed tracks like 'War (and hide)', where Trevor Horn's production skills are just first-rate. It's easy to forget how big this band were, and then you play this!
7. 'Spirit Trail' - Bruce Hornsby (1998)
I'm playing this album again in order to write this, and I'm struck by how beautiful some of it is. If you're expecting short, four-minute pop songs along the lines of 'The Way It Is', best look elsewhere. This is experimental fare with the piano placed firmly centre stage. By this point, Hornsby as an improviser was in full flow, and if he came up with what could have passed as a pop song (e.g., 'Fortunate Son'), it was more by accident rather than design. There are many surprises on this album, you just never know when one is around the corner.
6. 'Duke' - Genesis (1980)
'Duke' is my favourite Genesis album. It's Tony Banks' favourite, too! I like the mixture of group-written pieces, such as 'Turn It On Again', 'Duchess', and 'Duke's Travels', alongside the individually-written songs such as 'Man Of Our Times', 'Please Don't Ask', and 'Heathaze'. Listening to this one brings back memories of A-Levels, nightclubbing and discovering Genesis' back catalogue. The group were becoming more mainstream here, coinciding with the beginning of frontman Phil Collins' solo career.
5. 'Flyer' - Nanci Griffith (1994)
This is certainly Griffith's most consistent album ... a fine set of songs that encompass country, folk, pop and more. Lyrically she's never been more on point, with songs such as 'On Grafton Street' and 'Goodnight To A Mother's Dream' hitting the mark. This one is bound up in my memory with a stormy trip to Rathlin towards the end of the summer in the year the record came out. This seemed to be the peak of Griffith's career, having released the 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' tribute album the year before.
4. 'ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits' - ABBA (1992)
Almost everyone I know owns a copy of this album! Released at the start of the ABBA revival in the early 1990s, this one is crammed full of their biggest hits. I'm a big fan of 'One Of Us', 'The Winner Takes It All', 'Chiquitita', 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After After Midnight)', 'Super Trouper', and, of course, 'Dancing Queen'. Every now and then a documentary comes on about ABBA's most popular songs and I always learn something interesting about how the group constructed these songs and how they recorded them in the studio. Again this album takes me back to secondary school, nights out, and great friendships made.
3. 'The Innocents' - Erasure (1988)
The third studio album from Erasure, this one is a really strong collection of songs, coming out probably when Erasure were at the peak of their powers. The 'medieval' theme is present in many of the tracks, particularly 'Hallowed Ground' and 'Witch In The Ditch', while the hits propel the album forward. My favourite track is the joyous, uplifting 'Heart Of Stone', complete with horns! This LP has stood up well over the past 30-odd years ... well worth a listen!
2. 'Greatest Hits II' - Queen (1991)
Coming out shortly after the death of Freddie Mercury, this album is chock full of hits and, some might say, surpasses Queen's original 'Greatest Hits' compliation a decade earlier. Highlights for me include 'Radio Ga Ga', 'The Invisible Man', 'Breakthru', and 'One Vision', all great for air guitar-dancing. This record has a consistent energy that few records have - I particularly like the power of 'Headlong', and the fun that it sounds like the band are having recording this song. It's still hard to believe Freddie is no longer with us.
1. '3-D The Catalogue' - Kraftwerk (2017)
This is a stunning album. It's a live album, with the crowd noise removed, and is made up of live versions of the eight 'main' Kraftwerk LPs, from 1974's 'Autobahn' through 2003's 'Tour de France'. Each album-within-the-album has been reworked, rebuilt and reprogrammed, resulting in music that is like the original but with a modern and updated 'feel'. At times it's easy to forget that computers are playing the notes, for it has a 'groove' and dynamism often missing in music with real instruments. Breathtaking!
ALL-TIME TOP 100 TRACKS
In No Particular Order
1. 'Blue Monday' - New Order ('Singles')
2. 'I May Know The Word' - Natalie Merchant ('Tigerlily')
3. 'I'm Alive (Humberto Gatica Mix)' - Celine Dion
4. 'Neon Lights' - Kraftwerk ('The Man Machine')
5. 'Carolina In My Mind (1976 Version)' - James Taylor ('Classic Songs')
6. 'That's Why I'm Here' - James Taylor ('That's Why I'm Here')
7. 'Got Me Under Pressure' - ZZ Top ('Greatest Hits')
8. 'Shoot To Thrill ' - AC/DC ('Back In Black')
9. 'Sleepwalking' - Lissie ('Back To Forever')
10. 'I Swear I Heard The Night Talkin'' - Elton John ('To Be Continued...' [US Version])
11. 'Hand In Hand' - Phil Collins ('Face Value')
12. 'For Lovin' Me/Did She Mention My Name' - Gordon Lightfoot ('Gord's Gold')
13. 'Release Me' - Wilson Phillips ('Wilson Phillips')
14. 'What To Keep And What To Throw Away' - Mary Chapin Carpenter ('Ashes And Roses')
15. 'More Than This' - Roxy Music ('Avalon')
16. 'Golden Heart' - Mark Knopfler ('Golden Heart')
17. 'Summer, Highland Falls' - Billy Joel ('Turnstiles')
18. 'Born To Be Alive' - Patrick Hernandez
19. 'Speedway At Nazareth (Live)' - Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris ('Real Live Roadrunning')
20. 'Shadowhand (Live)' - Bruce Hornsby ('Intersections [1985-2005]')
21. 'An Ocean In Between The Waves' - The War On Drugs ('Lost In The Dream')
22. 'My Back Pages (Live)' - Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton & George Harrison ('Bob Dylan - The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration')
23. 'I Will' - Bee Gees ('Still Waters') -GP-
24. 'Hometown Streets' - Nanci Griffith ('Late Night Grande Hotel')
25. 'Oceania' - Mike Oldfield ('Songs Of Distant Earth')
26. 'Changing Of The Guards' - Bob Dylan ('Street-Legal')
27. 'The End Of The Innocence' - Don Henley ('Actual Miles')
28. 'You Win Again' - Bee Gees ('Their Greatest Hits: The Record')
29. 'Dignity' - Deacon Blue ('Our Town: The Very Best of Deacon Blue')
30. 'Just Say Yeah' - Jackson Browne ('Time The Conqueror')
31. 'Hold My Hand' - Jess Glynne
32. 'Preacher In The Ring Pt. I' - Bruce Hornsby ('Spirit Trail')
33. 'The Comin' Round Is Going Through' - Bonnie Raitt ('Dig in Deep')
34. 'You Might Recall' - Genesis ('Archive #2')
35. 'Pump Up The Volume' - M/A/R/R/S
36. 'Gypsy' - Lady Gaga ('ARTPOP')
37. 'Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind' - Confederate Railroad ('The Very Best of Confederate Railroad')
38. 'It's A Sin (Live)' - Pet Shop Boys ('Live at the O2 Arena, London - 21 December 2009')
39. '(Wanna Get To Know You) That Good!' - Shania Twain ('Up!' [Red Disc])
40. 'The Retreat' - Elton John ('Too Low For Zero' [Remastered])
41. 'New Song (New Version)' - Howard Jones ('The 12" Album')
42. 'Africa' - Toto ('Toto IV')
43. 'I Lay My Love On You' - Westlife ('Coast To Coast') -GP-
44. 'Victim Of Love (Remix)' - Erasure ('Hits! The Very Best Of Erasure')
45. 'Duke's Travels' - Genesis ('Duke')
46. 'Born And Raised In Black And White' - The Highwaymen ('The Highwayman Collection')
47. 'You Can Call Me Al' - Paul Simon ('Graceland')
48. 'Playing With Knives' - Bizarre Inc.
49. 'No One Is To Blame (Single Version)' - Howard Jones
50. 'E=MC2' - Big Audio Dynamite
51. 'Brand New Day (Radio Edit)' - Joshua Radin ('Simple Times')
52. 'Honey I'm Good' - Ritchie Remo ('Hit The Diff')
53. 'Young At Heart' - The Bluebells
54. 'Hang It Up (12")' - Patrice Rushen
55. 'Hey Now (Sasha Remix)' - London Grammar
56. 'Jack Your Body (7" Version)' - Steve "Silk" Hurley
57. 'Ordinary Angel (7" Single Version)' - Hue & Cry
58. 'My Camera Never Lies' - Bucks Fizz ('Are You Ready') -GP-
59. 'The Captain's Daughter' - Alison Krauss & Union Station ('Johnny Cash: Forever Words')
60. 'So Young (K Klass Remix)' - The Corrs ('Talk On Corners [Special Edition]')
61. 'One Of Us' - ABBA ('The Visitors')
62. 'Just Can't Get Enough' - Depeche Mode
63. 'Celebration' - Kool & The Gang
64. 'In The Silence (Demo)' - JP Cooper
65. 'Good Year For The Roses' - Elvis Costello & The Attractions ('Almost Blue')
66. 'Sing Hallelujah!' - Dr Alban -GP-
67. '19' - Paul Hardcastle
68. 'Sober (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit)' - Pink
69. 'Heavy Fuel' - Dire Straits ('On Every Street')
70. 'Badge (Live)' - Eric Clapton ('Forever Man')
71. 'San Francisco Mabel Joy' - Kenny Rogers
72. 'Johnny Strikes Up The Band' - Warren Zevon ('Excitable Boy')
73. 'Sacred Trust' - One True Voice -GP-
74. 'MacArthur Park Suite' - Donna Summer ('The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles')
75. 'Le Freak' - Chic ('The Definitive Groove Collection')
76. 'Sing Our Own Song' - UB40 ('The Very Best of UB40')
77. 'Don't Wanna' - Haim ('Women in Music Pt. III)
78. 'Get Out My Head' - Shane Codd
79. 'Hello Again' - Neil Diamond ('All-Time Greatest Hits')
80. 'Reasons' - Luke Combs ('What You See Ain't Always What You Get')
81. 'Have I Told You Lately That I Love You' - Van Morrison ('Still On Top: The Greatest Hits')
82. 'I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)' - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
83. 'Everything' - Michael Buble ('Call Me Irresponsible')
84. 'Midnight Train' - Bryan Ferry ('Avonmore')
85. 'One Last Time' - Ariana Grande ('My Everything')
86. 'Where I'm Headed' - Lene Marlin ('Playing My Game')
87. 'Trouble' - Iggy Azalea
88. 'Whatever It Is' - Zac Brown Band ('Greatest Hits So Far...')
89. 'Clown' - Emeli Sandé ('Our Version Of Events')
90. 'Through My Ray-Bans' - Eric Church ('&')
91. 'Cloud Number Nine (Chicane Remix)' - Bryan Adams ('Anthology')
92. 'Jessie (Single Edit)' - Joshua Kadison
93. 'No Lookin' Back' - Michael McDonald ('The Voice of Michael McDonald')
94. 'Love Train' - Holly Johnson ('Blast')
95. 'Let Your Love Flow' - The Bellamy Brothers
96. 'Coming Up' - Paul McCartney ('Pure McCartney')
97. 'Save A Place For Me' - Phil Collins, Gary Moore & Rod Argent ('Wild Connections')
98. 'The Race Is On' - George Jones
99. 'Bandwagon' - Remedy Tree
100. 'Easy On Me' - Adele ('30')
(GP = Guilty Pleasure)