another top 5…
So during a drunken conversation recently, the following question was raised:
“What are your top five albums of all time?”
The rules of this drunken chat were pretty simple (there were only three):
• You are allowed one ‘Greatest Hits’ or compilation within the five
• You must justify your answer (a bit)
• They don’t have to be in any sort of order
So in no particular order, I give you:
Blood Sugar Sex Magik: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Forget all the recent stuff they have done, this is RHCP at their peak, when people who liked them called them ‘the chili’s’ not ‘the chili peppers’ (Imagine Edith Bowman saying the latter and you’ll appreciate how annoying it is). Whilst I said just up there that you don’t have to put the five albums in order, this might just be up there as the best. It is a massive and long album at over 70 minutes and I understand the band locked themselves up in a haunted house for a month or so and wrote the thing. What stands out for me is that the entire album is an astonishingly good piece of work, with some stand out songs (Breaking the Girl, Funky Monks, Sir Psycho Sexy and the infamous Under the Bridge being my picks) but I think listening to the whole thing in one glorious (and preferably loud sitting) is the only way to go. It is loud, rude, unavoidably in-your-face and in my opinion the best thing they have ever (and probably will ever) put out. It was one of the first albums I ever bought and I can always come back to it and enjoy it time and time again.
Simple Things: Zero7
So in a complete change of tack, the next one on my list is the début album from zero7, which I bought on a whim, having heard the third track Destiny a few times on the radio. I’m glad I did, as it is an album I’d be completely lost without. For starters, it contains Destiny, which is without doubt my favourite song ever. Then there is the production, simply the way the album sounds – there is a level of detail in there that is hard to find on other albums. Everything is crisp, clear and beautiful – I used this as one of my ‘audition’ albums when I bought new speakers at the beginning of the year. There are countless chill-out albums out there, containing a selection of tracks from all manner of acts, but really, you can chuck them all out and replace it with this one.
Nuyorican Soul
A self-titled, project from the Masters at Work, this album shares a lot in common with Simple Things above, by being an exceptionally well produced album. I think it was Corin that put me onto these guys towards the end of my first year at Portsmouth when he picked up the Runaway single because of the awesome remix from Armand Van Helden. Anyway, the album is a fantastic blend of jazz, house and disco influences and again, has stand-out tunes, particularly Runaway and I am the Black Gold of the Sun, however this album, just like the others mentioned here is a brilliant body of work, with each song rolling smoothly from one to another. We used to sit on the roof of our student house, sipping a G&T and listening to the Masters at Work, working it. Good times.
Another Late Night: Tommy Guerrero
My compilation choice for the five. One of the awesome Another Late Night/Late Night Tales series, just pipping Nightmares on Wax (narrowly) to the best of the bunch. All of these compilations are achingly cool, blending songs together that just seem to go together brilliantly, but this one has a slightly funkier edge, which is what puts it ahead for me. Nothing stands out in particular, but it doesn’t matter. Fantastic album, go get it.
OK Computer: Radiohead
So, here’s the strange thing. I don’t have this album. I’ve just got the single of Paranoid Android which still makes me shiver when I hear it. But I’ve been assured by a number of people that this is a truly epic album. And who am I to argue with them? (and 200+ 5-star reviews on Amazon). So I will get it soon, although even if I don’t hear it for another few years, I’m pretty certain it’ll still be awesome when I get around to it.
Honourable Mentions (which could swap with a couple of those above):
Mezzanine: Massive Attack
Musique Vol.1 1993 – 2005: Daft Punk
Ill Communication: Beastie Boys
Newforms: Roni Size
Music for the Jilted Generation: The Prodigy
Over to you…
errrr…. how can an album you haven’t got be in you top 5 ??!?!?!?!? Im slightly surprised you would base a it on Amazon reviews !! – not that OK Computer isn’t brilliant (but ‘In Rainbows’ is better IMO) but surely you have more choice of favourite albums than to include one you only have a single from?? ‘Paranoid Android’ should be in your Top 5 Singles of all time, the next blog entry i suggest (sorry – i am rather passionate about this subject matter!@!!). Also, you have forgotten Use Your Illusion II which i seem to remember you LOVING when we were at SMRT. Good call on Zero 7 though, i have just started a small music project with a female singer friend of mine and we cover both Destiny and In the Waiting Line, might send you the demo … if you’re really unlucky !! Also … one last thing, did you see that someone has put the SMRT School photo up on facebook? ? i have been scanning it trying to find you on there but to no avail, were you off school that day ?? Did we ‘nodule’ you one too many times ? ? HAHA
This is going to take a bit of time to work out… I’ll get back to you.
My list will probably have some Pearl Jam and Leftfield in there but to limit it to 5 albums is going to be hard…
After leaving a HUGE post last night via my mobile, replete with reasons etcetc…it didn’t actually register.
So now can’t be bothered to do any more than say Radiohead’s ‘Ok Computer’, Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged In New York’, Vangelis’ ‘Blade Runner OST’, The Prodigy’s ‘Experience’ and The Beatles ’1s’.
Bah.
Ooookay…
Will – Ok Computer isn’t based on what was said on Amazon, but rather what I have heard from enough people telling me it is awesome beyond comprehension. And they are generally people whose opinion I value a lot, so I’ll use a bit of trust on this one! But I could happily drop it for Ill Communication if that makes you happier…
As for Use Your Illusion 2, as good as it is/was, I’ve listened to it less than 5 times since I sat my GCSEs. All the other albums have been in my collection for some time (exception being Radiohead) and are staying on my playlist for good, hence why it didn’t make the cut.
As for the school photo – I’ll probably be near the top row (being the shortarse I was/am) about 75% of the way over to the right.
Corin – I’ll grant you some extra time…
Matt – I was expecting to see ‘Ten’ on your list. And sorry for the grief you’ve had with the commenting system :(
Yeah, ‘Ten’ was considered, but I hit meltdown with PJ and struggle to listen to anything but ‘Oceans’, ‘Alive’ & ‘Jeremy’ now w/o returning to album burnout. If we’re talking honorable mentions that came close…
Zero 7, Simple Things
Bob Marley, Legend
Simple Minds, Once Upon A Time
Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
Orbital, In:Sides
Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced
Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the head
Radiohead, The Bends
Deacon Blue, Raintown
QOTSA, Songs for the Deaf
The Police – Greatest Hits
U2 – Achtung Baby
G’n'R – Appetite for Destruction
…all came pretty close.
(I reserve the right to deny I wrote this list)
Top of my head
1. Placebo – Placebo
2. A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms
3. Brand New – Deja Entendu
4. Kate Havnevik – Melankton
5. Dj Tiesto – Magik 5
@Matt – QOTSA – definitely in my top 20, was listening to it earlier this week. Loudly :D
@Omar – I need to broaden my horizons having not listened to any of them
*ahem*
I wrote my list in December 2007 – http://jenniferheidi.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/the-greatest-album-ever-written/
But if I have to have five, I would add Radiohead’s ‘The Bends’ on the grounds that it reminds me of being 13 and in Germany, miserable. And that it continues to be as fresh and as relevant as it was then.
*ahem*
Omar did send me links for all his choices, which I was going to post, but he’s only gone and blogged it now, so go and have look over there instead:
http://chotoye.com/blog/2009/10/17/top-5-albums/
Firstly, Let me apologise for the fact it’s taken me so long to get this posted – but refining down to 5 albums proved very difficult indeed.
Pearl jam – Vs
One of the first albums I ever bought. It has a great range of songs in there – all really well crafted. Eddie Vedder is one of the finest story-tellers of in my collection.
Leftfield – Rhythm and Stealth
Leftism was an all time favourite of mine for years (and a great introduction for me into the world of ‘dance music’ (what I would now term as Electronica). However, it was Rhythm and Stealth that really impresses upon me what skills these guys had.
Fleetwood Mac – Greatest hits
The history of this troubled band is long and winding, I only care about the stuff produced when Peter Green was the lynchpin. I’m interested in the 1967 – 1970 era of blues – don’t mention the subsequent Stevie Nicks led pop-pap.
David Holmes – Let’s Get Killed
This is the album that Holmes masters his craft. His debut ‘this film’s crap let’s slash the seats’ is interesting, if a little creepy at points. For his second album, Holmes visited New York and spent the whole time recording everything on a portable DAT. There are loads of interesting samples within the album and, more importantly, some amazing tunes. ‘Don’t Die Just Yet’ is brilliant – as are both ‘My Mate Paul’ and ‘Gritty Shaker’. The Arab Strap remix of DDJY is one of my favourite remixes. From this album David Holmes went on to become a Hollywood favourite, after his soundtrack for Out Of Sight propelled him into the mainstream and he sound-tracked the Ocean’s Eleven franchise.
Chemical brothers – Exit Planet Dust
The album that changed the longhaired grunge kid into a beathead.
U2 –Joshua Tree is one of the best, which the whole family enjoyed when I was a kid, but then I really got into the Achtung Baby / Zooropa / Pop period. Getting to the front of the mosh pit for the PopMart tour visit to Sheffield would get into my ‘top 5 gigs’ – but that’s a different post. I have enjoyed so many U2 albums – and it would be hard to choose between the two best of compilations. So I am left in a bit of a quandary – Fleetwood Mac has already taken the ‘compilation/greatest hits’ allowance – so I end up in a position where my top 5 is missing an album from the Irish rockers. However, I’m not as troubled by that as I thought I would be.
Here is the list of honourable mentions, all of which are significant albums in my life, and to which I continue to return and enjoy.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come find yourself
Fat boy slim – On the floor at the boutique
Elbow – Seldom seen kid
Dj hype – The dogs
Rage against the machine
Beth Orton – Trailer park
Nitin Sawney – Beyond skin
Nirvana – Nevermind
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
Ben Folds – Songs for Silverman
Daft Punk – Discovery
LTJ Bukem – Journey inwards
Erykah Badu – Baduism
Faith No More – Angel dust
Bladerunner soundtrack
Radiohead – The bends
Nightmares on wax – Carboot soul
Massive Attack – Mezzanine
Stevie Wonder – Talking book.
Trainspotting OST.