
Obviously one person can’t say what the greatest albums of all time are, and its cheeky to only mention five, i could have mentioned fifty! But this blog only does top fives and these are my favourites, bearing in mind i grew up in the 80′s/90′s and i think that reflects these choices.
For me, a great album is one that you never need to skip a track. Every single track is listenable every single time.
In reverse order..
5/ R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992) Strangely i think the opening track is the weakest, “Drive” is still a good song and eases you into the rest of the album gently before it gets better and better. The next 3 tracks are modern classics with the pick of the bunch being “Everybody Hurts”. The middle third of the album is so chilled its almost vertical and this is the point where you would fall asleep if listening in bed, the finale is as good as it gets with three amazing songs “Man on the Moon”, “Nightswimming” and “Find the River”. The whole album shows that music doesn’t need to be fast or upbeat to be powerful.
4/ The Verve – Urban Hymns (1997) This came along at the right time for me. I was starting to leave my youthful hardcore raver days behind, and this put me on the righteous path to rock. Every tune is extremely listenable, its all in the right order and i never need to skip a track. My least favourite track is ”the drugs dont work” its slightly depressing, but its a powerful song which fits well with the rest of the set. At least 8 of the 13 tracks could stand up for themselves as singles, with the opening track “Bittersweet Symphony” and track 9 “Lucky Man” being two of the best. It was a bold and provocative release, the highpoint of the bands career. A brilliant band who as yet, have never fulfilled their potential.
3/ Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon (1973) This wont be in everyone’s list, in fact for years i didn’t like Pink Floyd, they were too slow and dull. It was only as i got older i began to hear something that i previously hadn’t. Dark Side of the Moon blends together like 1 long track instead of 10 individuals, its almost completely uncomercial apart from the 6th track ”Money”. The rest of the album pushed the boundries of what was possible at the time. Its a journey that everyone should experience sometime in their life. Its also interesting to play the album while watching the film The Wizard of Oz. ”On the run”, “Time” and “Great Gig in the Sky” back to back make an astonishing 15 minutes of music. It could be the best album ever, but for me its only number 3
2/ The Beatles – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) Some folk will be outraged that this wonderful album only came 2nd out of five! It would be in many peoples top five out of 100. I first heard it in the 80′s when i was a wee boy, my parents were Beatles fans and had it on 12″ vinyl. Its a mark of the Beatles genius that they were able write music a child could appreciate as much as an adult. (except i didn’t understand the drug references) “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, “With a little help from my friends”, “When im sixty-four”, “Sgt Pepper” and “Getting Better” will be classics forever. Confidence is oozing out of this album and i feel confident everytime i hear it. Even by the Beatles high standards this is an incredible piece of work.
1/ Nirvana - Nevermind (1991) This album is a whole lot of fun. Completely opposite to Automatic for the People, its mostly an upbeat buzz that i could listen to at anytime of the day, any season of the year. Not great for bed time is the only negative thing i can say. Its a modern masterpiece that inspired millions to join the grunge movement that dominated the early 90′s music scene. There isn’t a stand out track, all 12 tracks seem to be written as a single unit, one complimenting the next as the album rolls along. My own favourite tracks are “Territorial Pissings”, “In Bloom”, “Polly” and “Breed” but every single track is brilliant.
Thanks for reading and feel free to add your own favourite top five in the comments.