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Your favourite albums ever


Soda Jerk

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My top ten (kind of in order) with pictures and brief annotations. This is a mix of about 5 non-movers and 5 that shift around.

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The absolute zenith as far as I'm concerned, lyrically and musically.

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Ten perfect songs written by a man who still believed in writing perfect songs.

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As much as I like a lot of stuff by The Beatles and The Stones, this killed them all.

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Should be regarded as a classic, probably never will be because they ended up getting briefly popular therefore forever killing them in the eyes of anyone who spends too much time on the internet. Unbelievable lyrics.

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Anyone who just thinks of Goldfrapp as an Electro-pop band should listen to this immediately. I remember saying in a moment of raw pretension although the phrase 'Felt Mountain' doesn't really mean anything, you'll know exactly what it means when you listen to the record (particularly the title track), but you wont really be able to describe it.

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Always find it difficult to choose between this and 'Underachievers...' but I suppose this is the masterpiece really. Scottish indie nowadays is primarily boys in plaid being earnest, but this is still what we're best at.

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Paul Heaton is part of a group of people in my mind along with David Gedge, Robert Wratten and Neil Hannon of 'People who deserve the respect and fame that Morrisey somehow got'. He's also part of another group along with Richard Hawley and James Dean Bradfield of 'Men I'd pay to sit in a pub with'. This has the best album name ever.

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I really could listen to M Ward singing anything. The word 'timeless' is generally wank, but this is 'timeless'.

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My vote for 'Most overlooked album of the 00's'. Probably didn't help that it came out in the UK in the same week as the Pet-Shop-Boys-go-Indie horror of 'Hot Fuss'.

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The scale of this album is unbelievable. Saw her play it in its entirety at the Royal Albert Hall, people were just bursting into tears all over the place. I'd call it 'spiritual' if that wasn't the worst word in the history of fucking words.

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These are all pretty good! I always tend to own my favourite albums for ages before they click and I love them.

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This sits beautifully at the nexus of punk and off-kilter pop for me. I was always kind of aware of Devo and some of their early eighties stuff is really good before they became too silly (Freedom of Choice isn't quite favourite album material, but it's good!) but it wasn't until I heard this that they fascinated me.

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Dance music seems to age really quickly, but Discovery's retro-futurism means it still feels pretty fresh. It doesn't feel like an album concerned with being cool, it's got a naievity that's really endearing.

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This one was a real turning point for me and the one that probably set me off digging for music and not just checking out whatever Kerrang were pushing (a dangerous proposition in the late 90s and early 00s. Wallet chains were involved). Probably the DKs most consistent album. The humour and world view of it really struck a chord with me too. I tend to purge CDs quite a lot, with less frequency as I become more aware of my tastes and reliable sources of discovering new music, but my ancient CD copy of this is in the mankiest looking cardboard sleeve ever now.

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A great album, but has good associations for me of chilling, going nuts on a dance floor and having good times with friends. Also to prove I don't just like bands that start with 'D'.

Just so I don't bore anyone with loads and loads of pictures and bullshit storys, did I tell you these get frequent play? Well they do:

Prince - Purple Rain

Pixies - Doolittle

Slayer- Reign in Blood

XTC - Drums and Wires

B52's - S/T

Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet

Iggy and The Stooges - Raw Power

Suicide - S/T

Gang of Four - Entertainment!

The Clash - London Calling

Fugazi - The Argument

Weezer - Blue Album

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Right, here goes:

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I was always going to pick one of their records, and over time I'd say this is probably favourite. It has lots of faults to be honest, it's length for one. Somehow, it doesn't really matter. The collection of songs, and the production, were a big step ahead for a band that were really just another 90's alt. rock mega band. Pretty brave to do an electronic/acoustic record after you've went a bajillion platinum and won all the awards with yr last album, but that's teh b0lly for you.

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This is the album that properly got me into music and I still damn hell love it. The songs, guitar and drum sounds, Kurt screaming, it's all amazing.

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I was pretty much exclusively listening to this when I played guitar in DROSS. I bought it years before in the Fopp (next to Markies) closing down sale. £1 in a plastic sleeve. I never really got into it until a few years ago, but it's one those amazing, heartfelt break-up records that everyone should write at some point. It shows yr human.

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Speaking of break-up records, this is probably the best one I have ever heard. Oh and the tunes are beasting good. I avoided this band initially as I thought a band named "Frightened Rabbit" couldn't be good. What a fool I was.

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Power pop, but damaged power pop. I think that this is Big Star's finest moment, when it's all went a bit wrong for Alex Chilton and the band is disintegrating before him. In spite of that, he produced this album, which was originally never released. Some of the production techniques are really off the wall, like the basketball snare drum on Kangeroo.

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This is one of those albums that I religiously listened to when I first got it. 3 or 4 times a day for about 6 months. More naked honesty on record and easily the best thing Ryan Adams has done. Even better than Orion, the metal album he made about intergalactic space battles.

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Listening to this at 14, I thought that the guitars were amazing and I couldn't understand how they could make them sound so unguitar-like. The songs are great too, but it's all about the guitar jamz really. The noise! Sonic Youth actually considered renaming themselves Washing Machine before they released this.

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Everyone probably owns this album, and it's damn hell amazing. It's another one of those albums that I obsessively listened to back in the day. Jeff's voice was truly extraordinary, but did pave the way for the likes of Starsailor and Coldplay.

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I don't think that there are many people who can knock together an album as good as this in an afternoon. It's worth having just for Atlantic City and Mansion on the Hill. For demos, these songs sound surprisingly well arranged and formed. So stark at times as well.

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Amazing, hypnotic record. I think that this is Van at the height of powers, lost in the music and his songs. Madame George, Cyprus Avenue and Ballerina especially are fantastic. You get such a vivid into Van's childhood in Northern Ireland through this album.

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The sleeve is the perfect accompaniment to the album. It's fantastic from start to finish. A great example of a band not comprimising and carrying out their vision right to the end.

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I love the sound of this record, I love the guitars, I love the songs, the backing vocals, the album cover, pretty much everything.

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This album came out at exactly the right time for me. Most new music did absolutely nothing for me (nu metal? Quiet is the new loud? Fuck off!), so I was listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Love and other great acts from back in the day. But they weren't a band for "my generation", not to sound like too much of a ponce. It was great to have this band that I could be excited about, completely different to everything around at the time. Oh, and they were fucking brilliant and looked super cool. Responsible for Razorlight however. I saw them at T in the Park when Julian had his broken leg and they were dire.

This is all subject to change of course.

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Yeah, i do actually. I liked the fact that it was a bit more progressive and the production is a lot better. Still think Slip is a cracker though.

I thought it was the jarred production which sort of annoyed me, since it was recorded in a few different sessions in different places. It never really sounded like an album to my ears, and more just a collection of songs from different sessions. I get what you mean though, they had taken a step forwards with the song writing. Slip is fantastic, but it's a very straight forward record.

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I thought it was the jarred production which sort of annoyed me, since it was recorded in a few different sessions in different places. It never really sounded like an album to my ears, and more just a collection of songs from different sessions. I get what you mean though, they had taken a step forwards with the song writing. Slip is fantastic, but it's a very straight forward record.

Aye, i can see how the album could come across like that. I like most things that Walter's done actually, love Rival Schools and Walking Concert. Instruction, Capone's post Quicksand band, were pretty good as well. I'm sure i saw Instruction support Funeral For A Friend along with Tribute To Nothing maybe, can't remember for sure as we're talking 10 years ago easy. Apparently Artie from Instruction started a band with one of the guys from Garrison (anyone remember/like them?).

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Just looking at my iTunes, I have A Mile in Cold Water and the Hundred Reasons split by Garrison, but I can't for the life of me remember what they sound like.

The Walking Concert record was lovely, as was Walter's recent solo record. Walter is the boy.

Garrison were fucking awesome. Be A Criminal is their best album by a mile. The Hundred Reasons split is good as well. Kinda post-hardcore/punk sound.

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Its hard to narrow it down to fav albums but here's a few of mine in no particular order.

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If you were a fan of cheesy pop punk, you were most likely a fan of this album. A perfect pop punk album in my eyes, short, quick, cheesy songs that still make me smile.

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For me Bleed American is a perfect album, i wouldn't skip a single song on there and there are not many albums i could say that about, an amazing band both on record and live.

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My first venture into metal really, i still think the first few tracks of this cd are as good an opening to any album made, shame fred dirst is as absolute cock muncher. Just a band that i think kinda spoke to folk of our generation for a while, a real link between metal and pop.

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My second real venture into metal, there was something about this album, and this band, that just amazed me when it came out, i had never really seen anything like it, i like most of their stuff after this album, but there is something so raw and angry sounding about this one.

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I was never a big Midtown fan, but this is a brilliant album and it has one of my all time fav songs on it, "Waiting for the News".

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This is a classic album, from one of the best ever bands in my opinion. The set is amazing, and the performance of the band is incredible, it has everything i want from that kind of music.

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Probably my fav dance music album, it was a toss up between this and the first two many dj's album, but i think this just tops it, again an album i can happily play from start to finish on repeat.

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Man, I used to love Midtown back when I was at college. Living Well is the Best Revenge rocks so hard. The production is so fake, and it all sounds like it's being played by a computer, but it still rocks hard. Somehow Fall Out Boy got huge from writing similar over-produced pop/punk tunes, but Midtown were just better. I'm pretty sure they were mega Christian too. They tick all the wrong boxes, but still kick out the jams. YEAH!

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Man, I used to love Midtown back when I was at college. Living Well is the Best Revenge rocks so hard. The production is so fake, and it all sounds like it's being played by a computer, but it still rocks hard. Somehow Fall Out Boy got huge from writing similar over-produced pop/punk tunes, but Midtown were just better. I'm pretty sure they were mega Christian too. They tick all the wrong boxes, but still kick out the jams. YEAH!

Gabe Saporta is all over the hot shit with Cobra Starship (who are awesome). That Midtown record is a good 'un though.

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Oh is that him? I never knew. I'm not mad keen on them, though I'm not really into that sort of pop-punk, but I thought his voice sounded familiar. For some reason I did like Midtown though. They bring it live too, and still sound oddly tight. It made me suspicious they were miming, it was that tight, and sounded that similar to the record.

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I'd be surprised if anything ever surpasses this as my favourite album. I remember being absolutely stunned after my first listen and it was pretty much the only album I put on to for 4 or 5 weeks after I bought it. So many decent songs and Paranoid Android is an absolute fucking masterpiece.

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A singer I could listen to all day, such an amazing voice. His own songs stood up well but he had a great ability in doing covers but making them much better than the originals and in his own style. Anyone familiar with the full Sin-e recordings will know what I mean.

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Agaetis Byrjun - Sigur Ros. To be honest, I can't decide which Sigur Ros album is my favourite but this one has sentimental value to me. A cracking band and their set at the Connect Festival is one of my favourite gigs.

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Great album from start to finish although anything Johnny Marr plays on is going to be good if you ask me. Except his solo album as that was a bunch of arse.

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One of the best albums of modern times I'd say. Sorrow and Runaway are stunners. I saw them at Glastonbury in 2010 and was impressed with how they come across live.

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Pavement are/were ace...fact! Of all their albums this is the one I like the most from start to finish.

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Nostalgia! This album soundtracked my 1st year at university and I still love it. Anyone looking to form an indie rock band should listen to this. She Said is an absolute banger.

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I fucking love Doves! Criminally under-rated and some of the best and most consistent songwriters around in my opinion. Some great singles on this one.

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I forget how good this album is sometimes. In fact, I'm away to put it on now.

That'll do although you can throw in most Radiohead and The Smiths albums I suppose and I'll probably think of dozens more that I'll come back to.

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Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot

Manic Street Preachers- The Holy Bible.

Bruce Springsteen-Born To Run

Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating in Space.

Labradford - Mi Media Naranja

Low - Trust

David Bowie - Scary Monsters

Nick Cave - Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus

Anais Mitchell - Hadestown

Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker.

Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty

Radiohead - In Rainbows.

Kyuss - And the Circus Leaves Town.

Gallon Drunk - In The Long Still Night

Doves-Lost Souls.

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Drive-By Truckers - The Dirty South.

PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From The Sea.

Sharon Van Etten - Epic

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In no order whatsoever -

Dirty Three ~ Whatever You Love, You Are/Ocean Songs

The Cult ~ Love

Roky Erickson ~ I Think of Demons

Tom Waits ~ Swordfishtrombones/Rain Dogs/Frank's Wild Years/Bone Machine

The Cramps ~ A Date With Elvis

Dinosaur Jr ~ Where You Been

Queens of the Stone Age ~ Songs for the Deaf

Clutch ~ Clutch

Mogwai ~ The Hawk is Howling/Mr Beast

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ~ Henry's Dream

Mclusky ~ Mclusky Do Dallas

Moistboyz ~ III

Mark Lanegan ~ Whiskey for the Holy Ghost/Bubblegum

Tindersticks ~ Tindersticks (1st album)

Shellac ~ At Action Park

Sex Pistols ~ Never Mind the Bollocks

Earth ~ Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light I

Galaxie 500 ~ On Fire

The Strokes ~ Is This It?

Interpol ~ Antics

Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction ~ High Priest of Love

Dead Kennedys ~ Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

The Stooges ~ Funhouse

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion ~ Orange

DJ Shadow ~ Endtroducing

U2 ~ October

Nirvana ~ Nevermind

Jesus Lizard - Goat/Down/Liar

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