15 albums I’ve played to death
I'm joining in with the '15 albums' meme. (I saw at it Duncan Stott's blog.) Simple rules - 15 albums that will always stick with you; don't think about it too much, just write it down.
So here we go. 15 albums that I've played to death. You may gain some kind of insight into my strangeness from these selections.
Blue Lines - Massive Attack The album I've got says 'Massive' on the CD rather than Massive Attack. I can't remember if this was because it was released during the first Gulf War and things like 'Attack' were censored, or self-censored, or whether that was just some kind of rumour doing the rounds. I played this one to death during 1993-4, though I don't really listen to it too much nowadays.
The Boy With the Arab Strap - Belle & Sebastian I only recently rediscovered this little gem, having played it to death a few years back. I could listen to stuff like Dirty Dream No 2 or the title track for ever.
Different Class - Pulp This album is the summer of 1996 for me though I think it came out before then. But this was a time when I was living in London and did used to end up in Bar Italia watching the wage slaves going to work, while I was still a smug student. "The crowd gasp at Cocker's masterful control of the bicycle, skilfully avoiding the dog turd outside the corner shop..." - beautiful.
Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix Experience This was probably the first album I really played to death, when I was about 16-17 and had it on a battered old cassette. The first time I heard Voodoo Chile I was like, what the fuck is this? This is terrific!
Harvest - Neil Young There's a legendary BBC performance that gets aired on BBC4 every now and then of a very callow and shy Neil Young doing some acoustic stuff. As soon as I heard A Man Needs A Maid I had to find the album.
The Heart of Saturday Night - Tom Waits The bartenders all know my name, and they catch me when I'm pulling up lame... this is more of a Sunday morning after the Saturday night before album, I think, a comedown record, and a marvellous one at that.
Hunky Dory - David Bowie Is there life on Mars? Are the Bewley Brothers really that scary? Why does he want them for his gravy? What the hell is that Bombers song all about? One of the finest albums ever to have the word 'cobblers' in it.
Madman Across the Water - Elton John I've only recently found this album, it's tremendous early Elton. Long, luxurious arrangements. The one about the geezer in his teepee makes you wince a bit, but the rest is finely crafted stuff from when Reg and Bernie were churning out about 500 albums a year - which is probably why this little gem got lost in all the excitement.
Nixon - Lambchop Up With People is spectacular, and the rest of the album is like soaking in a warm bath of faint misery.
Now I'm a Cowboy - The Auteurs I played everything by the Auteurs to death after seeing them at the Reading Festival in 1994. This was a lovely album, snarling class war and anger.
Pink Moon - Nick Drake I can't really listen to this very much nowadays, but there was a time when I really did play it all the time. Surprised that I made it out of the other end.
Rio - Duran Duran Now we're talking. Quality DD here, with the magnificent The Chauffeur to top it off.
Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk The first track alone is astonishing, the pebbles rubbed together, the bicycle wheel turning round. It's not the Talk Talk you know, as someone once described it to me.
Tindersticks (second album) - Tindersticks When you've only got 40 Marlboro to help get you through the night of frustration and heartbreak, you're going to need help. This album is that help. The one about the cherry blossoms is pretty much the gloomiest thing I've ever heard. Brilliant.
Up to Our Hips - Charlatans I still love this album from start to finish, the funky Get Carter theme tune and everything.
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Hello. I'm a Bristol-based writer and soon-to-be-redundant journalist. You can read more about me and the Enemies site here, or follow me on Twitter. Email me if you like - antonvowl at live dot co dot uk
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September 29th, 2010 - 12:24
I think you can tell a lot about a person by their choice of music. Perhaps this is why most people are reluctant to talk about what they’re in to. Most common reply I get is “all sorts of stuff” which is pretty meaningless.
Some great stuff in there too- although it needs some Pink Floyd
September 29th, 2010 - 17:49
I split up with a girlfriend of two years solely because she bought a copy of Stars by Simply Red. That was 20 years ago and I’m still convinced it was the right decision.
September 29th, 2010 - 13:03
Cracking list, here’s mine: http://cjeggett.co.uk/post/1210232069/15-albums-ive-played-to-death
Snap on Blue Lines!
September 29th, 2010 - 13:09
Love Spirit of Eden.
And yeah, Massive Attack were just called Massive for a while when Blue Lines came out because of the Gulf War at the time – my CD copy is labelled up same as yours.
September 29th, 2010 - 14:42
Neil Young, Pulp, Bowie, Hendrix, Tom Waits, Massive Attack – Right on, Anton!
In these times of mp3 downloads the phrase ‘played to death’ has been rendered somewhat redundant. Nevertheless, I do believe that the content of a person’s music collection will reveal much about the content of their character, so here’s my self-indulgent contribution:
Black Flag – Damaged
Musically it’s atrocious: terrible attempts at guitar solos; badly out of time drumming; Rollins’ incessant howling, but when you’re a self-loathing, stroppy teen it’s the only thing that makes sense in your introverted little world.
Baby Huey – The Living Legend
Released posthumously (BH died at 26) and produced by Curtis Mayfield, this album’s a pure blast of psychedelic rock ‘n’ soul, and the opening track ‘Listen To Me’ is just glorious!
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis
Again, the opening track on this is one of the boldest statements anyone could ever make: ‘Don’t worry, if there’s hell below we’re all gonna go’. (AAAAAARGH!)
Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Contains many of my favourite Dylan songs, especially the ‘Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest’.
Sixto Rodriguez – Cold Fact
If you don’t dig Dylan, you’ll dig this.
Black Sabbath – Master Of Reality
The ultimate doom album. Has influenced so many other rock bands I like.
Funkadelic – Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On
Funk, soul, blues, hard rock, psychedelia – George Clinton really is a living legend.
J Dilla – Donuts
An instrumental hip-hop album recorded by Jay Dee as he was slowly dying from a rare illness. Despite the circumstances it’s actually incredibly uplifting and stands as a testament to one of the greatest and most prolific producers in hip-hop.
Miles Davis – In A Silent Way
An album to listen to whilst star-gazing.
Dinosaur Jr – Where You Been?
Melancholy stoner rock. J Mascis is one of the few truly great guitarists who can really make the instrument weep with emotion.
Sonic Youth – Washing Machine
Every fan of the band will have their favourite Youth record. This one’s mine.
Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys
Two words: Machine Gun. (Woah!)
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
One word: Unique.
Fugi – Mary, Don’t Take Me On No Bad Trip
Late 60′s psychedelic blues with an eerie end-of-times theme and sense of foreboding. Beautiful.
Various – From The Velvets To The Voidoids
Compilation of 70′s US punk and avant-garde noise. Suicide, Pere Ubu, Rocket From The Tombs, Richard Hell – Sorry, puritans, but no country did it better than America. The book by Clinton Heylin is an enlightening read, too.
Phew! I need a lie down…
September 29th, 2010 - 14:52
Got. Not got*. Got. Not got. Not got. Not got. Got. Got. Not Got. Got. Not got. Got. Not Got. Got.
*I’ll give these ones a listen with the benefit of modern technology – I’m always thinking, erm, now I’ve listened to that, what shall I search for next, I’m basically a music philistine of the idiotic Pilkington variety.
September 29th, 2010 - 15:10
Spirit of Eden is right up there as one of my favouritist ever things. Sounds like practically nothing else (except maybe the following album, which just never quite got me in the same way somehow). Best listened to late at night in a darkened room.
September 29th, 2010 - 15:16
“Madman” is a lovely little album – Tiny Dancer is a great song. I bought this on vinyl *when it came out* (I have it on CD now); I’m very old.
September 29th, 2010 - 16:19
Blue Bell Knoll- Cocteau Twins
Nevermind- Nirvana
Highway 61 Revisited- Bob Dylan
The Kick Inside- Kate Bush
White Ladder- David Grey
This is the Sea- The Waterboys
Surfer Rosa- Pixies
It’s a Shame About Ray- The Lemonheads
Infamy! or How I Didn’t Get Where I am Today- Pete Wylie & Wah! The Mongrel
Boston- Boston
Moondance- Van Morrison
It’ll End in Tears- This Mortal Coil
Diferent Class- Pulp
September 29th, 2010 - 16:54
Haha..It is a small world. I spent a lot of time in Bar Italia around that time. I was one of those wage slaves. I miss Soho.
September 29th, 2010 - 19:12
Was listening to ‘Up To Our Hips’ as I arrived at your blog entry. Always loved that line “This is not a place, it’s a feeling”, it sums up the album perfectly. Also gives you a lovely, warm, summery feeling on a wet and windy September night.
September 29th, 2010 - 19:54
I love stuff like this, especially exploring stuff I’ve never heard of from someone else’s list. For the record (o-ho-ho-ho!) mt infinite mixtape of misery might be:
Six By Seven – A Beautiful Shape
Twelve – Be Careful What You Don’t Wish For
Dark Star – Twenty Twenty Sound
Stone Roses – Stone Roses
NIN – The Fragile
The Damned – The Black Album
Smashing Pumpkins – Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness (disc 1)
Esbjorn Svennson Trio – Seven Days of Falling (see, it’s not ALL rock! There’s Swedish jazz!)
Low – Things We Lost In The Fire (LOVE this album)
Brian Eno – Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundscapes
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Queens of the Stone Age – Rated R
Penguin Café Orchestra – Signs of Life / Broadcasting From Home (on a C180 cassette tape in the car when young, on i-Tunes now. Still listen to these albums all the time)
Spiritualized – Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Time. Space. Repeat. – Various (all my own stuff, not because I’m a narcissist, though that’s also true, but because I genuinely like listening to it. I’m getting very bored of it all these days though)
There’s barely a cheery song in there… I’m not quite sure what that says about me, but I very often find that the most beautiful music isn’t all bouncy happy clappy stuff…
September 30th, 2010 - 01:15
1) Mansun – Attack of the Grey Lantern
2)Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
3) Belle & Sebastian – Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
4) Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works
5) Toots and the Maytals – Funky Kingston
6) Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5
7) Morphine – Cure For The Pain
8) Venetian Snares – Rossz Csillag Allat Született (had to copy and paste that)
9)Fugazi – 13 Songs
10)Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
11) Dead Prez – Lets Get Free
12)Eels – Beautiful Freak
13)NWA – Straight Outta Compton
14)Nick Cave – Murder Ballads
15)New Order – Technique
I’ve just finished typing that in no specific order and realised i’ve left of Radiohead and The Cure…never mind, they were the one’s that popped forward first.
September 30th, 2010 - 01:17
I didn’t mean 8 to be ‘the cool face’, also on reading the above post i realisd missed out Stone Roses, an album i’ve probably listened at least as many times as everything on the list .
September 30th, 2010 - 08:19
1: Rise Against – The Sufferer And The Witness
2: Within Temptation – The Silent Force
3: Disturbed – The Sickness
4: Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
5: Shinedown – The Sound of Madness
6: In This Moment – The Dream
7: Epica – The Divine Conspiracy
8: Rise Against – Appeal To Reason
9: Stone Sour – Come What(ever) May
10: Within Temptation – The Heart of Everything
11: Holy Roman Empire – The Longue Duree
12: Lacuna Coil – Comalies
13: Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
14: Drowning Pool – Sinner
15: System of a Down – Toxicity
October 1st, 2010 - 09:22
Lucky you didn’t play to death Pink Moon and Harvest at the same time! Mind you, I’m with Jarvis Cocker — I like melancholy.
Great list, but what the FUCK is Rio by Duran Duran doing on it? You’re joking, aren’t you? Pleeeease tell me your joking…
October 1st, 2010 - 09:44
I cant play Different class anymore. I literally played it to death. The other four on your list I have played loads are Heart of saturday night, blue lines, boy with the arab strap and Tindersticks, but they are less poppy and so more durable. Tom Waits is impossible to get tired of, absoultely impossible.
October 2nd, 2010 - 17:11
Farely main stream I know (never claimed to be a muso!) but for what it’s worth….
Bluetones – Science and Nature – saw them tour this album at an out door gig in Newcastle, chucked it down with rain, soaked to the skin, wonderful!
Manic Street Preachers – Generation Terrorists – Seriously angry young men.
Beth orton – Central Reservation
Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite
The La’s – The La’s
U2 – Rattle and Hum
The Coral – Magic and Medicine
Echobelly – On
REM – Out of Time
Prodigy – Fat of the Land (Don’t normally do dance music, but something about that album I couldn’t help but like)
Nelly Furtado – Whoa Nelly
David Gray – White Ladder
The Promise – Follow
The Stone Roses – Stone Roses
Blondie – Parrallel Lines
October 19th, 2010 - 07:11
Oh, Echobelly, yes, I played that to death too!
November 24th, 2010 - 20:55
i love bob dylan, he is one of the best singer songwriter ~*”