The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
Best album of all time? Could be discussed, but that's what it seems as if more and more
music critics/lovers today are saying. There is no way I can, or could ever, argue with them.
Links:
Web Page for Brian Wilson
Pet Sounds
Andrew Gladwin's Beach Boys page
Marvin Gaye - What's going on (1971)
Best singer of all time? At least I think so. Certainly a groundbreaking album as
well, with the perfect mixture of soul & jazz, and on top of that the heavenly
multi-layered vocals of Marvin. No album before this addressed the issues of war,
environmental awareness et c in the same way. I don't even think no-one has ever
done it after either.
Links:
[coming soon]
Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
Best album of the 90's in my opinion, and one of my all-time favourites. This Oxonian five-piece
managed to mix brilliant melodies, computers and accoustic instruments into one, very impressive
soundscape where music, words and production all comes together; pure genius.
Links:
Official Radiohead page
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)
This is one of the funkiest album I have. It's also got a couple of my favourite "ballads" on it.
As far away from the late 70's-early 80's synthesized rubbish as you could get (we're talking about
the man who did "I just called to say I love you") from Stevie. Brilliant basslines, great vocals,
infallible drumming (and the other instruments - he played most of them himself) and also some great
lyrics on a few songs, for instance the sociopolitical commentary "Living for the city" - not far
below Gaye's "What's going on".
Links:
The Unofficial Stevie Wonder Internet Archive
Mercury Rev - Deserter's songs (1998)
By far the best album of 1998 (I'm not alone - see most major UK magazines end-of-year polls)
and currently on very heavy rotation on my CD player. The band, from Buffaly, NY, found out how
to mix an old heritage of great American music (Neil Young, Beach Boys, the quirky "Burbank" scene)
with modern (well, as modern as an old style from the late 60's can get) psychedelia. Lush
instrumentation, soulful vocals (though a bit hard to get used to)..
Links:
Mercury Rev's official homepage
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
I have to include this because I like it so much, and it would go on a lot of other lists,
like great production, influence on other music, best-selling and so forth. It's simply one of the
best albums ever.
Links:
[coming soon]
The Beatles - Revolver (1966)
In my opinion the masterpiece from the four Liverpudlians. Contains the first
example of using tape loops in pop music, great use of orchestras and so on - simply a
great leap in rock/pop music. The impact this album had/still has, is usually forgotten,
because it's often put in the shadow of (the overrated) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I like this better because it's less pretentious, and it's also more of a group effort, 3
Harrison songs (all great), 6 McCartney pieces and 5 Lennon ones, whereas Sgt. Pepper's is mostly
Paul McCartney's album.
Links:
Get Back
U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
During a time of musical drought (the 80's), this is one of the few bands that stand out to me,
this album in particular. Probably at their creative aphex here. Love, religion, loss, cultural heritage,
there are a lot of topics in these songs. Fantastic collection.
Links:
The U2 Zone
The Beach Boys - Holland (1972)
Far, far away from the "surfing, cars & girls" sentiment of the 60's, this is a soulful little gem.
Yes, it has flaws (the sometimes pretentious California Saga suite, the amusing but non-substantial
Mt. Vernon & Fairway "fairy tale", but the rest is a collection of laidback pop-soul &
great ballads, stand-out track being Only with you.
Links:
[see Pet Sounds]
The Chemical Brothers - Dig your own hole (1997)
OK, this wasn't as groundbreaking in dance music as their debut Exit planet dust, and techno in
general isn't the most musically inventive genre, but I just like this album so much it's in here anyway!
Great collaborators (Noel Gallagher, Jonathan Donahue from Mercury Rev, Beth Orton), great samples & really
funky.
Links:
"The Raft"'s Chemical Brothers page
Stevie Wonder - Talking book (1972)
Here he is again, Motown's master of funky soul. This is another gem from the early 70's (when Wonder's genius
still showed through everything he did). A nice collection of good ballads and funky soul-pop-hits (Superstition
probably being the most famous).
Links:
Stevie Wonder discography and more
Manic Street Preachers - Everything must go (1996)
This Welsh band just gets better & better. But I think this album is their best overall. Their first after
guitarist Richey Edwards went missing, it still carries some of Edwards' spirit (much due to the lyrics, half being
his old), but also a fresh side of the Manics' that I actually was happy to see. The album is produced brilliantly,
the more modern sound borrowing a lot from the bombastic hits of Phil Spector in the 60's (intro to title track, the
song The Girl Who Wanted to be God and more). An album of the best kind - it grows on you.
Links:
Manic Street Preachers Official Site
Air - Moon Safari (1998)
This French band borrowed from all kinds of great sources; cool easy listening (Bacharach), electronica (Brian
Eno), 70's funk/disco, even the Beach Boys(!), and mixed it all up into one cool, laid-back, groovy album. My only
problem? It's too short.
Links:
[haven't found any good ones yet!]
Marvin Gaye - Here, my dear (1978)
This is Gaye's infamous "divorce" album - one long statement (it's a double LP) where he completely opens
his soul to the listener about his divorce with Anna - singing to her. More personal than What's
going on (in fact, one of the most "personal" albums I've ever heard), not as good, but still an excellent
album, once you've gotten used to it. It requires a lot of attention & concentration and it bombed on the
charts, but I think it's his second best. Mostly great, sorrowful ballads (naturally), but a couple of
synth-driven funky tracks are on there too.
Links:
[see What's going on]
The Beastie Boys - The In Sound from Way Out (1996)
Yes, this is far from their most influential work (Licensed to ill) or most well-produced (Hello Nasty),
but it's the one I like best. So groovy it's unreal. A collection of instrumentals from earlier albums,
it proves that the rap-trio can play their instruments too, and well at that.
Links:
The "Shady Acres" Beastie Boys page
Another Beastie Boys page
The High Llamas - Hawaii (1996)
A gorgeous album. It's hard to describe the music; maybe Brian Wilson meets Burt Bacharach in outer space?
Links:
Mike Wheeler's High Llamas page
The Beatles - Rubber Soul (1965)
The Beatles second greatest album in my book. All fantastic songs (maybe one exception), some new influences
(the sitar, the Byrds) incorporated in the great English pop group's mix, great result. This was the album
that Brian Wilson wanted to top making Pet Sounds - which he did... It's still amazing though,
especially for it's time, but like all great albums it's timeless.
Links:
[see Revolver]
Radiohead - The Bends (1995)
When most contemporary rock bands were still trying to get over the death of "grunge", this album stands out
among all the others. Radiohead themselves were guilty of playing a version of grunge (with nevertheless
a bit more edge) on their debut LP, but this was way ahead of what everyone else was doing in 1994-1995. Rock
music for the future, indeed. This was the final nail in the coffin for "Radiohead - the 'Creep' Band". And
what a nail. Gorgeous ballads (Fake plastic trees, Street spirit (fade out)) & anthemic rock
(The Bends, Sulk), it's all in there. Buy it if you haven't got it!
Links:
Their official site
U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)
This was the first time we heard the "new" U2. Technology played a bigger part in their music (the opener
Zoo Station is a startling contrast to the guitar+drums+bass-sound of their earlier albums) but they
pulled it off in style. Proof that traditional sound & computers can be combined to make music never heard
before - a sure groundbreaker for Radiohead for example.
Links:
Great U2 discography
The Beach Boys - Sunflower (1970)
One more Beach Boys album to close with. In the US this album only made it to #150 on the Billboard chart,
in UK it was in places hailed as a worthy successor to Pet Sounds. I wouldn't go that far,
but the truth stands, it's a fantastic pop album. A couple of great rockers, and a few amazing ballads.
Fantastic group effort as well, all members of the band contributed (good) songs here.
Links:
Don't agree? Comments? Write me.