5. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
(Creation 1991, Kevin Shields)
Loveless quite simply is a work of art. There's no other way to put it. The thing is, I have to admit this is the first time I've listened to this record in almost five years. It's an odd one, while I know friends and constantly bump into people who say they love My Bloody Valentine but this is an album that no one really actually listens to it. Now I'm sure someone does, but it's not exactly an album you stick in your ipod and have on loop all week. Equally check face book I'm sure at least half the men on there have My Bloody Valentine listed in a huge list of favorite bands (probably with the Misfits) but I wonder when the last time theyactually listened to Loveless was. This isn't meant to be a cobbled together list of insults it's meant to illustrate a point.
Loveless is an album you listen to once or twice, and that's it. It's a record that when you listen, it completely blows you away you become involved with every little thing that's going on, on the way the harmonies work against the musical arrangements, you analysis it, you think about it for a while afterwards, you really take it in but then it's over. Loveless doesn't really fit, nor does shoe gaze, you wouldn't put this album on while your writting an essay, or on your blog, you wouldn't listen to it at the gym and try dropping Only Shallow in a Dj set and see what happens. This sounds like another bunch of poorly considered insults but it's not. Loveless is not an album for situations, it's not an album for moods, it's an album to be admired, to contemplated, to listen to and reassess what you think about music, how it should be structured, how it should be arranged, it makes you think about other bands you like and their approach. Listening back now I feel at great ease, but I feel lost in the record, and yet I'm not sure exactly what I feel. Ultimately Loveless is an album you sit back and admire. Everyone at one point in their lives should give this album a spin from start to finish, to experience it. You won't think about music in the same way again. It's wonderfully unique, incredibly influencial, unbelievably important, yet you'll probably only need to listen to it once, funny that.
4. Different Class - Pulp
(Island 1995, Chris Thomas)
It always helps when an album includes some great singles but its another thing when an album includes not just that partricular band's best ever single but the greatest single of the it's era (Britpop) to boot. That song is obviously Common People songs simply don't come better it's Cocker's dry wit at its best, oozing class antagonism and wrapped in a indie-disco/glam stomp, it was perfect. As for that matter was Different Class while the title was of course refering to the tensions and pretensions of the different class groups it's also an apt synopsis of the album it's a class above all it's britpop competition. It was absolutely oozing brilliance practically any track could have been released as a single, every track is suitably epic, or insanely catchy, gorgeously crafted or a big ballsy sing along ballad. When Mishapes kicks in you knew it was going to be special, with it's stomping beat and it's soaring anthemic chorus ("We want your homes / We want Your Lives / We Want The Things You Won't Allow Us") it's all rooted around Cocker's superb turn of phrase ("What's the point of being rich? / If you can't think what to do with it / Cause Your so bleeding thick"). When it came to class warfare, while Oasis were preaching the dream, it was Pulp on the front line, contrasting the gritty lives of the working class with the pompousity and pretenses of the middle and upper classes.
Listening back today you can hear Pulp's influence loud and clear whether it be on the natural successors Franz Ferdinand or on just about any band who tries to mix social observation with wit. While Alex Turner isn't as witty or class consciencous as Cocker yet the influence is apparent. Jarvis will always be the heir to Morrissey but who will take up the mantle of heir to Cocker, no one these days can make you laugh and make you cry in the same breathe the way Jarvis could.
1995 was a glorious year for Pulp, the Stone Roses did what they always do, and chronically dissapointed by pulling out of Glastonbury, leaving Pulp to step in a save the day, but how on earth could they fail? Aside from the five singles (Common People, Mis-shapes, Disco 2000, Something Changed & Sorted For E's And Whizz) how on earth did the genius of Pencil Skirt, Underwear and of course I Spy not get released? The later is so bloody brilliant, it's glorious, it's anthemic, it's downbeat, satirical, it's goregous. The mind boggles, but then this is a mind boggling album, all killer no filler, the definitive best album of the Brit Pop era.
3. The Bends - Radiohead
(Parlophone 1995, John Leckie)
Dow-dada-Dar-dow....now while it's impossible to convey pitch, tone, timing or rhythm through the medium of Georgia type face if you don't know what riff that's refering and you cannot immediately begin singing along and playing air guitar, you need to stop reading this blog right now, go to itunes (or where ever) and download the title track The Bends and the whole bloody album while your at it. I'm hoping that no one has had to go to itunes because quite frankly how you've managed to live without that song and this album is beyond my comprehension. What makes this even more ludicrious is that Radiohead's greatest live anthem, the one with the huge soaring riff, that makes everyone from the front row to the back of the field jump up and down and shout "Oooooh-wooooah-oooooh--oh" wasn't even released as a single. That's right The Bends was not released as a single, how on earth could this happen, well quite frankly because they had already released six singles of the album! Yes six, on an "alternative" album, by the time they were getting around to release The Bends it was probably time to start releasing singles off OK Computer.
So aside from the mind blowing title track this is also the album that brought you Street Spirit (Fade Out), Planet Telex, Fake Plastic Trees, High And Dry, My Iron Long and Just. Other than Thriller it's hard to think of another album so stacked from top to bottom with potential number one singles. More amazingly Radiohead (arguably) have release three albums better than this one since. The Bends fits together gorgousely, it's a divine selection of songs, that take you on a journey. By the time you've reached Black Star (how was the hell was that not a single?) you've been taken on a sensational epic journey, you will wonder if this is seriously the band that brought us the limp (to put it kindly) Pablo Honey. Muse pretty much owe their entire existance to this album. The Bends isn't quite a work of art, it rocks too hard, it's too immediate, this is Radiohead's festival slaying album, and it's the best festival slaying album of all time.
2. OK Computer - Radiohead
(Parlophone 1997, Nigel Godrich)
Yes I've done it again, I must have been clinically insane to put my favorite album of all time (Is This It) second rather than first in the 21st century list, and now I've put OK Computer second in the 90s poll. Now MTV got stick for putting this album in second on their countdown, I'm probably going to get death threats for this decision but I've made my choice. This is all besides the point anyway because OK Computer is the concensus choice for the greatest album of all time and it's an utterly fantastic album in almost everyway imaginable. So if you just read my entry for The Bends and you had to go to itunes or youtube to hear that album, shame on you, but if by some miracule of biblical proportions you've never heard OK Computer go download it now, right now, seriously, I'm going to keep typing until you do.
Alright enough of that. It's hard to talk about OK Computer because similar to Loveless everything that could be said about it has been said about it. The one comment that always makes me laugh is those seeking to single this album out for criticism (and it's fair game, no album should really be revered or untouchable no matter how good) point to Electioneering as the weak track, that it weakens the album somehow. This is quite frankly ludicrious, it's a testiment to the album that this song is considered the "weak one", if Electioneering were on The Bends or hell on any other album of the period we'd be talking about it as one of the all time greats, hell it'd would have been on my list of "how in the blue hell did they not realese this" songs. It's bad arse rock and roll, with a killer hook, a massive riff, it rocks your socks, in other words, it's sounds like a "Bends track". Now THAT is how good this album is, cynical critics say that track isn't good enough for OK Computer it should be on The Bends! Yes the same Bends that is one of the all time great guitar albums, hell one of the all time great albums period, the album one space below this one in the friggin list.
OK Computer is all things to all people, it rocks, it's affecting, it has gorgeous arrangements, it has brilliant lyricism, it's revolutionary, it's influencail beyond belief, it has singles and festival anthems to last from now until the end of time, it has great album artwork, it represents a moment in time, the end of an era, the start of a new one, and yet it's timeless, it's sublime, it's ridiculous, it's haunting, it's uplifting, it's scary, it's overatted, it's underated, it may infact be God for all I know. Bloody brilliant is what it is, and you know what else, it should bloody well be number one, what the hell was I thinking, this was even stupider than my Strokes decision (I don't have half as good a rationale as did for M.I.A being number one). I'm my ears I've just heard the transition from the end of Climbing Up The Walls to the beautiful No Surprises, you know what, if your reading this, stop! Stop right now, don't read my next post whatever it is, just go and put this record on, after all hyperbole is useless, just listen.
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