Category: All Reviews
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14. The Streets – Original Pirate Material (2002)
“I’m not going to spoil things for you, but you’re going to have opinions about The Streets.” The words of a friend of mine who’s more familiar with their work than I am. Let’s see if he’s right. In a break from tradition, I’m not going to go through every track individually this time, because…
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13. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
Representing my home county of West Sussex, enter The Cure. I’ve seen many labels associated with The Cure, but the predominant one is emo. Initially, it was difficult to see why. The opening track, Plainsong, begins with a couple of minutes of slow, grandiose chords, which could almost be described as ambient if not for…
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12. The White Stripes – Elephant (2003)
I hate Seven Nation Army. I don’t know why. There’s nothing, in theory, all that wrong with it. But it’s part of a short list of songs (which also includes Wonderwall and The Monster Mash) that just rub me the wrong way for some reason. I shall endure it as the first track, and then…
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11. Arcade Fire – Funeral (2004)
Arcade Fire is the second band in a row to defy my preconceived notions of what they would sound like, though less thoroughly this time. Their sonic palette is similar, but by no means identical, to what I imagined, but their lyrical subject matter and general songwriting style is a far cry from the kind…
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10. Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1991)
With a band name and album title like those, I was firmly convinced I’d be in for another ride like Metallica or Back In Black. So when the opening two tracks turned out to be driven by acoustic guitars and a sampled drum loop respectively, it came as a surprise. I had no idea what…
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9. Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols (1977)
Where to start with this one? I don’t think there’s much point talking in detail about any track individually because, lyrics aside, they’re all quite similar. Certain songs, such as God Save The Queen and EMI seem strangely prescient in 2022. Others, like New York and Bodies, have aged very poorly indeed. Just like Back…
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8. Massive Attack – Blue Lines (1991)
At first listening, Massive Attack seems to be another band whose influence I’d been underestimating until now. The slick, sampled beats and minimal electronics sound both familiar and modern, despite the fact that the album (which I’ve never heard before) came out over 30 years ago. They specifically reminded me of some of the music…
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7. AC/DC – Back In Black
Back In Black, got off to a fairly strong start with Hells Bells, a song which has what I can only describe as an endearingly adolescent interpretation of Satanism as its central subject matter. The production values are good throughout, the sound of a rock band can be very satisfying when done right and this…
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5. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)
We’ve come to the first of two albums containing music which was on the GCSE or A-Level syllabus when I was studying for those particular exams. The other one is Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love, but that’s not until we get to number 46 on the list. If you’d talked to me in 2015, I…
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6. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
Once again, I find myself compelled to write a little introductory paragraph prior to listening to the album, because the Beatles are so enduringly popular and I’ve never quite been able to understand why. I’ve been told many times about the cultural phenomenon that gripped the world in the 1960s, but it’s impossible to really…
Nick Hoad 