Saturday, April 4, 2020

Ten Albums

I'm not going to tell you about the awesome walk I went on this afternoon. A lap of the Tan in the cold rain. The Tan track was nearly empty. It was brilliant.

Instead, I'm going to reflect on some albums which have formed me, made me, and sit very deeply in my soul. As somebody who has eclectic music tastes and a tendency to listen to compliations and play lists, it was fun to look at the albums I love and some memories attached to the said albums.

I pity the milennials who don't know the joys of waiting for the cover art, or having to turn over a record / cassette or CD before going on. Or knowing that your favourite song is three songs in on the second side. Ah, they were the days.

Anyway, in no real order, some of my favourite albums.

Stoneage Romeos - Hoodoo Gurus (1984)



1984. Year Eleven. The school camp to Mount Hotham which put me off INXS for life because they played the The Swing album end to end over that week. I've never been able to stomach INXS since. But about the same time, Dolly Magazine had a guy called Stuart Coupe do their music reviews. He used to rave about this album. Okay, he manaaged the band - but they're awesome. The Hoodoo Gurus are one of the best things to come out of Aussie Rock in the 80s. This album is all about the dance, and the fun and the humour. Songs like, I was a Kamikaze Pilot, Leilani and I Want You Back. Guitars and drums. I tried to introduce the Hoodoo Gurus to friends in London. They thought I was mad. I still think they're wonderful.

Surfer Rosa / Come on Pilgrim - The Pixies (1988)

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The Pixies are God! But this was not the first album I bought of theirs. I got Doolittle first - which is their next best album, but there is something just wonderful about the howls, the screaming guitars and the Loud/Soft/Loud of Surfer Rosa.

Having seen them three times in concert, they never disappoint. Surfer Rosa is my rainy day album. I like to dance around the kitchen cleaning up to this. It makes me happy. Where is my Mind?, Levitate Me and Nimrod's Son just get inside you. This is full of great memories over three decades - and still, people have to ask who they are.

Ten Summoner's Tales - Sting (1993)



London. My second year there. Two very inappropriate men, of very different natures (though strangely, both were Irish) were into this album. Both had favorite songs off the album. One loved, "It's Probably Me." The other loved "Fields of Gold." So many good songs on this.

For me, my theme song comes this album. "Shape of my Heart" is a glorious little ballad. Give it a listen. You'll understand. Good memories every time I play this, even if the memories aren't always sanctioned.

An Awesome Wave - Alt-J (2012)



I'd never heard of Alt-J when I found this album . It was a bit of a fluke. It was in November 2013.  I was in Wellington, New Zealand visiting a friend. My friend Geetangeli, who lives in Christchurch, told me to go to her favourite cafe in Wellington down Cuba Street. This album was playing in that cafe. It struck me then and there. I asked the barista about the album. It was bought and downloaded there and then. I adore the song Breezeblocks. Rarely does a month go past when this doesn't get played.

Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads (1984)

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Another seminal album from 1984. Ask my step-sister what she remembers of me at high school, she will say it's listening to Talking Heads as we drove around Myponga. David Byrne is a showman. The songs are up there and out there. Their cover of Take Me to the River one of the best there is. Psycho Killer, Life during Wartime, Once in a Lifetime... it's all great stuff. The re-release has a couple of extra tracks. It's an album I can dance to, work to, relax to and just enjoy. It's New York and the 1980s at its very best.



Urban Hymns - The Verve (1997)

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London, 1998. My 30th birthday. My cousin was over and staying with me. She was good at drinking all the milk during the night, only finding there wasn't enough to make a cup of tea with in the morning. It was great to bond with my cousin, but I don't think either of us can listen to  this album without remembering those carefree times, her job in a City bar and how offensively drunk we got on the eve of my 30th birthday (My cousin's birthday is the day before mine - her boss, who we were out with that night, was born the day after - it was a reason to really celebrate hard)

And it's still a lovely listen.

So - Peter Gabriel (1985)

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Year 12. Required listening if you weren't into AC/DC, Chisel and INXS. Interesting and melodic. It's not an album to dance to - more to list to on winter evenings in front of the fire. I gave this a spin a few weeks ago. The remaster has an extra track which fits with the mood. It's a perfect ending. Very much an eighties soundtrack, but it still stands up to scrutiny. I miss Peter Gabriel.




Rum, Sodomy and the Lash - The Pogues (1985)

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Another late find. Another bloke in London introduced me to this album. And it is awesome. This is my angry driving music. It's great for letting off a bit of steam, particularly down the Monash at 100 clicks late at night. There is a lot to ponder on this album. How is Shane McGowan still alive? How have they done the best version of "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" that is as good as the original. Why, when you meet up with certain friends, as you leave, you start singing, "I'm sad to say, I must be on my way...". Few know about this album. It's a well kept secret amongt Gen-Xers.

Nevermind - Nirvana (1991)

A nude infant swimming in blue tinted water toward a dollar bill which is attached to a string.

Surely this is THE album of the 90s. The Pixies influence, with the loud/soft/loud verse/chorus sequencing, Kurt Cobain's edgy vocals, the hard edge drums and the whole Grunge effect is just incredible. So many good songs on this - so many tunes ingrained in our psyches. I think you'd be had pressed to find a person in their late 40s /early 50s who doesn't have a copy of this floating around in a shoe box.

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse (2006)

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Oh Amy, Amy, Amy. Why did you have to go join the 27 Club. Good Jewish girl from North London with the voice of a whisky soaked angel. Rehab defined a generation. The rest of the album is just sublime.

Some say she died too soon. To me, sometimes you reach near perfection, then what do you have to go on for. She was incredible. This is testment to this. Soul at its greatest.

Noted others that nearly made the list:
  • Hello, I Must be Going - Phil Collins
  • Bookends / Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
  • The White Album - The Beatles
  • Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not - The Arctic Monkeys
  • Transformer - Lou Reed
  • The B'52s - The B'52s
  • The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes
  • Searching for Sugarman - Rodriguez
  • Human Frailty - Hunters and Collectors
  • Sidewalk - Icehouse
  • Love Stuff - Elle King

Today's Song:


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