Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

Not too popular a selection yesterday it seemed. let's see if we can improve today. As my poor aching body needs a rest from work and the gym, got time for a bit of a marathon today hopefully. You wanna start with some Sabbath? Rock on...

No.329: "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath (1970)
The godfathers of doom metal, in fact very probably the originators of what we term "heavy metal", ignoring Steppenwolf's decription of a Harley, Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Wardy made their gothic mark on the rock scene fully with this second release. Improving a great deal on the stodgy grunge of their first, Paranoid spawned the classic single of the same name and the band were off with their tales of devils, demons and generally dark and bad things.
No shortage whatsoever of videos on the net, so here's a three-song feast. (If anyone wants to post the great 'War Pigs' too, you have my vote on that).

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.328: "Love And Dancing" by The League Unlimited Orchestra (1982)
A phrase coined from Barry White's backing band, this album was basically a remix of the Human League's 1981 album Dare by Martin Rushent. Employing all the technical wizardry of the day, it was a very catchy and well-received spin-off from the parent album's key songs.
Here is side one of the album which features the b-side 'Hard Times', 'Love Action' and 'Don't You Want Me' all segued together into a non-stop medley.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.327: "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips (2002)
Wayne Coyne's fun-packed experience on record and live are the Flaming Lips, a band who have been on the scene since the mid-80's. This album is their best IMO and features that spine-tinglingly thought-provoking track 'Do You Realize??' as part of the theme about robots taking over the world.
I saw this band in all their weird and wonderful glory on tour last year and from the moment a hundred huge balloons burst from the stage the show was one of the most trippy, amazing things I have ever witnessed live. I also include their tribute to David Bowie with Mr. Coyne inside his giant plastic 'crowd ball'. That song had me in tears.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.326: "The Bends" by Radiohead (1995)
The only album you will find by Radiohead in my list. This second album was a proper 'guitar album', a diversion from the basics of their first and had some quality "avant garde indie" songs on it. Everything else the band have done has left me deeply unimpressed. I can't stand Thom Yorke's unintelligible dirge of a vocal delivery, which is probably why I can't abide their music in the main. Two goodies here though, and then we'll move on to something really good.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.325: "The Promise" by Bruce Springsteen (1978)
The Promise is a double album of outtakes and session recordings from the time of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town album Bruce was working on in 1977/78. It's a superior recording I think, although the more compact final version is still a more complete album (and you will see it placed higher in the list). Talking of superior recordings though, I do rate the song 'Racing In The Street' from this album a better song than the recorded version; it has more depth and really gets into its groove. A phenomenal track. The other song I have found is a little unconnected, but it is a version of a track Bruce never committed to vinyl himself, giving it to Patti Smith instead and it became her first big hit single. 'Because The Night'. Here is Patti, Bruce and U2 on the same stage doing that song.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.324: "No More Shall We Part" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2001)
I bet you're getting a little tired of seeing Nick Cave in here, are you not? Almost as prolific as Neil Young, Cave dished out his albums of sadness, death, misery and woe but with their breathtakingly aching lyrics and highly musical ability to offset the distress and despair of it all. Still more to come, but for now give this beautiful song a chance:

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.323: "London Calling" by The Clash (1979)
The BIG Clash album; the one that made their name in the USA, London Calling on reflection isn't the great album is was geared up to be at the time. I see it as a kind of 'White Album' thing, half brilliant/half very patchy, but it earns it's place as my highest-placed album by the band nevertheless. Three tracks: the classic title track, the bluesy-reggae 'Train In Vain', plus the non-album single from the same time, the tremendous 'Bankrobber'.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.322: "Morrison Hotel" by The Doors (1970)
The Doors previous album The Soft Parade almost fell by the wayside so they upped their game with this release which was short on single hits but made up for it with some deeply bluesy material with strong lyrics and a band at their peak. In two distinct halves (the second side called 'Hard Rock Cafe'), it was a fine record indeed. Here's the lead song later covered by Status Quo.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.321: "Psycho Candy" by The Jesus And Mary Chain (1985)
Now what a revelation this band were in the eighties. Championed by the late, great John Peel after hearing the early single 'Inside Me', brothers William and Jamie Reed thrust this album upon a very unsuspecting general public. It's noise, it's extreme feedback, it's melodic with it and it's a classic album.

Re: Floydy's All-Time Top 1000 Favourite Albums

No.320: "Sounds Of Silence" by Simon And Garfunkel (1966)
The folk duo with their third album which broke them through into the mainstream, largely due to the nature of the sublime title song. Featuring many tended ballads (the beautiful 'Kathy's Song', a case in point) plus a few near-rockers with the superbly-worded 'I Am A Rock' this record would pave the way for Paul and Art on a long, if at times hostile career.