Best Albums I've Ever Heard

Music is really important to being a DJ and I Thought I would share some of the best albums I've ever heard. So I thought I would share a personal perspective on some of my favourite albums (Most of which I enjoy every Single Track) hopefully you'll want to listen to them too. This is a bit of an egocentric list (But when all is said and done what lists aren't egocentric?) and therefore a complete nostalgia tour of my life via the albums I was listening to at the time and although I've always loved to introduce new music to the masses (even to this day) I've never treated music like it was disposable either. Here is a disorganised mess of what I would call a list of some of my favourite albums and incoherent ramble about what I like about them (or more than likely what I remember about them):

Fatboy Slim - You've Come A Long Way, Baby

Released: 19th October 1998

Label: Skint

Genre: Big Beat

Highlights: Gangster Tripping / Love Island / Right Here Right Now

Low Points: F***ing in Heaven / Praise You

Singles: Right Here Right Now / Rockerfella Skank / Gangster Tripping / Build it up, Tear It Down / Praise You

This is the first CD Album I ever bought with my own money. I guess that reason alone would give it a more sentimental value to myself, but it's more than that arguably one of the most enduring a brilliantly crafted albums of the Big Beat Genre.

Fatboy Slim is arguably one of the Dance highlights in late 90's Big Beat House culture. Having a fairly relative hit alongside Calvin Harris & Beardyman with Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat Which became a Electro House anthem of a few years ago.

If there is one album to listen to from his back Catalogue it would be this from the Majestic Right Here Right Now to the Crowd Favourite of Praise you. A must listen.

Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Released: 14th September 1998

Label: Epic

Genre: Rock/Britpop/Shoegaze

Highlights: If You Tolerate this Your Children Will be Next / Black Dog On My Shoulder / Tsunami

Low Points: SYMM

Singles: If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next / The Everlasting / You Stole The Sun From My Heart / Tsunami

This is the Second album I ever Purchased (I wonder if you're seeing a theme here) and this album contained the song that would change my life forever. That song is If You Tolerate this Your Children Will be Next, at the time I didn't know what the song was about the Spanish civil war all I know is it spoke to the angst I was going through at the time. The deal was now done I couldn't listen to pop after this song. The album however came to encapsulate who I was at the time.

So why would someone else need to hear it? Well granted this album is a very personal album but it is a great listen the singles are solid and the album has some wonderfully constructed songs.

It's clear with this album the Manic Street Preachers were still reeling from the loss of Richie Edwards, This denotes the tone the entire album is drenched in a despair. Great as the Album is I suggest being in the right mood a party album this is not.

The Strokes - Is This It

Released: 30th July 2001

Label: Rough Trade

Genre: Garage Rock Revival / Indie Rock

Highlights: New York City Cops / Last Nite / Hard To Explain

Low Points: Alone Together

Singles: This Modern Age/Last Nite/Hard To Explain/Someday

Wow I've heard people say they didn't think this album was any good and the songs all sound the same. But I remember the first time someone played me this album and I was hooked. I heard the kind of vibe the indie scene was going to go. I would argue that I was spot on with this the Libertines hit a year later (even though both bands had formed roughly the same time 'NyLon' any one?) from the same label and further down the line Arctic Monkeys as well.

So this album in my mind ushered in the next decade of indie as the stripy top and leather Jacket summed up the decade within the genre and really separated the 90's from the 00's.

A lot of memories of going out to Blast Off in Wolverhampton Snobs in Birmingham and alike it was one of the soundtracks to youth. If You haven't heard it I suggest you do.

Ash - 1977

Released: 6th May 1996

Label: Infectious Records

Genre: Grunge / Pop Punk / Rock / Britpop

Highlights: Lose Control / Goldfinger / Kung Fu / Oh Yeah / Girl From Mars

Low Points: Let it Flow / Innocent Smile / Darkside Lightside

Singles: Goldfinger/Girl From Mars/Kung Fu/Oh Yeah/Angel Interceptor

I know exactly where to start when describing this album and that's the opening track Lose Control! Thank You so much Gran Turismo for introducing this track to me, speaking of which it's the only song on the Gran Turismo 'Soundtrack' that has the lyrics left in.

It's a 'balls to the wall' kind of album especially in the first half of the album, keeping the flow going pretty much until it peaks with Kung Fu. The second half becomes a little more subdued but still worth a listen, with tracks like Oh Yeah, Angel Interceptor and a like. However unless you have a pretty dark sense of humour probably best not to listen to the hidden track 'sick party' if you know you know but if you don't have a vulgar sense of humour I'd skip it.

Feeder - Echo Park

Released: 23rd April 2001

Label: Echo

Genre: Alternative Rock / Post-Britpop / Hard Rock

Highlights: Tell All Your Friends / Buck Rodgers / Seven Days in The Sun / Turn / Piece By Piece

Low Points: Choke

Singles: Buck Rodgers/Seven Days in The Sun/Turn/Piece by Piece

I can't tell you what this Band means to me! I adore them! I'm sure if you would have came around my house for a couple of years in around and after this album came out, it's fair to say the chances are this would have been playing at the time.

It would be difficult for me to pick a favourite track and it would be easy just to say any of the singles. However I would like to talk about some of the tracks that didn't become singles and as already highlighted it's name id Tell All Your friends and I'll do more than that Takas bass line is really on point on this one, The choruses soar. It's defiantly one of my favourite Feeder tracks. There is one problem it has an abrupt end but perhaps that highlights how strong the album is because the way the next track Under the Weather comes in juxtaposes a more sombre sound when compared to Tell All Your Friends.

There is a problem with this album though not a big problem or a problem that is particularly anyone's fault. It's that of the post album single release and arguably Feeders most popular if not most successful release. Originally a B-Side to Seven Days in the Sun, Feeder releases Just A Day. I adore this song, I wouldn't talk of a song like this but it is available on several releases of the album, so I thought best to talk of Feeders best song if you're fortunate enough to get a copy of the album with that track on (Well assuming you like physical media of course).

Muse - Origin Of Symmetry

Released: 17 July 2001

Label: Mushroom/Taste

Genre: Alternative Rock / Hard Rock / Warner Bros.

Highlights: All of it

Low Pints: None

Singles: Plug in Baby/New Born/Bliss/Hyper Music/Feeling Good

I'm starting to think 2001 was an amazing year for me and that's because it was! but I have other years worth mentioning it's just well I guess 2001 really pushed my music experience forward.

You may have noticed that unlike the first 4 albums I have not mentioned any Low points. I still stand by the fact that every album I list on this list I can listen all the way through however there are a couple of tracks on them that if weren't on the album I wouldn't miss. Origin of Symmetry is not one of them. I love every track, this wasn't always the case. I guess you may be thinking if this wasn't always the case why not list the songs you didn't used to like and have those songs as low points...Well the thing is one of those songs is a song called Citizen Erased witch was my least favourite on the album, although now however it's my favourite song. It's a grower for sure but it, I doubt you would like Citizen Erased on first listen but the more you listen the better it gets. It turned out to be a bit of rock opera masterpiece with peaks and troughs defiantly one worth listening to more than once and of course the entire album.

Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of The Bewilderbeast

Released: 26th June 2000

Label: XL/Twisted Nerve

Genre: Indie Rock/Indie Folk/Chamber Pop

Highlights: The First Half

Low Points: The Second Half

Singles: Once Around the Block/Another Pearl/Disillusion/P***ing in the wind

This is a beautiful album possibly as an album the best constructed on the list, as pointed out particularly the first half. From the Shining to Once Around the Block

, this album is a master-class in what an album should be about. I'm not suggesting this is the first or even objectively the best but certainly subjectively the best and I would elaborate it should be on a Album producers top 10 list In my opinion...For what that's worth. This album can-not be listened as individual tracks so defiantly worth getting on Vinyl if you have a chance to get it on vinyl.

The second half is not without merit it does have the singles disillusion which is one of the best tracks on the album and of course P***ing in the Wind (Or the Radio edit of Spitting in the wind) but compared to the first it feels like filler, listen-able but the quality is not quite as strong.

The Music - The Music

Released: 2nd September 2002

Label: Hut

Genre: Rock

Highlights: All of It

Low Pionts: Not Worth mentioning

Singles: The People/Take The Long Road and Walk It/The Truth is No Words/The Getaway

I present the most underrated band ever! If you are thinking about another band or artist forget them trust me these guys are better...No really they are! Why they are so over looked is an absolute mystery to their fans and as cult as their fans maybe, they are all hardcore. From the Post Britpop/Mods to skate punk rockers those who know this band love this band.

I'm not even going to discuss it any further if you haven't heard the music, what are you waiting for go listen...are you still here? Go Now!!!

Kasabian - Kasabian

Released: 6th September 2004

Label: Arista/BMG/RCA

Genre: Alternative Rock/Psychedelic Rock/Electronic Rock/Space Rock

Highlights: The Unreleased songs Particularly Running Battle & Test Transmission

Low Points: The Singles & U Boat

Singles: Reason is Treason/Clubfoot/L.S.F./Processed Beats/Cutt Off

I want to make this clear straight out of the gate I don't hate the singles, it certainly wouldn't have made this list if I did and arguably I probably wouldn't have wanted to listen to the album. As when you think about it the singles work like a 'trailer' to the album. But this album is defiantly an album where I prefer the songs that weren't released over what was released.

Please Check out Test Transmission & Running Battle they are epic, you may over look them on first listen but they are worth the effort.