i'm going to add three more candidate albums for my fave albums list. all three are albums i first got into whilst a high school, and which have stood the test of time for me in that after some years 'away' from them i have come back to them and still enjoy them and find them to be very solid albums (over & above any possible sentimentality associated with them).
these are:
* the police - 'regatta du blanc'. in addition to the two great singles (especially 'walking on the moon' - is it about smoking pot as i suspect?), an album full of great songs with perhaps 1 or 2 possible exceptions. i particularly like 'bed's too big without you' & 'bring on the night', both of which support the proposal that white guys can make good reggae music (as the album title evidently suggests).
* u2 - 'the joshua tree'. sorry to those who may be groaning - gotta do it! bono may be rather over the top nowadays and these guys may well be richer than many third-world nations; but this isn't about that, and neither of these factors negate the fact that (in my humble opinion) this is a great album comprising some excellent songs. the first side/half is the 'punchline' but the second side/half supports it in rather more subtle, and varied, ways.
* midnight oil - '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1'. a fantastic and solid album with barely a low point in my view. it ain't really about the typically political lyrics but the music - a host of kick-a$$ rock ditties plus a number of slower, more reflective tunes, and some great production to boot.
there u go.
soon i'll probably make a few more additions, then will begin to finalise / edit / shape this list.
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these are:
* the police - 'regatta du blanc'. in addition to the two great singles (especially 'walking on the moon' - is it about smoking pot as i suspect?), an album full of great songs with perhaps 1 or 2 possible exceptions. i particularly like 'bed's too big without you' & 'bring on the night', both of which support the proposal that white guys can make good reggae music (as the album title evidently suggests).
* u2 - 'the joshua tree'. sorry to those who may be groaning - gotta do it! bono may be rather over the top nowadays and these guys may well be richer than many third-world nations; but this isn't about that, and neither of these factors negate the fact that (in my humble opinion) this is a great album comprising some excellent songs. the first side/half is the 'punchline' but the second side/half supports it in rather more subtle, and varied, ways.
* midnight oil - '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1'. a fantastic and solid album with barely a low point in my view. it ain't really about the typically political lyrics but the music - a host of kick-a$$ rock ditties plus a number of slower, more reflective tunes, and some great production to boot.
there u go.
soon i'll probably make a few more additions, then will begin to finalise / edit / shape this list.
~
posted by fergal at 4:17 AM
7 Comments:
Good stuff.Especially the U2 one. I MUST upgrade to CD one of these days because it is one that you can listen right through and over and over. I've got that police one hanging around - will have to get it out for a spin.Just how good does midnight oil's short memory sound nowadays?? Some songs just keep on getting better with age.
cheers lee - so when u mention how u can listen to 'the joshua tree' right thru, over & over - that is just what i'm getting at about why i like albums, and the idea/concept of albums, when they are good & solid thoughout like that ... and this is in my view an important factor (at least as important as the quality of the single/s) in judging album quality.
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I love 10-1 -- it still holds up really well, I reckon.
i just wrote a big spiel on white guys trying to do reggae. it would probably have come of as a bit harsh so let me just mention 2 white guys/bands that did/do it better (imo)...sublime and THE CLASH.
ps - you should check out buju banton.
U2. evil fuckers i reckon. but it's your list...a few decent songs on that one.
i agree with andrew. 10-1 is probably my favourite of that classic period of midnight oil's canon. that it is their first album after switching to a major label is particularly evident in the production and gives the songs a depth which from which i think they benefit (and deserve). however, if i were to pick a favourite it would have to be 'blue sky mining'. age doesn't seem to have wearied them but the album finds them somewhat more reflective. there are one or two weak tracks (it's sentiment aside, i'm not a great fan of the title track) but 'one country' and 'forgotten years' are so great that any album containing them should be in everyone's top 10.
'king of the mountain' is also a great [oils] track imho ... but i still go for 10-1 as my pick of thier albums
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