A very enjoyable read. We share fairly similar tastes in music.

 

Assuming everything is equal I'll be hopeful of doing my Top 100 albums of the decade towards the end of next year; and My Top 100 Albums of 20th Century in the Retro Forum at the same time.

Cheers, Rich. I will be sure to check out your album countdowns too!

14. Coldplay - Parachutes

 

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Coldplay's debut album and the start of my near obesssion! I loved Yellow on first listen, and can remember literally stopping in my tracks in Virgin when they played Trouble - I then bought the album on the day it was released. Parachutes has a mellower and gentler sound than their following albums, and for me this makes it that little bit extra special.

 

Trouble:

'A spider web and i'm caught in the middle'

 

Standout tracks: Trouble, High Speed, Shiver, Yellow and Don't Panic

13. Tricky - Maxinquaye

 

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Another of Bristol's finest - trip hop legend Tricky released his debut album in 1995 and has yet to top it. This varied hip/trip hop album includes Hell Is Around The Corner, which samples the same track as Portishead's Glory Box (Ikes Rap III) and the glorious Pumpkin which features the vocals of one Alison Goldfrapp. This album is best listened to in the dark.

 

Pumpkin:

'TV moves too fast'

 

 

Standout tracks: Pumpkin, Hell Is Around The Corner, Overcome, Black Steel and Aftermath

 

 

 

 

12. Suede - Coming Up

 

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A slight change of pace sees the 1996 comeback album from Suede (their first without Bernard Butler). back in day, I bought Trash, the lead single, whilst on holiday in Cornwall, and then listened to it roughly 50 in the space of a couple of days on my good old CD walkman. the following album more than lived up to the promise of trash, with Beautiful Ones and Saturday Night partiularily standing out. Suded had 5 top 10 hits from this album, and I even managed to catch them live on the Coming Up tour in late 96!

 

Trash:

'We're the litter on the breeze'

 

 

Standout tracks: Trash, Beautiful Ones, Saturday Night, Lazy and Filmstar

11. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory

 

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Blur vs Oasis. Discuss. Well, I have at great length in the past, so won't bore you again, but suffice to say, Blur are better. But, Whats The Story.. is probably the ultimate 90s Britpop masterpiece for many (although not mine!) and for countless reasons deserves its near top 10 placing for me and the 3+ million sales in the UK alone. Home to such classics as Wonderwall (now a million seller), Don't Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova, plus my favourite Oasis track Cast No Shadow which Noel Gallagher wrote about the then little known Richard Ashcroft. I hated this album on the first few listens after buying it on the day it was released (I oddly still have the reciept at home!) but it soon won me over.

 

Don't Look Back In Anger:

'And so Sally can wait'

 

Standout tracks: Cast No Shadow, Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Some Might Say

Recap (50-11):

 

11 Oasis – (Whats The Story) Morning Glory (1995)

12 Suede – Coming Up (1996)

13 Tricky – Maxinquaye (1995)

14 Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)

15 Portishead – Portishead (1997)

16 REM – Automatic For The People (1993)

17 Air – Moon Safari (1998)

18 Zero 7 – Simple Things (2001)

19 Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)

20 Radiohead – The Bends (1995)

 

21 Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree (2008)

22 REM – Reveal (2001)

23 Air – Pocket Symphony (2007)

24 Amy Winehouse – Back To Black (2007)

25 Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)

26 Gorillaz – Demon Days (2005)

27 Kylie Minogue – Light Years (2000)

28 Royksopp – Melody AM (2002)

29 The Strokes – Is This It? (2001)

30 Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)

 

31 Blur – Blur (1997)

32 Snow Patrol – Eyes Open (2006)

33 Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2005)

34 Radiohead – Kid A (2000)

35 Daft Punk – Discovery (2001)

36 Mylo – Destroy Rock and Roll (2005)

37 Travis – The Man Who (1999)

38 Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

39 Keane – Hopes and Fears (2004)

40 The Cranberries – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993)

 

41 Will Young – Fridays Child (2003)

42 Blur – The Great Escape (1995)

43 Dido – No Angel (2000)

44 Pulp – This Is Hardcore (1998)

45 David Gray – White Ladder (2000)

46 Dido – Life For Rent (2003)

47 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters (2004)

48 Gorillaz – Gorillaz (2001)

49 Supergrass – I Should Coco (1995)

50 Snow Patrol – Final Straw (2004)

will the other two Coldplay albums be entering?

Top 10 facts:

 

All the artists have already featured

 

2 artists have 2 albums in the top 10

 

6 albums are from the 90s, and 4 from the 00s

 

The oldest was released in 1994 and the newest in 2008

 

:o

i reckon Coldplay will be one of the bands with 2 albums, the 2008 album will be Viva La Vida i also reckon Pulp - Different Class (which would make my top ten easy) will be there somewhere.

i reckon Coldplay will be one of the bands with 2 albums, the 2008 album will be Viva La Vida i also reckon Pulp - Different Class (which would make my top ten easy) will be there somewhere.

Your crystal ball serves you well, Mr Fishlock!

10. Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends

 

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Well, it is only just over 6 months old, but it is easily the second best Coldplay album, and climbing! To say this was impatiently waited for would be an understatement and it is great that the band can produce 4 albums so far that all differ slightly and actually progress from the previous forumula. I am rambling, but this is just a cracker of an album, 16 weeks atop my personal albums chart, home to the best ever Coldplay track - Viva La Vida (their first transatlantic #1 and top of my personal chart for 7 weeks) and soon to be re-issued with the Prospekt's March EP attached. Viva La Revolution!

 

Viva La Vida:

'Roman cavalry choirs are singing'

 

 

Violet Hill:

'If you love me, won't you let me know?'

 

Standout tracks: Viva La Vida, Lost!, Lovers In Japan, Violet Hill, Cemetaries of London and 42

knew it, you even said 'second best' thus proving the other one will be in the top 10, damn my cyrstal ball is good.

9. Zero 7 - The Garden

 

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Despite being a fan of Zero 7 since the Simple Things era, I only bought this 2006 album earlier this year and since it is now ninth in my top 50 albums ever means it has something going for it! I think I have fallen for it so much as I feel like I have owned it and lsitened to it for years and its chillout vibe really allows me to either lose myself in the music or just sit and listen to the songs themselves. This album contains not only the lovely Sia on vocals, and Jose Gonzales of Heartbeats fame. Album highlights (although all the tracks are excellent) are the flawless This Fine Social Scene and The Pageant of the Bizarre.

 

This Fine Social Scene:

'The fault with this whole pantomime'

 

 

The Pageant of the Bizarre:

'Catch a falling star, you'll go far'

 

 

Standout tracks: The Pageant of the Bizarre, This Fine Social Scene, You're My Flame, Throw it All Away and Futures

8. Oasis - Definitely Maybe

 

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I don't think this will ever be beaten for the sheer raw energy from a debut album. Almost sadly for Oasis, their 1994 album is thir best by miles and already a classic next to uber-successful Whats The Story. the quality on this album is just superb, from clear favourite Slide Away, best single by miles Live Forever and the still cheeky Supersonic (she done it with a doctor/on a helicoper)

 

Live Forever:

'We see things they'll never see'

 

 

Slide Away:

'Let me be the one that shines with you'

 

 

Standout tracks: Slide Away, Live Forever, Married With Children, Supersonic and Cigarettes and Alcohol

7. Pulp - Different Class

 

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The first time I ever saw Jarvis Cocker was when Common People was #2 (robbed by f***ing Robson and Jerome) in the charts and they perfomed live on TOTP. I sat there closer and closer to the TV transfixed by the utter brilliance of the song and the band. This was the start of a long love affair between me and the ultimate (for me) band and sealed their status as britpop icons. Common People is probably still my fave song ever (this could be another thread!!) and Different Class is my most listened to album. Mis Shapes was written for me (I am convinced that is so!), Sorted for E's and Wizz (first perfomed at Glasto '95) brilliantly gave the Sun a fit and after Jarvis' legendary arse wiggling at Jacko, I joined their fan club!

 

Common People:

'Smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend you never went to school'

 

Mis-Shapes:

'Just put your hands up, it's a raid'

 

Standout tracks: Common People, Mis-Shapes, Pencil Skirt, Sorted For E's and Wizz, Disco 2000 and Underwear

Different Class :wub:

Hey Matt! Here's what I own from your 11-50:

 

14 Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)

19 Coldplay – A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002)

21 Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree (2008)

24 Amy Winehouse – Back To Black (2007)

33 Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2005)

38 Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

45 David Gray – White Ladder (2000)

 

Not many but my two favourite albums of all time are in there. :o

6. Coldplay - X&Y

 

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The best Coldplay album to date by some margin imo. From the siren like call of Square One via White Shadows, singles Speed Of Sound, Talk (which samples Kraftwerk's Computer Love) and Fix You through Low and the closer Kingdom Come, the only slightly duff track is The Hardest Part! The album is split into X and Y, with X being the more upbeat single worthy part, and Y being the darker more brooding half. This is another Harry Potter album for me - probably as it was released the same time as the Half Blood Prince in summer 2005. My final words on the album are - damn the Crazy Frog :angry:

 

Speed Of Sound:

'Planets are moving at the speed of light'

 

 

Talk:

'Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece'

 

Standout tracks: Low, Talk, Speed Of Sound, White Shadows, Square One and X&Y

5. Pulp - His N Hers

 

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Although Pulp are better known for mega hit Different Class, I think this is their better album as it represents their true breakthrough in 1994 and retains the sheer brilliance of Jarvis and Pulp whilst sounding fresh and innovative. His N Hers is probably best represnted by singles Babies (remixed from the year before), which got them to #19 on the chart and their first ever TOTP appearance, Do You Remember The First Time, with a documentary starring mid 90s celebs recounting their first time, and Lipgloss, lamenting the sharp rise in anorexia. The album is finished off with the epic David's Last Summer drawing the smilie between the changing of a relationship to Summer turning to Autumn.

 

Babies:

'Cause she was 2 years older and had boys in her room'

 

 

Do You Remember The First Time?

'I can't remember a worse time'

 

 

Standout tracks: Do You Remember The First Time, Babies, Lipgloss, David's Last Summer, Have You Seen Her Lately? and Joyriders

4. Portishead - Dummy

 

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If there was ever an album to listen to on a dark summers evening, then this is it. Bristol's Portishead broke through with Dummy, their 94 debut album, and it simply captivated me since with its simply stunning meodies and the gorgeous voice of Beth Gibbons. The album highlight is Roads, but most will probably know Glory Box (with the line Nobody Loves Me) and Sour Times, both minor hits. For a while, this was my favourite album ever and I still feel compelled to listen regularily. If you want to investigate more, I would recommend the short film To Kill A Deadman, which compliments Dummy, and b-side It's A Fire.

 

Roads:

'How can it feel this wrong?'

 

Glory Box

'I'm so tired of playing with this bow and arrow'

 

 

Standout tracks: Roads, Glory Box, Pedestal, Mysterons, Sour Times and Wandering Star