Once again, I’m late for my monthly blog, albeit just a couple of days (should I be able to complete this at the time of writing). I’m returning to my Desert Island series, where I select 8 items from a random topic to discuss. This time, I am looking at some of my favourite albums of all time. For this list, I am referring to studio albums only, I may come back and do a live and/or compilation list at a later date.
With the change in listening habits, I feel that the art of putting together an album may be lost on many. The saving grace appears to be a return to vinyl, which seems to be going through a bit of a purple patch at present, with record shops making a welcome return to many cities, towns and even villages. I was delighted to see one such case in the beautiful village of East Linton, in my county of East Lothian, with the opening of ‘A Love Supreme Records’. It is now becoming my favourite place to visit, with Hometown Coffee and Night Owl Books also located there.
Anyway, on to my list of eight albums, which in my opinion are what the kids call ‘Non-Skippable albums’, where every song in a ‘Banger’. Personally, I would simply say that these are albums to be enjoyed from start to finish…
1 – Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd
No surprises here, as this is often classed as the greatest album of all time. I discovered Pink Floyd in my late teens, but of all their albums, this is the one I go back to. Controversially, there is an almost skippable track with ‘On the Run’, but that is more down to the lack of guitars for me. That said, I let it run so that I can enjoy the piece as a whole. The added joy of being able to listen to the whole album live, in correct order, via the Pulse album is bliss.
2 – Ten by Pearl Jam
Put a gun to my head and I would confess that this is my favourite album of all time. Purchased on its release in 1991, it is an album that I never tire of listening to. Some feel it is over produced, too radio friendly for the grunge era, but I personally think it is perfect. The band have since released some incredible records, but for me the debut still stands above all else.
3 – Strange Kind of Love by Love & Money
James Grant is probably my favourite singer/songwriter and it is a crime against brilliant songwriting that Love & Money were not given the credit (or success) that they deserved. Their second album was the one that my sister first introduced me to in the late 1980s and I’ve been a massive fan of the band, and James as a solo artist, since. There are so many good tracks on this album and I played this to death upon discovering it as well as wearing out my VHS video tape of their Sounds of Eden concert that was shown on the BBC around this time. It is now available to watch on Youtube and yes, I’ve watched it more than a few times since.
4 – Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi
When my young ears started to listen to rock music, there were two albums that got me hooked, Def Leppard’s Hysteria and Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi’s third album. Although I may not have been able to separate them at the time, for me, Slippery has aged better than the former. It was the album that made me want to learn guitar and I spend hours trying to emulate Richie Sambora, often failing miserably due to lack of talent and equipment.
5 – Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
Another album I became obsessed with after it was released. I played the CD constantly and even went as far as obtaining a Japanise import that had an extra live/acoustic disc. I was there just before her popularity exploded and seen her live at the Glasgow Barrowlands, even meeting the band afterwards at the Cathouse. It’s quite sad that this mainly unknown group of musicians that I met that night, included the late Taylor Hawkins. I’ll be going back to see her later in the year with my daughter, 29 years after that memorable gig.
6 – Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
The album that inspired Alanis, this is a collection of incredable songs, beautifully sang with outstanding piano playing throughout. If my sister introduced me to some of Scotland’s great bands and my eldest brother introduced me to rock and metal, my other brother brought me some of the great female singer/songwriters. Although I hold Kate Bush in higher regard overall, I don’t think any of her albums are as complete at this one.
7 – Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Where many Maiden fans will no doubt mention Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind or Powerslave as the greatest, for me Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is listening joy. From the moment that the strummed acoustic guitar introduction makes way to Moonchild, to the perfection of Intimate Dreams, this album grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go until the end.
8 – Dirt by Alice in Chains
I could have picked Nirvana’s Nevermind or one of the Soundgarden albums, but I think Dirt may be the better album. I came late to Alice in Chains, being more interested in the other three of the ‘Big Four’, but I was wrong. It seems that AIC are getting more credit now than they did at the time and rightly so. The mix of stunning lead vocals, with perfect harmonies, was missing elsewhere in the genre. Dirt stands the test of time and remains as refreshing now to hear than it did back then.
Thanks for reading my blog. These are, of course, my personal choices and many of the greatest albums of all time are missing, but this list comprises eight albums that I could listen to from start to finish on any long journey and not feel the need to skip, forward or zone out at anytime. Songs from some these albums may appear in the current DI Christie novels, with DS Mike Lyle constantly playing many of the classic rock songs throughout the novels. As always, links are in the Books tab should you want to mix classic rock with good Scottish crime stories…
Ross Alexander Writer 