My sort of 5 favourite Albums

Summerset Bob has challenged me to list and explain why I love my 5 favourite Albums, it was supposed to be songs but I just couldn't do it, I tried that earlier this year, so I changed it slightly to albums... I could easily list 1005 albums, it is nearly impossible to list only 5 but it would take all day to do anymore.....

Tubular Bells...Mike Oldfield

This is the first album I ever bought, and still my favourite piece of music of all time. It has passion and energy and is technically just brilliant, Mike rerecorded this album in 2003 as an homage to his early work. The rerecording is mechanically, technically and musically better as there are fewer mistakes (I have found one technical mistake..producers ears!!) I think I prefer the original for the shear brilliance of its time, also Mike being only 19 at the time. Tubular Bells is a piece of music I listen to all of the time. I love all of the versions of Tubular Bells, Tubular Bells 2, 2003 and Tubular Bells 3, (I used Tubular Bells 3 on the Las Vegas Helicopter Video). I listen to all of these at various times; when I am sad to help with the blues in me, when I am happy to make me smile and all times in between, I even have Tubular Bells tattooed on my right upper arm!!!

The Beatles...Love

I was born a Bealtles fan, they were number 1 when I was born, the films were on TV during the school holidays, my sisters had the albums and would be playing them as I grew up. I sort of lived The Beatles as a child and I just love them. Sgt Pepper's is an all time favourite album and a shear masterpiece of concept music. But Love is the album that has being missing, it is what was needed, and had to be done, and Sir George Martin and his son Giles are the only people who could have done it. They have brought The Beatles into the 21st Century and to new ears. The transitions between tracks are mind blowing the displacement and replacement of instruments around the tracks is total genius. I hear new stuff all of the time in the tracks and this album is always being played on my IPod. If you get a chance to go Las Vegas the show will leave you speechless!!! By far the greatest Beatles album ever. The first time I listened to this album on Christmas day I had leaky eyes!!!

Genesis...A Trick of the Tail

An album that reminds of my teens and some great parties, lost girlfriends, mates that have long vanished and some amazing times of chewing the fat and smoking some funny fags. This is an album that I have played to death. This is the first album after Peter Gabriel left and to me is the best of Genisis’s work. It sort of has a rock opera feel to each track as every song tells a story in its own right. This is an album that I was unable to listen too for a few years as it was a late release on CD and my record deck was totally screwed, but it is now a favourite on my IPod.

Marillion...Clutching at Straws

The last album by fish with Marillon. I just love the feel of this album it so sad and reflective and has beautiful melodies and some amazing lyrics. Fish is a poet second to none and an amazing musician. The feel of this album is a little softer than most of the other Marillion stuff. I do love Misplaced Childhood, Script for a Jesters Tears, Fugazzi, Reel to Reel and all of the B' Sides, the live albums etc. But I think this album wins with the lyrics. Most of the early (Fish) Marillion music is in a style similar to early Genesis which is why I like them I guess, though the Marillion lyrics are 100x more powerful.

Bat out of Hell .. Meatloaf

This is the album that was the anthem of my youth, I don’t think a week went by when I didn’t sing along to the songs on this masterpiece. Jim Steinman is a hero of mine, I love his song writing style, Pandora’s Box his first concept album is where it all started and is amazing as is Bad for Good, but Meatloaf ads his amazing voice and here we get near perfection. The strings on For Crying Out Loud still sends shivers down my spine as does the piano on the title track. Between Jim Steinman, Meatloaf and Mike Oldfield my life has been set music and I love them all.

There are a stack of albums I could add to this like:-

Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Abba - Gold
Elvis Presley's - Greatest hits,
The Divine Comedy - A Secret History
Les Mis - Original Cast
Tom Jones - Reload
Amy Grant - The Collection
The News Boys - Shine
Rem - Automatic for the People
Styx - Caught in the Act
Simon and Garfunkle - The Concert in Central Park
Jimmy Nail - Crocodile Shoes
Pink Floyd - Dark side of the Moon
Michael Jackson - Dangerous
Jack Johnson - In between Dreams
U2 - Joshua Tree
Swing out sister - Kalaeidoscope World,
Led Zeplin - Led Zeplin IV
Lemon Jelly - KY
Lynard Skynyrd - One more for the Road
Queen - Queens Greatest Hits
Neil Diamond - Tap Root Manuscript
Baka Beyond - Spirit of the Forrest
Gary Moore - Still got the Blues
Robbie Williams - Swing When You're Winning
Vince Guaraldi Trio- Vince Guaraldi Trio
Jeff Wayne - War of the Worlds
The Who - Live from Leeds
Chris Eaton - Wonderful World
The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More