Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release Year

52

Songs of Faith and Devotion

Depeche Mode

Probably the darkest and deepest album of Depeche Mode possibly heighten by the drug use at the time of recording this album (the band that is) but by far my favourite. Coupled with dirty guitar riffs, soft electronica, talented drum lines, Martin Gore’s back up singing and of course the charismatic Dave Gahan on lead vocals (who I have a man crush with) this album was always going to appeal to me. I am also a huge fan of the former band member Vince Clarke who went on to form Yazoo and I often wonder had he stayed how they would have fared, Clarke himself also wrote some great stuff. There is just something about Gahan’s stage presence and I often have this album playing on You Tube when they performed it on tour. I feel you, leads the album which has Gahan’s voice messianically twisting around one of my favourite all time guitar riffs, Radiohead Creep aside – a great album.

Walking in my shoes

Higher Love

My Pick – I feel you

1993

Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release year

53

August and Everything After

Counting Crows

The Counting Crows the producers of one of the all-time biggest singalong songs “Mr Jones”. This album was truly so much more than that, they had me at Round Here, I was captured in Duritz’s voice which matched the deep lyrics. I only discovered Raining in Baltimore not that long ago, in fact only Months ago. One thing about the farm I enjoy sometimes is the drive there and I have taken to listening to the whole albums again through my pod. Before there was I Tunes I literally had hundreds and hundreds of CD’s and tapes for that matter, gladly alcohol wasn’t the only thing I spent my money on growing up. I would hear a song in this case Mr Jones and then go straight out to buy the CD, then because I had so many I didn’t have time to listen to the whole CD especially when you found yourself buying CD’s often weekly. Then enter the new age of computers – I painstakingly uploaded all my CD’s so in turn I am now finding some real hidden gems on full albums that I have actually had for many years thus “Raining in Baltimore”. Hearing this song has brought even more appreciation and love to the Crows and Adam Duritz’s voice, still Round Here is just fucking sublime and my favourite song on the album.

Mr Jones

Raining in Baltimore

My Pick –

Round here

1993

Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release Year

54

Dookie

Green Day

It took Green Day three studio albums to find their groove but wow what album this one turned out to be once they did. I really enjoyed this semi punk sound and in a round a bout way they brought the genre into mainstream which wouldn’t have been easy at the time. For me it was almost like they took grunge to another level and if I reflect it wasn’t that at all because their sound was unique. They weren’t grunge yet they weren’t really a full on punk band either and you must give gratitude for this. Dookie upset the establishment in many ways lyrically and it had everything on it -  not many bands would get away with writing a song about masturbation and smoking pot and then go on to share commercial success. This album was almost an album about a generation but the cliché is every generation in the future could go on to relate to it. Mike Dirnt would have to be one of my all-time favourite bass players and if you listen to this album you will see why. This album is hard, fast and intense but collectively an album of the ages. And as I have been writing this I can’t believe I didn’t have it higher…..lol

F.O.D

Basketcase

My Pick - Longview

1994

Number

Album

Artist

About

Song

Release Year

55

More Than You Think You Are

Matchbox 20

I never really got into Matchbox 20 straight away in fact it probably took me right up until I bought one of their concerts on DVD by this time they already had been around for a couple of years. Upon the realisation of seeing them live and in their musical elegance was when I really learnt to appreciate their music but what’s more just how talented they were. Yet another band that helped style the post grunge era out of obscurity bringing themselves along with it a lot of strong commercial airplay which is probably why I didn’t gravitate to them straight away. Don’t get me wrong they have written some great songs I just didn’t appreciate hearing them everyday all day on every commercial radio station. Still it didn’t stop me from listening to them nor buying their CD’s I have an appreciation for Thomas and Matchbox 20 and their music. So much so I was torn between 3 albums of theirs but when I looked back I found myself probably listening to this one the most therefore critiquing it the best.

Could I be you

Bright Lights

My Pick –

Unwell

2002