20 - Ocean Rain - Echo and the Bunnymen

OCEAN RAIN
silver/nocturnal me/crystal days/the yo-yo man/thorn of crowns/the killing moon/seven seas/my kingdom/ocean rain
Lushly recorded with a full orchestra, this album marked the seminal post-punks bands move into gloriously unselfconscious pop. There is such joy on this album you can forgive some frankly bizarre lyrics and the four-piece seem as tight and on top of their game as they ever had been or were to be again. The sort of album most bands would long to leave behind.

19 - Tapestry - Carole KIng

TAPESTRY

i feel the earth move/so far away/it's too late/home again/beautiful/way over yonder/you've got a friend/where you lead/will you still love me tomorrow/smackwater jack/tapestry/wyou make me feel(like a natural woman)

A lot of these songs are more famous than this album as they were big hits for other artists, some prior to the albums release in '71. All written (or co-written) by King though. Perhaps an unfairly unknown album but packed with gems and a must in anybodies list. In fact a quadruple grammy winner! Get to know it.

17 & 18 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation & Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star

DAYDREAM NATION

teenage riot/the sprawl/silver rocket/'cross the breeze/eric's trip/total trash/hey joni/providence/candle rain king kissability/trilogy-(the wonder/hyperstation/eliminator jr)

EXPERIMENTAL JET SET TRASH AND NO STAR

winner's blues/bull in the heather/starfield road/skink/screaming skull/self-obsessed and sexxee/bone/androgynous mind/quest for the cup/waist/doctor's orders/tokyo eye/in the mind of the bourgeois reader/sweet shine

Separated by 6 years in an, up til now, high quality 30 year career, these albums best reflect the peak powers of the band. Experimental yet highly listenable, original and highly influential, they are outstanding works that show just what is possible if you treat music as art form that is undiscovered in it's potential. I will leave it there before I start talking about sonic cathedrals...

16 - Queen - Greatest Hits

QUEEN GREATEST HITS

bohemian rhapsody/another one bites the dust/killer queen/fat bottomed girls/bicycle races/you're my best friend/don't stop me now/save me/crazy little thing called love/somebody to love/now i'm here/good old-fashioned lover boy/play the game/flash/seven seas of rhye/we will rock you/we are the champions

Yes, I know, cheesy and overblown and a greatest hits? But this is the fun side of cheesy and the operatic side of overblown; and if you are going this route then a greatest hits is within the boundaries too. Whatever the lack of credibility involved this album hits the spot it's aiming at and I enjoy it for what it is. You should too!

15 - De La Soul - 3ft High And Rising

3FT HIGH AND RISING

intro/the magic number/change in speak/cool breeze on the rocks/can you keep a secret/jenifa taught me (derwin's revenge)/ghetto thang/transmitting live from mars/eye know/take it off/a little bit of soap/tread water/potholes in my lawn/say no go/do as de la does/plug tunin' (last chance to comprehend)/de la orgee/buddy/description/me, myself and i/this is a recording 4 living in a fulltime era (LIFE)/i can do anything (delacratic)/D.A.I.S.Y. age/plug tunin'

And mentioning hiphop as it should be... This is the most inventive rap album ever! That is if you consider that rap evolved rather than was originated by one artist. De La Soul pretty much re-invent the world they are living in by melding 30 years of music into one album and twisting it to fit their own unique view of life. Outstanding.

14 - OutKast - Speakerboxxx|The Love Below

SPEAKERBOXXX
intro/ghettomusick/unhappy/bowtie/the way you move/the rooster/bust/war/church/bamboo/tomb of the boom/e-mac/knowing/flip flop rock/interlude/reset/d-boi/last call/bowtie(postlude)
THE LOVE BELOW
the love below/love hater/god/happy valentine's day/spread/where are my panties?/prototype/she lives in my lap/hey ya!/roses/good day, good sir/behold a lady/pink & blue/love in war/she's alive/dracula's wedding/the letter/my favourite things/take off your cool/vibrate/a life in the day of benjamin andre (incomplete)

Unerringly funky. Dead cool. Witty and intelligent. This album is everything that rap and hiphop used to be before it was taken over by the idiotic gangsta mentality. Rant, rant, rant. Excuse me. A double album split into the Andre 3000 half and the Big Boi half, this constantly amazes and delights and is the best example of how to exploit the genre since De La Soul 10 years earlier. And any release that contains both Hey Ya! and The Way You Move is gettin' in my list!

13 - The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico

VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO
Sunday morning/I'm Waiting For The Man/Femme Fatale/Venus In Furs/Run Run Run/All Tomorrows Parties/Heroin/There She Goes Again/I'll Be Your Mirror/The Black Angels Death Song/European Son

Horrible feedback, poor production, incessant droning melodies and worrying subject matter. A fantastic album! A voyeuristic trawl through the underworld of drug use, sexual deviancy and prostitution set to chaotic and abrasive music; but music that perfectly reflects the world in the lyrics. This should be here purely for the influence it has had (though ignored on release) over the last 40 years, but it is here as the prime example of an art form extremely hard to get right and a genuine original. You MUST have this album!