Favourite Five Of 1990

Brick By Brick by Iggy Pop

Iggy kicked off the 1990s with this album and got Don Was to take on production duties

Although his output in the 1980s was a little hit and miss, Iggy started the next decade strongly with this album. Preceded by the single “Living On The Edge Of The Night”, the album didn’t really gain traction until after the second single, “Candy”, the duet with Kate Pierson of the B-52s, received high rotation on MTV. He also received positive reviews from critics, probably his best since his 1977 David Bowie-produced albums.

Favourite track: “Butt Town”

Still Got The Blues by Gary Moore

The Jimi Hendrix poster in this album cover is a lovely salute to one of Gary’s idols

Gary Moore decided to return to his blues roots after producing a variety of rock albums in the 80s. I doubt even he expected the unprecedented success he would have. This album reinvigorated his career and set the blueprint for the majority of his 90s output, if not the rest of his career. Getting guest artists the calibre of Albert King, George Harrison and Albert Collins to perform on the album probably didn’t hurt either.

Favourite track: The self-penned “Texas Strut” featuring former Thin Lizzy bandmate Brian Downey on drums

Passion And Warfare by Steve Vai

Vai claims that the album is based on dream sequences he had when he was younger

Vai sums the album up as “Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a party that Ben Hur threw for Mel Blanc”. What that means is anybody’s guess. For me this album remains the pinnacle of his career, not because it is his most successful, but because it is his most accessible. I enjoy every track on it and I had only heard of him prior to this in the context of being David Lee Roth’s guitarist. Boy was this album a nice surprise!

Favourite track: “The Audience Is Listening”

Violator by Depeche Mode

Violator was the album that converted me into a Depeche Mode fan

Although I had liked the odd single from Depeche Mode, I had never been swayed to go out and purchase one of their albums. This album changed everything, not just for me, but for the band too. It was an international success and was their first album to sell a million copies in the US on the back of four successful singles.

Favourite track: Even though an obvious choice, I couldn’t go past “Personal Jesus”. I even like the cover versions by Marilyn Manson and Johnny Cash.

Ragged Glory by Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Ragged Glory is Young’s 18th studio album and the 6th recorded with Crazy Horse

I have always found that my favourite Neil Young music is the stuff he records with Crazy Horse. In my opinion, the band hasn’t rocked this hard together since 1975’s Zuma. This is also their first album together since the Re·ac·tor album in 1981. Thankfully Young would record another two albums with them in the 90s and fittingly, one with Pearl Jam too.

Favourite track: The rollocking “Fuckin’ Up”

Favourite Five Of 1969

1969 is for me where it all began and some of my favourite music came out that year. Here are my five favourite albums that I still listen to today.

Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin II, the second album released by the band only nine months after their first.

This album is jam-packed with classic songs and for me will always be my favourite album of theirs.

Favourite track: “Whole Lotta Love”

Then Play On by Fleetwood Mac

Peter Green’s last album with the band he founded, originally released in September 1969

After this Peter Green would never reach such heights again, a victim of psychedelic drug use and succumbing to bouts of mental illness. He was one of several exceptional guitarists that made a name for themselves playing with John Mayall. The band itself would go through several incarnations eventually finding massive success in the era with Buckingham and Nicks.

Favourite track: “Oh Well” (which was added to later pressings of the album)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Neil Young with Crazy Horse

The first album Young recorded with legendary backing band Crazy Horse

The “godfather of grunge” begins his long association with Crazy Horse. For me his albums with Crazy Horse are his best and this album contains some of my favourite tracks from them. Which made it really hard to choose one!

Favourite track: “Cinnamon Girl”

Abbey Road by the Beatles

One of the most iconic album covers of all time, Abbey Road, by the Beatles

Although Let It Be was released after this, Abbey Road was the final album the “Fab Four” recorded together. It even sounds like they had fun during these sessions. Harrison had really grown as a songwriter too, delivering tracks on a par with, if not superior to those composed by Lennon/McCartney. Great album from start to finish.

Favourite track: “Something”

Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones

Let It Bleed sits in the middle of a real purple patch of albums from the Rolling Stones

I have been a fan of the Stones for as long as I can remember. My favourite albums from them were the Jimmy Miller-produced Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street. In fact if their career had ended at the end of that run they would still have been remembered as one of the greatest bands of all time. Let It Bleed was also the last studio album to feature Brian Jones.

Favourite track: The darkly brilliant “Gimme Shelter” featuring the exceptional backing vocals of Merry Clayton