Tag Archives: Marillion

Favourite Five Of 1991

Some may consider it sacrilege that Nevermind is not in my five favourite albums of 1991. I like the album generally and it has some fantastic songs on it, it just didn’t really do it for me as an album. I found the quality of the material inconsistent, although I accept how influential they were at the time to the grunge genre. So here’s at least five albums that I personally found more impressive.

Metallica by Metallica

Metallica’s fifth studio album was self-titled but became better known as “the black album”

Metallica became the band’s best-selling album virtually overnight debuting at number one in ten countries. Although an instant success, five singles were also released from the album. It would also be the first of four albums they would record with producer Bob Rock. Some fans of the thrashier earlier style didn’t like the more radio-friendly sound of the album but for me, i found it a natural progression. I loved the whole album from start to finish right from the first listen.

Favourite track: I found it very difficult to choose but I decided on “Wherever I May Roam”

Mama Said by Lenny Kravitz

This was the first Lenny Kravitz album I purchased but it would not be the last

I had heard some of Lenny’s material from his debut album, Let Love Rule, although enjoyable it did not make me want to rush out and buy it. That all changed the instant I heard the lead single from this album, “Always On The Run”. Sure the solo from Slash contributed, but the whole thing was a smash as far as I was concerned. When I discovered he was a multi-instrumentalist and that the whole Mama Said album was of high quality, I was impressed further. I have bought every album he has released since and I went back and bought Let Love Rule too.

Favourite track: The still impressive “Always On The Run”

Holidays In Eden by Marillion

Marillion’s sixth studio album was the second to feature Steve Hogarth on lead vocals

Filling in the shoes of an iconic singer like Fish was always going to be a difficult ask. Steve Hogarth did a sterling job on his first album with the band, Season’s End, but it was on Holidays In Eden that he really cemented his place. This may be because this was his first album with the band where he was involved in the song-writing process right from the start, as opposed to coming in after the music had been written as was the case on the previous album. Steve Hogarth still performs lead vocals with Marillion today. The album reached the top ten in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK and three singles were released.

Favourite track: The album’s first single “Cover My Eyes (Pain And Heaven)” featuring Steve Hogarth’s sublime vocals

Baby Animals by Baby Animals

At the time of its release Baby Animals was the highest-selling debut Australian rock album

Debuting at number six and topping the Australian charts for six weeks, was a rather audacious start for Baby Animals. It wasn’t lead singer Size DeMarchi’s first foray into music, having moved to London in the mid-80s and released some pop singles. She missed fronting a band and returned to Perth to form Baby Animals with three fellow Perth-based musicians, including guitarist Dave Leslie. Prior to recording the album they made a name for themselves on the pub and club circuit and had a demo released as a B side of the “Dogs Are Talking” single released by the Angels in April 1990.

Favourite track: Debut single “Early Warning”

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Produced by Rick Rubin, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the band’s fifth studio album

After listening to their earlier work I don’t think anyone could have predicted how successful this album would be, or how big Red Hot Chili Peppers would become after its release. For me, it remains one of my favourite albums of the decade and no one can deny its influence on scores of acts since. Five singles were released and the album topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as peaking at number 3 in the US and number 2 in the Netherlands.

Favourite track: The haunting ballad “I Could Have Lied”

Favourite Five Of 1985

Although you wouldn’t know it from some of the selections I have made here, 1985 was the year where my musical tastes started to stray from the top 40. This was due to a number of factors, but primarily because my horizons had expanded and I was exposed to a wider variety of popular music.

Showdown! by Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland

The aptly titled Showdown! from three brilliantly talented bluesmen

For me, this is the finest blues album of the eighties if not my entire collection. I never tire of listening to this and the interplay between all three guitarists inspires each of them to greater heights. I was already enamoured with Albert Collins and to a lesser extent Robert Cray, but it was my introduction to Johnny Copeland. The album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording and nobody could begrudge them such an accolade.

Favourite track: “Black Cat Bone”

Mars Needs Guitars! by Hoodoo Gurus

Apparently the title of the album refers to the 1967 science fiction film, Mars Needs Women

The follow-up to their excellent debut, Stoneage Romeos, went very well for Hoodoo Gurus. Their sophomore effort included four successful hit singles and the album even charted in the US. Mark Kingsmill had replaced James Baker behind the drumkit, a position he would fill long term from 1984–1998 and then from 2003–2015.

Favourite track: “Like Wow-Wipeout”

Scarecrow by John Cougar Mellencamp

Johnny Cougar takes a step toward performing under his birth name, adding Mellencamp

I absolutely adored this album from the first time I heard it and still think it is his best. It is also his most successful with three top ten singles in the US as well as reaching #2 on the US album charts. The overall theme of the album is the fading of the American dream in the face of corporate greed. The band sound really tight on the album, most likely due to spending a month in rehearsals playing over a hundred rock and roll songs from the 1960s.

Favourite Track: “Small Town”

Misplaced Childhood by Marillion

Marillion’s second last album with lead singer Fish, was their third album overall

Marillion never made much of an impact here in Australia, so this is an album I came to about 5 years after its release. Misplaced Childhood is a concept album loosely based on the childhood of Marillion’s lead singer, Fish. Each side of the album is a continuous piece of music. Nevertheless, three singles were released from the album, two of which reached the top ten in the UK.

Favourite track: UK #2 hit, “Kayleigh”, which peaked at #88 in Australia

Centerfield by John Fogerty

Thanks to overdubbing, Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself

After a long break from the music industry due to legal battles with his record company, John Fogerty returned with his third solo album almost a decade after its predecessor. The album was a resounding success, achieving multi-platinum sales around the world, including 2 million in the US alone. His legal battles weren’t over however, as his former record company decided to sue, ridiculously accusing John Fogerty of sounding like himself! Thankfully, Fogerty won that legal battle.

Favourite track: “The Old Man Down The Road”