Third Year Blog Anniversary - Top 30 Most Influential Albums

Apologies for the blog not having regular updates, but since starting university I've been constantly busy with coursework, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and my social life, so the blog has had to take a bit of a back seat. Nonetheless I have still managed to post and get some new reviews on here, and there's one coming soon too. It's my three year blog anniversary, woo! So of course this post must be a bit different...

This post consists of the top thirty albums (ten for each year) that have influenced my life the most, all of which I know like the back of my hand. The order of the albums will be alphabetical, because it would my nigh on impossible to order them in a way that rated them to a Number #1.

1. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (2006)

Although her debut ‘Frank’ is a fantastic album and beholds some of my most treasure Winehouse songs such as: ‘Stronger Than Me’, ‘Help Yourself’ and ‘Fuck Me Pumps’ her strongest album by far is ‘Back to Black’. The deluxe edition contains tracks off her Ska EP covering, Toots & the Maytals – ‘Monkey Man', The Specials – ‘Hey Little Rich Girl’ , The Skatalites – ‘You're Wondering Now’ and Sam Cooke – ‘Cupid’ and her feature on Mark Ronson’s track ‘Valerie’. Her voice is just so distinctive and raw, I had always admired that along with her attitude. She never gave a fuck what people thought ‘Addicted’, ‘Rehab’, ‘You Know I’m No Good’, and I took that on board at a young age. Regardless of her bad habits was such an amazing versatile, distinctive artist and you can never take that away from her - she will always be remembered. Legend.

2. Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007)

I’m pretty sure they used to play Arctic Monkeys at the school disco, and they were on the radio a lot growing up so I had always liked them. A strong fondness came about of Arctic Monkeys when I was fourteen and I heard ‘505’ - it just made me melt. Leading to me listening to this album on loop for a fair few weeks, and then I went on to discover that my favourite Arctic Monkeys album is ‘Suck It and See’. The album just beholds a wonderful, sublime way with words as Turners poetical side is nakedly exposed and the heart melting poems roll off Turner’s northern tongue. Favourite Worst Nightmare on the other hand is the Arctic Monkeys album that inspired me the most because it led me to more Arctic Monkeys.

3. Daughter – If You Leave (2013)

Not an album many of you will be familiar with, but Daughter were my first gig. I used to listen to these a lot when I was about thirteen; they released their second EP ‘Wild Youth’ back in 2011, and I just admired how different it was. Daughter are quite a mood draining band, they’re obscure indie/folk but they are fantastic. Elena Tonra’s voice is beautiful and the lyrics are so delicate but so devastating at the same time. Daughter’s music has helped me a lot and as much as this album breaks your heart, as odd as it sounds, sometimes I think you need that.

4. Dire Straits - Money For Nothing (1988)

This was one of the first records I ever owned after getting my record player, and I raided my nan's loft for any old records that she may of had left from back in the day.. Amongst ABBA, Bee Gees, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Drifters and a Christmas hits record, I also picked up the Dire Straits 'Money for Nothing' LP and when I played it, I couldn't stop... that is until I bought my Stone Roses LP. 'Brothers in Arms' is my Nan's favorite Dire Strait's song so every time I listen to the album, I think of my Nan (she's still alive). This album kick started my vinyl collection because the sound just travels so beautifully on the 'Money For Nothing' record.

5. Duffy – Rockferry (2008)

This album made number one for four weeks, but still the only track everyone ever knows is ‘Mercy’ or ‘Rain On Your Parade’ when she has tracks like ‘Stepping Stone’, ‘Delayed Devotion’ that give you a new found sense of empowerment you never knew you had before. Funnily enough I used to go to to a stage school on Saturdays when I was younger, where I would learn to sing dance and act. I entered the singing competition they put on one year and performed ‘Mercy’ for my choice of song my mate will never let me forget about it. She’s always been a big female icon in my life since I was about ten, I’ve always gone back to Duffy – regardless of her alarmingly slow wait for new music.

6. Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night (1978)

I got into Fleetwood Mac in the last three years or so, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Stevie Nicks is my spirit god. I distinctly remember one of my mates having ‘Everywhere’ blasting out of her speakers in her car, and I used to hear it all the time on adverts so I asked who sings it. Then that’s where the Fleetwood Mac obsession came about. Stevie Nicks’ beautifully haunting vocals will forever leave a long-lasting impression on me. Lindsey Buckingham’s to be third solo album turned into ‘Tango In the Night’ and blessed us with ‘Big Love’ – my favourite Fleetwood song by far.

7. Florence + The Machine – Lungs (2009)

One of my best friends used to always play this album in her mum’s car and my brother introduced me to Dizzee Rascals feature on Florence’s cover of ‘You Got the Love’ so that’s how myself and this wonderful album came across one another. Florence is my modern-day Stevie Nicks because her voice has that distinctive haunting edge to it, and as a performer she is very in touch with herself and I like that. I saw Florence nearly three years ago in Birmingham and she is so pure and at one with herself it heavily reflects through her performance and she’s such an inspiring woman. ‘Lungs’ again is an album that gives you a sense of empowerment as a thirteen-year old girl when you’re spitting out the words to ‘Kiss With A Fist’ like your hearts been crushed a thousand times by the love of your life that’s never existed and you’ve finally bitten back.

8. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (2012)

Me and Channel Orange always seems to come back to one another. I used to listen to ‘Swim Good', and ‘Novacane’, then he brought out Channel Orange in 2012 which got me obsessed with ‘Thinkin Bout You’. This album was different to what I had heard before. Frank has an alternative R'n'B/ hip-hop sound to his music, and it expanded my listening to R'n'B which then got me more into old school R'n'B artists like The Fugees, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, Lauryn Hill, Luniz, Alicia Keys etc… I’ve been having some catch-up time with this album recently ‘Pyramids’, ‘Sweet Life’ and ‘Lost’ are my new favourites now.

9. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Eleven and twelve-year old me absolutely got obsessed with dad rock for a while, and shock, it was my dad that got me into it. I can’t say I feel any different about it now, if you put some ACDC, Bon Jovi, Guns’n’Roses or Bryan Adams on right now - I most definitely would NOT tell you to turn it off. 'Sweet Child O' Mine' was one of the songs me and my dad would sing along to in his van, as well as Notorious B.I.G ‘Juicy’ and Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli ‘The Prayer’. Quite a mix I know, but I’m grateful for being introduced to a variety of different music throughout my life by different people, because it has made me the person I am today. Guns N’ Roses debut album really is something special, full of the classics such as ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Paradise City’.

10. James Morrison – The Awakening (2011)

This album is bursting with soul and romance, tracks like ‘Slave to the Music’ and ‘Beautiful Life’ make you want to dance around your house to the soulful groove and his husky voice. All songs on the album are songs you can’t help but belt out when you know the lyrics, his vocal ability is insane and Jessie J’s feature on ‘Up’ is one of the best collaborations I have honestly ever heard.

11. Jamie T – Kings N’ Queens (2009)

My brother had quite a large influence on my music taste growing up, and as I’ve always been a technophobe I didn’t know how to download songs on to my phone or burn CD’s. Therefore, when I was younger I never got a new phone, I used to get my brother’s old phone passed down to me and it would just be full of whatever music he was listening to, so I used to just listen to that. I remember stumbling upon this album one day on the phone and I learnt all the words to ‘Sticks n’ Stones’ and ‘Sheila’. Jamie T is just one of those artists that doesn’t disappoint, after years and years of wanting to see him I finally did last year, he played a mix of old and new songs off all of his albums, amongst some of my favourites and it was a great gig. This street poet album contains a bunch of witty lines from a cheeky, mouthy London boy from the estate talking about alcoholics 'Sheila' , the government 'British Intelligence' substance abuse '368' and 'Emily's Heart' a song about getting what he deserved after he meddled around and broke someone's heart. 

12. Kasabian – 48:13 (2014)

‘Treat’ blew my mind when I first listened to it, and I listened to the whole six minutes and fifty-three seconds of it. 48:13 is an album that inspired me because even though I was already into alternative/ indie-rock by this point I never gave Kasabian a proper chance, because I didn't really know what sort of band they were, and when I did give them a chance it opened so many musical doors for me.

13. Kula Shaker – K (1996)

Kula Shaker are a post-Britpop band that never got nowhere near as much credit as they should’ve done for their creative psychedelic musical ways. K was the first album to get me into Kula Shaker and ‘Start All Over’ was the first song of theirs I played on loop. This album takes a lot of influences from Indian music which sets it apart from most things you would have heard. Pilgrim’s Progress’is probably my favourite album of theirs now, but K is an album that led me to so much more music like: Super Fury Animals, The Verve, Shed Seven and Primal Scream etc… Kula shaker are still performing over twenty years later, I’ve seen them twice now and they may be in their forties - but they’ve still got it. Hush, hush...

14. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Twenty years on and this album is still more relevant than ever. Classic RnB/soul album beholding doo wop harmonies with a reggae beat seeping through on a few tracks. The lyrics entail, falling in love, getting your heart broken and splitting up whilst letting you know more about Ms. Lauryn Hill post Fugees. Being twenty-three and pregnant at the time of making the album she talks about being a single mother and sends subliminal messages of  God and the struggles of being black. She was out to re-educate everyone on who Ms. Lauryn Hill really is and what she stands for.

15. Maverick Sabre – Lonely Are the Brave (2011)

When thirteen-year old me heard ‘I Need’ I was in love, Maverick Sabre’s voice is so soulful, raw, and different. Then I began listening to ‘Open My Eyes’ and ‘Memories’ which led me on to find other artists like Chase n’ Status as they did ‘Fire In Your Eyes’ ft Maverick, and Wretch 32. If you haven’t listened to the album and only know his main tracks, go and listen to ‘Sometimes’ and ‘They Found Him a Gun’.

16. Oasis – Heathen Chemistry (2002)

The first song that got me into Oasis was ‘Little By Little’ which I found on my brothers phone, and then I listened to the whole album. Full of bangers such as: ‘The Hindu Times’, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’, ‘Songbird’ and ‘She Is Love’. This is where my indie/alternative rock obsession began, then I got into bands like: Arctic Monkeys, The Maccabees, The Killers, Stereophonics, The Verve, Miles Kane, The Strokes… the list goes on.

17. Paolo Nutini – These Streets (2007)

The day someone showed me ‘New Shoes’ it was added to my playlist. Then I did some exploring of the album and I fell in love with his heart yearning voice, he sings with everything he’s got. He can be delicate, he can be course, he can be smooth, he can be rough, his voice is a marvelous instrument. Every album is a piece of art even after his lengthy hiatus, his 2014 Caustic Love album holds some favourites ‘Cherry Blossom’, ‘Diana’, ‘Better Man’ and ‘Looking For Something’  as well as some mainstream tracks ‘Iron Sky’ and ‘Funk My Life Up’.

18. Paul Weller – Stanley Road (1994)

The Modfather has to be on the list, when I got into Weller that lead me to The Jam and The Style Council. I’ve always preferred The Style Council more than The Jam, but I’ve always admired and ranked Weller’s solo work above the rest of his work. Weller got me into Northern Soul as well as other bands like The Who, The Kinks and The Small Faces. ‘Broken Stones’ has and always will be my favourite solo track of his, but his Stanley Road is a timeless album with tracks like: ‘The Changing Man’, ‘Porcelain Gods’, ‘Whirlpools End’ and ‘You Do Something to Me.’


19. Plan B – The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010)

My brother introduced me to Plan B when his album first came out, my brother has always been into rap music but artists like The Game, 50 Cent, Notorious BIG etc so when he showed me this album it was good to see that my brother embraced Plan B’s new musical direction. This album is about a fictional soul singer called ‘Strickland Banks’ who faces being on trial and going to prison because a groupie allegedly accuses him of sexual assault when in fact the only scandal is that he cheated on his girlfriend with her (‘She Said’ & ‘Stay Too Long’). You follow his path through prison and the struggles he faces in prison ‘The Recluse’ and ‘Darkest Place’ and where he kills someone to survive and someone else takes the blame in ‘Traded In My Cigarettes’ and ‘Prayin’. The older I get the more I appreciate this album and the more I appreciate Plan B as an artist, he’s so creative with everything he does and I really admire his versatility as well as him as an artist.

20. Richard Ashcroft – Keys to the World (2006)

The prodigal songwriter that is ex front-man of post Brit-pop band The Verve, had me circulating this album on loop for a month. Causing devastation in self-titled track ‘Keys to the World’ in a bid to escape the harsh reality which is the world we live in, ‘Words Just Get In the Way’ understanding those who are too nervous to say how they feel, and ‘Music Is Power’ a song about community, a song to those who owe their lives to music and to those it holds together. People may let you down, but music never will.

21. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977)

I stumbled across the Sex Pistols when I was about fourteen and the level of anarchy and rebellion which resonates through the album and into your mind is mind-blowing. Not because it makes you want to fuck shit up and commit crime, it’s the sort of music that just makes you want to shout “FUCK YOU” to anyone you feel oppressed by whether that’s The Government, The Royal Family, your parents, anyone. Singing alongside Johnny Rotten’s angry vocals spitting out the words makes you feel like you’re standing up for something, and whatever it is, it feels right.

22. The Beatles – The Red Album 1962 – 1966 (1973)

This is the album that got me into The Beatles, I picked it up for £3 in a record store because I thought if I don’t like it I’m not losing a lot of money so it’s nothing wasted. I listened to it and realised The Beatles give me the same feeling The Kinks do, and that’s where I learnt I liked The Beatles after avoiding them for so long. Full of swinging love songs that make your heart feel like it’s never felt before, this compilation album pulls it out of the bag with ‘Eight Days A Week’, ‘Love Me Do’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ ‘Ticket To Ride’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ on disc one. Disc two beholds classics like ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Paperback Writer’, ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Help!’

23. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)

I started getting into The Cure when funnily enough I realised ‘Lovesong’ was a cover on Adele’s 21 album. Then when I discovered it was The Cure, I listened to the original and then listened to The Cure recklessly afterwards, but this was the album that stuck. ‘Pictures Of You’ will forever be one of my favourites along with 'Lullaby'.

24. The Kinks – Kinks Size (1964)

With a cover if The Kingsmen's 'Louie Louie', typical sixties track 'Tired of Waiting For You' and rock n roll track 'All  Day and All of the Night' what is not to like about this album? The Kinks compilation albums are what I commonly listen to because there's usually just so many songs on there and they are always the best songs, although my favourite Kinks track is 'Set Me Free'.

25. The Kooks - Inside Out (2006)

Around the time of Arctic Monkeys debut, The Kooks released theirs and although they didn't quite get number one they still managed to dominate the charts with their debut remaining at number two for three weeks. This is such a chirpy, uplifting album which hold most of their classics, 'Naive', 'She Moves In Her Own Way', 'Ooh La' and 'Seaside'. Let's not forget about 'You Don't Love Me' and 'See the World', early 2000's indie like The Kooks, Pigeon Detectives, Scouting For Girls, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, Stereophonics, The Maccabees, Lily Allen, Kate Nash etc is one of my favourite periods of music.

26. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989)

I'll never forget the day someone told me to listen to this album and I just had the whole album constantly looping on Youtube for the rest of the day, and now they're my favourite band. Even though The Stone Roses haven't got anymore than two albums, I think people forget they have released a fair few singles/ EP's and the songs are some of the most mind-boggling, thought-provoking and intelligent music that will ever bless your ears. Embrace your existence and set your soul free with 'I Am the Resurrection' protest against the government in 'Bye Bye Badman'  live for now in 'This Is the One' and embrace your youth in 'She Bangs the Drums' - "Kiss me where the sun don't shine, the past was yours but the future's mine." The Stone Roses was where the intense music obsession began for me. I had always been into music and different bands, artists etc.. but this is where my passion came from, I owe a lot to The Roses.

27. The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free (2004)

Telling the tale of a loss of a grand, this alt hip-hop/rap album brings you into a story where lead singer Mike Skinner meets a girl called Simone 'Could Well Be In', she stands him up so he takes ecstasy and gets drunk in 'Blinded By the Lights' then when he moves in with Simone he's skinning up a spliff and watching the TV and 'Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way'. He then argues with Simone 'Get Out Of My House' he tries to impress another girl 'Fit But You Know It' and then Simone is kissing Dan, and this time he isn't tripping 'What Is He Thinking?' When he finds out Simone cheated on him with his best friend and they break up you have 'Dry Your Eyes' then the outcome is 'Empty Cans' drinking away the sorrows. This is Skinner's best piece of work, holding most of the classics and telling a story near enough every lads lad can relate to. 

28. The Who - Who's Next (1971)

Who's Next is a classic album by The Who, 'Baba O'Riley' covers where twenty people got brain damage at Woodstock because everyone was always so fried from all of the drugs and psychedelics, it was just teenage wasteland - you're all wasted! 'Behind Blue Eyes' was the first song that got me into The Who, and you've got the classic rock track 'Won't Get Fooled Again' where you envision Townshend's three hundred and sixty degrees guitar strums in your head. Pete Townshend wrote this song about a revolution; in the first verse there's an an up-rise, then in the middle they succeed and overthrow those in power, but in the end the new regime becomes just like the old one.

29. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)

Anyone who knows me will know how much this album means to me. It is full of messages about social class divide, broken families, unemployment, abuse, racial segregation, and how 'the dream' doesn't really exist. Her self titled debut reminds you that no matter what problems you're facing in your life right now, that someone else is also facing something and this album reminds you of all of those other problems in the world. 'Fast Car' and 'She's Got Her Ticket' is the hope that there's a way to a better life, there is ambition and hope. 'Mountains o' Things' shuns the rich for their reckless spending and not knowing the value of money. 'Behind the Wall' is about domestic violence that has been swept under the rug whenever someone reports it because the police are always too late to get there or they dismiss the issues when they're finally there because "they cant interfere with domestic affairs between a man and his wife." 

30. 2PAC - All Eyez On Me (1996)

This album made history as the second double-full-length hip-hop solo studio album released for mass consumption, which was issued on two compact discs and four LPs. 'California Love' is a song that can turn any white chick into thinking they're an east-coast gangsta in LA. "We in that sunshine state with a bomb ass hemp beat. The state where ya never find a dance floor empty, and pimps be on a mission for them greens lean mean money-making-machines serving fiends. I been in the game for ten years making rap tunes, ever since honeys was wearing Sassoon."'  'Life Goes On' carries the acceptance of being a part of the gang life and having to accept death of people close to you as it's a consequence of being out on the street, you're vulnerable no matter what you do or who you are. Death is inevitable but sometimes it's out to get some people more than others, and you just have to know that's the reality of it so you can move on and continue with your life as normal.