The reinvented album that Damon Albarn called "More Iggy Pop than Britpop", though actually "More Sub Pop than Britpop" might be an even more accurate spin on their wholesale embrace of US indie styles. As you can imagine, I had some trepidation when I brought this home - particularly since it's an example of one of my musical pet hates, putting the single at the start of the album - but I was pleased to find that they had, perhaps despite themselves, allowed their natural flair for melody to shine through and come out with a record of some brilliance. It only sounds slightly less good now.
02. (1) Texas - White On Blonde
03. (4) Spice Girls - Spice
04. (2) Original Soundtrack - Evita
05.(NE) The Smurfs - The Smurfs Hits 97 Vol 1
In chart terms, they were a bigger deal in the Nineties than the Seventies, though they failed to score a hit single from this album. The track listing on the Smurfs Wiki includes such joys as 'Ooh Aaah Smurf A Little Bit' and 'Smurf Billy Rock, Smurf Billy Roll'.
06. (7) The Beautiful South - Blue is the colour
07. (3) Reef - Glow
08. (9) Lighthouse Family - Ocean Drive
09.(10) No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom
10.(11) George Michael - Older
11.(13) Celine Dion - Falling into you
12. (8) Suede - Coming Up
13.(NE) The Divine Comedy - A Short Album About Love (Spotify)(Amazon)
Rushed out in time for Valentine's Day of course, a seven-song mini-album supposedly recorded live at soundchecks with a thirty-piece orchestra (though they did later admit to a little touching-up in the studio). Apparently it was all a vehicle for the song 'I'm All You Need'. Arguably Neil Hannon's best work.
14.(16) Toni Braxton - Secrets
15. (5) Placebo - Placebo
16.(12) Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
17.(15) Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving
18.(20) Gabrielle - Gabrielle
19.(22) Rod Stewart - If We Fall In Love Tonight
20.(19) Simply Red - Greatest Hits
21.(RE) Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys
22.(18) Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
23. (6) David Bowie - Earthling
24.(23) Kula Shaker - K
25.(21) Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
26.(24) Robert Miles - Dreamland
27.(NE) Pavement - Brighten The Corners (Spotify)(Amazon)
Possibly the most-cited influence on Blur's new direction, which is certainly how the album came to my attention. But actually releasing it in the same week as Blur may have done more harm than good, keeping it from adding to their tally of Top 20 albums.
28.(25) The Lightning Seeds - Dizzy Heights
29.(26) Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
30.(33) Space - Spiders
31.(29) Crowded House - Recurring Dream - The Very Best of
32.(27) Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow
33.(32) Fugees - The Score
34.(31) Bush - Razorblade Suitcase
35.(28) Daft Punk - Homework
36.(37) Mark Owen - Green man
37.(34) Ocean Colour Scene - Moseley shoals
38.(35) The Prodigy - Music For The Jilted Generation
39.(17) The Offspring - Ixnay on the hombre
40.(14) Thunder - The Thrill of it all
44.(RE) The Bee Gees - The Very Best Of
59.(NE) Cyndi Lauper - Sisters Of Avalon
64.(RE) Celine Dion - The Colour of my love
72.(RE) Paul Weller - Stanley Road
73.(RE) Van Morrison - The Best Of Van Morrison
75.(RE) M People - Bizarre Fruit/Bizarre Fruit II
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