Dubya's Discs 100-91

Because everyone is doing it and I'm not the type to blaze my own trail, I figured I'd jump into the fray and offer up my Top 100 albums. In my feeble attempt to be somewhat different, I offer up no rules; no constraints on what I can include. These are my favorites, right? So, just sit back and see just how derivative I can be.

#100 Housemartins: London 0 Hull 4

P.D. Heaton's boyish voice, the band's jangly guitars and lush harmonies provide cover for some very harsh lyrics. London 0 Hull 4 offers up some gems with Sitting on a Fence, Get Up Off Your Knees and, my perosnal favorite, Happy Hour. The band broke up in 1988 with Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) going his merry way and forming Beats International while Heaton went on to found Beautiful South.





#99 The Mighty Lemon Drops: World Without End

The disc Echo and The Bunnymen didn't record. Dave Newton's guitar is dead-on Will Sergeant, while Paul Marsh could easily be mistaken for Ian McCulloch. Their songs are quite often unhappy, but there is real, raw emotion in every tune. Listen to Inside Out, Closer to You and Fall Down (Like the Rain).







#98 Urge Overkill: Saturation

Never has an album title been so prescient. Their cover of Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" brought them fame, but also sounded their death knell. 1993's Saturation was their major label debut and, quite honestly, I found it to be some great stuff. In a time of grunge, shoegazing and all that brought to the music scene, here was a trio of preening artists providing stadium rock and thumbing their noses at the indie rock crowd. My faves: Sister Havana, Dropout and Erica Kane.



#97 O Positive: Only Breathing/Cloud Factory

Boston's REM. Unfortunately, after they were picked up by EMI, they were killed by over-production. I saw these guys a lot in the late 80s at places like TT the Bear's and, I think, at Grover's on the North Shore (you'll have to pardon me, the memory is a tad fuzzy from that time). Faves: Talk About Love, With You and Don't Walk Away Renee.






#96 NWA: Straight Outta Compton

This may be the first, but it certainly won't be the last rap album on the list. I was going back and forth about this album and Ice-T's O.G.: Original Gangster and where they should fall on this list. I decided that Ice-T needs to be held for later. Straight Outta Compton established gangsta rap and provided a glimpse into a world all about raising hell. Ice Cube's writing provided some of the most visceral, gut wrenching and honest moments in rap. Favorites? Um, who tha fuck knows? How about Straight Outta Compton, Gangsta, Gangsta and Express Yourself.



#95 Think Tree: Eight/Thirteen

Probably not one known by many people outside Boston. I'm not sure how you'd go about classifying them in any way - abstract rock, electronic rock, abstract electronic rock, avant garde. I just don't know. Anyway, I lost this disk once and struggled mightily to find it again somewhere. Thankfully I did. My favorite, Hire A Bird, was a staple on WFNX's Top 100 songs for years.






#94 The Origin (Self-Titled)

My roommate, when I was stationed in Germany, brought this back with him after a 30-day leave back to Utah. The group was somewhat poppy and definitely spry and featured some great piano work on several songs. Sometimes they would get a little full of themselves on some overlong pieces, but for the most part, it's a very tight and enjoyable listen. I'm particularly fond of Growing Old and Ride.




#93 The Time: Ice Cream Castle

Oh, c'mon. You just wish you thought of it first. Synth-heavy funk spun with reckless abandon that will fire up just about any party. Prince's fingerprints are all over this and Jesse Johnson occasionally steals the spotlight from the hyper-manic Morris Day with his seminal 80s guitar riffs and solos. Best Bets: Jungle Love and My Drawers.






#92 Thomas Dolby: The Golden Age of Wireless

Were you a teen in the 80s? Then you know why this is here. Sure, everyone knows She Blinded Me With Science - "Good heavens Miss Sakamoto - you're beautiful!" But you can hear a lot of Bowie here as well as some Bryan Ferry if you just listen closely enough. Just think of a less gloomy/far peppier Gary Numan and you'll have Dolby. Give another listen to: Europa and the Pirate Twins or One of Our Submarines.





#91 Black Grape: It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah

You really do have to love Shaun Ryder. Just when everyone was ready to chalk him to another drug-addled rock star who never realized his potential, doesn't he come out with Black Grape and release an album that was everything Happy Mondays was and then some. Teaming up with his Mondays partner, Bez, and adding the rhymimg skills of Kermit, Ryder put together a free-wheeling disc that was looser than anything the Mondays ever did, but had the grooves and pop hooks to grab the listener. Reverend Black Grape, Kelly's Heroes and Shake Your Money will give you an accurate picture.

Tags: mr. big dubya, top 100