Is this the greatest indie album of the last century?
- Thread starter Brighton TID
- Start date
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Albion Dan
Banned
Psychobilly freakout
HellBilly
I do like the album, however it was nothing new, the style and sound was all stolen from other bands from the early 80s and before, it also becomes monotonous after a while.
But what do I know
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Agree with this entirely apart from one minor point of pedantry. The debut album has all of their best songs, EXCEPT one. Destroy the Heart isn't on it (or any standard album). It was released as a 12" single around the same time (may have been on 7" as well, but I liked to feel the width, so only had the 12").
Last edited:
Indeed. Thankfully they weren't around until 2005-ish, so won't make the cut when Buzzer organises the 1980s & 1990s Indie World Cup.
Modern Life is Rubbish by blur? Inflammable Material is a brilliant call as I have already mentioned.
Great thread. Much more fun than "Will we ever sign anyone ever again?"
Saw HoL play at Cov poly in 1988. They occasionally hit the heights (Christine) but were one of a number of bands affected by the "new Smiths" tag. Like that someone suggested Frank n Walters - never a candidate for the greatest but "After All" is a tune. Saw them support Carter USM at Brum Hummingbird in I think '91.
Couldn't be arsed to copy and paste the artwork but imho...
Most influential:
The Smiths - The Smiths
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Most underated
The Auteurs - New Wave
Personal Fave:
James - Seven
Saw HoL play at Cov poly in 1988. They occasionally hit the heights (Christine) but were one of a number of bands affected by the "new Smiths" tag. Like that someone suggested Frank n Walters - never a candidate for the greatest but "After All" is a tune. Saw them support Carter USM at Brum Hummingbird in I think '91.
Couldn't be arsed to copy and paste the artwork but imho...
Most influential:
The Smiths - The Smiths
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Most underated
The Auteurs - New Wave
Personal Fave:
James - Seven
Arthur
Well-known member
Are I still believe. Pretty sure I saw they were touring the other month. Can't imagine they've got any better. TSB isn't very good at this game is he?!?
Agreed. On a similar vibe Black Grape's It's Great When You're Straight Yeah is massively under rated IMO.
But the correct answer is obviously Stone Roses.
Destroy the Heart wasn't on the ORIGINAL version of the album, but it WAS quickly added to the later edition. It was certainly on mine!
It is amazing how well those first 3 or 4 Blur albums have stood the test of time. MLIR is a tremendous album but often forgotten because of their definitive Park Life that came out soon after.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
I saw Carter USM shortly after 30 Something came out - i.e. they were already famous - and besides Mrs T and I, there were three other people in the audience.
It was in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.
Don't know what point that makes, apart from to show that what makes a band popular in one country doesn't always work elsewhere...
As another example, Editors are possibly the biggest band in Belgium at this current moment, yet can only make it halfway up the bill at UK festivals.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Oh, and Frank Turner's playing here in Eindhoven in a couple of weeks. It took him 5 months to sell out a 150-capacity venue...
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Bonus tracks don't count i.m.o...
And in many ways it ruins the balance of some records.
A good example of this I think is my CD version of George Best. The original album is astonishingly good when listened to as a whole, and ends perfectly with You Can't Moan Can you? Then some record exec decides to stick half a dozen extra singles and B-sides on the end because he thinks 'more means more', and totally cocks up the whole aesthetic of the music. Whenever I play George Best these days I programme the CD player to stop at track 12...
That's "George Best Plus" rather than "George Best" (see post #26). I take your point entirely, but it doesn't offend me in the same way. I'd rather have the extra tracks. A lot of people don't listen to the actual CD anyway - they'd be able to save tracks 1-12 in their iTunes, etc as George Best, and the rest under a seperate playlist. They are what they say - a BONUS.
My HoL TAPE would definitely have been poorer for not having DTH added.
Saint Lennard
Prawn Sarnie Casual
Hmmm no mention of "another music in a different kitchen". How Bizarre. Not a bad place to start though.
tinx
Well-known member
Crooked Rain is better than Slanted and Enchanted, Its one of my top 10 all time albums
Grombleton
Surrounded by <div>s
- Dec 31, 2011
- 7,356
Christ this is a difficult call.
all in the running
BUT
at the end of the day it's this:
All incredible albums. Personally i'd choose 'The Real Ramona' for best Throwing Muses album.
Also another vote for Doolittle.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Just checked. It's "George Best + 9" on my copy...
I think a related point to this is that some of today's iPod shuffle and download generation miss out on some great albums, because they pick and choose tracks (randomly or not), and don't realise how much effort the bands have put into making the album work together as a whole.
I guess naysayers would dismiss such things as 'concept albums' and scoff at how old fashioned they are, but there doesn't have to be any concept of common theme running through them (George Best being a fine example). It's just that the songs work together as a team in a specific order, and make the whole greater than the sum of the parts.
Other great examples in my books are Mercury Rev's All is Dream, Spiritualized's Let it Come Down (which doesn't have as great songs as 'Ladies and Gentlemen...', but working together they make it a better album in my books), Arcade Fire's The Suburbs (again, doesn't have as great songs as Funeral, but working as a team the album is just as good), The National's High Violet...
And because Gwylan nominated it, and it would probably get my vote for this thread, Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. Great songs taken individually (Two-Headed Boy would be on my Desert Island list), but put them together in that order and, oh my...
Funny that - I've justed this minute come off line from booking tickets to see Editors at the Dome on 6th Nov. Actually it was this good old indy thread that convinced me to book them - got me in the mood for another gig. Haven't seen Editors live before but have heard they put on a good show...
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Great album, but...
It depends on whether the definition is 'indie bands' or 'indie reord labels'. Most people are going for the latter interpretation, in which case Another Music... was on EMI and disqualified.