1997

03.
Novocaine
Nervous Disposition

I just have always really loved this album. Sure nobody else will have even heard of them. Along with an ep, this was all they managed to get out before they disappeared back into obscurity. There is nothing fancy here, it is just straight rock, but every song is fantastic. I suppose it fits into the ‘Britrock’ scene of the ‘90s, evoking bands like Feeder and Skunk Anansie, but Novocaine were better than those bands (yet obviously less successful). There are some great lyrics on here and Steve Evans has a really distinctive voice which I love. This sort of sound has been made by lots of not quite so good bands both before and since, who inevitably became far more popular than Novocaine. Such a shame nobody gave a stuff about them, because they were something a bit special.

02.
Foo Fighters
The Colour And The Shape

I remember queuing outside the record shop before school on the day of release, and then having to carry the CD around lessons all day before being able to listen to it. I had it first though! It seems so long ago…

This was what turned the Foos from ‘great’ to ‘Gods’ in my teenage eyes. Every track was an improvement on the one man show debut, it was catchy but cool, pop but rock. Dave Grohl became a frontman and a hero rather than the nervous former Nirvana drummer. ‘Hey Johnny Park!’ provides a superb guitar sound, ‘Enough Space’ is a shouty nugget of joy and ‘New Way Home’ is one of the Foos best ever moments (and a pivotal song for me when I heard them do it live on Radio One). Such a shame that ‘Walking After You’ and ‘My Hero’ drive me mad, because otherwise this would be a flawless masterpiece. Still makes me smile whenever I think to give it a spin. This was one of those albums that was truly special in terms of my musical development. The rapidly approaching 10 year anniversary will make me feel flipping old.

01.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
The Boatman’s Call

I had no interest in Nick Cave in 1997, and so this album has, I suppose, usurped the Foos’ rightful position at the top the ‘97 poll. Back then, The Colour And The Shape was certainly the album of the year. I actually came across The Boatman’s Call in late 2003. Since then I have fallen in love with Nick Cave and have a number of his albums, but it is this one that remains by far the most important. It is stripped down music, with many songs just based around his voice and a piano. Each and every track is beautiful and soul touching. Such powerful, simple, song-writing. This alone would be enough to earn the album recognition on this list. Yet what pushes it to the very top is that, as is often the way with these things, it found its way into my life at exactly the right time, and means something very particular and special to me. It is a very melancholy album about the end of a relationship (specifically Cave’s relationship with PJ Harvey), but it is real (in no way clichéd): everything that is said clearly comes from the heart. Somehow, The Boatman’s Call captured every essence of what I myself felt in December 2003.

I had no idea then what was happening inside my heart and my head, but, inexplicably, six years earlier, Nick Cave did. This album is sad due to a loss, but is not bitter with the person who was lost, only with the unfortunate nature of the situation. It is beautiful and ultimately uplifting: it is ok to be sad and thoughtful. Just make sure you celebrate what was beautiful. Cherish that. Life will be beautiful again.

‘West Country Girl’ epitomises all this. Its lyrics recall the feeling of watching the sleeping face of a former lover; a beautiful, dark haired, green eyed, west country girl. This recollection is both joyous and painful. I guess I could just relate.

Melodramatic I might have been (indeed still might be on occasion) about my feelings of that time, but Nick Cave was there for me when I needed someone who knew exactly how I felt. That’s right: an Australian man in his forties who I’ve never met. An album that helped me to understand myself and my life, and one that made me a better, happier and stronger person. How many little sliver discs can you say that about? For these reasons, The Boatman’s Call is one of the most important albums of my life, and I get the feeling that what ever happens, it always will be.