Introduction and Rules
As I write, it is December of the year 2005
If you want to screw all this music nonsense and just see some beautiful boobs, I understand, and am prepared: go here.
Otherwise, we shall begin…
Hello, and welcome to THE LIST 2005, brought to you in association with All You Young And Pretty Things. I hope you’ll be very happy here, but it is a bit of a long haul, so go get yourself a blanket and a drink of something warm (or cold), or a crack pipe, or whatever it is you normally indulge in when you relax. And settle yourself down. In fact, only the most hardened amongst you are likely to be able to handle this all in one session. Just to warn you.
As you may or may not know (or indeed care), every year as a certain festival approaches (incidentally a festival that, for me, has nothing at all to do with stupid religion but everything to do with the cats knocking over the tree, eating excessively and strangely enjoying the company of one’s family), alphabet and I trade a list of our favourite albums of the year. This tradition has been going (I believe) now for six years or so (he will correct me if I am wrong), and in that time it has evolved into quite a serious piece of business. At least if you are inclined to view such things as serious, which we are. It is a process that has strict (though invariably in some measure contested) rules, and is carefully considered by us both until we reach our respective decisions as to the final LIST. We then exchange them whilst smiling a lot, and say things like “you idiot, that album sucks” and “cool, I love that too.”
Rules: THE LIST consists of twenty albums, ranked (quite predictably) from ‘20’ (being the twentieth most favoured album of the year) down to ‘1’ (being the album of the year, period). To qualify an album must a) have been released in 2005 (obviously), b) be a full length album (i.e., no eps or singles), c) be a studio album (no live albums) and d) consist of new material (this can potentially be re-recorded material such as covers; essentially the point is no ‘best of’ collections or ‘remix’ albums) and e) be by a single artist (i.e., no compilations).
Ironically, THE LIST is more than just a list, however. It also features a review of each selected album, as well as appendices covering such things as notable ineligible albums, albums that were eligible and great but just failed to make it, disappointing albums, films of the year, etc, etc.
In addition, this year we have decided to compile a list of the top three albums of the last ten years. This is not a list of our favourite thirty albums ever (maybe this is something for next year). Or even our favourite thirty albums of the last ten years. Rather, it is a run down of our top three albums from each of the last ten years. Just as a bonus. Oh, by the way, this has the same rules as the main list.
Phew. Nearly ready?
For the first time alphabet and I have decided to make THE LIST a public affair, so feel free to comment, disagree, praise or ignore until your heart is content. On the sidebar to your right you can choose to view any entry into THE LIST (but beware, I may discuss earlier entries if you follow it out of order, spoiling the surprise). On the sidebar you can also find links to the Short Version of THE LIST (for those busy folk), the various appendices to THE LIST, the year by year runs downs of top threes since 1995 (what I’m calling The Decade List), and the Short Version of that list too. So pick and choose as you wish. If you get any trouble from these links, just try again, they can be a little temperamental, but they do work: they just need to be shown who is boss occasionally. In the unlikely event that a persistent problem occurs with any of the links, leave a comment outlining the specifics of the problem and I will make sure that I at least try not to ignore it.
If you want it all (brave soul), then you can ignore the sidebar and just scroll yourself silly in a downwards direction.
You might well want to investigate alphabet’s corresponding list (which is a bit more restrained than this monstrosity). His silly choices can be found by following the link on the sidebar, or more easily, you could just follow this link right here. He likes good music too, oh yes.
As you may or may not know (or indeed care), every year as a certain festival approaches (incidentally a festival that, for me, has nothing at all to do with stupid religion but everything to do with the cats knocking over the tree, eating excessively and strangely enjoying the company of one’s family), alphabet and I trade a list of our favourite albums of the year. This tradition has been going (I believe) now for six years or so (he will correct me if I am wrong), and in that time it has evolved into quite a serious piece of business. At least if you are inclined to view such things as serious, which we are. It is a process that has strict (though invariably in some measure contested) rules, and is carefully considered by us both until we reach our respective decisions as to the final LIST. We then exchange them whilst smiling a lot, and say things like “you idiot, that album sucks” and “cool, I love that too.”
Rules: THE LIST consists of twenty albums, ranked (quite predictably) from ‘20’ (being the twentieth most favoured album of the year) down to ‘1’ (being the album of the year, period). To qualify an album must a) have been released in 2005 (obviously), b) be a full length album (i.e., no eps or singles), c) be a studio album (no live albums) and d) consist of new material (this can potentially be re-recorded material such as covers; essentially the point is no ‘best of’ collections or ‘remix’ albums) and e) be by a single artist (i.e., no compilations).
Ironically, THE LIST is more than just a list, however. It also features a review of each selected album, as well as appendices covering such things as notable ineligible albums, albums that were eligible and great but just failed to make it, disappointing albums, films of the year, etc, etc.
In addition, this year we have decided to compile a list of the top three albums of the last ten years. This is not a list of our favourite thirty albums ever (maybe this is something for next year). Or even our favourite thirty albums of the last ten years. Rather, it is a run down of our top three albums from each of the last ten years. Just as a bonus. Oh, by the way, this has the same rules as the main list.
Phew. Nearly ready?
For the first time alphabet and I have decided to make THE LIST a public affair, so feel free to comment, disagree, praise or ignore until your heart is content. On the sidebar to your right you can choose to view any entry into THE LIST (but beware, I may discuss earlier entries if you follow it out of order, spoiling the surprise). On the sidebar you can also find links to the Short Version of THE LIST (for those busy folk), the various appendices to THE LIST, the year by year runs downs of top threes since 1995 (what I’m calling The Decade List), and the Short Version of that list too. So pick and choose as you wish. If you get any trouble from these links, just try again, they can be a little temperamental, but they do work: they just need to be shown who is boss occasionally. In the unlikely event that a persistent problem occurs with any of the links, leave a comment outlining the specifics of the problem and I will make sure that I at least try not to ignore it.
If you want it all (brave soul), then you can ignore the sidebar and just scroll yourself silly in a downwards direction.
You might well want to investigate alphabet’s corresponding list (which is a bit more restrained than this monstrosity). His silly choices can be found by following the link on the sidebar, or more easily, you could just follow this link right here. He likes good music too, oh yes.
If you want to screw all this music nonsense and just see some beautiful boobs, I understand, and am prepared: go here.
Otherwise, we shall begin…
1 Comments:
Just finished reading it James, and it was simply superb. Really enjoyed it.
As to comments on the list, um, I found that I agreed with quite large parts of it. Obviously I'd have had Arcade Fire at no. 1 and I dismissed Bloc Party early in the year, although I am definitely going to go back because God knows I've been wrong about stuff in the past.
In fact, this year I think I've listened to enough stuff to get a top 10...
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