Top 75 of 1997

1997 was the year I turned 19, starting the last year of my teens and my second year of my Maths degree at the University of Teesside. Musically, it was also the year that two bands who would later join my unholy triumvirate of favourite bands entered my life - Feeder and A.

It was the year I went to my first full weekend music festival at Reading (this was just before they would introduce the closer option for me of Leeds), with that great rock Sunday of Metallica, the year's big rock hype Marilyn Manson (plus surprise guest Jonathan Davis), Bush, 3 Colours Red and Feeder among others.  Not to mention a legendary headline set on the Saturday from the Manics with Nicky discarding their recent 'Man at C&A' image and busting out the camo dress.

My gig count for the year was 21, if you count Reading as one big gig, most of them coming from bands playing around the weekly indie night at Middlesbrough Arena.  Some of them were excellent, some of them were made up of fifth division indie bands, lost to the mists of time (I mean Travis, who are they?!).  The full list is below:

17/01/97 Groop Dogdrill, Soul Bossa (@Middlesbrough Arena)

31/01/97 Gold Blade, TC Hug (@Middlesbrough Arena)

07/02/97 Perfume, Spacemaid (@Middlesbrough Arena)

11/02/97 Suede, Mansun (@Middlesbrough Town Hall)

14/02/97 Space Monkeys, Hardbody (@Middlesbrough Arena)

21/02/97 Silver Sun, Grass Show, Montrose Avenue (@Middlesbrough Arena)

07/03/97 18 Wheeler, Formula One (@Middlesbrough Arena)

14/03/97 Speedy, Rude Club (@Middlesbrough Arena)

18/04/97 Travis, Spacemaid (@Middlesbrough Arena)

25/04/97 Smaller, Montrose Avenue (@Middlesbrough Arena)

09/05/97 Corduroy, Mantaray (@Middlesbrough Arena)

16/05/97 Jesus Jones, A (@Middlesbrough Arena)

23/05/97 Carter USM, Midget (@Middlesbrough Arena)

06/06/97 David Devant and his Spirit Wife, The Smiles (@Middlesbrough Arena)

13/06/97 The Hybirds (@Middlesbrough Arena)

01/07/97 Teenage Fanclub (@Newcastle HMV)

03/08/97 China Drum, Velma, Helter Skelter (@Stockton Festival)

22/08/97 Sick of it All, Symposium, James, Millencolin, Silver Sun, Kenickie, A, Incubus, Carrie, Strangelove + Suede, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Dust Junkys, Period Pains (@Reading Festival)

23/08/97 Manic Street Preachers, Space, Super Furry Animals, Republica, Gold Blade, My Life Story, Stereophonics + Wannadies, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Lemonheads, Rude Club (@Reading Festival)

24/08/97 Metallica, Marilyn Manson, Terrorvision, Bush, 3 Colours Red, Descendents, Dog Eat Dog, Feeder, Radish + Bis (@Reading Festival)

12/09/97 China Drum, Cable, Carrie (@Middlesbrough Arena)

18/10/97 3 Colours Red, Bullyrag (@Middlesbrough Arena)

06/12/97 Teen Spirit, White Negroes (@Middlesbrough Arena)

After me and my brother met Dave from China Drum at Stockton Festival in August, he got us in on the guest list for their Boro gig a month later, where we ended up meeting Gerry from Mega City Four who was roadie for Cable and I also had a chat with future Kerrang editor Paul Brannigan who was doing an on the road feature of the tour.

In terms of my own music I moved away from my two main solo bands during that year (in fact Spraypaint still haven't released anything since), completing the third Uranium album (my industrial act) and the only Vein album (grunge, some great songs that I must upload at some point) as well as two Pyf Belly Machine albums and a Personnel EP with my brother.

I also worked on some new metal-based ideas, basically picking several bands or sounds (Cradle of Filth, My Dying Bride, Napalm Death, Korn, Megadeth, Gabber with guitars - kind of an Atari Teenage Riot type thing) and recording two songs each in their style to see what came out.  The results can be found here with the two Cradle of Filth-style songs going under the name of Beneath Utopia, a name I swiftly moved across to take the place of my main metal band, then called Oakenshield.

That name change coincided with the first of my 5 appearances in national rock/metal magazines (he says in the style of Les McQueen), consisting of TWO demo reviews by Dan Silver in the October 1997 edition of Metal Hammer. Harsh but fair comments too.

But back onto chart matters again, 1997 was obviously a year of me digging deeper below the surface for new music, delving into the black metal world on the Feuersturm double CD compilation starring Emperor, Dark Funeral, Immortal and many more, plus the Cacophonous compilation The Unholy Bible, which introduced me to Bal-Sagoth, Abyssos, Vergelmer and more.  The 21st Century Media Blitz compilation was also a great introduction to The Gathering, who would eventually rise pretty high among my favourite bands, plus other-worldly metal from Strapping Young Lad and Samael.

But quite a lot of the chart came to be dominated by British rock bands, A, 3 Colours Red, Feeder, Silver Sun, Reef, Paradise Lost, Stereophonics and Ash all took either several places or prominent placings in the chart.  And my first festival was pretty influential too, 24 of my top 75 came from bands that played Reading festival, 30 more were on the shortlist.

The competition seemed even more ridiculous than usual this time, the songs that just missed out seemed more than deserving of a place but it wasn't to be.  So honourable mentions this time to the bands that made the shortlist but not the chart as follows: Chemical Brothers, James, The Ataris, Chumbawamba, In Flames, Nightwish, Rollins Band, Deftones, Sigh, China Drum, Dimmu Borgir, Blackstar and Coal Chamber.

1. Foo Fighters - Everlong

2. A - No. 1

3. Paradise Lost - Say Just Words

4. 3 Colours Red - Nuclear Holiday

5. Paradise Lost - One Second

6. Faith No More - Ashes to Ashes

7. 3 Colours Red - Sunny in England

8. Emperor - With Strength I Burn

9. Silver Sun - Lava

10. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get

11. The Gathering - The Earth Is My Witness

12. Stereophonics - Local Boy in the Photograph

13. A - Foghorn

14. A - Bad Idea

15. Will Haven - Mason

16. The Gathering - On Most Surfaces (Inuit)

17. Mindset - Nosebleed

18. Ash - A Life Less Ordinary

19. Life of Agony - Weeds

20. The Gathering - Third Chance

21. Shelter - Whole Wide World

22. Shelter - Refusal

23. Strapping Young Lad - All Hail the New Flesh

24. Mindset - ihateudon'tleaveme

25. Metallica - Fuel

26. Will Haven - I've Seen My Fate

27. Metallica - The Unforgiven II

28. 3 Colours Red - Pure

29. Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench

30. Napalm Death - Breed to Breathe

31. Green Day - Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

32. A - Cheeky Monkey

33. Paradise Lost - Another Day

34. Napalm Death - Lowpoint

35. Mindset - Psycho Sound Wave

36. Feeder - My Perfect Day

37. Symposium - Drink the Sunshine

38. Symposium - Fairweather Friend

39. Vergelmer - Her Harvest is my Prey

40. The Gathering - Nighttime Birds

41. Machine Head - Struck a Nerve

42. Abyssos - As The Sky Turns Black Again (Love Eternal)

43. Machine Head - Take My Scars

44. Megadeth - Trust

45. Silver Sun - Dumb

46. Foo Fighters - My Hero

47. Feeder - Tangerine

48. Green Day - Redundant

49. A - Winter of 96

50. A - Out of Tune

51. Green Day - Nice Guys Finish Last

52. Feeder - Cement

53. Emperor - The Loss and Curse of Reverence

54. Metallica - The Memory Remains

55. The Prodigy - Breathe

56. Rammstein - Du Hast

57. Silverchair - Abuse Me

58. Reef - Come Back Brighter

59. Reef - Place Your Hands

60. Supergrass - Richard III

61. Blur - Song 2

62. Charlatans - One to Another

63. Machine Head - Ten Ton Hammer

64. Paradise Lost - Cruel One

65. Metallica - Prince Charming

66. Lacuna Coil - Falling

67. Emperor - Ye Entrancemperium

68. Will Haven - Foreign Film

69. Immortal - Mountains of Might

70. Strapping Young Lad - Underneath the Waves

71. Silver Sun - Wonderful

72. Faith No More - Last Cup of Sorrow

73. Feeder - Polythene Girl

74. Feeder - Crash

75. Helmet - Like I Care

Top 75 of 1995

After 1994 had seen me delving further into the world of metal, 1995 carried on that trend.  After progressing through Sepultura and Pantera onto the Earache roster, bands that I'd previously maybe only heard one or two songs by released albums that made me sit up and take notice.

So, as shown clearly in the chart, the albums of the year ended up being Paradise Lost's Draconian Times and Fear Factory's Demanufacture.  White Zombie's Astrocreep received an honorary mention alongside non-metal albums like Shelter's Mantra, Life of Agony's Ugly and Silverchair's Frogstomp.  More established bands in my collection like Carcass, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Senseless Things all had good albums too, even if relatively speaking they all lost their way a little.

But it wasn't rock and metal all the way, I'd started my musical journey away from pop with indie and Friday nights at the Middlesbrough Arena allowed that journey to continue.  With Britpop bursting forth I didn't quite look the part with my long hair, black T-shirts and army trousers, but strangely of all the genres I've dipped into over the years, Britpop was the scene that I felt a part of.

As the Arena included gigs on Fridays too, there were a lot of up and coming bands passing through the doors at that time.  The ones I saw during 1995 are listed below, Skunk Anansie being the only one at the Arena that really moved on to bigger and better things, although there were others like O***s that played there that I was quite happy not to have seen.

03/03/95 Velo Deluxe, China Drum (@Middlesbrough Arena)

31/03/95 Snuff, Bulltaco, Star 69 (@Middlesbrough Arena)

02/06/95 Skunk Anansie, Honeycrack (@Middlesbrough Arena)

09/06/95 Boo Radleys, Swervedriver, Ed Ball (@Middlesbrough Town Hall)

21/07/95 Blameless, Bulltaco, Laxton’s Superb (@Middlesbrough Arena)

22/07/95 Pulp, Sleeper, Menswear, Salad, Powder, Chumbawamba, Skunk Anansie, 60ft Dolls, Blameless, Catatonia, Cecil + Marion, The Bluetones, DetRiMental (@Leeds Roundhay Park)

21/09/95 Shelter, Understand, Shutdown (@Middlesbrough Arena)

06/10/95 China Drum, Honeycrack, Reverse (@Middlesbrough Arena)

17/11/95 Rub Ultra, Fat (@Middlesbrough Arena)

01/12/95 Bullyrag (@Middlesbrough Arena)

The Roundhay Park gig was later dubbed Britstock and was my first festival of sorts, a who's who of up and coming British bands, many of whom would have chart hits.  Note the appearance of Blameless in Middlesbrough on 21/07/95 followed again on 22/07/95 at Leeds, a gap of only 15 hours or so between me seeing them.  Curios in that list come from Fat, who were a rap/rock band featuring Woody from Madness on drums (Downtime made the shortlist for this chart) and Bullyrag whose guitarist took to wearing what was basically a tea cosy over his entire face and head in the early days while staring out members of the audience.

My own music remained mostly in the indie and punk arena too, mostly down to my playing skills.  Me and my brother recorded 3 albums and 2 EPs as Pyf Belly Machine as well as the extended incarnation of that band playing a gig at my college in February 95.  We were the least talented in terms of playing, but the only band that went to the college that were playing original songs.  And we were all right as well, rough around the edges but I still think we had some decent songs despite the constant instrument swapping.

Solo I recorded 2 albums and 2 EPs as Marvin (later to become Spraypaint), one each of which were recorded on my brother's new 4-track Portastudio.  The increase in sound quality coincided with an increase in songwriting quality and despite the constraints in playing produced one of the best songs I've ever written in One of These Days.

I also did an album and an EP as Uranium, which was my first attempt at rock music, although there were a fair amount of keyboards on there too as I was really attempting to be Guisborough's answer to Nine Inch Nails.  Results weren't amazing but I'd hone it a little in subsequent years.

As with last time I'll give a shout to the bands that made the shortlist but not the chart, so commiserations to Chemical Brothers, Carter USM, Schtum, Smashing Pumpkins, Lightning Seeds, Napalm Death, Presidents of the USA, Rocket From The Crypt, Sleeper, Bal-Sagoth, Charlatans, Saint Etienne, EMF, Die Krupps, Fat, Primus, Marilyn Manson, Extreme and Silverchair.  Maybe next time?

1. My Dying Bride - The Cry of Mankind

2. At The Gates - Blinded By Fear

3. China Drum - One Way Down

4. Life of Agony - Let's Pretend

5. Anathema - A Dying Wish

6. At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul

7. Paradise Lost - Forever Failure

8. Ash - Girl From Mars

9. White Zombie - Electric Head Pt 1

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers - My Friends

11. Paradise Lost - The Last Time

12. Paradise Lost - Once Solemn

13. Pulp - Disco 2000

14. Fear Factory - Self Bias Resistor

15. Paradise Lost - Hallowed Land

16. Cathedral - Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)

17. Fear Factory - Replica

18. Paradise Lost - Enchantment

19. Fear Factory - Demanufacture

20. Fear Factory - H-K (Hunter-Killer)

21. Paradise Lost - Shadowkings

22. Pulp - Common People

23. Shelter - Message of the Bhagavat

24. China Drum - Barrier

25. Faith No More - Ugly in the Morning

26. Faith No More - Digging the Grave

27. White Zombie - Super-charger Heaven

28. Fear Factory - Body Hammer

29. Misery Loves Co. - Need Another One

30. Life of Agony - Lost at 22

31. Shelter - Here We Go

32. Elastica - Blue

33. Ugly Kid Joe - Milkman's Son

34. The Gathering - Strange Machines

35. My Dying Bride - From Darkest Skies

36. Paradise Lost - Yearn For Change

37. Senseless Things - Something to Miss

38. White Zombie - Electric Head Pt 2

39. Faith No More - What a Day

40. Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around

41. Senseless Things - 16.18.21

42. Senseless Things - Touch Me on the Heath

43. Elastica - Stutter

44. Blur - Country House

45. Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape

46. Boo Radleys - Wake Up Boo!

47. Faith No More - Ricochet

48. Pearl Jam - I Got ID

49. Boo Radleys - Find the Answer Within

50. Life of Agony - Seasons

51. Life of Agony - Damned If I Do

52. The Gathering - In Motion #1

53. Shed 7 - Where Have You Been Tonight?

54. Sugar Ray - Mean Machine

55. Rancid - Time Bomb

56. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Warped

57. Skunk Anansie - I Can Dream

58. Faith No More - The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

59. Faith No More - Cuckoo For Caca

60. Carcass - Keep On Rotting in the Free World

61. Cathedral - Utopian Blaster

62. Paradise Lost - Shades of God

63. Paradise Lost - I See Your Face

64. Shelter - Civilized Man

65. Rancid - Roots Radicals

66. Menswear - I'll Manage Somehow

67. Reef - Good Feeling

68. Reef - Choose To Live

69. Menswear - Stardust

70. Menswear - Being Brave

71. Supergrass - Alright

72. Senseless Things - Wanted

73. Green Day - Stuck With Me

74. Iron Maiden - Man On The Edge

75. The Gathering - Eleanor

Top 75 of 1992

The last chart representing 1991 was the one where a whole new world of music opened up, there was something beneath the top 40 that was being fed to me and I dived in, discovering some new bands and sounds in the process.  I bought albums by The Farm, EMF and Flowered Up and dipped my toes into something more guitar-heavy with Extreme.  I taped a whole host of songs from the Evening Session and bought a few 7"s and cassette singles too.

In reality, quite a few of the albums that had songs featuring in the 1991 chart were albums I bought in 1992.  I'm talking Pearl Jam's Ten, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik to mention a few, which was more of a representation of where my tastes were going in 1992.  The indie that I'd initially started with in 91 was more me taking on elements of my older brother's developing music tastes, 92 was more me finding what I wanted to listen to.

The first album I bought in 92 was Airhead's Boing, carrying on the indie theme of the previous year.  I then turned 14 in May 92 and I remember receiving Manic Street Preachers' Generation Terrorists on cassette and the white vinyl 12" of Pearl Jam's Even Flow for my birthday.  The Manics had played Middlesbrough Town Hall earlier that year and sadly I wasn't allowed to go as I was too young, my first gig still yet to happen.

Things took a different turn with my next two albums, Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine and KMFDM's Money, quite a strange leap into some of the lighter side of industrial.  Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and the Black Crowes followed as American rock bands started to creep into my collection, as well as the latest albums from some of my original crop of bands, The Farm, Extreme and EMF.

My favourite band in 1991 had been The Farm, but their 1992 album Love See No Colour didn't quite live up to expectations and only ended up with one song featured in this chart.  The Senseless Things took over as my favourite band, The First of Too Many cassette that I own may have even been my brother's that he gave to me as I liked it so much,  He definitely gave me his Got It At The Delmar cassette single and his Easy to Smile 12" (complete with Jamie Hewlett art print).  If you're wondering where they are in this chart they only released a couple of singles, which will be counted towards the 1993 chart as part of their Empire of the Senseless album.

I also started recording a rock and metal programme on TV, which was on in the middle of the night, called Raw Power.  On there was a feature about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, What Hits was duly purchased and a back catalogue would follow gradually over the next couple of years.  Raw Power exposed me to even heavier sounds which intrigued me, however I wasn't quite ready to delve even deeper yet.  I saw videos like Sepultura's Arise, Napalm Death's Mass Appeal Madness and Suffer the Children, Carcass' Corporal Jigsore Quandary, Obituary's The End Complete - I kept them on my video (filling the gaps between them with songs from The Chart Show) but they were kind of like weird curios, things I was interested in but not sure I actually liked.

Even though I couldn't quite reach the more extreme bands yet, my tastes got a little bit heavier still over the year.  Purchases of Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction and Faith No More's Angel Dust were important stepping stones.  Nine Inch Nails' Broken and Fixed took it even further, Fixed in particular being especially harsh on these 14 year old ears.

But as you can see from the chart entries, it wasn't all about the pursuit of heavier music.  Peppered with the likes of Mega City Four, The Frank and Walters, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Carter, Blur, Inspiral Carpets and Thousand Yard Stare there was plenty of room for the 1991-style indie contingent.  In fact there were quite a few more among those that made my shortlist but didn't chart, the full list being: The Fall, Electronic, The Shamen, Swervedriver, Young Gods, Ludicrous Lollipops, Eat, Catherine Wheel, Charlatans, Natural Life, Napalm Death, Murder Inc, Ride, Therapy?, White Zombie, Fatima Mansions, Screaming Trees, Skid Row, Extreme, The Cure, 2 Die 4, James and Obituary.

So 1992 ended up being a great year for music, riffs in particular being a massive part of this chart, with Pantera, Rage Against the Machine and Helmet being responsible for a lot of them.  And in their cases not only massive riffs but riffs that groove.  It was also a year where I was properly acquainted with the debut album by the band that would always remain my favourite......although I didn't quite know it yet, that would happen in 1993.......

1. Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark

2. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

3. Nine Inch Nails - Wish

4. Manic Street Preachers - Stay Beautiful

5. Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness

6. Rage Against The Machine - Know Your Enemy

7. Rage Against The Machine - Killing in the Name

8. Pantera - Walk

9. Brutal Truth - Walking Corpse

10. Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us

11. Bolt Thrower - The IVth Crusade

12. Mega City Four - Stop.

13. Helmet - Unsung.

14. Helmet - In the Meantime.

15. Pantera - Mouth For War

16. Manic Street Preachers - Little Baby Nothing

17. Manic Street Preachers - Condemned to Rock 'N' Roll

18. Rage Against The Machine - Bullet in the Head

19. Rage Against The Machine - Bombtrack

20. Carter USM - The Only Living Boy in New Cross

21. The Farm - Mind

22. Lightning Seeds - The Life of Riley

23. Helmet - Turned Out

24. Rage Against The Machine - Wake Up

25. Nine Inch Nails - Gave Up

26. Manic Street Preachers - Slash N' Burn

27. Faith No More- Everything's Ruined

28. Pulp - Babies

29. Pantera - A New Level

30. The Levellers - 15 Years

31. Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Intact

32. Faith No More - A Small Victory

33. Alice in Chains - Would?

34. Faith No More - Jizzlobber

35. Pantera - Fucking Hostile

36. Manic Street Preachers - Repeat

37. Manic Street Preachers - Love's Sweet Exile

38. Manic Street Preachers - Born To End

39. Frank & Walters - This Is Not A Song

40. Nine Inch Nails - Happiness In Slavery

41. Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction

42. Paradise Lost - Pity the Sadness

43. Alice in Chains - Them Bones

44. Pearl Jam - State of Love and Trust

45. Faith No More - Land of Sunshine

46. EMF - They're Here

47. Manic Street Preachers - Nat West-Barclays-Midlands-Lloyds

48. EMF - Search and Destroy

49. Manic Street Preachers - Another Invented Disease

50. Blur - Popscene

51. Rage Against The Machine - Take the Power Back

52. Helmet - Give It

53. EMF - Getting Through

54. Stone Temple Pilots - Plush

55. L7 - Everglade

56. Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing

57. Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray

58. Mega City Four - Shivering Sand

59. Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong

60. Ugly Kid Joe - So Damn Cool

61. Pantera - This Love

62. Pantera - Hollow

63. Pantera - Regular People (Conceit)

64. Manic Street Preachers - Crucifix Kiss

65. Thousand Yard Stare - 0-0 aet

66. Airhead - Scrap Happy

67. Spin Doctors - Two Princes

68. Black Crowes - Sting Me

69. KMFDM - Money

70. Ministry - Hero

71. KMFDM - Bargeld

72. Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

73. Bolt Thrower - Dying Creed

74. Bolt Thrower - Celestial Sanctuary

75. Inspiral Carpets - Two Worlds Collide

Top 50 of 1989

All of the preceding charts were a mixture of childhood pop reminiscence and time-travelling discovery at a later date, but by 1989 the pop had dried up.....or maybe it hasn't stood the test of time particularly well. Perhaps I was also growing out of it as the likes of Stock/Aitken/Waterman were taking over the charts.  All the songs that made it onto my pop shortlist ended up losing out including Technotronic's Pump Up the Jam, Bobby Brown's My Prerogative and On Our Own and the one that came closest, Jason Donovan's Too Many Broken Hearts (perhaps assisted by my later cover), the latter two expanding my ever growing 7" collection.

In 1989 I turned 11, so I don't think I was aware of most of the songs here in that year but I certainly became aware of most of them over the next 2 or 3 years.  Many of these songs and albums were part of my grounding in music even if it didn't necessarily take place in that year, in fact a few of the albums featured here didn't actually break over here until subsequent years, with an accompanying breakthrough single.

So with pop gone and the two bands that dominated the 80s charts, Iron Maiden and Metallica, between albums it allowed other bands to shine.  Bands like Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Sepultura and Soundgarden produced very good albums in 1989, in all cases they would follow it up with one even better that would further shape my tastes in years to come.  The Senseless Things' Postcard CV in particular was a huge influence on my own songwriting and was another that was to be followed up by even greater songs.

The musical landscape, as well as what would become my musical taste, was starting to change, definitely for the better with a new rock/alternative slant and a healthy dose of indie pushing its way in.  My musical awakening was beginning.....

1. Senseless Things - Too Much Kissing

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Higher Ground

3. Faith No More - Epic

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Knock Me Down

5. Nine Inch Nails - Head Like A Hole

6. Faith No More - From Out of Nowhere

7. Senseless Things - Teenage

8. Stone Roses - I Am the Resurrection

9. Senseless Things - Standing in the Rain

10. Nine Inch Nails - Sin

11. Carcass - Reek of Putrefaction

12. Nine Inch Nails- Terrible Lie

13. Faith No More - Falling to Pieces

14. Extreme - Mutha (Don't Wanna Go To School Today)

15. Faith No More - The Real Thing

16. Stone Roses - Waterfall

17. Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Alley

18. Sepultura - Inner Self

19. Sepultura - Beneath the Remains

20. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Taste the Pain

21. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Nobody Weird Like Me

22. Faith No More - Woodpecker From Mars

23. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stone Cold Bush

24. Soundgarden - Loud Love

25. Senseless Things - Girlfriend

26. Senseless Things - Back to Nowhere

27. Carter USM - Sheriff Fatman

28. Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored

29. Senseless Things - Trevor

30. Stone Roses - Made of Stone

31. Nirvana - About a Girl

32. Soundgarden - Hands All Over

33. Extreme - Play With Me

34. Senseless Things - Someone in You

35. Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums

36. Extreme - Flesh 'N' Blood

37. Nine Inch Nails - Sanctified

38. Faith No More - Zombie Eaters

39. Inspiral Carpets - Find Out Why

40. Pop Will Eat Itself - Def.Con.One

41. Wonder Stuff  - Don't Let Me Down, Gently

42. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky

43. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Subway to Venus

44. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Good Time Boys

45. Nine Inch Nails - Down In It

46. Bolt Thrower - World Eater

47. Sepultura - Mass Hypnosis

48. Extreme - Kid Ego

49. Extreme - Little Girls

50. Nine Inch Nails - Ringfinger

Faith No More Top 50

I wasn't sure whether to go with Faith No More as a top 50 given that they only had 6 studio albums, therefore the majority of their songs would end up in the chart somewhere.  But as a teenager I always considered them my third favourite band (after the Manics and the Senseless Things), so quality was never in question.

As with the other two bands they all had one member that I considered set them apart from other more run of the mill bands - the lyrics and propaganda of Richey Edwards, the bass of Morgan Nicholls and the keyboards of Roddy Bottum.  They weren't exactly a standard rock band without Roddy, in particular the rhythm section of Bill Gould and Mike Bordin were uniquely in tune with each other, but he definitely gave them something extra.

Even though I had heard 'Epic' somewhere along the line, 'Angel Dust' was the first FNM album I bought and it was one of those where hearing it as a 14 year old made it not seem as mad as it would be hearing it later on.....the innocence of youth!  Still my favourite of their albums (as shown in the 'By Era' chart), repeated listens reveal plenty of things you hadn't appreciated earlier on.

In reality comparing the songs was very difficult - you had the first two albums fronted by Chuck Mosely, the breakthrough of 'The Real Thing' which was different again, 'Angel Dust' where everything took a slightly darker turn, followed by the stylistically all over the place 'King for a Day...' and the more patchy comeback of 'Album of the Year'.  All had their gems, all had their detours into weird and wonderful unfamiliar genres, some of them worked and some of them didn't but they were definitely never boring.

This chart doesn't have the same depth of quality that the other charts I've compiled have had, but then there was a lot more to choose from in those cases so a slightly unfair comparison.  I think they may have slipped down the pecking order from third favourite band, but there will always be a place in my favourites list for a band as awkward as I am......

1. Midlife Crisis

2. Ashes to Ashes

3. Epic

4. Ugly in the Morning

5. From Out of Nowhere

6. Digging the Grave

7. Everything's Ruined

8. Introduce Yourself

9. Jizzlobber

10. Faster Disco

11. A Small Victory

12. Land of Sunshine

13. Cuckoo for Caca

14. Ricochet

15. Falling to Pieces

16. What a Day

17. We Care a Lot

18. Last Cup of Sorrow

19. The Real Thing

20. Another Body Murdered

21. Crack Hitler

22. Caffeine

23. Kindergarten

24. Woodpecker From Mars

25. Be Aggressive

26. Chinese Arithmetic

27. Anne's Song

28. Smaller and Smaller

29. Zombie Eaters

30. R n' R

31. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

32. Pristina

33. Mark Bowen

34. Get Out

35. Surprise! You're Dead!

36. Collision

37. Evidence

38. Malpractice

39. Midnight Cowboy

40. Got That Feeling

41. Mouth to Mouth

42. I Started a Joke

43. Spirit

44. Just a Man

45. The Crab Song

46. As the Worm Turns

47. The Morning After

48. Greed

49. Arabian Disco

50. Blood

By Era

We Care a Lot 5

Introduce Yourself 8

The Real Thing 8

Angel Dust 12

King For a Day...Fool For a Lifetime 9

Album of the Year 6

Others 2