Time for a list!

This couldn't be a 'blokes talking about music' sort of thing if there wasn't a list in it.

Probably several lists. And we haven't had one yet.

So it must be time for My Top Ten Favourite Albums!

Top five would be pretty easy - top ten I'm not sure about. We'll get going and see what happens...

1. Mike Oldfield - Five Miles Out

Simply no contest. My favourite album since I first got it back in 1982. The perfect combination of the side-long 'Taurus II', and the four songs on side 2. Helps that the title track is my favourite song ever.

2. Rush - Power Windows

My favourite album by my favourite band. Only eight songs, but every one of them is top drawer. A lot of Rush fans are a bit sniffy about the 80's 'synths and pushed-up jacket sleeves' phase, but this, for me is superlative stuff. Also contains my second favourite song ever, Marathon.

3. Marillion - Seasons End

Getting a bit tricky now. Three - Six could conceivably be in any order, depending on what day of the week it is. This was a slow grower. Steve Hogarth's first album with Marillion after Fish's departure, and for me, never bettered.

4. Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat

A lot of people like Leonard Cohen - he's in the midst of a bit of a revival at the moment. Other people consider him a miserable old bloke that you shouldn't listen to if you're feeling a bit depressed. Me, I think he's great. This, however, is a collection of nine Cohen songs covered by Jennifer Warnes, (best known for 'Up Where We Belong' with Joe Cocker) and to my mind, everyone of them is better than the original.

And the originals are pretty good.

5. Laurie Anderson - Strange Angels

I remember this as clear as if it were yesterday. I used to work up near Oxford St in central London, and one evening after work in 1989 I was walking down Carnaby St. There was a small, bijou record shop (long gone now), and the first thing that struck me was that it was the only time I'd been in a 'record' shop that only sold CDs. No vinyl, no tapes. (This was 1989, remember.)

The second thing that struck me was that whatever they were playing, I had to have it. I marched straight up to the counter, pointed at the ceiling (as you do when indicating music, wherever it may be emanating from), and said 'Whatever this is, I'll take a copy please.'

It turned out to be 'Hiawatha' from 'Strange Angels'.

To Be Continued...