IN OUR HUMBLE VIEW YOU SHOULD OWN ALL OR AT LEAST HALF OF THESE PAST AND PRESENT QUALITY RELEASES / SHADDERS ROLL OF HONOUR - WE LIST OUR FAV BANDS OF THE PAST WHO HAVE ENTERED THE SHADDERS HALL OF FAME!

 

Well here is the first instalment of the shadders favourite albums, hopefully there will be some obvious ones and some that you possibly wouldn't have thought of. What they are all have in common is that they are blinding and we think you should own them all! Keep checking back as we add more and more of our favourite albums (till we reach 50 anyway!). Also scroll down and find out which compilation albums are worth a spin on your stereo too.

Oasis – Definitely Maybe

  Label – Creation. Year – 1994.

‘Supersonic’ was released on the Monday and by the Saturday of that week we were travelling half way across the country to Preston to witness history in the making. Oasis were truly special, the atmosphere was electric and Manchester new young guns Liam and Noel just quite simply blew everyone away. A string of killer singles followed adding to the buzz and the momentum just keep rolling and rolling so when the album was released it just exploded making it one of the biggest debut long players of all time. The record didn’t disappoint neither it’s a rollercoaster of a record without a duff track, Noel’s writing is spectacular equally matched by Liam’s rock star vocals. Highlight – ‘Rock and Roll star’ just sums it up, definitely? Maybe! Sorry couldn’t resist. Verdict – As far as debut’s go its up there with the best of ‘um.

The Wedding Present – Seamonsters

Label – BMG / RCA. Year – 1991.

Coming out of the C86 era The Wedding Present were Leeds finest janglerly guitar merchants but then they found hardcore American Nirvana producer Steve Albini and got all serious, the result was the epic Seamonsters. It’s a miserablist paradise with Dave Gedge’s forlorn love lost lyrics and matching desolate vocals. The guitars lose their jangle and end up a million miles away from their twee beginnings; it’s an album that flows perfectly from one heart breaking song to the next. Highlights – Opener ‘Dalliance’ is the epic tale of love lost, an affair that leaves those involved empty and lonely, Gedge is a great story teller and you can feel the pain. The song commences slowly, softly even then speeds up mid section and ends up a bastard of a song. Verdict – Not one for the faint hearted but one hell of a record.

 

Kasabian

Label – BMG / RCA. Year – 2004.

It’s been attempted plenty of times before mixing beats and guitars but there isn’t many occasions that it’s sounded this good. Kasabian always had the look and the style as a band and they managed to carry that through the album artwork too, a black cover just featuring the name and the masked Kasabian logo, so cool. The record starts like a jet plane; ‘Club Foot’, ‘Processed beats’ and ‘Reason is treason’ is one of the best starts to an album ever, heavy beats plus jamming guitars and big bass, excellent. It does tail off slightly over the second half but is still a killer debut. Highlight – ‘Club foot’ is massive but any band that manages to fit LSD and monkeys in the same lyric are cool by us. Verdict – A stylish mix of beats and guitars that drips cool.

 

The Stone Roses

Label – Silvertone. Year – 1989.

As debut albums go this is the daddy, often copied never ever beaten it is a sure-fire solid gold classic. From the opening bars of ‘I wanna be adored’ to the close of ‘I am the resurrection’ The Stone Roses created a 49-minute work of genius. From John Squire’s masterful guitars through Ian Brown’s rough and ready vocals this is a band who know they are at the top of the game and creating a slice of rock history. This is the album that defined an era and still does. The loose grooves of ‘She bangs the drums’ and ‘Waterfall’ just ask to be danced to (badly we hasten to add, oh and like a monkey on acid!). The whole Madchester scene created a raft of excellent bands including The Charlatans, Happy Mondays, James and The Inspiral Carpets but at the end of the day nobody could get anyway near the blinding brilliance of this record. It’s just an inspirational listen. Then there’s the sleeve artwork, it looks as good as it sounds too, Squire takes his muse from the legend Jackson Pollock to spawn a thousand T shirts! Highlight – Pick any track you want but you’ll have to go a really, really long way ever to beat the epic genius of ‘I am the resurrection’ it’s absolutely spellbinding. Verdict – Ian Brown recently received a godlike genius award and he deserves it for his part in this display of musical perfection. The test of a classic album is that it inspires and entertains in equal measures and it still ticks both boxes to this date. Unbeatable.

 

Ride – Going Blank Again

Label – Creation. Year – 1992.

A string of Ep’s and their debut album ‘Nowhere’ had suggested that these shoegazers from Oxford had the potential to shine but this album is a masterpiece. It is one album that can really reduce you to tears it is that beautiful. Mark Gardener and Andy Bell team up to pen a collection of songs that soar through the speakers and take you to their heart, the vocals moving and the guitars just swoon. Gardener’s lyrics possibly tip the scales of the now Oasis session man’s especially in the splendid closer ‘OX4’. The press may have called them movers in the scene that celebrated themselves but this is an album to worship, indie pop never sounded so lovely. Highlight – ‘Leave them all behind’ is a great starter, weighing in at over eight minutes just listen to those guitars. ‘Twisterella’ is a lovely tune and the twin finale of ‘Time Machine’ and ‘OX4’ just set the seal on a beautiful piece of musically art. Verdict – Not so much shoegazers more stargazers!

 

Six By Seven – The Things We Make

Label – Mantra. Year – 1998.

Nottingham’s Six by Seven took indie guitar rock by the neck twisted it out of shape and pushed it past the musical boundary. It’s a hard faced, brutal, heavy experience but there’s the occasional glimmer of hope in the lyrics but that usually is stamped out by feedback frenzy or two. It isn’t an album to be taken lightly but it show’s just how far a guitar can be pushed before it explodes. Highlight – ‘Candlelight’ or ‘European Me’ are both desolately glorious! Verdict – Do not listen to this album if you are suffering from any forms of depression it may just push you over the edge or if you do just have a Kylie record on stand by just in case!

 

 

ARCTIC MONKEYS – WHATEVER PEOPLE SAY I AM, THAT’S WHAT I’M NOT

Label - Domino Records. Year - 2006  

Don’t believe the hype we are constantly told but the Arctic Monkeys buck that trend, do believe the hype, jump on that very big band wagon and enjoy the ride to Sheffield and beyond! From the opening chords of ‘The view from the afternoon’ it’s a three chord buzz round South Yorkshire, take everyone’s favourite number one single ‘I bet you look good on the dancefloor’ it’s a hundred mile an hour bouncing pop gem. But past the buzzing guitars there is far more to these northern moneys then meets the eye. The lyrics are sensational, funny and great social comment, more relevant than anything that The Streets could ever dream of. Anyone who can get the line ‘You’re from New York City, I’m from Rotherham’ into a song is pure class by us and we echo Chris Martin’s endorsements on that score. It’s also nice to hear a band not afraid by their accents neither, local, distinctive and proud. You’d expect due to the age of the monkeys that the songs may suffer but they don’t carry around any baggage to older bands do, it’s not naïve stuff though, the quality of the songwriting is second to none the tunes may bounce around, chopping and a changing but they never ever sound hacked together. Highlights: The aforementioned huge hit ‘I bet you look good on the dancefloor’ is as catchier tune as you’d ever dream of but it’s a diamond amongst gems. You’ll love ‘Mardy Bum’ it’s a simple uncomplicated song with ace lyrics and it’ll just have you humming it for weeks. But if we had to pick a favourite out of the thirteen tracks it would probably be ‘Fake tales of San Francisco’ musically stunning at has that legendary New York and Rotherham line! Verdict – As debut records go it’s a absolute corker and you’ll have to go a very, very long way to beat it. The Arctic Monkeys have raised the musical bar in this country and it’s going to take some record to get anywhere near it.

 

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Label - Creation. Year - 1991

They just don't make albums like this anymore and for good reason, it nearly bankrupted the record company! My Bloody Valentine were the ultimate in guitar frenzy, shoegazing, indie cool and the 1991 'Loveless' is their opus. It's one hell of an album,   eleven soundscapes that virtually sound like one, lush vocals coupled with big guitars mixed with sample loops to make one hell of an album. Amazingly just a four piece you'd guess it would take more to create such huge sounds, Kevin Shields (later of part time Primal Scream fame) made himself a guitar legends with the sounds layered on 'Loveless'. Highlights: Strangely it's the opener 'Only Shallow' and finale that take the plaudits; 'Only Shallow' creates the scene and atmosphere for the rest of the album to follow and 'Soon' is just superb. It has a fantastic loop (often copied never bettered) with sensational guitars over the top with vocals in which you can almost tell what Biilinda is singing! Verdict - If you like atmosphere, lush soundscapes and often haunting vocals then this is the first album to buy. My Bloody Valentine never followed it and how could you!

 

The Thrills - So Much for the City

Label - Virgin Records. Year - 2003

Never has an album summed up Summer more that the debut offering from Irish outfit da trills. Moving across the Atlantic from Ireland to the Pacific West Coast of America the influences of the area come through not just in the song titles (four songs are directly titled about areas or towns on the West Coast!) but also the laid back listener friendly grooves. It's a great album for when the sun is out and just chilling out to, 'Big Sur' is the powerhouse on the album and spearheaded their ascent into the charts, a super little song with catchy lyrics and great melody. That's the beauty of 'So Much for the City' a collection of sun drenched, melody driven quality pop   tunes. Highlights: For the shadders team having a copy on the car stereo whilst driving down the Pacific Coastal highway in the fall of 2003, listening to 'Big Sur' whilst driving through it was magical. Tune wise the opening duo of 'Santa Cruz' and 'Big Sur' are hard to beat. Verdict - Even if it raining outside bang on The Thrills and the sun shines out of the stereo and that's da trills magic.

Nirvana - Nevermind

Label - Sub Pop / Geffen. Year - 1991

It cannot be underestimated the effect that this album had on rock music, before 'Nevermind' rock was dead. It was inhabited by dodgy poodle hair, tight trousers and horrible ballads (bit like The Darkness really) but this album to excuse my terminology gave rock a real shot in the arm. Nirvana themselves had already released a self financed debut in 'Bleach' but it didn't really give any clues on how massive the follow up 'Nevermind' would be. Like any huge album there is always that killer single and it was indeed there, the opener 'Smells like teen spirtit' has to be one of the best rock tunes of all times, coupled with the excellent highschool teen angst video it just had to go global, grunge was born and rock once   again rocked.   It's no one tune wonder neither, on any other album 'Come as you are' would be the star of the show and 'Territorial pissings' is a proper rock song. Unfortunately poor Kurt Cobain, an icon to many after this album couldn't handle the fame (no more than he could handle underachievement either) and he's slide into drug addiction and depression was hard to watch. The lyrics 'No I don't have a gun' were unfortunately untrue and Kurt took his own life. Highlight: Has to be 'Smells like Team Spirit' musically it's a true teen rebellion anthem. There has to be a huge mention for the artwork too, the baby swimming after the dollar bill is just class. Verdict: Rock would never be the same again.

 

Reverend and the makers – The state of things.

label - Wall of Sound Year- 2007

Intro – Move over Arctic Monkeys The Reverend is here and ready to steal thy crowd as Sheffield’s premier left field music maker. But for John McClure, the self styled Reverend music is only half of the equation he’s a poet, a lyricist and social commentator. Reverend and the Makers have been kicking around for Sheffield bidding their time, supporting Turner & friends and just waiting to strike. That time is now, since ‘Heavyweight champion of the world’ was unleashed it has just gone mental for the Reverend and indeed his merry makers, top ten hits and sell out shows to great acclaim has build up ‘The state of things’ to one of the most eagerly awaited debut albums of recent times. The Music – There’s element of pop, beats, old fashioned indie guitars, electro pop and a big dose of singalong lyrics. First off McClure makes no bones about what he’s about in the opener and title track ‘The State of things’ – ‘I’m the Reverend and I’m going to tell you the state of things’. From the off he’s slagging this and that off, proper social commentary with one hell of a message. In fact come to think off it in the very next song ‘The Machine’ one of the main lines is ‘Get born, get stupid’! Here’s one for the trainspotters he’s joined by everyone’s favourite monkey Alex Turner on backing vox. When the mega, monster ‘Heavyweight champion of the world’ kicks in it actually goes down a peg in tempo, the album really sets off at quite a rapid rate of knots. There’s plenty been written about ‘Heavyweight champion of the world’ and by gods it’s all-true, just an absolute blinder of a song. It has everything; catchy as hell, singalong lyrics, the Reverend’s message and a cracking beat, just has the full set, pop perfection with an edge. McClure can ‘sing’ about almost anything he sees or hears, the simplistic ‘Bandits’ tackles down to earth life ruining gambling (we seen it happen as much as McClure has, it’s just a fact of working class life). ‘Open your window’ is the ante love song, growing apart and having to let go. It’s effective stuff without having that killer impact of a ‘Heavyweight champion of the world’. The way McClure writes and his delivery is similar to that of Sheffield’s old skool finest Jarvis Cocker, just can take everyday life, the northern way of life and make it sound so damn real. ‘Sex with the ex’ actually is a more ‘real’ song, stripped bare without electro beats and his vocals actually sound pretty damn good, almost in the vein of Noel Oasis. ‘18-30’ makes the jump from b side to album track with ease, a nice tune sees the Reverend take a pop at the Brits abroad sub culture (nobody is exempt from the Reverends sermons). ‘He said he loved me’ actually sounds better on the album (we were a little critical upon it’s release) it has that real poppy edge and some cracking lyrics about the old teen mum situation. ‘What the milkman saw’ is probably the tune that has the easiest comparison to Cocker’s Pulp, it’s a bit of a comedy dig at the old northern tradition of being a rite gossip monger! ‘Sundown on the empire’ is a bit of an oddball, it has the sound of a beefed up massive attack (messing with The Specials by the end) which actually suits McClure’s vocals. And then comes the beast, it’s a monster live and is as great here too, ‘Miss Brown’ is a bit two tone by feel with a rip roaring beat and the chorus to die for, sorted. ‘Armchair Detective’ finishes off proceedings in considerable style, ‘Just cause you shoot loudest don’t mean you’re right’, how very true! It has to be said that the sleeve is the business too. There’s manifesto style write ups for each track and a cracking Pulpesque photo. Just one thing John ‘ But like the coach who never played or the failed musician come reviewer, our hero feels compelled to offer his opinion of things he has no knowledge’ – Armchair Detective sleeve notes. I never bothered trying to sing or play guitar as I know I’m shite, my failed A level English Literature exam suggests I have no knowledge of writing either. However, I am compelled to air my opinion that this is the best album of the year, is that okay John?! The Verdict – Eargerly awaited albums have the tendancy to let down the listener but there’s no such problems here, this is a blinding debut right out of the top draw. It’s one of those albums that works on a number of levels, if you want an easy listen then it’s great but if you want to delve deeper it’s got great depth. The Reverend has opinions and views on just about everything but a bit like that Arctic Monkeys debut the stories told are brightly coloured and damn compelling. He may well be a latter day poet but The Reverend is a damn fine writer of songs and ‘The state of things’ is packed to the brim of them. Just simply a great album. 



Elbow – Cast of Thousands.

Label – V2. Year – 2003

Intro - The North West has always been one of the most fertile breeding grounds for musical talent so it came as no surprise to find Elbow hot footing out of Bury and Manchester. More in the mould of Doves than an Oasis they had already drawn their own impressive line in the sand with the debut album ‘!!’ which contained some stunning songs. But Cast of Thousands raised the bar and by some too. It not only continued their tradition of atmospheric, moving and uplifting indie guitar sound but by 2003 it had been honed to perfection. It didn’t just contain a collection of great songs it worked as a full eleven track piece of music, it was one of those albums that like Suede’s second album that transcends music and became a piece of art. The other great thing about Elbow is that you’d just never guess that this bunch of lads could create such wonderful music, oh and we were lucky enough to meet them a good few years ago and they are cracking, honest and genuinely funny. Highlight - Obviously we have to mention some of the songs, although there isn’t a duff track amongst the eleven both ‘Fallen Angel’ and ‘Grace under pressure’ usually get outed for great praise. Although ‘Fugitive motel’ is perhaps the real showstopper, it’s quite the understated gem but the lyrics are just so special, wonderful. Verdict – Uncut magazine said ‘Already a frontrunner for the finest album of 2003’ and who are we to argue. 



The Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare.

Label – Domino. Year - 2007

Intro – It’s more than well documented the cosmic rise from South Yorkshire teenagers to world music leaders so we won’t bother retreading old ground. Suffice to say their second long player falls squarely into the ‘eagerly awaited category’ so does it live up to that debut? The Music – ‘Brainstorm’ is one hell of a signal of intent, it’s obvious really early doors that The Arctic Monkeys haven’t dropped the baton, it’s clear it’s business as usual. ‘Teddy Picker’ has some real dubious lyrics but it’s one hell of a tune, quite rightly it’s a favourite of fans already. So anyway where have the Monkeys gone to? Well not a great distance from the debut but they have upped the ante, sounding more mature, a bit harder, brasher even with distorted vocals entering the fray too. ‘Flouresent Adolescent’ does hark back to the stunning debut, pretty accessible and an obvious choice for a single too. The thing that perhaps impresses most is the maturity issue, Alex Turner has shown ability beyond his years. A lot of people can write a decent enough tune but Turner’s lyrics and compositions are simply stunning. That debut showed Alex Turner to be no ordinary lyricist and this follow up continues the trend of simple yet splendidly effective lyrics, ‘Do me a favour’ and especially finale ‘505’ are excellent examples of the art. ‘This house is a circus’ is another success, with a beast of an ending and feeds nicely into the bastardised guitar intro of ‘If you were there, beware’. For great bass and guitar combo check out ‘Old yellow bricks’ with again ace lyrics and vocals. A true gem ‘505’ is simple, has stunning lyrics and just sounds like a band truly on top of their game. Highlights and lowlights – There ain’t no lowlights, no dodgy filler tracks, it’s a real power house of an album. No longer does Alex sound so regional (not that was ever a problem for us local lads) what they do sound is just so damn cool, calculated and blindingly effective. As with all great albums and remember this is a great album it’s difficult to pick stand out tracks but it’s hard to go far with ‘Brainstorm’. ‘Teddy Picker’ is a bit off the wall but in a good way but saying that ‘505’ will take some beating; the lyrics breathtaking, infectious as hell even though it starts at a low tempo before blowing the lid off, just awesome. Verdict – Try beat this!

Compilations and live albums are a cheap and easy way to get into the truely excellent bands, here we look at the best compilations money can buy.

 

The Doors - The Best of The Doors (Elekra / WEA)

Jim Morrison is the epitamy of cool, the ultimate in rock star to live fast and die painfully young. He was the full package; he had the looks, the attitude, the voice and the rock star zest for life. Yet without Ray Manzarek, Robbie Kreiger and John Densmore he could well have ended up a washed up old hippy wanna be poet. Manzarek has to be the finest keyboardist of his generation, his contribution to The Doors sound cannot be underestimated just listen to 'Light my Fire' for full prove of that fact. Manzarek opens doors too into other music and bands, listen to The Doors and then put on an early Charlatans album, see what we mean? Everything about The Doors had to be epic, some of their finest songs weigh in at a meaty ten minutes plus even their most succesful single, the aforementioned 'Light my Fire' hits the seven minute mark, never ones to undersell themselves! They were the full package, just look at that infamous photo of Morrison on the cover, barechested and smouldering looks but the band had the ability and style to back it all up. Just listen to Robbie Kreigers marvellous guitars on 'Roadhouse Blues', just a fantastic band. Rarely do you get such a unique perfect package shame that the light that burns twice as bright burns twice as quickly.

 

Ian Brown - The Greatest (Fiction / Polydor)

It's a funny old world ain't it, when the Roses finally split after that Reading Festival debacle Brown took all the flack while Squire by bailing retained his dignity and all the hopes for a sparkling solo career. Funny that all these years later Squire has all but disappeared up his own arse a big example of what happens when you beleive your own hype. Brown on the other hand has re-invented himself as a true musical god. This album brings together all the best tracks from his post Roses career, with a fantastic tongue in check title that isn't a million miles away from the truth. There's plenty of fine grooves for your money and even includes the Unkle tracks 'Reign' and the seminal 'Be there'. His own tracks are on the whole even better, 'Love like a fountain' shimmers whilst Noel Oasis pops in for a fine guest appearance on the excellent 'Keep what ya got'. The highlight of his career has to be 'F.E.A.R.', it's beatifully simple but absolutely stunning and sums up the vibe of the man to a tee. The greatest indeed.

 

Elvis - 1's (Rca / Bmg)

Without Elvis or The Beatles there would be no pop or rock music as we know it, that's a pure and simple fact. So whether you like the man or not don't forget Elvis' place at the forefront of popular music and culture, for that fact alone this collection is worth it's weight in gold. There is a staggering amount of albums, compilations and DVD's to choose from (the '68 comeback special is a compelling watch) but this album is second to none for it's sheer quality of it's massive 30 tracks. Sure some of the songs are a bit lightweight but there's some heavyweight vintage classics here too. 'Suspicious minds' is a legend at the top of his game with pure magic in his voice and 'In the ghetto' show Elvis in a different light, a gentle more fragile side rarely mentioned these days. Forget all about the 'Elvis works in my local chip shop' nonsense Elvis is the original and the best, a true larger than life legend and this is a great introduction into the songs that made him such a star.

 

Pearl Jam - Rear view mirror (Epic / Sony)

For every Sex Pistols that grab the headlines there's always a Clash, great in the own right but always somewhat living in the shadows. And Pearl Jam live in that shadow created by Nirvana, Kurt and Co may be credited with re-inventing rock and the force behind the Seattle grunge sound. But that is doing Pearl Jam a major dis-service because like The Clash they are the better band, musically at least and were always going to out live their self destructive neighbours. The bands debut album 'Ten' was a cracking tour de force and spawned many a worldwide smash single. This double Cd cronicles the band through 15 years of continous music from their long hair and bad clothes debut through to their current shorter hair and more sensible clothing! Early rock gem 'Alive' may hit the note straight away but the later tracks amongst the 33 tracks are well worth a listen, you may be suprised what a great band they turned into without them actually realising it. That said you still can't go far wrong with 'Evenflow'!

To be continued - there isn't quite 50 listed yet!

THE SHADDERS ONLINE ROLL CALL

To all the bands past and present that we have loved, possibly lost, refound and loved even more. The may the best bands in the world or just mean or remind us of something a bit more personal either way it’s the soundtrack to shadders life. In no order whatsoever….

Oasis – Fellow blues they are but we don’t just love them cause of this! When they took the scene by storm with ‘Supersonic’ they were a breathe of fresh air and made British music cool again. It’s been a rocky old road ever since but Noel is one of his generations great songwriters and Liam, well he drips arrogance and is cool as hell, just the perfect frontman.

The Wedding Present – Lets face it everyone needs to be miserable sometime and this is how to do it. ‘Kennedy’ and ‘Brassneck’ are fantastic tracks but for a monster misery fest check out the album ‘Seamonsters’ it’s will take a lot to better this for intensity and shear tear jerking raw emotion.

The Ordinary Boys – We love Fred Perry and Ben Sherman as much as the next man plus we enjoy a good jump around to the best of British.

Suede – Brett and Co also looked and sounded the part but their second album ‘Dog Man Star’ is more than music, it’s a piece of art.

Kaiser Chiefs – We doubted these fellow Yorkie boys to start with but always knew that ‘I Predict a riot’ was an awesome tune. But as the month rolled by and the buzz gathered pace they just got better and better. ‘Employment’ is a stonker of an album and we have grown to love them like brothers!

Stone Roses – Manchester so much to answer for goes the saying and for a time everything Brown, Squire, Mani and Reni did turned to gold. They were the complete package; the style, the artwork and that loose groove. Often imitated but never bettered.

The Beatles – The original and the best. From boyband to bigger than Jesus and redefined everything in music along the way. There is much to add to this story but they just had everything including humour which a lot of bands could do with finding, ‘Rocky Racoon’ to ‘Norwegian Wood’. Just awesome.

Ride – They heralded the so called scene that celebrated themselves and the whole shoegazing movement but forget tags and media nonsense this band were the premier purveyors of indie guitar soundscapes. The debut album ‘Nowhere’ should be viewed as a classic, it’s full of epic guitars and swoonsome vocals but it’s the second album that really steals the show ‘Going Blank Again’ is one of the best albums ever. It’s just one of those albums that will never date and can make a grown man cry with its beauty and emotion. Truly special.

Fatboy Slim – Before mentioning Mr Slim firstly let’s just say The Housemartins were Hull best band ever and Fatboy already gets bonus points from us for his part in that success. We’d just like to point out that at Shadders hq we like a dance, we can’t actually dance but that never stopped us! Whenever we hear Fatboy Slim we want to dance badly so if you’re in our area and hear ‘Right hear right now’ pouring out of our stereo all we is ask is for you to please look away!

Coldplay – I argued for ages this lot with a load of southern bedwetters but after seeing them it all clicked and I have eaten all my negative words. Epic sums them up, biggest band in the world –deservedly so.

Neds Atomic Dustbin – About as fashionable now as George Bush but these black country mob pack some power in their indie power punk pop. They were cool back in the day and ‘Kill your television’ was one of those cult classics and live at their best they were some draw, energy and tunes to burn, a good time always guaranteed.

Verve – Two quid it cost to see a fresh faced Ashcroft and co at Sheffield Uni at the start of their amazing career, Richard was off his face and they were stunning. A catalogue to die for and their reformed third album coined the phrase anthem. But it’s the second album ‘Northern Soul’ which should take the plaudits, it manages to be bleak and desolate yet uplifting, an album that full on it split the band up. Also note that most of the band went on to record a blinding album under the name The Shining and obviously Ashcroft solo albums should be in your collection he is a unique talent. Even better that they are back in the fold and hopefully this time for good.

These Animal Men – Attitude, style, buzzing guitars and a manifesto to boot. One of the new wave of new wave scene that burned so very brightly TAM had blew up with punk and new wave energy, looked and sounded great.

Elvis – See past all the crap and burgers that surrounds Elvis and listen to some of his music and watch the ’69 comback television special, it proves what a unique talent Elvis had. Obviously there is the argument that he ripped off black artists to become the success that he became but without Elvis, baggage and all we wouldn’t have rock, pop or even rap music that we see today and for that we salute Elvis.

Robbie Williams – We had the great pleasure to see Robbie at the beginning of his career and we could see what was coming, a true performer in the old skool way it was obvious he was going to be absolutely huge. He’s managed to knock out some quality tunes along the way too which is nice!

Happy Mondays – Bez is probably one of the coolest men alive and how’s this for an album credit ‘Bez – Vibes’ only The Happy Mondays! Apart from being lazy and possibly enjoying themselves a tad too much in their spare time they produced one of the albums of all time, it’s called ‘pills, thrills and bellyaches’ only the Happy Mondays! They put the Mad in Madchester with their loose, loose grooves, not so much a band but a load of mates having a blast and by accident actually being shit hot, only The Happy Mondays!

The Thrills – For a bunch of lads from the Emerald Isle this lot make it possible through their fantastic laid back grooves you for you to feel like you’re driving down highway one in the sun with the pacific at your side. The perfect soundtrack if you’re actually doing that like the shadders team did a few years back, lovely.

the Cure – Robert Smith is the godfather of goth, all hair and widow twanky makeup but he also writes quality songs. The majority of goth is shite but The Cure have a lengthy career littered with top pop classics but you definitely shouldn’t take fashion advice from them!

Elbow – There must be something in the water in the northwest as it produces brilliant band after brilliant band. Big Guy the lead singer looks as though he should sound like Joe Cocker but instead he has the sweetest vocal style. Intense, emotional, moving are all words that can describe Elbow’s dark but uplifting take on the well trodden indie guitar path but they do it just so well it sounds fresh and at time haunting. There’s plenty to recommend, but I’d take the magnificent ‘Powder Blue’ from their debut and the deverstatingly moving ‘Fugative Motel’ from it’s follow up are the picks.

Catherine Wheel – The loudest band I’ve ever seen, as I drove back up the M1 from the old Warehouse venue in Derby I was physically deaf! Pretty intense live they also managed to transfer that sound to record too, their first two albums are the pick, both feature some heavy hitting indie guitar songs. Also worth picking up is their last ‘Wishville’ is the band back on track and features a bonus live album too which is worth the money on it’s own. Now defunct, former singer Rob Dickinson (yes he is related to the Iron Maiden frontman but don’t let that put you off) has just released his debut album on Sanctuary Records and it’s well worth a listen too.

Morrissey – A rum bugger it has to be said but he’s second to none as a performer and has consistently put out some quality albums. Not a lot can be said about Morrissey that he himself hasn’t already said so just let the music do the talking!

Paris Angels – After the first wave of band came out of the Madchester baggy scene a further raft of less successful ‘Manchester’ bands came through the ranks. The Paris Angels were one such band, featuring a huge cast of members they brought with them some classic loose grooved pop gems, if their signature tune ‘Perfume’ had been a few years earlier heavens know what could have happened instead they kind of missed the boat, still absolute quality.

Arctic Monkeys – It’s all hype isn’t it? No their debut album is an absolute classic. To be fair at their tender age they shouldn’t be capable of writing such great lyrics but they are and we love them, as a bonus they are local lads.

The Doors – Jim Morrison is the best frontman of all time; talent to burn, the looks, the voice, the arrogance he was cool. Then there was Ray’s keyboards which are really, really awesome they just naturally compliment Jim’s vocals. A history lesson in music The Doors continue to be picked by every new generation and deservedly so.

New Order – Real pioneers, out of the ashes of arch misberablists Joy Division came this electro pop combo, as different as chalk and cheese. They have a monster career as well as spawning excellent spin off projects such as Electronic and Monaco but their high has to be ‘Blue Monday’, it changed music and that’s no understatement.

Athlete - Almost an anti fashion band this lot let the music do the talking and it sounds pretty damn sweet. Two albums packed with sugar coated pop tunes make them one of indie pops finest sons and with ‘Wires’ they have a song with works on numerous levels, not only it is a fine pop tune but some moving story behind it too.

Ian Brown – Post Roses everyone expected Squire to take over the world whilst the one who couldn’t sing would disappear, well just how wrong is everyone then, loads. Ian Brown’s solo work is on the money, some of it ranks up there with the best of the Roses whilst Squire has been bobbins. ‘My Star’ set the scene and ‘F.E.A.R’ has to be one of the best manc songs ever and great video too.

The Cooper Temple Clause – We love stuff that’s a little different and dares to take a few risks and that’s what sets The Cooper Temple Clause aside from their contemporaries. They always seem more a collective than a band, a love of electronic noodlings and the epic song means that TCTC always offer something really different. There are so many songs that deserve a mention but we’ll single out ‘Panzer Attack’ as what really sets the Coopers scene, hard as nails, fast as a bastard and groovy as hell, kind of sums up The Cooper Temple Clause but what does that name mean?! Gone but not forgotten.

Lee Griffiths – Self confessed gobshite hailing from the mean streets of Moston, Manchester this lad looks like a scally but has the voice of an angel. Fortunately he’s forgone the ramraiding to write some amazing songs, he packs some influences (Beatles, James Taylor to name two) but his style is all his own. Criminally underrated he is brilliant.

The Bluetones – Maybe a bit of a surprise inclusion this one as they are now blatantly unfashionable but they are still a fine pop band. Their early releases were blue obsessed, with songs called the likes of ‘Bluetonic’ and ‘Are you blue or are you blind’ but they had that swagger of a band who knew they could write 100% pop gems. Also worth picking up are the second album with a strange Mexican flavour and a storming singles album, poptastic!

Embrace – The kings of the comeback, good yorkie lads Embrace can write a decent tune and are now enjoying the success they richly deserve. Strange as it may sound the first time I saw them I really thought Danny couldn’t hold a tune in a bucket! Fortunately he’s gone on to prove me wrong and how.

Faithless – There are some bands that transend musical genres and Faithless are probably one of the best examples of how to do it with just excellent tunes. ‘Insomnia’ and ‘We Come One’ are not just dance floor classics but are monster mainstream tunes you can hear anywhere from telly adverts through to shop radios stations. One of the best single collections ever too.

Blur – I really loved Blur, their second album ‘Modern life is rubbish’ is one of my favourite albums of all time and ‘For tomorrow’ is as good in my opinion as the kinks ‘waterloo sunset’. So why do I say I really loved Blur, well I think Damon Allbran is a mardy, arrogant knob! Once they were one of the best live bands in the country, now he’s kicked one of the best guitarists in the world onto his arse and sings in a cartoon band. I rest my case your honour.

The Charlatans - Tim and co were always seen as manc also rans, but for one they were actually from Manchester and for two they've outlived just about all of the 'other' bands they were likened to. Still a dazzling live act and a back catalogue to die for. Quality.

Reverend and the Makers - Sheffield's finest who is known for his outspoken views as much as his music! Bit of a shame really as the music is spot on and live the Rev is second to none.