I chose these albums as my top ten because they influenced my musical taste and that I played them a lot at certain points in my life.
Inevitably, there are a lot from the 1980s, because that was when I was a teenager. I was more interested in music then and I listened to albums more, because there were no MP3s, no iPods, no Spotify, no downloadable music of any sort. I didn’t even have a CD player until the 1990s. And yes, it was all fields around here in those days.
Even so, I had to leave a lot of great albums from the 80s and 90s out. But I wanted to include at least one album from each decade.
Also, I didn’t include any classical albums in my top ten, even though I like classical music and jazz too. So I’ll just name-check a classical album I love: The Draughtsman’s Contract by Michael Nyman and a jazz album that I played all the time in the 1990s: Introductions in the Dark by Andy Sheppard.
Yes, I had trouble making my mind up. It was hard to pick a top ten because there are far more than ten albums I love. So I added some runners-up too. And I cheated by including several albums by the same artist as one choice.
But in the end I narrowed it down to a top ten. Here they are in chronological order.
1976: Jean-Michel Jarre Oxygène
Oxygène: released in 1976 and, in retrospect, the most influential album I’ve ever bought. I didn’t buy it in the 1970s as I was too young, but when I first heard it in the 1980s, it triggered my lifelong love of beepy electronic music.
Runner-up:
- Vienna, by Ultravox (1981) – the first album I ever bought (for myself – I’m not counting kids’ albums my parents bought me).
1978: Kraftwerk The Man Machine
Another one I was too young to buy when it first came out, The Man Machine had a second life when the single The Model was re-released in 1982 and went to number one, and I got the tape from the library and played it until my parents forced me to take it back.
Quintessential new wave electro-pop that still sounds great.
Runner up
- Upstairs at Eric’s, by Yazoo (1982)
- Rio, by Duran Duran (1982)
1983: The The Soul Mining/Infected
Okay, I’m cheating a bit by including two albums by the same band.
Soul Mining was released in 1983 and Infected in 1986. Infected also had a great concept video that I recorded off the TV on to a VHS videotape.
My parents probably still have it. I’ll have to watch it again next time I’m there.
Favourite track: Uncertain Smile
Runner-up
- A Secret Wish, by Propaganda (1985)
1986: Furniture The Wrong People
Released in 1986 by one-hit-wonders Furniture (their only Top Twenty single was Brilliant Mind) this album became a bit of a cult classic. And I was part of the cult.
I played this so much the tape snapped.
And then I fixed it back together and played it some more.
Favourite Track: She Gets Out the Scrapbook
1987: Sisters of Mercy Floodland
Released in 1987, Floodland was the Sisters of Mercy’s second album and the first after their acrimonious split left only Andrew Eldritch from the original lineup.
This album and particularly the single This Corrosion was responsible for me getting the nickname “Gothic Graeme” at university, though how much of a goth I really was is open to question – if wearing black a lot, occasionally wearing lipstick and liking this album makes you a goth then I was a goth. Otherwise, not so much.
Favourite track: This Corrosion
Runner-up
- Flag, by Yello (1988)
1989: New Order Technique
Released in 1989 and probably New Order’s best album. This was a bit of a soundtrack to my post-university sulk.
Also, it reminds me of going to The Haçienda. Although most of my visits to The Haçienda were in 84-85, before it was popular, I went once in 1989 during its “golden age”. The highlight of my last visit was being asked if I was an undercover policeman by some unpleasant-looking men.
Yes, I was that cool.
Favourite Track: Round and Round
1989: The Stone Roses The Stone Roses
Released in 1989 and the archetypal album of the early nineties.
My girlfriend at the time went to the legendary Spike Island gig, but somehow forgot to invite me. She said the sound was rubbish, and it took three hours to get out of the car park afterwards.
Ah, the good old days.
Favourite track: I am the Resurrection
Runner-up
- Happiness, by The Beloved (1990)
- Achtung Baby, by U2 (1991)
1991: Massive Attack Blue Lines/Protection/Mezzanine
The only artist with three albums on this list. Cheating again by counting them all as one choice.
Blue Lines (1991), Protection (1994), and Mezzanine (1998) were the background music of me growing up a bit. Dinner parties and weddings seemed to take up an inordinate amount of my time in those days.
Favourite track: Angel.
Runners-up
- Dummy, by Portishead (1994) this one was really tough to leave out of the top ten. A superb album.
- Pre-Millenium Tension, by Tricky (1996).
1996: Who Can You Trust? by Morcheeba
Released in 1996, this (and the 1998 follow-up Big Calm) are souvenirs of my time in Parliament Hill, London.
I had a beautiful, quiet flat that looked over the city. You could see St. Paul’s, the London Eye and Parliament from the rear windows, and Hampstead Heath from the front. I wrote much of my first novel whilst listening to these albums and looking over the city. It was a golden age.
Favourite track: The Sea
Runners-up
- Let’s Get Killed, by David Holmes (1998)
- Moon Safari, by Air (1998)
- The Middle of Nowhere, by Orbital (1999)
2000: Goldfrapp Felt Mountain
Released in 2000. Later, Goldfrapp went much more dance-oriented and were good at that too, but this is a low-key classic.
Apart from shouting, this is what I mostly listened to in Donegal during my failed attempt to save my then girlfriend from her demons. Life was hard, but this helped.
Favourite track: Human (though Utopia is a close second).
Runners-up
- White Noise by Alpinestars (2003)
- Finally Woken, by Jem (2004)
Bonus: A Couple of Great Compilation Albums
1990 Red Hot + Blue
Released in 1990 to benefit AIDS research, a compilation of cover versions of Cole Porter songs by pop bands doesn’t sound musically promising—but sometimes unlikely projects deliver, and this is terrific.
Favourite track: Night and Day by U2
1999 onwards: Hôtel Costes
Hôtel Costes is a hotel in Paris that takes its music seriously.
Stéphane Pompougnac was their resident DJ in the late 90s, and they’ve produced fifteen albums featuring an eclectic mix of electronica, acid jazz, deep house and obscure French music. Nowadays they have a channel on Apple Music.
Favourite track: Get a Move On by Mr Scruff
My Best Albums Ever on Spotify
I’ve added all the albums mentioned to a Spotify Playlist, which you can see here:
Best albums ever: what do you think?
If you have any thoughts on my best albums ever, then please email me. Otherwise, please feel free to share them using the buttons below.
