Top 100 Greatest Albums (According to this guy)

“  The search parties with their razor lights  could never capture our wicked love;  They look for reason in their cold cathedrals;  It’s so far from where we have run … ” The origins of my  introduction to the Mad Caddies escapes me, their 1998 album ‘Duck And Cover’ pushed me to buy my first banjo and would arguably be the biggest influence on some of my songwriting over the following years. But it’s their 2014 release, ‘Dirty Rice’ that breaks into my top 100 albums, and what a fun album this is! A fantastic ‘pick me up’ that is far from your average ska album . A few decent uptempo punk rock songs are thrown in amongst a load of really catchy ska tunes. Highlights for me include ‘Shoot Out The Lights’, a lovely little modern reggae track with very tasteful brass arrangements. Compare that with some classic Mad Caddies in ‘Bring It Down’, combining thrashy melodic punk with their banjo-tinged ragtime, complete with bouncing trombone and muted trumpet.  T...

“It's two in the morning, I'm tired as hell;  What am I doing behind the wheel?   The lights have all blurred into a row;  How long I'll be up, I just don't know;  I'm falling asleep, asleep at the wheel; This  feels like a dream but this is real…” A shout out to one of the old forgotten CD compilations that helped me discover many ska and punk bands before online streaming. Whichever one it was, the Hippos were the stand out band and ‘Forget the World’ has remained one of my favourite ska punk albums.  Their sound is not unlike Reel Big Fish, but this album smashes them out the ball park.  It may not have the production values of the bigger bands, but the Hippos have a great sound.  The most notable unique feature comes from the percussionist. It creates a wonderful party atmosphere and helps form interesting rhythms throughout. The songs are very upbeat, super catchy and incredibly infectious. The horn section plays neat and simple pieces that c...

“A broken record plays the same old song ;  It's getting old, dirty needle getting worn ;  Now you're ready, take the demons head on ;  Look em in the eye and say they gotta go ;  Get on behind me …” As a punk CD collector in my late teens, I would buy CDs by bands I never even heard of. In my later years as a vinyl enthusiast, with a family (and overdraft), my purchases are far more strategic, and have to be albums that I absolutely adore. But ‘Fight The Good Fight’ was the only album to date that I took the chance on and was so glad that I did! Some may say they are a copy of punk band Rancid and I partly agree. But in this case, it’s not a bad thing. I’ve owned nearly all Rancid albums, but it was their unique ska sound that really drew me to them. The likes of ‘Timebomb’, ‘I Wanna Riot’ etc… Unfortunately, it was the odd song here and there, and sometimes not even present on particular albums, hence none of them even make it into this list. The Interrupters have ...

“Illuminate the shadow, and  try to keep the light within;  Avoid another battle, and  forget what might have been;  How do I keep it? How do I keep it here…” ‘Evolver’ was the first 311 album I owned, and, whilst thoroughly enjoying it, it was much more a showcase of their mix of rap funk punk metal. The more I dived into their back catalogue, it was certain songs that I latched onto; ‘Beyond the Grey Sky’, ‘Amber’ and ‘Beautiful Disaster’, ie, their ska/reggae influenced songs. ‘Mosaic’ is almost fully ska inspired with mixes of the classic 311 sound, which I would describe as a relaxed Rage Against The Machine on a beach. It is probably their most poppy album to date, but the songs are incredibly infectious. The quality of production on this album is excellent also, and that’s mostly down to Goldfinger singer and producer Jon Feldmann’s handywork. The rap funk metal is still prevalent, in songs like ‘Too Late’ and ‘Perfect Mistake’ which have the classic 311 feel ...

“Understand I`m a man who  believes in the glory of love;  True love is the light shining bright from  the Heavens above;  I believe it is better to trust even when I`m wrong;  Than to let my fear drive me from  the home where I have belonged…” Back to the Lockup - the early morning punk rock show on Radio 1 as mentioned before, where I discovered the legends that are Fishbone! A live session on the show, playing with an energy and sound I’d never heard before, their 80s classic ‘Ma & Pa’ and the excellent ‘Where Did You Get Those Pants’; this was a unique mix of eclectic ska, soul, funk and punk.  I admit a struggle to fully enjoy their albums. Such is the wide range of styles, sometimes all smashed together in an incredibly manic fashion, from heavy metal, to reggae, rock and those mentioned previously. But a slight departure from others, this album is far more approachable. More of a pop feel, without losing their ska, funk and soul edge, ‘...

“Empty man lonely man,  I call myself depressed;  I'm finding ways to avoid you, at  the expense of sanity;  I'm hanging on your words, and I'd like to share a thought; I know that I can't be you now, but I'd like to stay a while…” The  first Goldfinger album i bought was ‘Stomping Ground’ , released in 2000, and it was great, but slightly disappointing due to the fact it was pure punk rock and devoid of any of the ska that I was expecting. Shortly after, I was introduced to the first Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater game, which featured their song ‘Superman’. I researched for the album and promptly bought it. To this day it remains as one of my favourite ska punk albums. I would describe Hang-Ups as one of the “sunnier” albums on this list and of Goldfinger’s repertoire;  Ironic as the lyrics seem to be mostly based on disappointment. But these are the  kind of vibes that would go down well on a Californian beach in Summer. Although there is a good mix of punk...

“ Easy easy money baby, red wine from the well. He’s inspired , taste acquired, watch out mademoiselle” I honestly can’t remember where I heard of The Fat Cats, and why I bought this album, but my gosh was it one of my best discoveries! So much was my excitement for these songs that ‘Deadbeat’ went on to inspire a large variety of my writing with the band Little Blue Light. Take a pinch of Madness, a swig of the Stray Cats, even a small measure of Barenaked Ladies and some overdriven guitar and we are only part-way to describing the unique sound of this album. A mash up of boogie woogie, ska, swing, punk and rock; there is nothing quite like this out there. Very piano driven, with a strong sax throughout, and excellent vocals. The songs are super catchy and not one is alike, as they flow through various genres.  The piano right at the forefront of the compositions really set it apart from other punk albums. It gives the music a crispness, a swing, and an overall fantastic sound. Ha...

“I'm tired of having to look good, pretend  that we feel good;  Never let it show that we could be  anything less than completely obsessed;  With the contents of our wallets and the way that we're dressed…” A band i always wanted to see live, but never had the opportunity, Capdown were probably the headliners of the UK ska punk scene in the early noughties. The genre generally stayed underground in the UK, and I was surprised to find their ‘New Revolutionaries’ CD single in HMV, back in 2003. Perhaps they broke out of the underground? I didn’t enjoy that single as much as their previous two albums, but the album that followed three years later, “Wind Up Toys” was excellent. The aptly named track ‘Surviving the Death of a Genre’ shows that ska punk in the UK had pretty much died out by that point and was to remain underground. Capdown have an ability that seems to escape other ska punk bands. The likes of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Less Than Jake, for example, hav...

“ As the pendulum is swinging, from side to side i often wonder; Why that the things that mean the most to me, can never be; I cut my losses and move forward … ”   I came into possession of ‘Mail Order Is Still Fun’, a CD compilation of bands on the Asian Man Records label. The first track was ‘Myself’ and the description read “10 piece ska punk band”.  Those words alone got me very interested in Big D And The Kids Table. This album reminds me of the early days of writing ska punk songs for my old band Blunt Skulls. We were ridiculing our old neighbour, a particular bus route that ran from Lewisham to Orpington and the pop music of the early 2000s. We were young and having fun.  And a lot of these songs have that same feel. A good load of hectic ska, mixed with punk and hardcore. Almost every song crams all 3 genres into one, which leaves a rather enjoyable experience. The vocals take a unique turn in being more spoken word than singing, which really sets them apart from ...

“I’ve got a lot of bad things I wish that I had never done, because they’re coming back, coming back to me now … ” What do ex-England footballer Sol Campbell, the Millenium, and ska music have in common? Whatever that might be, it is a fact that this particular combo introduced me to ska punk favourites, Reel Big Fish. Although lyrical content seems to be full of adolescent comic immaturity, girlfriends and being total jackasses (and this being the case on every Reel Big Fish album) you cant overlook how catchy these songs are, and how very good the band are as musicians. Overall ‘Cheer Up’ is less ska than their previous albums, and more rock with strong brass, whilst mixing in a load of classic rock style electric guitar solos (mostly taking the p**s), not to mention the excellent a Capella version of Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York New York.’ And there are some good ska numbers on the album too. I tend to feel skapunk bands don't quite get the neat punk rock songs quite right, yet sma...

“The City’s on fire; will burn to the ground; Man’s evil desire; Has brought himself down… ” Heading to the clear-out section at my local Wesley Owen and I’m drawn straight to this fauvist hyper colourful cityscape. For the album artwork alone, I purchased it. Later on in the day, I was very pleasantly surprised to be listening to a newly discovered ska punk band, and what a great album it is! It’s a mature sound. Not a hint of fromage, as you can so easily get with some ska albums. Really catchy songs with very complimentary horn arrangements. A good variety of ska, punk rock and reggae, in both the major and minor keys. And a mention for the superb clavinet on ‘Trial and Tribulation’. Lyrical content covers a little politics (as most punk bands do) but generally stick up for the little man, the outsider, the unfairly treated and against the greed of this world. Wholesome values run throughout the album. A couple of the more punky songs are not the greatest, but most of the album is s...