Mammoth Movie Meme Part Four

It's finally here: the epic, awe-inspiring conclusion to the world's greatest, most exciting meme EVER. Or something like that. Anyway, here are the final 15 questions and some typically evasive, waffling answers:

46. A film that always makes you laugh.
Just one? That's tricky. I've already mentioned Withnail And I, one of the ultimate British comedies, so for this question I'll go for one of my all-time fave American comedies  -  Ghostbusters. I'm sure I don't need to tell you how wonderful that Saturday Night Live -meets- Lovecraft movie is. So, instead I'll just post a totally gratuitous pic of the lovely Sigourney Weaver...

( You're welcome... )

47. Movies that you think everyone should watch (not necessarily your favourites).
Um... anything by Spielberg, Coppolla, David Lean, Powell & Pressburger, Nic Roeg, Scorsese, Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Ang Lee  -  that's a good start, anyway...
Oh, and Dougal And The Blue Cat...

48. A movie that took you a couple of viewings to appreciate.
 Donnie Darko. Not because I didn't like it on first viewing, but because it was such a dazzlingly bewildering, but rewarding experience. The kind of film you watch then want to immediately see again to try and grasp all the twists and nuances. James has recently watched this for the first time and also had his mind blown by it. ( He's getting into some surreal stuff lately  -  he's just watched my Twin Peaks box-set too. ) Hmmm... I'll have to dig the DVD out...

49. A book you want to see adapted to the big screen.
There have been a few tentative movie adaptations which I would have loved to see but that never got made  -  David Fincher's Rendezvous With Rama, Spielberg's The Talisman  -  but one novel which is really crying out for the mega-bucks blockbuster treatment is Dan Simmons' epic Space Opera Hyperion / The Fall Of Hyperion.

 A huge, sprawling tale of Artificial Intelligences, galactic war, poetry, religion, buildings that travel backwards in time, and the awesome, godlike Shrike, the Hyperion Cantos would really work best as a series of films, preferably with a suitably gifted film-maker at the helm, someone capable of telling a human story on an epic canvas. Anyone got Peter Jackson's number?

50. A book you really, really, really don’t want to see made into a film.
Mein Kampf...

51. Favourite child performance.
David Bradley in Ken Loach's Kes  -  a raw, painfully realistic, heart-breaking performance, once seen never forgotten...

52. Favourite pre-code.
I imagine this refers to the censorious Hays Production Code which emasculated Hollywood movies for decades. I really haven't got an answer for this one.

53. Favourite silent film.
Uncultured slob that I am, I've never watched many silent films. I'll cheat here and say my favourite is a compilation of all the best, most iconic images from three classic silent genre films: The Phantom Of The Opera, Nosferatu and Metropolis. You know which scenes I mean  -  underground unmasking, staircase shadows and new electric life...

54. Favourite coming of age film.
Stand By Me, without a doubt. It's a beautifully observed look at teenage boys on the verge of adulthood, with all their concerns and adventures, and is probably the closest any movie has come to capturing Stephen King's unique voice.

55. Favourite superhero film.
Recently I've loved many of the Marvel movies ( Thor and Thor: The Dark World, Avengers Assemble, Captain America: The First Avenger  ) and James has just mentioned the fantastic Scott Pilgrim vs The World which is a kind of superhero film, I guess... but... for nostalgia's sake and for pure comic book  fun my ultimate favourite superhero films are Superman: The Movie and Superman II. ( Just like the first two Godfather movies, I can't separate them. ) Even though they have their faults ( especially in California ha ha ), these two films still work for me as iconic evocations of the superhero ethos.
And, yes, I still believe a ( Super)man can fly. RIP Christopher Reeve.

56. Best cinematography.
So many films to choose from, but I'll go with the amazing work of Gordon Willis from The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, truly painting with light and shadow.

57. Movies you know you should watch but you can’t bring yourself to do it?
A strange question. There are many, many movies I know I should watch but haven't got round to or haven't had the opportunity to see. But "can't bring yourself to do it..."? The only example I can think of is The Sound Of Music. It's a film that is easy to make fun of ( Julie Andrews, nuns, whiskers on kittens etc. ) but I've never seen it properly so shouldn't really comment. We recently bought the DVD for Sophie so I could watch it... I suppose... hmmm...

58. Favourite genres.
Well, Mexican wrestling movies, obviously. No? OK, I'm lying  -  I haven't seen a luchador movie in my life... but that's a cool poster. Anyone who reads this blog and / or has trawled through this Mammoth Movie Meme series must have a fairly good idea of the kind of stuff I like by now...

59. Least favourite genres.
What I refer to as "Cowboy" Musicals  -  Oklahoma, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Showboat etc.  -  and Torture Porn -  such as the Saw and Hostel franchises. And who ever thought those two genres would ever be mentioned in the same sentence?

60. Biggest movie pet peeve
Sorry, but I'm not going to end this Meme with something negative. I love movies
( well, good ones anyway... and a few crappy ones ) and love the experience of going to the cinema to be transported to another world, to share the visions and ideas of film-makers... and to possibly buy some ridiculously over-priced hot-dogs :-)
So I'll just leave you with this...

That moment when you've just seen something you've never seen before, up there on the silver screen...

Mammoth Movie Meme Part Three

New Year, same old blog. The Mammoth Movie Meme wearily trundles ever onwards... sorry, I meant to say "forges adventurously ahead into unknown territory"... yeah, that sounds better...

31. Favourite animated film.
I really struggled over this one as "animated film" is such a broad church. ( Not Broadchurch... ) Should I go with the classic Disney movies I saw on telly as a kid, such as Sleeping Beauty or The Jungle Book ( still awesome films ) or something more recent like the ever-wonderful Wallace And Gromit claymation masterpieces? Or, indeed, something like Avatar, in which huge chunks of the film are purely CGI, so must count as "animated"? James came to my rescue and immediately said "What about A Town Called Panic?"
I first saw this insane Belgian animation at the good ol' Gloucester Guildhall a while back, the first film in their monthly Mystery Movie series. Along with everyone else in the cinema I sat waiting for this unknown film... and when the animated titles appeared I thought "What the hell's this? A kid's film about plastic toys? Okay..." Within five minutes I was hooked. This crazy tale of the adventures of Cowboy, Indian and Horse is one of the funniest, most imaginative films I've seen in a loooong time, constantly topping itself with ever-escalating lunacy. It can't be adequately described  -  you really have to see it. So... go and see it now. What are you waiting for? ( And look out for the brilliant Singin' In The Rain homage below... )

32. Your most anticipated films.
After the grim, childhood-trampling  disappointment of the Star Wars prequels, the movies I've most anticipated are the recent crop of Marvel blockbusters. Making up for the frequently lame treatment of other Marvel characters ( FF, Daredevil, Ghost Rider ) by other film-makers, Marvel Studios finally redressed the balance with their spot-on approach to the adventures of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and The Avengers. In fact the next movie at the top of my anticipation list is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. ( Check out the link for information from top blogger,  Marvelous Matthew K ). Really looking forward to this one.

33. Last movie you were disappointed with.
With the price of cinema tickets being so ridiculously high nowadays, I only tend to see movies on the big screen that I really want to see and consequently don't often feel disappointed... because I've got such good taste :-) Probably the last film I saw that let me down was Tim Burton's Dark Shadows... but then, I should have known better, really  -  I shouldn't expect much from Mr. Burton any more, as I don't think he's made a really satisfying film since Ed Wood... and that was a long time ago...

34. Last movie that surpassed your expectations.
I watched Drive on telly recently and was very impressed. Ryan Gosling is Hollywood's Golden Boy at the moment and I was interested to see him in action. He gives a very subtle, quiet, almost Zen-like performance as the un-named stunt man - turned - get-away driver. Trying to save neighbour Carey Mulligan and her young son from local mobsters, the Driver gets caught up in a spiral of shocking violence in a neon-lit LA, beautifully directed by Danish film-maker Nicholas Winding Refn.

35. Actor in need of new agent.
King Kong

36. Actress in need of new agent.
The Bride Of Frankenstein

37. Share an unpopular film opinion you have.
I don't like The Shawshank Redemption. No... I really don't like The Shawshank Redemption.

38. Favourite Oscar win/speech.
Many of my favourite movies are Best Picture winners but the most satisfying win was definitely The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King in 2003. It was exciting to see a Fantasy film get such recognition after so many serious and worthy but obvious movies getting the gong. It may have been more of a recognition for the trilogy's huge box office take, but it was still great for Peter Jackson and genre film lovers to have their moment.

39. Biggest Oscar snub(s).
Like many others I was annoyed when the overrated, saccharine and worryingly conservative Forrest Gump won the 1994 Best Picture Oscar over Tarantino's blackly comic crime masterpiece Pulp Fiction.

40. Who do you think is overdue for another nomination/win?
Somebody who is overdue for an Oscar win ( but not "another" one because he hasn't won any yet ) is Lenoardo DiCaprio who I think has grown into one of the best actors of his generation. Seriously, his time will come.

41. How many movies have you seen (rough estimation, of course)?
More than ten. ( How am I meant to answer this one? I really don't know... but it's obviously a lot. )

42. A movie that made you go ‘wtf was that’.
Troll Hunter. I saw this a couple of days ago: a found-footage horror / fake documentary... with trolls. Proper, giant, Norwegian trolls. It sounds bloody awful but is in fact rather good... but definitely falls in the "wtf" category.

43. A film that scarred you.
Is that "scarred" or "scared"? Quite a few films have scared me but I can't say I've been scarred by many. Unless you count the 1984 BBC TV movie Threads which terrified a generation living under the threat of nuclear war. This ultra-realistic, bleak and despairing glimpse at a possible nuclear strike on the north of England was so frightening because the apocalypse seemed not just possible but inevitable at the time. I was having regular nightmares about the Bomb back then, so this didn't really help matters.  I actually watched the film on TV and then, for some unknown reason, saw it again ( once was enough! ) at school a few days later. I blame sadistic teachers...

44. Most movies watched in a single day.
Again, I don't really know. I've never gone in for huge movie marathons, so probably no more than three or four in a day at the most. My problem is always trying to stay awake... ( no offence to the film-makers but that's just what I'm like )

45. A film that always makes you cry.
OK, I'll admit it: I'm a big softy. There's not just one film that always makes me cry  -  there are quite a few. I cry when Dorothy realises there's no place like home. I cry when George Bailey finds out he's really had a wonderful life. I cry when Kevin Costner plays baseball with his dad. I cry when Peter Carter wins his case in the heavenly court of appeal and is reunited with June. And then there's this scene in The Railway Children which always turns me into a blubbering wreck:

I'm sorry, I seem to have something in my eye...

Mammoth Movie Meme Part Two

Here we go with the second part of my movie meme  -  more celluloid in the spotlight:

16. Favourite [insert actor/actress/director] movies?
I've done a few actor / actress lists already, so I'll go with director now and choose my favourite films by the great Taiwanese film-maker Ang Lee:
Life Of Pi
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Sense And Sensibility
The Ice Storm
Brokeback Mountain
( That's a pretty impressive, and diverse, list of movies... and I still haven't seen all of his films. I need to see Lust, Caution next... )

17. List all you’ve seen from [insert actor/actress/director].
A strange question, this. How about James Dean?
Rebel Without A Cause
East Of Eden
Giant
They're the only three films of his I've seen and, of course, they're the only three films of his that anyone's seen...

 18. An underrated actor.
Someone who you can always count on for an intense, unusual performance is ace character actor Scott Wilson. His breakthrough role was in the 1967 adaptation of Capote's In Cold Blood ( which I haven't seen ) and he's also fantastic in The Ninth Configuration, Exorcist III, The Right Stuff and, more recently, he's been heartbreaking as bearded old patriarch Herschel in The Walking Dead.

19. An underrated actress.
 Maggie Gyllenhaal  -  always giving committed, layered performances but not likely to ever be a *big*star* because she's not the typically airbrushed-looking Hollywood type. See her in Donnie Darko, Secretary and Sherrybaby for three very contrasting roles.

20. An underrated director.
I'll have to choose Australian director Peter Weir. His best films combine deep psychological insight with a vivid sense of place, often pitting his characters against the elements. I've never understood why his movies aren't talked of in the same terms as those of Scorsese or Coppolla. It may be that he's too much of a populist for the critics. If you haven't already, I urge you ( dear reader ) to check out Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Last Wave,Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show ( you must have seen this one! ) or Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World. And then report back to me :-)

21. An overrated actor.
This is a tad mean-spirited isn't it? One actor I could mention is Johnny Depp. This is a bit of a cheat because I think he's a fine actor in the right role  -  Edward Scissorhands is a favourite in this house and he's also great in more realistic roles, I'm thinking Donnie Brasco or his parts in The Ninth Gate or Secret Window. However, he spends most of his time nowadays playing cartoon-like characters
( see below... ), often for Tim Burton, and I wish he'd stretch himself a bit. Maybe his best work was done in the '90s?

22. An overrated actress.
Again, a bit nasty this. I'll just say Elizabeth Taylor. I could never see her appeal although I'll have to admit she was certainly beautiful and charismatic in her youth.

23. An overrated director.
Guillermo Del Toro without a doubt. Controversial choice? Maybe.

24. A film you wish you had seen on the big screen.
Quite a few actually: Fight Club, Planet Of The Apes, Spartacus, Apocalypse Now, Lawrence Of Arabia, Alien, Rollerball and, er, Logan's Run ( the last three were movies that I was dying to see when they came out but I was too young  -  damn that BBFC! )

 25. A movie you’ve seen that you think no one else here will have heard of?
The Ninth Configuration ( 1980 )  -  William Peter Blatty's sort-of follow-up to the themes of The Exorcist, an arty, pretentious but hugely intelligent and often hilariously funny movie touching on such subjects as the purpose of evil, God's indifference to Man, and how to adapt the works of Shakespeare for dogs. Featuring unforgettable performances from Stacey Keach, the late Jason Miller and Scott Wilson ( him again ), it's a truly unique movie with an atmosphere all its own and some cracking dialogue. But, be warned, it does get very grim before the last minute touch of redemption...

26. Favourite movie characters.
Luke and Leia, Han and Chewy
The Corleones
Squadron Leader Peter D Carter, June, Doctor Frank Reeves 
Dorothy, The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man and The Scarecrow
George Bailey, Mary, Uncle Billy and Clarence
Martin and Ellen Brody, Matt Hooper, Quint... and Bruce...
Ellen Ripley and Jones the cat
Marty McFly and Doc Brown
HAL 9000

27. A film that was better than the book.
Jaws, definitely. Peter Benchley's novel is the epitome of what used to be called the "airport novel", a trashy, glossy thriller which, while exciting, has none of the mythic power of Spielberg's movie.

28. Best remake.
Tim Burton's Planet Of The Apes. Oh, I'm sorry... I thought that was "worst remake..."
Most remakes tend to be dollar-chasing imagination black holes but there have been some exceptions like Cronenberg's The Fly and Carpenter's The Thing, while some movies like Philip Kaufman's Invasion Of The Body Snatchers may be just as good as the original in a different way. I've got no real answer to this one other than to say one of my fave remade films is Michael Mann's crime epic Heat, based on a previous TV movie by the same director, which I've never seen.

29. Your first favourite actor.
Probably Charlton Heston, strangely enough. I was a major fan of the Planet Of The Apes movies when I was a kid ( even joining the official UK fanclub ) and Heston's square-jawed but cynical hero really appealed. In fact, he cornered the market in tough science fiction heroes for a while, also appearing in The Omega Man and Soylent Green. And then, of course, I saw his epic performances in Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Agony And The Ecstasy... all fantastic, larger than life stuff. Just don't mention his politics...

30. Your first favorite actress.
I'm a straight male who grew up in England in the 1970s, so it has to be Jenny Agutter of course...

Soundtrack: Dare by The Human League

Mammoth Movie Meme Part One

 Thanks to Brother Cal over at the legendary Cave Of Cool for bringing this meme to my attention. I don't often get involved with memes but this one about movies seemed a bit of fun, so why not? Be warned there are 60 (!) questions but I won't do it all in one post. That way madness lies. The plan is to break it down into four parts so it won't cause too much eye-strain for the reader. Expect lots of ridiculous, ill-informed and self-centred choices ahead. ( Oh, and the first part of Cal's take on this meme can be found here... )

1. A movie you’ve seen most times in cinema.
Strangely enough, probably Evil Dead II. A friend of mine's mum worked at our      local cinema at the time and got us free tickets. I actually watched Sam Raimi's hilarious splatter-fest 3 times in a week. ( I suppose I could have lied and said something more worthy like Citizen Kane... )

2. Your most rewatched movie.
Probably Jaws, the original and the best. ( Sequels? What sequels? ) I first saw it at the cinema at the age of about nine and I've watched it Buddha-knows how many times since. And, even though I've got the DVD and can watch it any time, if it's on telly I'll always watch it. I still think it's the best thing Spielberg's ever done.

3. A movie you quote on a daily basis.
Withnail And I, without a doubt. Not just one of the best British comedies ever, but one of the best British films ever, full-stop. The dialogue as heard in the film is brilliant enough, but I'd recommend getting hold of the script book for Bruce Robinson's darkly witty descriptions and asides which add immeasurably to the spoken words. "What f***er said that?"

4. Favourite movie soundtrack.
I'll have to go with Nino Rota's  beautiful score for The Godfather, once heard never forgotten. Close runners up ( all for very different reasons ) being Lawrence Of Arabia, A Matter Of Life And Death, Taxi Driver, Sleeper, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange... the list goes on...

5. Top 5 films of your favourite actor and actress.
 I'm hard pressed to actually nominate a favourite actor or actress. There are so many actors I admire that it's difficult to pick only one... and even the best have had their occasional dodgy performances. For the purposes of this meme, however, I'll go with James Stewart and Marilyn Monroe ( old school! )  -  ask me again in ten minutes and I'd probably say two different actors...

Jimmy:                                                Marilyn:
It's A Wonderful Life                      Some Like It Hot
Rear Window                                   Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Rope                                                    How To Marry A Millionaire
Vertigo                                                The Misfits
Harvey                                                Niagara

6. Top 5 performances of your favourite actor and actress.
Just to prove the above, I'm going to go with two different actors for this. Awkward bugger, aren't I?

Robert DeNiro:                                 Sigourney Weaver:
The Godfather Part II                     Aliens
The Deer Hunter                             Alien
Taxi Driver                                        Ghostbusters
Mean Streets                                     The Ice Storm
Goodfellas                                          Galaxy Quest

 7. A movie storyline you wish you had actually lived.
 A tricky one. How about Roman Holiday? It would give me a chance to pose around a black and white 1950s Italy with Audrey Hepburn. ( I'd be Gregory Peck, of course, not Eddie Albert. )

8. A movie that reminds you of your mum.
Ang Lee's Sense And Sensibility. Sarah and I took my Mum to see this a few months after losing my Dad, Pete. Although there are some quite sad moments in the storyline Mum really enjoyed it and it was good to help take her mind off things. I'm not a fan of Jane Austen ( I read Mansfield Park at A-Level and it bored the pants off me ) but Lee and a great cast kept me interested. ( For a hilariously superficial debate about this film's casting see this link to the IMDB. )

9. A movie that reminds you of your dad.
No one film in particular, although we did watch a lot of movies together. When I was young Pete would always want me to stay up late and watch some film or other but Mum would usually veto it, saying I had school the next day etc. One night I'd been in bed for a good hour when Mum came into my bedroom, not happy, having clearly lost the argument, and said "Pete wants you to watch this film. Come back down." Cheers Pete!
I will say, however, that one of my regrets is not going to see A Bridge Too Far with him. Pete was a great fan of war movies and we had agreed to go to the cinema to see this. Being a typically empty-headed kid I'd forgotten that and arranged to go swimming with a mate instead. As Pete was a farmer and very rarely had time to go out we missed the opportunity to see the film and I've regretted it ever since...

10. Favourite movies from your childhood.
Many of my favourite childhood movies are still favourites ( I've always had good taste )  :-)  Here are a few:
The Wizard Of Oz
Jason & The Argonauts
Jaws ( did I mention that? )
The Jungle Book
Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
Dr. No
Planet Of The Apes
Star Wars

11. Favourite quote(s).
Bloody hell! This is a whole blog post on its own! Here are just a few:
"You're going to need a bigger boat."
"Monty, you terrible c***!"
"Well, no-one's perfect."
"I say you are the Messiah, and I should know  -  I've followed a few..."
"Funny how?"
"Get away from her you bitch!"
"It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business."
And if you don't know where these quotations are from, see me after class...

 12. Top 5 favourite female performances. ( Only 5??? )
Sigourney Weaver in Aliens ( see a pattern forming here? )
Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot ( yep, definitely a pattern )
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's
Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
Grace Kelly in Rear Window

13. Top 5 favourite male performances. ( Only 5??? again )
Al Pacino in The Godfather ( I could just do a Top 5 from this movie... )
David Niven in A Matter Of Life And Death
Robert DeNiro in The Godfather Part II
James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca

14. Favourite year for movies. ( Can't do just one. How about three? )
1939 ( Don't remember it myself... but it was Hollywood's annus mirabillis )
The year of The Wizard Of Oz, Gone With The Wind, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach and, as they say, many more
1982 ( One I can remember and definitely remember having a great time at the movies )
The year of ET, Blade Runner, The Thing, The Evil Dead, Poltergeist
1973 ( The year of... you know what? This year deserves its own post. Watch this space... )

15. Your favourite movies from [insert year].
The random year is 1979 and the movies are Manhattan, Apocalypse Now, The Jerk and Monty Python's Life Of Brian  -  quite a cool selection :-)

 

OK, that's Part One done. It's Intermission Time... a selection of ice creams are available in the foyer... please don't slam your car door on the way home -  this is a residential area... 

Soundtrack: Scared To Dance / The Absolute Game by the Skids

Favourite Vocalists

There seem to be a lot of music memes doing the rounds at the moment. I've just done this one on Facebook and thought it might be fun to post it here too. Any comments, lists, outrageous claims etc. are welcome.....

The rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen vocalists that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. *And in no particular order*.

John Lydon ( Sex Pistols / PiL )

Joe Strummer ( The Clash )

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

Bob Marley

Bruce Springsteen

Otis Redding

David Bowie

Richard Manuel ( The Band )

Levon Helm ( The Band )

James Hetfield ( Metallica )

Robert Plant ( Led Zeppelin )

Bob Mould ( Husker Du )

Black Francis ( Pixies )

Wayne Coyne ( Flaming Lips )

Some very obvious choices there :-)

I've just realised I haven't listed any rappers, so I'll cheat and mention these:

Jay-Z

Eminem

Chuck D ( Public Enemy )

Here are a couple more lists from Dez and Geof - Check 'em out!

And, of course, you could always head to 15 Albums for more music witterings.....

15 Albums

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day: in 15 minutes think of 15 albums that are important to you and list them. Well, we love lists don't we?

Actually, 15 minutes is a long time so I decided to do it in 5 minutes. I sat down during a break at work today, with no access to my record collection or t'internet and wrote down the first albums that popped into my head. Did it in 4 minutes.....

1. Never Mind The Bollocks by the Sex Pistols

2. London Calling by the Clash

3. Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band

4. The Band by The Band

5. Psychocandy by the Jesus & Mary Chain

6. Surfer Rosa by Pixies

7. Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys

8. New Day Rising by Husker Du

9. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels by Dexy's Midnight Runners

10. Are You Experienced? by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

11. Exodus by Bob Marley & the Wailers

12. Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin

13. Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev

14. Abbey Road by the Beatles

15. The Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips

That just seemed to scratch the surface of my collection, so I jumped straight into list 2, my only rule being not to include any artist from the first list, or there could be another 3 or 4 albums by Springsteen, Zep etc. Again, done in 4 minutes.

16. Introduce Yourself by Faith No More

17. Master Of Puppets by Metallica

18. Harvest by Neil Young

19. Purple Rain by Prince & the Revolution

20. Element Of Light by Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians

21. Surrender by the Chemical Brothers

22. The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z

23. Is This It? by the Strokes

24. Crossing The Red Sea With... The Adverts

25. This Is The Sea by the Waterboys

26. If I Should Fall From Grace With God by the Pogues

27. Rave On by Andy White

28. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

29. Otis Blue by Otis Redding

30. Supernature by Goldfrapp

It's funny seeing this list and seeing the random connections my brain was making between artists. Crossing The Red Sea made me think of This Is The Sea, and the Waterboys in turn made me think of other "Celtic" 80's bands like the Pogues and the underrated Andy White. How I went from Neil Young to Prince I don't know.

It amazes me that I got as far as no. 28 before I shouted out "Dark Side!" Phew - almost left it out! But I also unforgivably left out these: Everything Must Go, The Stone Roses, Blonde On Blonde, Songs In The Key Of Life, Ziggy Stardust, Rocket To Russia, Automatic For The People, Raw Power, ( What's The Story ) Morning Glory?

Maybe I ought to do a 15 Albums series of posts, setting down my thoughts on each album and what they mean to me. Or maybe another blog? Hmmm.....