What's On Adrian's Stereo!

2006 : What Was On Adrian's Stereo?

A word of explanation at this stage. Firstly, hover your mouse over the pictures and text will appear informing you of the
album title and end of year position. Secondly, to compile this list 10 points were awarded for a montly position of 1, 9 for
an album reaching number 2 - and so forth. Thank you.

Bob Dylan	Belle & Sebastian	Scott Walker	Morrissey
Kathryn Williams	Richard Thompson	Tom Waits	Jose Gonzalez
Neil Young	Aphex Twin	Mystery Jets	Sparks
Arctic Monkeys	Lily Allen	The Who	Zoe Rahman
Nelly Furtado	Take That	Tom Yorke	Fairport Convention

2006 Listings

This years winner is....... Bob Dylan!! He captured the times, in a very strange way. Strange appearences in the listing include such pop artists as Nelly Furtado and Take That. Um, The Who make an appearance. Van Der Graaf Generator win the old new artist of the year award and they don't have an album in the list. Quite a strange year, all told. The year in full!

December 2006

1 The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other – Van Der Graaf Generator ( new entry )
Ok, so I’ve fallen in love with this album. By no means were they a prog-rock also-ran.
They were an art-rock band, to die for. A perfect mix this of melody, noise, beauty and
eccentric vocals.

2 Orphans – Tom Waits ( down 1 )
A wonderful array of tunes, a wonderful world of some parallel Tom Waits
universe and if you don’t like sandpaper, I don’t like you.

3 Blue For You – Status Quo ( new entry )
Yes, surprising really, but this is the punkiest Quo offering by far.

4 Beautiful World – Take That ( up 1 )
For two songs alone, ‘Patience’ and ‘Shine’. Yeah, let’s get Mark Owen the 60s
inspired pop hit he’s always been waiting for.

5 Sabbath Bloody Sabbath – Black Sabbath ( new entry )
Killing yerself to liiiiiiivvvve. Dum, de dum da dad um, duh duh duh. Etc.

6 Leave To Remain – Kathryn Williams ( down 4 )
A cello fills my mind and her softly presented voice fills my heart. And other nonsense.

7 Rosie – Fairport Convention ( down 3 )
I dunno, but I’ve got a soft spot for this otherwise overlooked Fairport
Convention album that contains almost none of the classic line-up.

8 Live 69 – Grateful Dead ( re entry )
Other live albums they’ve done are better, to be honest. Still, this is a little slice of
Dead live compared to the three or four CD offerings they’ve presented us with posthumously.

9 Master Of Reality – Black Sabbath ( new entry )
The punkiest album Black Sabbath ever made, but not my favourite of theirs.

10 Ringleader Of The Tormentors – Morrissey ( re-entry )
I could listen to it all day, but thankfully I’ve got other albums as well…… BOOM!

November 2006

1 Orphans – Tom Waits ( new entry )
3 CDs, 30 odd new songs plus nothing else we've heard before. Another masterpiece

2 Leave To Remain – Kathryn Williams ( down 1 )
Fills a hollow in me, innnnnnnn, meeeeeeee. Gorgeous.

3 Endless Wire – The Who ( up 3 )
Excellent album we never thought we'd get.

4 Rosie – Fairport Convention ( new entry )
Swarbrick's title track is his best ever composition. Enough reason alone.

5 Beautiful World – Take That ( new entry )
Yes, Take That. Wanna fight about it??

6 Hark! The Village Wait – Steeleye Span ( new entry )
Ashley Hutchings, founder of Fairport, does his thing.

7 Modern Times – Bob Dylan ( down 2 )
No tweedle, no dum. Alicia keys and Nashville.

8 The Drift – Scott Walker ( re entry )
This just sounds so scary and so superb, it's going to be one that lasts.

9 Aoxomoxoa – Grateful Dead ( down 7 )
St Stephen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10 Endless Happiness – Bang Bang Machine ( down 7 )
BUY IT!! REVIVE THIS BAND!

October 2006

1 Leave To Remain – Kathryn Williams ( new entry )
Internet only single ‘Hollow’ is a thing of magnificence. The entire LP is utterly lovely
and she’s back With a ( quiet ) bang, even though she’s never really been away.

2 Aoxomoxoa – Grateful Dead ( new entry )
For ‘St Stephen’ and ‘China Cat Sunflower’ alone, really. If I wasn’t already becoming a dead-fan,
These two songs would pretty much be enough to make me one.

3 Endless Happiness – Bang Bang Machine ( new entry )
Rescued from the mists of time via a lucky internet find. A better album than I remember it
to be and a band who deserved so much more attention.

4 Little Black Numbers – Kathryn Williams ( re entry )
Her masterpiece? Probably. Been listening to this again for reviews and more importantly, for enjoyment.

5 Modern Times – Bob Dylan ( down 4 )
Well, nothing lasts forever, not even Bob. Who would have imagined though that in 2006 he’d even be
alive, let alone releasing albums as good as this?

6 Endless Wire – The Who ( down 3 )
The remaining half of The Who reform and make their best album since 1975. Who ( ha, ha! ) would have thought
such a thing was even possible? Only just got this, by the way.

7 Chosen Lords – Aphex Twin ( re-entry )
Beep, beep, boom, squiggle, screttch, screetch, dum de dum. Da, da!

8 Future Crayons – Broadcast ( new entry )
Futuristic music that now sounds charmingly old fashioned. A parallel universe of delight.

9 Ringleader Of The Tormentors – Morrissey ( re-entry )
Re-listening, largely because ‘Life Is A Pigsty’ is just so damn good.

10 Live/Dead – Grateful Dead ( new entry )
Probably, this will be here next month as well, so I won’t say a lot about it right now. Oh, except
that ‘St Stephen’ is on it, and better be better than the first live version I heard on ‘Two From The Vault’!

September 2006

1 Modern Times - Bob Dylan ( non mover )
Excellent stuff Mr Bob!

2 Neu 2 - Neu! ( new entry )
Trippy serious Germans? Who would have thought of such a thing.

3 Alright, Still – Lily Allen ( up 2 )
Surprisingly fun and even more so, durable.

4 Anthem Of The Sun – Grateful Dead ( new entry )
Yes, it's true. I find myself drawn to them.

5 Two From The Sun – Grateful Dead ( new entry )
Very good indeed live album and a good place to start.

6 Henry The Human Fly - Richard Thompson ( down 3 )
I've moved on? Never.

7 Melting Pot – Zoe Rahman ( down 5 )
Sounds so natural and organic and the sense of fun shines through.

8 Babbacombe Lee – Fairport Convention ( new entry )
John Lee and friends.

9 Coles Corner – Richard Hawley ( down 1 )
A couple of tunes here at least are stone cold classics.

10 Fotheringay - Fotheringay ( new entry )
Re-listening for forthcoming reviewing purposes.

August 2006

1 Modern Times - Bob Dylan ( new entry )
I think some critics would find it less embarrassing giving Dylan the effusive
praise if he was dead rather than still making records as fine as this.

2 Melting Pot – Zoe Rahman ( new entry )
Mercury Award nominated new British Jazz pianist, and she's some fearsome
talent. Not much on modern jazz myself, yet this is so fresh,
vibrant and with great interplay.

3 Henry The Human Fly - Richard Thompson ( non mover )
One of the finest debuts to ever have been married to such a daft sleeve!

4 Angel Delight – Fairport Convention ( new entry )
Post Denny, Post Thompson. Swarb carries on. God bless Swarb!

5 Alright, Still – Lily Allen ( new entry )
It's a fun album from the daughter of UK actor Keith Allen. Street
vibes, reggae and lots of decent tunes on the whole.

6 Midlake - Trials Of Van Occupanther ( new entry )
Whoa! I wasn't expecting this. Imagine the first Eagles album
played by an indie band then given a psychedelic edge. Then
imagine it being better than I've just described.....

8 Coles Corner – Richard Hawley ( new entry )
Former Pulp man creating a unique place for himself. He's really
starting to grow on me. Typical emotion packed, grimy ballads from the north of England.

7 We Are The Pipettes - The Pipettes ( new entry )
A modern take on Motown and girl groups, obviously with a producer who thinks
he knows all the ingredient. He clearly doesn't quite know, a good
singer being one of them. Pretty charming, though.

9 Prairie Wind - Neil Young ( down 3 )
The mighty Neil Young. That's all that needs to be said, really.

10 Repreive – Ani Difranco ( new entry )
Not exactly my favourite Ani, although it's got good reviews. I got criticized
awhile back for giving her new releases good grades. I'll now
get the same for a lower grade!

July 2006

1 Full House – Fairport Convention ( new entry )
Possibly their finest ever work.

2 Lucky Dog Recordings - Stuart A Staples ( new entry )
The sound of Tindersticks singer gone solo. Lovely.

3 Henry The Human Fly - Richard Thompson ( new entry )
Listening to this off the back of 'Full House'. It's bloddy good!

4 The Eraser – Thom Yorke ( up 1 )
Thom reveals unexpected hidden depths.

5 News And Tributes – Futureheads ( new entry )
Spiky and angular yet also revealing loveliness.

6 Prairie Wind - Neil Young ( down 5 )
A beatufiul, proper work from a man old enough to know.

7 Loose - Nelly Furtado ( down 5 )
Pop music is dead, they say? Clearly it isn't.

8 Victory For The Comic Muse – Divine Comedy ( down 5 )
Neil releases another quality work.

9 Under The Iron Sea – Keane ( new entry )
Listened to this many times for reviewing purposes only....

10 Broken Boy Soldiers – Raconteurs ( down 1 )
Still hanging on in.

June 2006

1 Prairie Wind - Neil Young ( new entry )
One of his best ever albums. Seriously. SERIOUSLY!

2 Loose - Nelly Furtado ( new entry )
The best commercial pop album i've heard in, oooh, years!

3 Victory For The Comic Muse – Divine Comedy ( new entry )
It's a grower, this one. Two thirds a pop album, one third
a pretentious art project.

4 Surprise – Paul Simon ( new entry )
Aptly named, this is the best surprise Paul has pulled off
in.... well, since I can remember!

5 The Eraser – Thom Yorke ( new entry )
Sounds like how you imagine a solo Thom, circa 'Kid A' to sound like.

6 The Drift – Scott Walker ( down 5 )
Drifting ( ha, ha! ) downwards due to new entries.

7 Chosen Lords - Aphex Twin ( re-entry )
A nostalgic new set of marking time songs.

8 Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam ( new entry )
Ah, good old Pearl Jam. They ARE old, too.

9 Broken Toy Soldiers – Raconteurs ( down 6 )
Jack White and friends. Jack? Ditch those friends! Sorry, being harsh.

10 Waterloo To Anywhere – Dirty Pretty Things ( down 8 )
I recently reviewed this for AXA Assurance 'Floor 5' magazine.
Stardom awaits!!!!!!!!!!

May 2006

1 The Drift – Scott Walker ( non mover )
The best things come to those who wait. Scott knows!

2 Waterloo To Anywhere – Dirty Pretty Things ( new entry )
Surprisingly decent set of tunes from the former libertine not in the tabloid papers.

3 Broken Toy Soldiers - Ranconteurs ( new entry )
Jack White apart from Meg Stripe makes great side project album shocker!

4 Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers ( new entry )
Force fed at the moment, in our house!

5 Kulanjan – Toumani Diabate ( new entry )
Queen Bee is one of the greatest songs I've heard in my entire life.

6 Ringleader Of The Tormentors – Morrissey ( down 4 )
'You Have Killed Me' is a strange choice to be 2nd single.

7 At War With The Mystics – Flaming Lips ( new entry )
Not the force they once were?

8 We Are Not The Infadels - The Infadels ( down 1 )
Funky and spunky new act on the block mixing electronics and rock.

9 Making Dens - Mystery Jets ( down 4 )
I'm a tourist. All the kids are singing along.

10 The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian ( down 4 )
A five month run in the 'what's on' charts is impressive, yet coming to an end.

April 2006

1 The Drift – Scott Walker ( new entry )
One of the scariest albums i've ever heard,
sounds like nothing else on earth.

2 Ringleader Of The Tormentors – Morrissey ( down 1 )
Life, life.... IS A PIGSTY. And then the whole song goes supernova, gloriously so.

3 Chosen Lords – Aphex Twin ( new entry )
An old school return to form for tank-driving Mr Twin.

4 Blue Boy - Ron Sexsmith ( new entry )
One of the best, most underrated songwriters alive today.

5 Making Dens - Mystery Jets ( down 2 )
Celebrate those prog and pop loving Jets. Celebrate them!

6 The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian ( down 4 )
Nice day for a surprisingly muscular set of Belle And Sebastian tunes.

7 Rated R - Queens Of The Stone Age ( new entry )
Argghhh!! Enough said.

8 Any Day Now – Scott Walker ( new entry )
Again, surprisingly competant, if slightly uninspired, MOR. Wonderfully sang, though.

9 Rainbow Rising – Rainbow ( down 5 )
Where did they go?

10 Faultlines - Karine Polwart ( down 1 )
New album due shortly.

March 2006

1 Ringleader Of The Tormentors – Morrissey ( new entry )
Mozza strikes gold? Well, 'Ringleader' is no better
than 'Quarry', but three weeks in the top 5?? Yay.

2 The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian ( non mover )
Very, very nearly the equal of 'Sinister', but for a couple
of songs. Damn good then? Well, yes.

3 Making Dens – Mystery Jets ( new entry )
The singers father plays rhythm guitar in this wonderful new pop band.

4 Rainbow Rising - Rainbow ( new entry )
One of the best hard rock albums, ever.
In my indie-cool days, who would have thought i'd like Rainbow?

5 Other People's Lives - Ray Davies ( down 1 )
Typically for Ray Davies and The Kinks, this album has sold pitifully. It's genius, though, dammit!

6 Hello Young Lovers – Sparks ( down 5 )
Another sparkling set of golden gems from the Mael brothers.

7 Queens Of The Stone Age - Queens Of The Stone Age ( new entry )
Sometimes I do listen to things to review things. Enough said.

8 The Moviegoer – Scott Walker ( new entry )
Nowhere near as bad as legend would have us believe! Reissue on CD now, please?

9 Faultlines – Karine Polwart ( new entry )
A new singer/songwriter, fairly classy and decent stuff.

10 Aerial - Kate Bush ( non mover )
Second single, Kate? Probably not. Still, we have an album. I won't bet on another ever appearing.

February 2006

1 Hello Young Lovers – Sparks ( new entry )
I'm waterproof. She don't wear no perfume. My favourite Beatle is Ringo.
I wanna invade your country, baby, I wanna change your country.

2 The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian ( up 1 )
Apparently they whittled songs down and had enough good songs for a double album.
They've produced a single album that in the end, almost comes across as a best of. Good stuff, boys!

3 Veneer – Jose Gonzales ( down 2 )
This unassuming singer/songwriter from Sweden by way of Argentina has now hit top ten in the UK.
Artistry wins over commerce just this once. Yay!

4 Other People's Lives - Ray Davies ( new entry )
Why has the man never made proper solo albums before? This is magnificent songwriting, witty and stupendous lyrics
with even a brief musical moment reprising a very famous Kinks riff.
Ray, he's a card. Raise a toast ( a cuppa tea? ) to Mr Ray Davies today

5 Whatever People Say I Am... - Arctic Monkeys ( down 3 )
Everyone wants to know if it's as good as everyone says it is.
Everyone says it is as good, I say it isn't. Time will tell.

6 Keys To The World – Richard Ashcroft ( new entry )
Keys to the world? Verve circa 1995 had the keys to the world. Verve circa 1997, the famous Verve, didn't.
Solo Ashcroft certainly hasn't. This is his best solo effort yet, though.

7 Flat Pack Philosophy - Buzzcocks ( new entry )
Tired sounding unimaginative punk re-treads with very familiar sounding riffs.
Still listenable though. It's The Buzzcocks, what more can I say?

8 Apophenia – History Of Guns ( new entry )
As inventive and original as ever,
but I need to listen more for a full evaluation!

9 Comfort Of Strangers – Beth Orton ( new entry )
Comfort of Beth.

10 Aerial - Kate Bush ( down 3 )
Songs about washing machines and mathematic genius.

January 2006

1 Veneer – Jose Gonzalez ( new entry )
The heir to Nick Drake’s throne or another in a long line of mediocre, earnest new singer/songwriters?
He is in fact neither. Born to argentian parents and brought up in Sweden, Jose is something utterly unique
and writes amazingly affecting songs.

2 Whatever You Say I Am – Arctic Monkeys ( new entry )
The hype is scarcely believable, the tunes are pretty decent though. A consistent debut album that doesn’t
reach the heights of The Libertines, but Arctic Monkeys seem more together.

3 The Life Pursuit – Belle And Sebastian ( new entry )
Eighth album? Something like that. Belle And Sebastian take a step back from the pop production values
of their excellent previous LP and produce just another Belle and Sebastian record. It’s pretty good then? Yes.

4 Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon - Status Quo ( new entry )
You wouldn’t believe they were once this good, you really wouldn’t.
An excellent rock LP unfairly ignored by almost everybody who isn’t a rabid Quo fanatic.

5 First Impressions Of Earth - The Strokes ( non mover )
Slated by every critic I’ve come across. Actually, a brave attempt at widening their sound beyond the form they’ve already mastered,
however narrow that form actually was.

6 Apologies To Queen Mary – Wolf Parade ( new entry )
Comparisons have been made to Arcade Fire, but I don’t really see it.
Wolf Parade are another in a long-line of excellent new acts coming out of Canada, that’s what they have in common.

7 Aerial - Kate Bush ( down 6 )
This will no doubt be around for awhile longer yet as the record unveils it's hidden layers.

8 Tanto Tempo – Bebel Gilberto ( new entry )
I will get round to reviewing this one day.
I have tried, but always ended up sounding silly, to me she’s right up there with the best.

9 Tragedy Rocks – The Crimea ( new entry )
An interesting new bank from the UK much celebrated by the late,
great John Peel, in the months shortly before his untimely demise.

10 Rainbow Rising - Rainbow ( new entry )
Stargazer alone, more than worth the entry fee.