Hamster's Album Collection revisited

[METALMAN]

Oh that is a wonderful album!

[Colly]

I heart your CD collection, mid-90's girl Britpop rules all. No fupping clue who Mirwais is mind, and Billie Myers is 4000 miles from my musical spectrum, but I've got all the rest...

Have to say though I've always quite liked Stereo World, and Stop Your Crying is a nice change of sound on the Sleeper album.

[hackerjack]

So far, all this thread has done is remind me how immensely bangable the lead singers of most 90's female-fronted Britpop bands were.

Then it has done its' job!

I was just thinking the same thing, get around to Shirley Manson already!

I'd love to do this myself but I know that I'll be continually second guessing my ratings as I go along and will end up having to give albums something like 4.125 smileys just so it makes sense to me.

Also apart from Mirwais I think you've stolen my CD collection as I have between 100 and 200 albums included all the othrs you've posted. I shall have to check when I get home. In my defence Billie Myers album was my sister's at one point, not sure how I ended up with it.

[Colly]

Actually, if you don't have a copy of Nuisance by Menswe@r, I'm disowning this topic as rubbish.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Breathe deeper...daydreamer.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Alisha Rules The World" by Alisha's Attic

1996

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(3/5)

Full track listing:

1."Irresistible U R" – 1:49

2."Intense" – 3:55

3."I Am, I Feel" – 4:00

4."Alisha Rules the World" – 4:34

5."White Room" – 4:13

6."Stone in My Shoe" – 4:39

7."Personality Lines" – 0:54

8."Indestructible" – 3:39

9."I Won't Miss You" – 4:01

10."The Golden Rule" – 1:34

11."Just the Way You Like It" – 3:57

12."Air We Breathe" – 4:37

13."Adore U" – 3:57

Back to 1996 we go with the slightly weird-in-the-head sisters of Alisha's Attic. This is one of my first CD albums I believe (along with Alanis Morissette and Third Eye Blind) and I'll stand up for Alisha's Attic - they weren't bad at all.

I decided to dig out the album to continue my "1990s female vocalists" vibe and was watching an old Buzzcocks episode with the redhead on who was kinda sexy.

Listening to the album again today it's a bit girlie around the edges but has some seriously good stuff with some subtle sitars. The most famous track from the album is the poppy, catchy "I am, I feel" but there are some decent leftfield tracks on there which make the album a decent listen (Irresistible U R is a fantastically jarring and brave album opener). Of course there's some filler, especially near the end but as a whole the album was better than I thought it might be. Turns out that it was produced by Dave Stewart and it shows in a positive way.

Highlights...

Irresistible U R

Intense

White Room

Personality Lines

Indestructible

I Won't Miss You

Low points...

Stone In My Shoe

The Golden Rule

Just The Way You Like It

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Smart" by Sleeper

1995

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Inbetweener" - 3:18

2."Swallow" - 2:42

3."Delicious" - 3:01

4."Hunch" - 3:38

5."Amuse" - 2:09

6."Bedhead" - 3:00

7."Lady Love Your Countryside" - 2:40

8."Vegas" - 3:14

9."Poor Flying Man" - 4:01

10."Alice in Vain" - 3:35

11."Twisted" - 3:01

12."Pyrotechnician" - 3:26

I managed to hunt this down a few months ago over here in Japan of all weird places. I couldn't find any Sleeper albums while I was back in the UK this summer. Anyway I listened to the album on the day I bought it and obviously wasn't in the right mood as I flicked it off half way through, very disappointed. Still, the aim of the thread is to listen to ALL my albums again so I played it again and.....wow.....MUCH better. With regards to the flow it's very different to It Girl which had brilliant peaks and a few low troughs...In my star ratings on Media Player It Girl has a few 5s and a 2 and even a 1 (grrr Mr Gorsky). Smart is pretty much all 4s and 3s. It's a really solid album with very few mega stand outs but nothing terrible....Making it a really solid and enjoyable album.

It's pretty much what you'd expect of a 1995 "Britpop" album with some good, earthy, lyrics...It even has the classic "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" line.

Inbetweener kicks off the album and is the most famous track (the video featured Dale Winton as a small supermarket assistant) but for me Twisted is the best track on an album that gives nods to Suede and offers a vision of the future Catatonia.

So a total surprise for me, but a pleasant one. Sleeper average a 4/5 from the two albums I own with It Girl the marginally better, more inspired, piece.

Highlights...

Inbetweener

Swallow

Delicious

Bedhead

Alice In Vain

Twisted

Low points...

Amuse

Poor Flying Man

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Fever To Tell" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

2003

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Rich" – 3:36

2."Date with the Night" – 2:35

3."Man" – 1:50

4."Tick" – 1:49

5."Black Tongue" – 2:59

6."Pin" – 2:00

7."Cold Light" – 2:16

8."No No No" – 5:14

9."Maps" – 3:39

10."Y Control" – 4:00

11."Modern Romance" – 7:28

12."Yeah! New York" – 2:05 (UK edition bonus track)

In England this album kinda snuck out without much fanfare. I was aware of them because of my short-lived interest in getting "The Face" magazine at the time where they had a big feature on them one month with Karen O wearing a dress made of money if I remember right. This, importantly, means that we didn't suffer the "Maps" onslaught every hour of every day on the radio which I heart the US experienced and overkilled Yeah Yeah Yeahs for some folk. This means that I LIKE Maps! The album itself is a short and sweet shouty riot, mostly full of tracks of the 1:40-3:00 minute variety. I took this to work while I was at Gamestation and it was great when we played it, just a shot in the arm for the day. Wake us up a bit before the last three tracks - Maps, Y Control and Modern Romance create a good vibe to roll into whatever was next. It's a great album. Important for what it is. I still like it too. I got to work feeling tired and wishing I'd taken a more chilled out album but I put it on anyway and within minutes I was energized. Awesome.

Highlights...

Date With The Night

Black Tongue

Pin

No No No

Maps

Y Control

Modern Romance

Low points...

Man

Cold Light

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Surrender" by The Chemical Brothers

1999

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(5/5)

Full track listing:

Music: Response" – 5:19

2."Under the Influence" – 4:16

3."Out of Control" – 7:19

featuring Bernard Sumner

4."Orange Wedge" – 3:06

5."Let Forever Be" – 3:56

featuring Noel Gallagher

6."The Sunshine Underground" – 8:38

7."Asleep from Day" – 4:47

featuring Hope Sandoval

8."Got Glint?" – 5:26

9."Hey Boy Hey Girl" – 4:50

10."Surrender" or "Racing The Tide" on some pressings – 4:30

11."Dream On" – 5:13

"Dream On (Reprise)" – 1:13 (hidden track)

featuring Jonathan Donahue

Did you know that a copy of this album was placed in the 2000 Blue Peter time capsule?! No, me neither until just now but it deserves its' place because it's the best electronic dance album of all time (as I previously stated in my top 20).

Just taking this album in my hands gets me all excited. The front cover is instantly recognisable and for me the back cover with tracklisting is even more so. This for me has always been the peak of the Chemical Brothers pyramid with Dig Your Own Hole just below and everything after the decent enough Come With Us a waste of space. I looked forward to chucking this in the CD player at work and knew what I was getting.

Music: Response is such an awesome start to the album (and was even better when I saw them live in Birmingham in 2002). I have happy memories of Under The Influence cos my housemate had some great speakers that he'd place face down on the carpet and turn the bass on it up to the max. The opening bass assault would just go right through you. Out of Control carries on perfectly. The one track that has seriously gone up for me over time is Let Forever Be which is a timeless grower. It's impossible not to like it (even with Noel Gallagher). Sunshine Underground is one of the happiest pieces of music ever made (and has happy memories as the perfect encore when I saw them - they flooded the room with light when it peaked in some kind of aural orgasm)....Oh yeah and it has Hey Girl Hey Boy which still makes me happy. The album is basically as good as ever.

Highlights...

Music: Response

Under The Influence

Out Of Control

Let Forever Be

The Sunshine Underground

Asleep From Day

Hey Boy, Hey Girl

Surrender

(ha, it's nearly all highlights)

Low points...

Got Glint?

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Third Eye Blind" by Third Eye Blind

1997

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Losing a Whole Year" – 3:21

2."Narcolepsy" – 3:49

3."Semi-Charmed Life" – 4:29

4."Jumper" – 4:33

5."Graduate" – 3:10

6."How's It Going to Be" – 4:14

7."Thanks a Lot" – 4:58

8."Burning Man" – 3:00

9."Good for You" – 3:52

10."London" – 3:07

11."I Want You" – 4:29

12."The Background" – 4:57

13."Motorcycle Drive By" – 4:23

14."God of Wine" – 5:18

Ahhhh God bless Top Of The Pops. Semi-Charmed Life was released in the UK and made 39 in the singles chart or something stupid. However TOTP put them on to play live that week. I happened to be watching, liked the single so went and bought it (on cassette no less!) and there began my struggle to hunt down the full album which wasn't available in my home town (albeit a small town) and so I went into Canterbury and in the third music shop (before they'd all closed down except HMV...) there was one copy. So I bought it and played it a lot. I guess it was the beginning of the end of my pure Britpop days but hey, good album.

I'd not listened to it in YEARS but decided to grab it today anyway and as soon as it was into the player I couldn't help but sing along. Being a pop rock offering that was big in the US probably makes this even cheesier than a lot of my other albums already in this list but it's fun even if some tracks have bleak lyrics...It's a good mix of the energised happier times and the slower more powerful emo times. I'm not too bothered but does this album make me more of a girl? Bloody great though....Nearly wore out Motorcycle Drive By.

Highlights...

Losing A Whole Year

Semi-Charmed Life

How's It Going To Be

Thanks A Lot

Good For You

The Background

Motorcycle Drive By

Low points...

Jumper

I Want You

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Melody A.M." by Royksopp

2001

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(3/5)

Full track listing:

1."So Easy" – 4:09

2."Eple" – 3:36

3."Sparks" – 5:25

4."In Space" – 3:30

5."Poor Leno" – 3:57

6."A Higher Place" – 4:31

7."Röyksopp's Night Out" – 7:30

8."Remind Me" – 3:39

9."She's So" – 5:23

10."40 Years Back/Come" – 4:45

My first big negative surprise! See, I like Royksopp. Love a good chunk of their newest album, enjoy plenty from the second album and remember Melody A.M. being a big deal when it came out. At least it's a beautiful album to look at and has some great tracks sprinkled throughout. Unfortunately it's perhaps TOO "loungey" in parts. I don't mind some chillout, afterall I'm a big fan of Air too but Melody A.M. just hasn't aged well with me though there's still some excellent tracks in there which are worthy of a place on any Best Of album....Thing is, when I finished listening to the album I immediately played some stuff from their new album Junior. I dunno, Melody A.M. is great background music but maybe not as a focussed listening experience. Bear in mind though, Eple with the pregap chat is brilliance distilled in music.

Highlights...

So Easy

Eple

Poor Leno

Royksopp's Night Out

Remind Me

Low points...

Sparks

A Higher Place

She's So

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Blue" by Third Eye Blind

1999

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(3/5)

Full track listing:

1."Anything" – 1:59

2."Wounded" (Jenkins, Kevin Cadogan) – 4:51

3."10 Days Late" (Jenkins, Arion Salazar) – 3:05

4."Never Let You Go" – 3:57

5."Deep Inside of You" – 4:10

6."1000 Julys" (Jenkins, Cadogan) – 3:53

7."An Ode to Maybe" (Jenkins, Cadogan) – 2:36

8."The Red Summer Sun" (Jenkins, Cadogan) – 5:25

9."Camouflage" (Jenkins, Cadogan) – 4:35

10."Farther" – 4:01

11."Slow Motion" – 5:07

12."Darkness" (Jenkins, Cadogan) – 5:47

13."Darwin" (Jenkins, Salazar) – 8:32

Heading to wikipedia to copy the listing I just found out that Slow Motion, which is an instrumental (except for the chorus)on my copy of the album, actually has lyrics about the glamorization of violence, shooting people and taking drugs....Well there ya go! I'm more interested in the "secret lyrics never to be printed" part of Camouflage which is a great track and the small portion of unprinted lyrics is pretty much undecyperable otherwise.

Anyway onto the album itself. I remember it being an okay album but after the first three tracks I was thinking that maybe it was even better than I remembered....Then it fell away over the second half as far as I was concerned. However, Anything, Wounded and 10 Days Late is a brilliant 1-2-3 start to the album....Wounded is probably the best track of the lot....Then we get a few okay songs then a few not-so-good and then the poopy Darwin. Still, that's the end of my Third Eye Blind vibe, I never got their later albums.

Highlights...

Anything

Wounded

10 Days Late

Deep Inside Of You

Camouflage

Low points...

Never Let You Go

An Ode To Maybe

Darwin

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Pure" by 3 Colours Red

1997

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Pure" - 3:08

2."This Is My Hollywood" - 2:43

3."Nerve Gas" - 2:22

4."Nuclear Holiday" - 3:06

5."Copper Girl" - 3:32

6."Sixty Mile Smile" - 2:39

7."Sunny in England" - 2:37

8."Alright Ma" - 3:01

9."Mental Blocks" - 2:32

10."Fit Boy + Faint Girl" - 4:28

11."Halfway Up the Downs" - 2:26

12."Hateslick" - 3:46

13."Love's Cradle" - 2:51

14."Aniseed" - 2:16

Man there's some good stuff on this album. I came to 3 Colours Red a little late after their second album Revolt was released. This first album was going for £5 so I grabbed it and while it was a harder listen compared to the more pop-friendly Revolt, I now really like this album and not exactly being known for liking hard rock music, this is probably the "hardest" I go...Which isn't very far...

This is how a good British album should be. Loud, dirty round the edges, a non-stop assault. Pete Vuckovic growling out through some driving guitars. I still listen to this from time to time and it spent a few months on my mp3 player when I was first feeling a little homesick over here in Japan with all the shiny happy J-pop music everywhere (ahhh Sunny In England you beauty). It made me feel a helluva lot better, and was great for playing in class before my day of teaching.

Anyway, some links for those who have never heard of 'em.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEElT-UcOs, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcJfr6ju4eM, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIOKi4EIHg4.

Highlights...

Pure

Nuclear Holiday

Sunny In England

Alright Ma

Fit Boy and Faint Girl

Love's Cradle

Aniseed

Low points...

Half Way Up The Downs

Hateslick

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Play" by Moby

1999

(Y) (Y)

(2/5)

Full track listing:

1."Honey" – 3:27

2."Find My Baby" – 3:58

3."Porcelain" – 4:01

4."Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" – 4:23

5."South Side"† – 3:48

6."Rushing" – 2:58

7."Bodyrock" – 3:34

8."Natural Blues" – 4:12

9."Machete" – 3:36

10."7" – 1:00

11."Run On" – 3:44

12."Down Slow" – 1:32

13."If Things Were Perfect" – 4:16

14."Everloving" – 3:24

15."Inside" – 4:46

16."Guitar Flute & String" – 2:07

17."The Sky Is Broken" – 4:16

18."My Weakness" – 3:37

This album was huge in the UK when it came out. It got loads of nominations for different things and every single one of it's tracks were used in advertising, movies or TV - a first for an album. However, I don't think this makes it a good album. I played it today and yeah there were a few decent tracks that I remember with at least a degree of fondness - Porcelain is a pleasant track, South Side has the video with Gwen Stefani (anything with Stefani at the time was great)...and something else was good too. But that's part of the problem. One track just became another and nothing stirred or excited me. It's 18 tracks of musical window dressing. It's for people who thought that Toploader's "Onka's Big Moka" was a great album because Jamie Oliver cooked to it, or thought that M People were hip....Or had the Lighthouse Family albums constantly playing in the car. Moby's always described as a tehcno artist but techno "Play" definitely is not. It's safe. The reason that all the tracks were licenced is because none of them would offend anyone or upset them...Perfect for selling a Ford, or playing over a gentle TV sitcom.

So ok, mainstream is clearly acceptable and fine. Some of the best albums are mainstream crowd pleasers but Play lacks the charm and interest of such albums. It's okay but that's the thing...It's just okay. No soul.

Highlights...

Porcelain

South Side

Low points...

Meh dunno, nothing really, but not many high points either mind you....

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Moon Safari" by Air

1998

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(3/5)

Full track listing:

1."La Femme d'Argent" – 7:10 (English: The Woman of Silver)

2."Sexy Boy" – 4:57

3."All I Need" – 4:28

4."Kelly Watch the Stars!" – 3:44

5."Talisman" – 4:16

6."Remember" – 2:34

7."You Make It Easy" – 4:00

8."Ce Matin-Là" – 3:38 (English: That Morning)

9."New Star in the Sky (Chanson pour Solal)" – 5:38 (English: Song for Solal)

10."Le Voyage de Pénélope" – 3:10 (English: The Voyage of Penelope)

I have a lot of time for Air. Love 'em in fact. A quick glimpse at my rating though would maybe fly in the face of that statement but then of the albums I have of theirs this is my least favourite...Although it has a couple of belters - unsurprisingly Sexy Boy is one of those. The track that sold the album basically but could have been a bit of "false advertising". Moon Safari, like Air in general is all about a quirkily pleasing synth-lounge vibe with flashes of energy. As I finished with the Moby album this followed like a breath of fresh air into a stuffy room. There's heart in the music. It's far from perfect and a few of the tracks meander around without much to do but on the whole it offers a couple of standout tracks - "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch The Stars" being the two that are also best known...It's unapologetically French, lounge and chic.....Something that would improve even further with later releases.

Highlights...

Sexy Boy

All I Need

Kelly Watch The Stars

Remember

Ce Matin La

Low points...

Talisman

New Star In The Sky

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Funeral" by Arcade Fire

2004

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" – 4:48

2."Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" – 3:31

3."Une année sans lumière" – 3:40

4."Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" – 5:12

5."Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)" – 4:49

6."Crown of Love" – 4:42

7."Wake Up" – 5:35

8."Haïti" – 4:07

9."Rebellion (Lies)" – 5:10

10."In the Backseat" – 6:20

The biggest musical hard-on I have these days (probably starting with my mate's jazz fusion group Jinrai from a few years back) is for groups where the musicians play different instruments, switching, sometimes mid song and utilising whatever is right (whether kazoo, violin or saw) rather than just sticking to the usual. This is used, among others, by Mum,

and Arcade Fire. Their album Funeral is good, undoubtably. I really like it still. But I don't think it's a five star album for me at least. Some of the tracks are really really good, especially Tunnels and Rebellion....And it flows nicely too. Just a couple of downpoints for me stop it from being remarkable but as it is, I'm still a fan. Used to play this quite a lot too at Gamestation and it generally improved our moods.

Highlights...

Tunnels

Power Out

Crown Of Love

Wake Up

Rebellion

Low points...

Une Annee Sans Lumiere

7 Kettles

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"The French Machine" by Minitel Rose

2009

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(4/5)

Full track listing:

1."Elevator"

2. "Business Woman"

3. "Be With You"

4. "Magic Powder"

5. "Continue"

6. "When I Was Punk"

7. "Better Days Part II"

8. "Gallery Piece" (bonus)

9. "Better Days Part I"

10. "Zombie Lady" (bonus)

The cover pretty much tells you what you need to know. Minitel Rose set out to create an electro homage to times gone past from the present. Much like numerous acts these days including LeRoux. However unlike LeRoux I think Minitel Rose have fashioned a cheesily listenable and legitimate electro album. I actually just got this album today so I'm very much rating it after just a couple of listens and no doubt the rating would drop in a few years but right now it's cool. Like a nostalgia trip through my electroclash days with the weathered eye of the end of the "noughties". I like it more than I probably should, especially When I Was Punk which includes a driving beat that leaves me certain I've heard it before somewhere (in fact it's probably a beefed up "Silverscreen Shower Scene" by Felix Da Housecat). But that's the album as a whole. Everything gives you an uncanny feeling of "what's that from?" which is strangely a good thing with this package.

With "electro" styled music of recent years my main problem has been that the artist has been alright but what came BEFORE was better, and sometimes what came before that was even better, very much like a photocopy of a photocopy. Little Boots is alright but Goldfrapp's glam-electro period was better, and early Ladytron was even better etc etc etc. Minitel Rose aren't a photocopy of a photocopy. They're a scan of the original. Kudos.

Highlights...

Elevator

Magic Powder

When I Was Punk

Better Days II

Gallery Piece

Better Days I

Low points...

Zombie Lady

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"At The Club" by Kenickie

1997

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(3/5)

Full track listing:

1.In Your Car – 3:45

2.People We Want – 3:25

3.Spies – 2:09

4.How I Was Made – 2:24

5.Brother John – 2:57

6.Millionaire Sweeper – 2:31

7.Robot Song – 4:39

8.Classy – 3:09

9.Punka – 3:05

10.Nightlife – 3:19

11.PVC – 2:25

12.Come Out 2 Nite – 1:58

13.I Never Complain – 3:50

14.Acetone – 10:55

Ahlreeet kids it's Lauren Laverne and 'er feller Mackems with a cheeky little number from '97! Kenickie is indeed where Laverne (or should I say Lauren Gofton) made her name before heading onto TV presenting and "At The Club" is a decent slice of mid/late-era Britpop that keeps a decent momentum (mostly) throughout with energy and a good selection of tracks. It's your usual driving guiters / splash happy drums from the time that sent me into a spiral of nostalgia as I listened to it. It's clearly not the best album of the period but it's definitely nowhere near the worst with some quality songs on it although nothing that really really blows my mind. On the negative side there are a few tracks that for me are off the boil but nothing terrible. On my Windows Media 5 star ratings most of the tracks are 4s and 3s and the odd 2. Basically the more raucous they get the better they are.

The strange thing is that I can't stand the North Eastern accent on men or women but I do like the singing voices of Kenickie and Futureheads (both groups from Sunderland) so must admit that Lauren's accent on the album adds overall.

So, this album for me is worse than Sleeper's stuff but better than Republica which puts it at the 3.7 notch but as I only count whole ratings I'm gonna have to slide it into the 3 rating, but as one of the best in there.

Highlights...

In Your Car

People We Want

Classy

Punka

Nightlife

P.V.C

Low points...

Spies

Brother John

[METALMAN]

Ooh 3.7! I might get it for that!

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

"Different Class" by Pulp

1995

(Y) (Y) (Y) (Y) (Y)

(5/5)

Full track listing:

1."Mis-Shapes" – 3:46

2."Pencil Skirt" – 3:11

3."Common People" (Cocker, Banks, Mackey, Senior, Doyle) – 5:50

4."I Spy" – 5:55

5."Disco 2000" – 4:33

6."Live Bed Show" – 3:29

7."Something Changed" – 3:18

8."Sorted for E's & Wizz" – 3:47

9."F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E" – 6:01

10."Underwear" (Cocker, Banks, Mackey, Senior, Doyle) – 4:06

11."Monday Morning" – 4:16

12."Bar Italia" – 3:42

While generally regarded (by non-muso types - which includes me) as a Britpop band, Pulp were around since 1978 or so which meant that the "Britpop era" had to bend to accept them as opposed to Pulp having to identify themselves with such a label...Which is brilliant and means that Different Class, while keeping with many of the themes of the time - social commentaries interspersed with day-to-day trivialities of normal life - could also be a whole lot more. It's their fifth album and the only one I own of their seven. The album is helped in it's mass appeal by having five excellent and catchy single releases (well Mis-Shapes was a double B....) but look past those and the album has a serious depth to it.

While I stand by my claim that "Elastica" ws the best album to come from that period, this is a real front-runner and utterly different, partly thanks to Jarvis' magnificent, lilting vocals and arresting lyrics. While Elastica was one short sharp shock after another. Different Class throws together the 3-4 minute "hits" with longer, deeply layered album tracks that refuse to be known as filler. The unenjoyable minutes of the album can be counted on the fingers of one leper's hand.

Highlights...

Mis-Shapes

Common People

Disco 2000

Something Changed

Sorted For E's & Whizz

F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E

Underwear

Low points...

Pencil Skirt