Listography - Top 5 Albums by Male Solo Artist. MTV Stylie.

Oops. Seems like I was having a little too much fun and missed Listography.

I was actually having so much fun my kids nearly didn't get their Easter Eggs yesterday. It seems I hid them when in a drunken haze of 'mummy autopilot' but then couldn't remember where I had actually put them. Big Fail.

Anyway you'll be pleased to hear that I spent most of the day in bed listening to all the fun going on downstairs and praying to the ivory God of bathrooms.

Aaaanyway. On to Listography. I realise that this sounds a bit like a MTV Awards nomination but here we go - my Top 5 Albums by a Male Solo Artist (in no particular order)

1. Jeff Buckley - Grace.
A classic and brilliant album. I should take a moment to thank a guy called Rob that I used to work with for introducing me to it. And apologise to him for then 'acquiring' his copy, never to be seem by him again. Hope he got himself a new one.

2. David Bowie - Hunky Dory.
With thanks to my siblings for passing on their good taste.

3. Bob Marley - Catch a Fire.
I couldn't really have a list without him. So hard to choose just one but I'll settle on this very happily.

4. Tom Waits - Closing Time.
Again it was a lovely boy who gets the thanks for bring the great Tom Waits into my life. My first year of university and we skirted around each other for a whole year having deep and meaningfulls and sharing music crushes. The boy moved on but Tom stuck around.

And now - shock, horror - it's time to break my own Listography rules and put a joint entry in here.

5. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks \ Neil Young - Harvest.
Too tough to call.

If you want to join in and share your own list then just write your post on your own blog and then come back here to link up and have a nosey around some other peoples record collections. Sound like a good waste of time to me.

Listography - Gigs

Firstly thanks to all the lovely new bloggers who joined Listography last week - it's great to see so many new blogs popping up lately. I've already spotted a few that I think will become regulars on my 'must-read' blog list - once I get time to read again of course.

By the time this Listography is published I will be in sunny Spain moshing to Primal Scream, dancing to Arctic Monkeys and swooning at The Strokes at this years Benicassim festival. In homage to this frankly-incredible-that-I-actually-did-it trip this weeks Listography is Top 5 Bands I'd Like To See Live.

Here's mine:

1. Libertines.
Without doubt my most longed to see band. Their albums are works of art and their live performances (not that I've seen any, sob) are \ were masterclasses in energy-fuelled chaos. I love.


2. Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Well I have seen one half of these live and that was quite a gig - though there was so much wacky-tobaccy in the club that night everything was seen threw a hazy glow. Anyway - impossible obviously - but to see Sir Bob sing 'Kaya' would make my life complete.

3. The Doors.
No, not my favourite band in the world, and yes, Jim Morrison was a bit of a dick - but perhaps you have to be to be the ultimate front man (Bono take note).

4. Nirvana
Awesomeness.


5. Elvis
'Cause you'd kind of have to wouldn't you?

I'm quite sure this list will change as soon as I read all your fabulous offerings. Until then Rock On!

(To join in just write your list on your own blog with a link back to here so that all your readers can find the other brilliant entries. Then add your own link to post below. See you when I return!)

(If I return...)

Music I want my kids to listen to

So Ghostwritermummy and Alexander Residence have got us all a Twitter about 'Music I Want My Children To Listen To '. After reading their posts and their lists of artists I couldn't wait to jump in.

One of my very first posts was about the music I listen to on the school run. It included Nirvana and the fact that it didn't seem to gain me very many brownie points with the school mums...

Music is hugely important in this house. However, when I was growing up we weren't allowed to even watch Top of the Pops. Dad was pretty strict about it, but whenever he left the house on a Thursday night the four of us would gather around the TV with my elder sister and her tape recorder. We would have to be absolutely silent whilst she stealthily pressed the play and record button in unison as soon as an artist stepped on stage, before expertly cutting of just before Mike Read made some cheesy quip.

Ah the good ol' days...

One of my choices for this post is from this era. Both my older sister and brother were big David Bowie fans. So by default I was a big David Bowie fan. As their records were passed down to me I grew from wanting to like them to truly and completely loving them. How many times I played Diamond Dogs and Hunky Dory I have no idea, but I can recall being very upset years later when I heard my brother had reclaimed all his vinyl only to give it away before becoming a monk. (Weird but true).

So Bowie - you've made it into this Hall of Fame. You should be very proud.


My next choice isn't even a choice - it's just a foregone conclusion. As I mentioned in my Dinner Party Listography two of my three children are named via Bob Marley. The problem with Bob is that he is so ubiquitous around the world that he has almost become tacky, so it is easy to forget his brilliance. However, I defy anyone to watch a documentary about him without loving him, or put on any of his albums without ending up in a happier place at the end of it.

Arise Sir Bob.



Finally I'd like my kids to listen to The White Stripes and The Libertines. Two great guitar bands that I come back to time and time again. When our daughter was 6 months old and we had no babysitter (and no clue) we brought her to a White Stripes gig. The bouncer nearly fell over in shock but bizarrely let us in. I spent most of the gig sitting outside feeding her but even so - she'll get to tell her friends that that was her first gig. Pretty cool in my book, and as long as we haven't damaged her ear drums for life she might keep listening to them.

  

Ghostwritermummy has a linky on this so be sure to pop over and join in.