Robin Murray - Listen to This If You Love Great Music: A critical curation of 100 essential albums Packed with links for further reading, listening and viewing to take your enjoyment to the next level

Robin Murray

GREAT MUSIC

A critical curation of
100 essential albums

The album is perhaps the singular most important object in the weaponry of pop culture. Its the point where an artists vision becomes clear, a space for personal and aesthetic evolution. Even now, more than seventy years after the LP coalesced as a form in its own right, it sustains technologies may come and go, but the idea that a collection of songs can be forged into one singular idea burns more brightly than ever.

This book wants to shake things up a little. Its something to argue with, a means to open up a conversation. It includes voices that are often pushed to the sidelines, while also looking at seminal releases in a new way, exploring pop culture from fresh vantage points. This isnt definitive, its highly personal its not a full stop, its the beginning of a new sentence, something that you can take up through your own listening.

Ive selected 100 essential albums, using the aftermath of punk as a starting point. Along the way youll discover left-field favourites while also looking at mainstream hits from a different angle. Youll see entire genres rise and fall, splintering into shards of sound before gathering anew as the 21st century swings into gear. Well move from post-punk to grunge, the dawn of rap to R&Bs imperial phase, grimes explosive first wave to its commercial zenith, tackling the dominant artefacts of the CD era before touching on the vinyl revival. Its about the way we listen, and what were listening to.

Dont open this expecting to see standard favourites. In fact, its something Ive scrupulously avoided. Its a selection framed as much by whats missing as whats included, an alternative canon that faces forwards, and building a fresh framework for the future that is fast coming up on us.

Ive used personal revelations and historical facts, all filtered through opinions, arguments and fresh takes honed through my fifteen year career as a music journalist. When I first joined Clash as an intern we worried about MySpace and Napster now as Editor in Chief we embrace Spotify playlisting and Bandcamps digital DIY ethos. I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland when a trip to a record shop felt exotic, moving far out of your comfort zone in a way, it still is.

Work on this book took place during the COVID pandemic, a time when the music industry was pushed to the brink. Culture prevails, however, and so too does the way we discuss it. Music changes every single day, and the way we look at it must change, too. Its an open-ended conversation, one that needs to be shaken up every so often.

The chapters in this book have been uniquely curated to offer an intriguing juxtaposition of albums; and every entry comes packed with extra recommendations to take your appreciation to the next level. Heres a breakdown of what you can expect.

The Links

+ PLAY THESE

Three tracks from the album that you should pick out and play immediately.

+ DISCOVER THIS

An interesting aside or story about the album or related artist is revealed.

+ READ THIS

Great books, biographies and articles to further your knowledge.

+ WATCH THIS

Movies, documentaries, online interviews or talks worth investigating.

+ LISTEN TO THIS

Podcasts and interviews to find out more about the artist and their music.

+ LIKE THIS? TRY THESE

If you like what you hear, seek out these three other albums with similar influences.

Right First Time (1031)

The debut albums that made a difference, tackling record-breaking success stories and defining statements; projects that seem to encapsulate entire lives in just a dozen or so songs.

One-off Wonders (3251)

Some careers burn too brightly to last. This chapter exposes those singular statements that could never be repeated, exposing the explosive chemistry that fuelled these modern classics while outlining why a follow up was always impossible.

Slow Burners (5271)

Success isnt always immediate, though. Slow Burners retraces the long journeys some face when trying to make their mark, the obstacles in their way, the determination it takes to move past them, and the raw talent they must tap into.

Reinventions (7293)

Reinventions is a place of transformation. Its where indie also-rans become electronic gurus, where pop queens find a new lease of life, and pop icons embrace underground sounds. Its a space where entire genres are reborn across two sides of vinyl, or the span of a single compact disc.

Political Statements (94113)

But music isnt just noise. Here we look at the true meaning music can channel, its ability to hold truth to power, to subvert authority, and expose societal contradictions. Youll look once more at punk greats, while also meeting musicians struggling under repression, and find a value for music that is so much more than commercial worth.

Sexuality (11435)

Sexuality is absolutely core to the human experience, and music has always sought to give these feelings expression. The myriad ways we identify our love and lust for one another filters through into some of the key albums of our time, breaking new ground in the process.

Its OK To Not Be OK (13655)

The way we discuss mental health has changed utterly in the past few years, granting renewed space for people to fully express their feelings. Music has led the way in this discussion, using these spaces to locate fresh avenues for communication.

Music To Fall Asleep To (15677)

Certain albums conjure the kind of bliss that taps into peaceful slumber. This chapter is a short walk through some essential LPs that guide you towards an undisturbed rest, rivulets of ambient sound guaranteed to lull you into tranquil repose.

Soundtrack To Your Nightmares (17897)

This chapter, meanwhile, slips towards the darker aspects of the psyche. It looks at the way musicians and songwriters conjure the more chaotic, disturbing elements of the subconscious, and how their haunted dreams can result in music blessed with a rare sense of humanity.

Going Out With A Bang (198219)

Everything has to end sometime. Ill look at the way great artists sign off, and how those statements exemplify some of the groundbreaking cultural conduits that define their careers, their output and, in turn, our lives.

CHAPTER
1	RIGHT FIRST TIME

The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses

1989