Andrew Dubber     

This is what your iTunes library looks like when you’re a bit OCD

I don’t have one of those big iPods that can fit tens of thousands of tunes on them. I have a little clip-on one that can take about 200 songs, a larger one that can take about 50 albums – and now I have my iPhone, which can comfortably carry 100 albums.

And 100 is one of those numbers that you just have to make lists out of. Take it from me. I’m one of those people who like lists of things. And I know for a fact that there are at least several people reading this who also like lists – and, like me, enjoy looking through other people’s records and books.

So – I’m going to list them (they’re all full, commercially-available albums – no partial albums or single tracks) for no other reason than I happen to have them handy. If you’re not fascinated by lists, there’s probably nothing interesting to look at here. And before you point out the obvious… yes – there’s hardly any jazz in the list at all, because that’s not really what I feel like listening to at the moment.

Of course, some people will make comments pointing out that album X by artist B is better than their Y album I’ve chosen – or will want to know “Why on earth would you listen to that dreadful band Q?”, but that’s kind of the point. Let’s have a conversation about pop music.

The List: [tweetmeme]

Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
Audiotransparent – Nevland
August Engkilde – Kaotic Brain | Beautiful Noise
Bachelorette – The End of Things
The Bats – Daddy’s Highway
Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
Beck – Guero
Brian Eno – Here Come The Warm Jets
The Brothers Johnson – Light Up The Night
Buck 65 – Secret House Against The World
The Chills – Kaleidoscope World
The Clash – London Calling
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis
Dam Native – Kaupapa Driven Rhymes Uplifted
Danger Doom – The Mouse and the Mask
David Bowie – Hunky Dory
Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Dilated Peoples – The Platform
Dimmer – Degrees of Existence
DJ Shadow – The Private Press
Donny Hathaway – Everything Is Everything
Eels – Daisies of the Galaxy
Elvis Costello – King of America
The Fall – The Frenz Experiment
The Fall – I Am Kurious Oranj
The Fatback Band – 1972-74
Feelstyle – Break It To Pieces
Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of A Man
Grace Jones – Island Life
Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy
Grant Lee Buffalo – Mighty Joe Moon
Grinderman – Grinderman
Handsome Boy Modelling School – So How’s Your Girl…
Headless Chickens – Body Blow
Hoodoo Gurus – Mars Needs Guitars
Humphreys and Keen – The Overflow
Hüsker Dü – Warehouse: Songs and Stories
Ian Dury – Reasons To Be Cheerful
Joy Division – Substance (1977-1980)
Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5
King Kapisi – Savage Thoughts
Le Tigre – Le Tigre
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Rattlesnakes
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Mainstream
Lou Reed – New York
Magazine – Secondhand Daylight
Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog – Party Intellectuals
Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis
The Mars Volta – De-loused in the Comatorium
Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
The Meters – The Very Best of the Meters
The Mutton Birds – Flock: The Best of the Mutton Birds
N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
Nirvana – Nevermind
The Pixies – Death to the Pixies
Primal Scream – Screamadelica
Prince – Around the World in a Day
Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
R.E.M. – Document
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Radiohead – Kid A
Rickie Lee Jones – Duchess of Coolville: An Anthology
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
Scritti Politti – Anomie and Bonhomie
Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Shriekback – Big Night Music
Shriekback – Oil and Gold
Shriekback – Cormorant
Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
SJD – Dayglo Spectres
Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Smiths – The World Won’t Listen
The Specials – Greatest Hits
Steely Dan – Aja
Steely Dan – The Royal Scam
Steinski – What Does It All Mean? (1983-2006 Retrospective)
The Stereo Bus – Brand New
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
Straitjacket Fits – Hail
T-Bone Burnett – The Talking Animals
Talk Talk – Laughing Stock
Talking Heads – Remain In Light
Terry Callier – I Just Can’t Help Myself
The The – Infected
The The – Soul Mining
Tom Waits – Blood Money
Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
The Universal Quartet – The Universal Quartet
The Veils – The Runaway Found
The Veils – Nux Vomica
The Veils – Sun Gangs
The White Stripes – Elephant
Why? – Alopecia
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Wire – On Returning (1977-1979)
(x) is greater than (y) – Negative Snow
XTC – Drums and Wires
3Ds – Hellzapoppin

Sometimes I play whole albums, but mostly I throw that lot on shuffle and see what comes out. That’s what I have in my pocket right now – and to me, that’s important, because all of those albums have meaning, biographical connection, emotional significance, a story I could relate about it, sentimental value. Or, in some cases, I just happen to like it and that’s good enough.

Any stories, recommendations, criticisms or observations of your own about that lot?