@Theaetetus,
1) Grotesque by The Fall - HE TALKS OF CHILE WHILE DRIVING THROUGH HASLINGDON. Sez Smiffy on the subject of white rastas - which makes a lot of sense. He follows it up with HE'S DONE 60 HOUR WEEKS IN STONE TOILET BACK GARDENS which makes none.
2) The Oliver Twist Manifesto by Luke Haines. For YBA baiting tune "The Death of Sarah Lucas" and the indisputable truth of the line "Kim Wilde is sex!" in Discomania. Also Discomania is a glam rock classic about the same shared-consciousness twin jamaican/welsh girls of the Manic Street Preachers tune Tsunami - but better because the Manics fail to mention Kim Wilde.
3) Jehovahkill by Julian Cope. Mainly for Krautrock classic "Upwards at 45 Degrees" which is about the direction it would point if the Long Man of Wilmington became aroused.
4) Pink Flag by Wire, because 45 second songs are cool.
5) Keynsham by the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. This is mostly for the trailblazing "it's OK to be gay" tune "We were Wrong", written in the 60s no less and featuring the duet:
Vivian: That boozy English Day at the Brighton race courses.
Roger: The wind blew my skirt up.
Vivian: And it frightened the horses.
6) Dry by P J Harvey. Who is actually my guitar hero. I like the riffing on Sheela Na Gig in particular, and the "it's hard to walk and the dress is not easy - I'm spilling over like a heavy-laden fruit tree" couplet in Dress. Plants and Rags is ace too.
7) Tunes for Baroque Hurdy Gurdy by some people I forget.
8) In C by Terry Reilly. This is a piece of classical minimalism in which a number of bars are music are written in the same key and time signature. They can then be played for any length of time by any instrument so that every performance is different. If you listen to a good performance it's really eerie and beautiful.
9) The first Velvet Underground album apart from the songs Nico ruins.
10) Scott 2 by Scott Walker. For Jackie and Girls from the Streets.
11) After Murder Park by the Auteurs. Mostly for Unsolved Child Murder (a highly unusual attempt at a Christmas hit record) and pre-science slow crooner Fear of Flying.
12) The Las.
13) Blue Bell Knoll by the Cocteau Twins. Cause Liz Fraser sings like a waterfall on the edge of hysterics. Mainly for the line "Szcheeefaalladaaaa,hssssss,tostikkkahma-hah-ha-ha" in Carolyn's Fingers.
14) Rum, Sodomy and the Lash by the Pogues.
15) The Decline of British Sea Power - for the kelp reference in Carrion.
