British Expatriate Network

Q Magazine did an article last week on the best 50 British albums in history. Only one entry per band, here's what they came up with...

50 BEST BRITISH ALBUMS EVER!
1 Definitely Maybe - Oasis
2 Revolver - The Beatles
3 Never Mind the Bollocks… - Sex Pistols
4 OK Computer - Radiohead
5 London Calling - The Clash
6 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
7 Beggars Banquet - The Rolling Stones
8 The Queen is Dead - The Smiths
9 Led Zeppelin III - Led Zeppelin
10 Blue Lines - Massive Attack
11 Astral Weeks - Van Morrison
12 Parklife - Blur
13 Screamadelica - Primal Scream
14 Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
15 The Specials - The Specials
16 A Night at the Opera - Queen
17 The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
18 My Generation - The Who
19 A Rush of Blood to the Head - ColdPlay
20 All Mod Cons - The Jam
21 The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
22 Closer - Joy Division
23 Hounds of Love - Kate Bush
24 Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches - Happy Mondays
25 Bryter Layter - Nick Drake
26 Magic Medicine - The Coral
27 Plastic Ono Band - John Lennon
28 For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
29 Music for the Jilted Generation - Prodigy
30 Different Class - Pulp
31 Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces
32 Urban Hymns - The Verve
33 Paranoid - Black Sabbath
34 Original Pirate Material - The Streets
35 Entertainment - Gang of Four
36 Dare - The Human League
37 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
38 Club Classics Vol. 1 - Soul II Soul
39 New Boots and Panties - Ian Dury
40 The Undertones - The Undertones
41 Unhalfbricking - Fairport Convention
42 Fuzzy Logic - Super Furry Animals
43 Life thru a Lenz - Robbie Williams
44 Origin of Symmetry - Muse
45 The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden
46 Everything Must Go - Manic Street Preachers
47 Handsworth Revolution - Steel Pulse
48 Disintegration - The Cure
49 Searching for the Young Soul Rebels - Dexys Midnight Runners
50 Very - Pet Shop Boys

I went out and bought a few of them (Beatles, Stones, Sex Pistols, Lennon, Clash, Coral, Stone Roses, Radiohead) and of course I owned a few already (Oasis, Verve, Pulp, Coldplay). I have to say, listening to them makes me proud to be British - we've made some pretty cool music! And it's helped expand my collection, giving it a certain British coolness and not all that same-old American crap they keep spouting out these days.

From reading the article they [Q magazine] were definitely judging from an angle of how these bands and albums influenced the British (and World) music scene at the time as well as the overall quality of the tracks themselves. This is why they place Oasis at #1, they kicked-off the Brit-pop revolution, which for all its faults, made Britain a happening place in the mid-to-late 90s (ala "Cool Britannia").

Any thoughts on the list, obvious ommisions? unbelievable inclusions? any never-heard-of-thems?

Nice to see Nick Drake and Van morrison, disagree with the Pink Floyd choice. lots I don't know. Ommissions, no Jethro Tull, well there was only one album, Skating away, or some would say Thick as a brick. Distinct lack of female artists, but then most of the choices i recognise are from the 70's and 80's and there weren't any girlies playing then, well hardly, compared to today.
Nina Simone, Phoebe Snow, Flora Purim... D

The Streets? Wah? How did that happen? Robbie williams? Best ever it said! Good list tho. I'm sure Manics fans were tearing their hair out at Everything Must Go tho. Surprized tho (seeing as it's making a comeback) that old british heavy metal like Queen, Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden wasn't in there. Not my cup of tea but I could understand that over The Streets. And if I had my way a Mogwai album would be in there. Definetly would have included a Peter Gabriel record, maybe a Genesis one. Portishead's "Portishead" too. No Public Image Ltd? Or Depeche Mode. I would have thought about a Aphex Twin or Underworld record meself too but probably not. And last of all Godspeed You Black Emperor are fabulous but probably about 6 people have heard them.

And yes we Brits make brilliant music. Since I've moved I appreciate it more and listen to Travis, Sterephonics, Badly Drawn Boy, Doves, Reef, Supergrass, Seafood, etc - all stuff I probably wouldn't have coughed on back home.

Regarding yout comment old British heavy metal, I just don't think you were looking hard enough.

Ah...oh dear. lol This was of course before my two cups of coffee and a Winston Light.

Still - no Chris De Burgh?

An excellent list. So many great bands to choose from. Just off the top of my head, here are 50 bands and artists that did not make the list that have contributed to British popular music (in no particular order).
Tears for Fears
Madness
Dire Straits
Status Quo
Wings
Eric Clapton
George Harrison
Elvis Costello
The Psycedelic Furs
The Eurythmics
Joe Jackson
Thin Lizzy
Slade
UB40
Depeche Mode
The Police
Sting
Genesis
Phil Collins
Peter Gabriel
XTC
Big Audio Dynamite
Supertramp
Yes
Mike Oldfield
Duran Duran
Brian Ferry
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Paul Young
Rod Stewart
The Proclaimers
Big Country
The Damned
Japan
Stiff Little Fingers
The Style Council
OMD
Public Image Ltd
Siouxsie and the Banshees
The Animals
ABC
Adam and the Ants
Cabaret Voltaire
The Alarm
Ultravox
Gary Numan
New Order
Visage
Simple Minds
Soft Cell

We Brits, do indeed make some pretty good music.

Good list Iain - sad to miss some of those greats out.

I'm impressed Iain, I bow to your knowledge of British music. Though you forgot to mention the Spice Girls P

I guess Q could have quite easily done a top 100. And if they didn't limit it to one entry per band (a controversial enough task in itself) we could go on forever!

Original Pirate Material is fantastic. Groundbreaking almost. A Grand Don't Come For Free is also pretty good. Not as good as OPM but still not bad.

Dizzee Rascal is also very good, along with Ms Dynamite - a British reinvention of hip-hop may be on the way.

And not before time. There's only so much bling bling biatches got my 9 a boy can take.