Top 10 Music DVDs and CDs

Top 10 Music CDs

No.1: Genesis - Seconds out
Yes, yes, this was one of many 'greatest hits, live in concert, double LP' packages from the 1970s. But it's more than that. It's a complete record of the Genesis sound as they were just before Steve Hackett left. His soaring guitar lines, the fabulous drumming (2 kits in places) throughout, plus Phil (love 'im) Collins out front, Mike Rutherford on double-necked bass and rhythm guitar and Tony Banks on keyboards, plus those great, great epic songs... Definitely a (double) CD for listening on headphones or a really loud hi-fi system. Try to pick out what each musician is playing at each point - there's a lot going on!

No.2: Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill
My introduction to Hawkwind, this remastered CD features huge washes of sound, walls of keyboards, guitars, Mellotron, and classic space rock lyrics and ambience. Perhaps most important of all, there's the superlative drumming of the much-underrated Simon King, piledriving power and yet sensitive when necessary. Again, high volume is recommended, using headphones to get full advantage of the stereo mix.

Worship No.3: Michael W Smith - Worship
Fairly recent, this is an example of Christian music at its best. The songs are pure worship (as per the title), and the most impressive thing about the recording is that it's totally live, totally big and totally passionate. If your idea of Christian worship is half a dozen pensioners mumbling their way through some nineteenth-century hymn, then you've got a shock coming to you. If you haven't yet got a personal faith, I challenge you to listen all the way through and deny that there's something extraordinary going on in the lives of the people doing the singing...

Oasis No.4: Oasis - What's the story Morning Glory
THE classic Oasis album. Putting this CD back on is like seeing an old friend again. There's power here, there's emotion in the singing, there are classic songs from Noel Gallagher that you'll just have to join in with (I challenge you not to sing along to Wonderwall or Champagne Supernova), and even Liam's not as irritating as he is these days!

Enigma No.5: Enigma MCMXC A.D. 'Limited Edition'
An utterly mesmeric fusion of new age electronic rhythms, sampled Gregorian chant and opera, lyrics about the Catholic church, sado-masochism and spirituality. It's hard to imagine, so you'll just have to get the CD instead. It's great for playing while working and it's great for playing late at night when chilling out. Quite what it all means is open to interpretation and there are a clutch of web sites that attempt to do it justice. From the CD: "Take a deep breath and relax. Let the rhythm be your guide..."

No.6: Magazine - Real Life
Many bands hit their peak immediately, with their debut album being their classic, and this is certainly true of Magazine, back in the late 1970s. Howard Devoto snarls the lyrics in distinctive New Wave style, John McGeoch produces forceful riffs and lead lines, Dave Formula hangs crystal keyboard laters on top in just the right places and drummer Martin Jackson is tremendously energetic and crisp throughout.

Texas No.7: Texas - White on Blonde
Maybe this CD is the closest yet to Michael Jackson's record of most singles pulled from an album - the hits on this CD just keep on coming through the speakers. Happy memories here of sitting reading on the sofa with my partner, while the CD was on repeat on the stereo. It's not often a pop/rock CD appeals to both of us in this household!!

No.8: Madonna - Ray Of Light?
The reinvention of Madonna. Yeah, yeah, I know... again! Teaming up with techno producer wiz William Orbit, this is a classic, bursting with hit singles, haunting melodies and dancey rhythms - and crystal clear production. Madonna never sounded better, with some emotional songs talking about her spiritual experiences and life with a new daughter.

No.9: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon?
Oh come on, do I really need to introduce this? The biggest selling album of all time, the LP that made millionaires of Pink Floyd and a masterpiece of progressive rock. The CD version I've got doesn't really sparkle like it does in the imagination - but then again it probably just means that I need to buy a bigger and better stereo to play it on..... 8-)

No.10: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
Even if you don't really care about Fish's youth and upbringing, there are plenty of stunning instrumental and lyrical pieces here, all neatly interwoven. Section after section leaves you thinking 'That was impressive, but hey this next track's one of my favourites too'... Kayleigh, the hit single, is atypical of the rest of the album but just manages to fit in nicely. The instrumental and song writing prowess of Marillion's band members makes this a good and lasting testament.