ANNIVERSARIES: Albums turning 20 in 2017

Blur – Blur

Despite my being less than a year old at the time of its release (and I certainly won’t falsely claim that this is when I began listening to it) Blur’s fifth album has, throughout my teenage years, climbed its way to the top of my favourites.

Tracks like ‘Song 2’ and ‘Beetlebum’ were, perhaps unsurprisingly, ever-present throughout my childhood. But in my teenage discovery of music, I also discovered that albums were much more than their singles; I discovered songs like ‘You’re So Great’ that taught me that love songs don’t have to be soppy. Blur, at 20 years old, is far cooler than I am at the same age, and still so very relevant. (Melissa Svensen)

Oasis – Be Here Now

History has seemingly been rewritten to suggest that Be Here Now is the moment when Oasis stopped producing the goods. In actual fact, Be Here Now is their zenith. Oasis’ third record marks the point when the Gallagher brothers lived up to their council estate promises that they would become the biggest band in the world.

What else do people want from the biggest rock and roll stars on the planet rather than an album recorded amid copious amounts of marching powder, featuring a Rolls Royce in a swimming pool on the cover, and opening with the proclamation ‘all my people right here right now, they know what I mean’?

In the aforementioned opener, the title track, and the best Eurovision song Great Britain never had, All Around The World, Be Here Now is Oasis at their swaggering, behemoth best – and is unlikely to ever be matched in the modern music industry. (Rob Conlon)

The Verve – Urban Hymns

20 years ago, on 29^th September I was a 5 month old baby. Yet for The Verve, this was the day their music career would be defined for the rest of it. Without a doubt Urban Hymns is one of the most iconic albums since it’s release – perhaps, in fact, one of the greatest of ALL time (18^th best selling album in UK history).

I was graced with a Dad of great music taste, and so as a child these songs were repetitively propelled upon me – what a lucky lass I was.

Immersive sonic textures fill the entire album, ranging from the isolated acoustic guitar on The Drugs Don’t Work, from the upbeat string instrumental of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.

Not only this, but ‘Sonnet’, ‘Lucky Man’… you name it; some of the most iconic tunes from the 90’s are found on this album. It may not be injected with the most upbeat sounds, but it’s definitely one of the best life companions to have, no matter what your mood is.

To this day, Richard Ashcroft is certainly one of the best live acts I’ve seen so far and I’m certain he’ll remain up there forever. Just like this album will forever hold in my estimations. (Lottie Stuart)

Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape

I was eleven when Foo Fighters’ second album The Colour And The Shape was released – it was love at first listen. And, twenty years on, it continues to be a firm favourite.

Though I no longer listen to it on a regular basis, it has been a loyal companion to me over the years. Knowing it’s always there for me to switch on and sing along to every single word is an instant reassurance. It’s an album I turn to in tough times, in times of celebration, and simply anytime I can’t decide what I feel like listening to. It never fails to comfort and energise, as I immerse myself in its cathartic familiarity.

From memories of screaming along to the angst-driven refrain of ‘Monkey Wrench’ (“One last thing before I quit, I never wanted any more than I could fit into my head…”), and singing “There goes my hero” at Dave Grohl the thirteen times I’ve seen Foo Fighters live, to crying into a friend’s shoulder at the end of a night out as we both sob along to ‘Everlong’, each and every track on this album will always hold a very special place in my heart.

So, don’t try and have a conversation with me when I’m listening to The Colour And The Shape. Nothing can tear me away from my love affair with this album. (Mari Lane)