Uncut presents 100 startling bursts of glory that revealed rock’s major players and revolutionised the world of music… Originally published in Uncut's August 2006 issue (Take 111). _______________ Presley’s first record back in March 1956 and the recent debut of the Arctic Monkeys, the faste...
97 VASHTI BUNYAN
Just Another Diamond Day (1970)
Briefly a Loog Oldham protégée, Bunyan fled for the Hebrides in a gypsy caravan, writing this dew-soaked marvel as she went. Produced by the legendary Joe Boyd, but initially ignored, it became the key text for Devendra Banhart’s acid-folk massive.
Best track: “Window Over The Bay”
____________________
96 PJ HARVEY
Dry (1992)
Anthems to pagan statues (“Sheela-Na-Gig”),spectral ballads (“Plants And Rags”), lust-fuelled rockers (“Oh My Lover”), Dry sent male rock critics into a tailspin while charting a path for fem-rock beyond Riot Grrrl.
Best track: “Dress”
____________________
95 THE WHITE STRIPES
The White Stripes (1999)
Deeply indebted to the blues, this was passionate and shambolic, while piano-assisted ballads and haunting covers evinced a range that would later pay dividends on Elephant. Meg White bashes gamely throughout, two months into her drumming career.
Best track: “Screwdriver”
____________________
94 MERCURY REV
Yerself Is Steam (1991)
This flopped in the US following Rough Trade’s collapse and doesn’t hint at later commercial successes like Deserter’s Songs. Rather, it’s a folie de grandeur, epitomised by the sprawling “Very Sleepy Rivers”.
Best track: “Chasing A Bee”
____________________
93 THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Prayers On Fire (1981)
When Nick Cave and Co relocated to London from Melbourne, they were disgusted by the anti-rock New Pop, to which this was a chaotic corrective – its doomy squalls sounding like rock’s furthest, most testing extreme.
Best track: “King Ink”
____________________
92 SPIRITUALIZED
Lazer Guided Melodies (1992)
Recorded for £3,000 with the intention of “creating Electric Ladyland”, Lazer Guided Melodies saw leader Jason Pierce surpass the dissipated space-rock of Spacemen 3 with a woozy overture to indolence.
Best track: “Angel Sigh/Sway/200 Bars”
____________________
91 THROWING MUSES
Throwing Muses (1986)
Boston’s Throwing Muses introduced a feminine sensibility that made a mockery of banal notions of Women In Rock. Over abruptly shifting guitar-chord patterns, Kristin Hersh, later diagnosed as manic-depressive, sang as if undergoing an exorcism or speaking in tongues.
Best track: “Call Me”
____________________
90 FRANZ FERDINAND
Franz Ferdinand (2004)
Like a Late Show discussion brought to life, the debut of these literate and funky Glaswegians combined the Red Krayola and Rodchenko with a knack for a rousing chorus, not least on electro-rock tour de force “Take Me Out”.
Best track: “Take Me Out”
____________________
89 ELASTICA
Elastica (1995)
Smart, sexy, and clearly in thrall to Wire, Justine Frischmann delivered her disdainful verdict on the indie milieu, dispatching scenesters (“Riding on any wave”) with brutal post-punk riffs and trust-fund insouciance.
Best track: “Line Up”
____________________
88 TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976)
Petty’s self-styled ‘big jangle’ – led by Mike Campbell’s Byrdsian guitar and driving, Stonesy rhythms – brought a dash of new wave into the heartland rock of the US. With his rough, Dylanesque delivery, Petty rocked hard on the Byrdsian “American Girl”, later covered by Roger McGuinn. A diverse writing style and assured vocals foretold a glittering future.
Best track: “American Girl”