ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010

The ‘Essex Boy Review’ end of year round up is going to feature a countdown of the Top 20 albums of 2010. Starting Monday, one title will be revealed each day with the winner announced on January 1^st.

Has this list been compiled scientifically? No. Has there been a vote? No. Is there a committee bouncing around opinion and criteria for inclusion? No. In short this list is being assembled in the style of a dictatorship. The Top 20 Albums of 2010 featured are the ones that have brought the most pleasure to ‘Essex Boy Review’ and nothing more. The only measurements that might be slightly involved are based on how many plays have been racked up and star ratings have been over-excitedly applied in the ‘E.B.R.’ iTunes library (but even that isn’t an exacting method because obviously albums released earlier in the year have a distinct advantage).

So why give this countdown any credibility? You’re not expected to. All that can be said in the Top 20s favour is this. If you look at the numerous end of year polls and despair at the inclusion of KT Tunstall; if you glance at the Christmas Top 40 singles chart and feel some rage; if you get physically sick at the sound of Autotune; if you are puzzled that anything presenting itself as even slightly alternative has to be 99% dreary indie-guitar bands; if you are compelled to graffiti the nearest motorway bridge that ‘Brandon Flowers is Chris De Burgh in disguise for chrisssakes’; if you can’t even begin to come to terms with how the massive amount of great music that is put out all the time every 12 months is just swept under the mainstream corporate carpet at this time of year and liking anything outside of processed pop means that people assume you’re into The Kings Of Leon then....well maybe, just maybe, these 20 hand picked gems (not all obscure by any means, far from it) might be worth investing some time in as we enter 2011. They just might, possibly, re-fuel your enthusiasm for music as the latest bunch of X-Factor contestants disappear into the sunset. If they don’t, well come back this time next year and we’ll try again.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT MARK LAMARR

Recently we (the folks at ‘Essex Boy Review’) were gutted to hear that Mark Lamarr’s essential Radio 2 show ‘God’s Jukebox’ is coming to an end this Christmas. It seems Lamarr has had a request for an earlier time slot turned down and would rather quit than carry on the Friday night midnight to 3am shift. Reasonable enough on the surface but you can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this than meets the eye; after all the show is pre-recorded and I’m sure the majority of the audience enjoy the show, as I do, on the BBC iPlayer. Looking into his on air comments over the past few months there has been a suggestion that he is feeling a little out of place amongst too many DJs dutifully adhering to the playlist policies. Whilst refraining from actually saying as much, I wouldn’t be surprised to find he even feels a little let down by broadcasters who previously might have been considered one of his own. Personally, I will say that as classy and witty as Radcliffe and Maconie undoubtedly are, it’s a rare occasion these days that I’ll go out of my way to catch one of their shows, for the music is painfully playlist friendly and, whisper it, predictable.

Only a couple of weeks ago Mark Lamarr spoke during an edition of ‘Gods Jukebox’ of his dismay at hearing another Radio 2 DJ, unnamed, telling the listeners about Elvis Costello’s “brilliant new album” only to follow up the announcement with an airing of the 1979 hit ‘Oliver’s Army’. “Brilliant new album, then why not play something from it?” Lamarr asked in disbelief. I think therein lies the key to his unhappiness with the radio station around him. We do live in a time where one hundred years worth of recorded music history should ensure there’s never a need for repetition, while the new music offered up every week (as our Top 20 of the year aims to illustrate) is a good deal more exciting than mundane offerings from Annie Lennox or the Kings Of Leon would have you believe. So he finds himself, a man whose passion for music is every bit as strong as John Peel’s, unable to comprehend why so many DJs aren’t inspired by this. Driven, as Lamarr himself is, to spend every day of their DJ lives exploring, enjoying and discovering the wonderful world of music we have at our disposal. When Peel felt unloved at Radio 1 at least he could console himself with the life changing role and hugely appreciated encouragement he gave to a few bands and artists on the fringes and specialist margins of the industry. Mark Lamarr though, whilst keeping a keen ear out for new music, probably would admit that his greatest love is for eras and sounds of the past. Perhaps this has led to an environment in which his enthusiasms are just reluctantly tolerated rather than valued?

The end of ‘God’s Jukebox’ is a sad occasion because it represents something that is important to all music lovers. A mainstream radio DJ, with let’s face it great taste, who runs his life around the search for unusual and wonderful records, without any regard for genre or age, then compiles them in an inspirational and brilliantly presented radio show. A glance at the BBC 6Music manifesto might fool you into believing that we’re over supplied with radio shows of this ilk but we’re not; if anything they’re a dying breed. All we can hope for is that Mark Lamarr doesn’t abandon his music broadcasting career and that he finds a more appreciative home for his talents and ideals very soon. If he doesn’t then something special will have been lost. To prove my point, have a listen to the incredible selection that Mark Lamarr compiled on this recently released festive album: ‘Mark Lamarr’s Rhythm & Blues Christmas’....

Free music - Mark Lamarr's Rhythm & Blues Christmas