All The Records I've Ever Owned

  Year Released: 2003 Label: Hand Me Down Year Bought: 2005 This is when Kings of Leon were great. Could you tell what Caleb was saying? No, but who cared. It all added to the mystery. The group looked like they'd stepped out of a Louisiana swamp (yes I know they're from Tennessee) and were doing it all purely for their own enjoyment. Red Morning Light is a great opener and then Happy Alone just ups the pace and incomprehensibility. The whole album bounces along with such a tightness and simplicity. All the guitar lines are straight to the point. There's nothing particularly inventive about the production and recording. The record wears its influences on its plaid shirt sleeves - you can hear Bob Dylan (Trani in particular sounds like a Blonde on Blonde track), CCR, and Lynyrd Skynyrd all over the album - but Kings of Leon were never about trying to reinvent the big wheel that keeps on turning. It's all painted in primary colours, which over the course of an entire reco...

  Year Released: 1997 Label: Hut Records / Virgin Records Year Bought: Can't remember It's hard to critique this album as it's just one of those albums that everyone universally considers to be great. I'll be honest, I've never really listened to it properly. The singles are ace, and I'm sure I gave it a spin way back when, but when it came out I was still on my Oasis trip, and then shifted to Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, so Urban Hymns just sort of lived in my peripheral vision. I knew the singles, that was enough for me. As album openers go, Bittersweet Symphony is up there with Smells Like Teen Spirit on Nevermind and Rock n Roll Star on Definitely Maybe as the perfect encapsulation of a band's ethos. It's the perfect headline. You can read on, but it tells you everything you need to know. When I saw Richard Ashcroft playing this at Wembley last year supporting Oasis, the whole stadium got to their feet like it's the national anthem. Let's be h...