All The Records I've Ever Owned

Year Released: 1997 Label: EMI Year Bought: 1999 My love of Bowie started as a wind up. There was a rumour round our school that one of the French teachers used to go out with Bowie, so as part of my ambition to be a cocky little shit I decided to try to sneak some Bowie song titles into our lessons. "I don't understand how this verb ch-ch-ch-changes, Miss" – that sort of thing. It turned out that not only had she dated him, she was still friends with him, and even had side-of-the-stage tickets when he played Glastonbury in 2000. She might still be the coolest person I've ever known. In my bid to learn some more Bowie tunes I dug out my mum's old vinyls and fell in love with 'Hunky Dory'. For Christmas 1999, my mum got me 2 CDs, this one, which covers 1969/74, and the next one which goes up to 1979.  That Christmas, I had them both on repeat as I played FIFA 2000 on the PC (which had a picture of pre-Judas Sol Campbell on the cover). This compilation reall...

Year Released: 1997 Label: A&M Year Bought: 1999 When I was a wee lad of 14 and starting to learn guitar, I loved the Police. Their tunes were a mixture of sparseness and virtuoso, and you could spend hours picking apart what Andy Summers was doing - or not doing - on the guitar. Same with Stuart Copeland's drumming. And Sting was involved as well. This collection was a regular fixture on my CD walkman - and then MiniDisc player - when I would walk to and from school, but I've not listened to it in many, many years. The first four tracks – 'Message In A Bottle', 'Can't Stand Losing You', 'Englishman in New York', and 'Every Breath You Take' – are all brilliant. Yes, even 'Englishman in New York'.  The next song, 'Seven Days', I was obsessed with when I was younger as it's in 5/4 time - which is the same time signature as the original Mission Impossible theme. Ah I am loving listening to this again. The drums are so goo...

Year Released: 1997 Label: Reprise Year Bought: 1999 It is a truth universally acknowledged that being a 14-year-old isn't easy. I decided to make it more difficult for myself by not only being one of only three kids in school to learn the trumpet, but by shunning most musical touchstones of the time in favour of older music. And it doesn't get more of a throwback than Sinatra. This was 1999, so before Robbie Williams made his 'Swing When Your Winning' album and TV talent shows were stacked with kids doing Dean Martin impressions. I felt like an outlier. Indeed, I remember borrowing the money from a friend I was with in town the day I got this record, and when I gave her the money back she muttered to herself "I can't believe I lent someone money to buy a Frank Sinatra album." Anyway, I loved this CD. Well, the first CD of the set. The first disc is just stacked with classics. It kicks off with funeral favourite 'My Way', then goes on to 'Stran...

Year Released: 1997 Label: Polydor Year Bought: 1999 Kicking off with 'In The City' – which still sounds just as urgent as it did in 1977 – this collection brings together all of the The Jam's A-sides before Paul Weller broke up the band in 1982. I remember buying this CD in 1999 with money I had earned from my paper round, and I played it constantly. I knew every lyric, every bass fill from Bruce Foxton, every machine gun snare roll from Rick Buckler.  I was pretty into 70s punk as a teenager, but The Jam appealed more than most as they seemed to look beyond the nihilism.  "What's the point in saying destroy,  I want a new life for everywhere," sings Weller on 'All Around The World'. The Jam's early singles are pretty good, but all feel a bit derivative of 'In The City'. I t's not until you get to 'Down In The Tube Station At Midnight' that you realise this is a band – and a songwriter – that can deliver something truly special...

Year Released: 1999 Label:  Independiente Year Bought: 1999 'Twas the year before the new millennium, and all through the country, everyone just wanted to have a sit down and a cup tea. Britpop was over, inoffensive pop and pop artists were back dominating the charts, and Radiohead had gone missing. In this vacuum, Travis - out of nowhere - became huge. The Man Who was the group's second album, coming two years after debut Good Feeling barely made a splash. Trailed by two singles – 'Writing to Reach You' and 'Driftwood' – it was clear the group had moved to a more contemplative, acoustic direction. 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?' was the big single, and propelled them to the A-List, while 'Turn' was a bit more U2, with a suitably arena-sized chorus. I tried really hard to love Travis, but I just couldn't. To be honest, I was pretty annoyed that they were the biggest guitar band in 1999. I was 14 and really wanted a new Oasis to emerge. I...