Paul's Favourite Albums
Gosh, you really must be keen if you have made your way to this page.
I don't expect you will find these lists nearly as fascinating to read as I found
to compile.
Over several years I have been allocating a score to every album I've heard,
even the ones I don't actually possess. I decided to keep the marks in the range 0 to 9,
simply to save coping with two digits. The marks correspond to the following descriptions,
and I have also indicated the rough percentage falling within each category.
| 0 | - Awful - I never want to hear it again! | none |
| 1 | - Dull or unpleasant - I'd have to work hard to like it | 1% |
| 2 | - OK I suppose - harmless enough | 10% |
| 3 | - Pleasant - I'm happy listening to this for a change | 25% |
| 4 | - Good - a definite thumbs-up | 28% |
| 5 | - Very Good - there's something here well above average | 17% |
| 6 | - Highly Enjoyable - I can't help singing along | 10% |
| 7 | - Excellent - Essential to my Music Collection | 5% |
| 8 | - Outstanding Music - Guaranteed Enjoyment | 2% |
| 9 | - The Best - my eight Desert Island Discs | 1% |
And here are the actual albums which, as of September 2002,
fall into the top three categories:
The Best - my eight Desert Island Discs
| Pink Floyd | : The Dark Side of the Moon | : 1973 |
| Rick Wakeman | : The Myths and Legends of King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table | : 1975 |
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band | : Angel Station | : 1979 |
| The Alan Parsons Project | : Turn of a Friendly Card | : 1980 |
| The Moody Blues | : Long Distance Voyager | : 1981 |
| The Alan Parsons Project | : Eye in the Sky | : 1982 |
| Mike Batt | : The Hunting of the Snark | : 1986 |
| The Divine Comedy | : Cassanova | : 1997 |
Outstanding Music - Guaranteed Enjoyment
| The Moody Blues | : Days of Future Passed | : 1967 |
| Emerson, Lake and Palmer | : Trilogy | : 1972 |
| Dave Greenslade | : Cactus Choir | : 1976 |
| Jethro Tull | : Songs from the Wood | : 1977 |
| Dire Straits | : Dire Straits | : 1978 |
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band | : Watch | : 1978 |
| The Alan Parsons Project | : Pyramid | : 1978 |
| Camel | : I Can See Your House From Here | : 1979 |
| Harry Chapin | : (compilation tape from various LPs) | : |
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band | : Chance | : 1980 |
| The Alan Parsons Project | : Ammonia Avenue | : 1984 |
| Frazier Chorus | : Sue | : 1989 |
| Alan Parsons | : On Air | : 1996 |
Excellent - Essential to my Music Collection
| various | : That'll be the Day | : |
| The Beach Boys | : The Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats | : |
| The Moody Blues | : In Search of the Lost Chord | : 1968 |
| The Moody Blues | : On the Threshold of a Dream | : 1969 |
| The Who | : Tommy | : 1969 |
| Simon and Garfunkel | : Bridge Over Troubled Water | : 1970 |
| The Moody Blues | : Every Good Boy Deserves Favour | : 1971 |
| Emerson, Lake and Palmer | : Pictures at an Exhibition | : 1972 |
| Rick Wakeman | : The Six Wives of Henry VIII | : 1972 |
| Wishbone Ash | : Argus | : 1972 |
| Emerson, Lake and Palmer | : Tarkus | : 1973 |
| Emerson, Lake and Palmer | : Brain Salad Surgery | : 1973 |
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band | : Solar Fire | : 1973 |
| Steeleye Span | : All Around My Hat | : 1974 |
| Camel | : Snow Goose | : 1975 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice | : Evita | : 1976 |
| Manfred Mann's Earth Band | : The Roaring Silence | : 1976 |
| Larry Norman | : In Another Land | : 1976 |
| Camel | : Breathless | : 1978 |
| Andrew Lloyd Webber | : Variations | : 1978 |
| Electric Light Orchestra | : Discovery | : 1979 |
| The Alan Parsons Project | : Eve | : 1979 |
| The Police | : Every Breath You Take - the singles | : |
| Dire Straits | : Brothers in Arms | : 1985 |
| Paul Simon | : Graceland | : 1986 |
| Alan Parsons | : Try Anything Once | : 1993 |
| Dave Greenslade | : From the Discworld | : 1994 |
| Alan Parsons | : Alan Parsons Live | : 1994 |
| Ayreon | : Into the Electric Castle | : 1998 |