Back in 1977, NASA sent a probe into deep space laden with earthly goods. One such object was a golden record, containing some of the best music created by human beings: J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chuck Berry. All in the hope that, should life exist beyond our spacial borders, anyone that came into contact with the probe would be prepared for homo-sapien culture. But what if we got to choose which albums went into space?
Seventh Heaven is a feature in which musicians and influencers pick their seven favourite albums and send them out into the heavens in the hope of spreading peace and good vibes throughout the galaxy.
Writing for this edition of Seventh Heaven is Neil Goss of Baroda
1. Arctic Monkeys - AM
I was 13/14 at the time his album came out and I remember my mum and dad were in London and came home with a programme for Glastonbury. Arctic Monkeys headlined that year. The programme had this big two page spread of Alex Turner with his Gibson Les Paul and I was intrigued. I’d spent the last year and a bit getting so into the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Foo Fighters, but Arctic Monkeys became my new obsession. And AM came out and every song was perfect. I loved it then and I love it still. I just think they were at their ‘coolest’ in the AM era. Every guitar part on the album is so mysterious and well thought out. In my opinion, their best album. No.1 Party Anthem is my favourite track off of it.
2. Continuum - John Mayer
I fancy John Mayer. I was going on holiday with my family when I was 15 and I’d heard his name enough over the last 4 years playing guitar, I’d heard about how amazing he was. So I thought I’d finally check him out and the first song I heard was ‘Slow Dancing In A Burning Room’ live in LA and I was blown away. I loved it. I got his live in LA album when I got home from holiday. But it wasn’t until Christmas when I got Continuum from my girlfriend. The album is amazing. The songs are amazing, and the album flows perfectly. I love the guitar in every song and I love every song. It just brings back great memories. And Slow Dancing is still my favourite song.
3. Abbey Road- The Beatles
Although I think yesterday is their best song, and not all my favourite Beatles songs are on this album, I love everything about it. It flows perfectly from the start of come together. I’ve listened to all the Beatles albums start to finish but none caught me as much as this. The highlight for me is 'Golden Slumbers'. McCartneys vocals are amazing on it. So much emotion. I love George Harrison as a guitarist, and a songwriter. I think he’s sometimes overlooked when he’s in with the likes of Lennon-McCartney, but ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and ‘Something’ are two iconic tracks penned by Harrison. Undoubtedly the best thing on this album is the bass line in ‘Come Together’. I don’t need to say anything else regarding that. All in all, though it doesn’t have all their best songs, this album is just perfect and is worth listening to start to finish.
4. Mechanical Bull- Kings Of Leon
A lot of my favourite albums have to do with nostalgia. They mightn’t be the best albums ever, but they mean a lot to me and were important at a stage in my life. Around the same time as I started listening to Arctic Monkeys, I got this album. I 100% got it because the girl I was trying to impress (now my girlfriend) liked it and had it so I figured that was my way in. I love it though. Start to finish this album is flawless. I always love the bass lines in Kings of Leon songs, (‘Family Tree’ has to be the best). But ‘Beautiful War’ is nothing short of beautiful. It’s got this U2 sound to it that I think is overlooked a lot. I think this is their best album from start to finish. Back when I got it I loved the lyrics, I was fascinated by them. One of the biggest bands for me early on.
5. Wasting Light- Foo Fighters
One of my favourite bands ever. This album was the first album of theirs I got that wasn’t their greatest hits and every track was amazing. I really appreciate how well Foo Fighters manage to work three guitarists. Each guitarist has their role and has something to do. I think this was the first record with Pat Smear returning full time as a Foo. I adore the song ‘Rope’. The drum solo and the guitar solo show how insanely talented the band behind Dave Grohl are. I could talk about each track and explain why I love it. I think this album is everything Foo Fighters should be. Heavy riff driven stadium filling rock. ‘Arlandria’ is a track that I wish I’d written. I was lucky to see them on this tour. And have been to see them on every tour after. So as my entry into the Foo Fighters this album is very nostalgic. I’ll never forget my first 3 concerts. RHCP, Foo Fighters and Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds.
6. What’s The Story (Morning Glory) - Oasis
Im a massive oasis fan. I love their music, I love their style, I love their attitude and I love how people don’t like them. I wouldn’t say 'Wonderwall' and 'Don’t Look Back in Anger' are the best Oasis songs, but this album is flawless. Starting from the end of the album, ‘Champagne Supernova’ is a song that can be played a million different ways but always stays the same. The lyrics are meaningless and typical Gallagher nonsense, but at the same time they’re powerful and sung incredibly by Liam. To me this album is what Oasis always will be. Muddy guitars and acoustic ballads. Some of my favourite songs appear on later albums, of which I am fan (An unpopular opinion.) The only reason this enters the list above any other is again, nostalgia. Artistically I’d have chosen their fourth album “Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants”. An album with more musical sensibility than its predecessors, more varied songwriting and, in my opinion, a better band. However Morning Glory is on this list as my first Oasis album. I’ve always felt “Cast No Shadow” is the best song on this album. Lyrically and musically. It’s a masterpiece that wouldn’t feel out of place on The Beatles ‘Rubber Soul’. I think that the 90’s era oasis perfected their formula for this album. Another stand out is the stadium filler ‘Morning Glory’. The energy behind this song is infectious. ‘Hey Now!’ is another track that’s equally as soft as it is messy. It feels very bluesy and is very under-rated. The perfect blend of heavy guitar tracks, and mellow acoustic ballads. This album holds a special place in my heart. It’s not the best album from the 90’s, and mightn’t be Oasis’ best, but it’s the one I’d stick on this list. It’s nostalgic and endearing.
7. By The Way- Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Picking a seventh was the hardest. I was torn between this, Led Zeppelin's 'IV' and Bruce Springsteen’s 'Darkness on the edge of town'. I picked this over them because early on John Frusciante’s style of guitar playing was a major influence on my as a guitarist. He’d probably be my biggest inspiration for playing. This album in particular has some of his best work. I would never credit him as the genius behind the band, I always feel they’re equal in what they contribute. His guitar work on this album is his best. The roughness of it and the melodies he plays. All flawless. Few bands have guitar riffs that are more memorable to sing than the lyrics. Can’t stop for example. The vocals the bass and the drums are all amazing as well but Johns work really stood out and for me, sets him as my favourite guitarist of all time. 'Dosed' and 'I could die' for you are my favourite songs of the record. Kiedis’ vocals are beautiful.
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