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How the Tastemakers Viewed

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Music Week, How the Tastemakers Viewed >>

A selection of UK tastemakers select their favourite releases of the past year

CONOR MCNICHOLAS

Editor, NME

1. THE LIBERTINES THE LIBERTINES

2.SCISSOR SISTERS SCISSOR SISTERS

3. MORR1SSEY 'YOU ARE THE QUARRY

4. FRANZ FERDINAND FRANZ FERDINAND

5. THE FUTUREHEADS THE FUTUREHEADS

6.RAZORUGHT UPALL NIGHT

7. GWEN STEFANI LOVE ANGEL MUSIC BABY

8. THE KILLERS HOT STUFF

9. SELFISH CUNT NO WICKED HEART SHALL PROSPER

10. U2 HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB

"We knew 2004 was going to be good year, but when Franz broke with a top three single and stormed the NME Awards Tour you could see something special was about to happen. The inspiration from the Strokes/Stripes effect finally came through this year and gave us a rush of genuinely brilliant new bands and, more importantly, British bands that will be long-term acts. Music feels genuinely exciting now."

SEANFORBES

Rough Trade Record Shop

1 FRANZ FERDINAND FRANZ FERDINAND

2. THE FUTUREHEADS THE FUTUREHEADS

3. THE EARLIES THESE WERE THE EARLIES

4. SONIC YOUTH SONIC NURSE

5. M1CAH P H1NSON AND THE GOSPEL OF PROGRESS MECAH P HINSON AND THE GOSPEL OF PROGRESS

6 ELLIOTT SMITH FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL

7 TV ON THE RADIO DESPERATE YOUTH, BLOOD THIRSTY BABES

8. NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS ft BAT FOIR BLUES/THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS

9. TODD PURITY PLEDGE

10. MARK LANEGAN BAND BUB8LEGUM

2004 was a great year for albums and especially debut albums (Franz, Futureheads, Earlies etc). Don't ever let the doom mongers tell you there's nothing fresh about.  The whole year was nicely punctuated with big sellers. It's also great to see the rise of the seven-inch and the demise of the CD single - what a rubbish format"

STEVE GALLANT

Product director, HMV Europe

1. RAZORLIGHT UPALLNIGHT

2. FRANZ FERDINAND FRANZ FERDINAND

3. SCISSOR SISTERS SCISSOR SISTERS

4. KEANE HOPES AND FEARS

5 WILCO A GHOST IS BORN

6. THE FALL THIS IS THE NEW FALL ALBUM 

7 U2 HOW TO DEFUSE AN ATOMIC BOMB

8. GREEN DAY AMERICAN IDIOT

9 GWEN STEFANI LOVE ANGEL MUSIC BABY

10. TOM BAXTER FEATHER & STONE

"I think 2004 has been a great year for music and in particular British Rock music led by the likes of Razorlight and Snow Patrol and Franz Ferdinand. I think it is the vitality of the UK music scene, along with strong retail base, that has enabled the music industry to continue to outperform every other territory in the world.  Long may it continue. The year ahead is going to be just as challenging as this year has been for record companies and retailers alike."

MW tastemakers favourites: Razortight were popular choice, while  Franz Ferdinand, U2, Scissor Sisters, Keane, Tinariwen and Youssou N'Dour also collected thumbs up

DARREN HENLEY

Station manager. Classic FM

1 ALESSIO BAX BAROQUE REFLECTIONS

2. NIGEL KENNEDY V1VALDHI

3 BRYN TERFEL SILENT NOON

4 STEPHEN HOUGH RACHMAN/NOV PIANO

CONCERTOS

5) CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF EUROPE & TENEBRAE

CONDUCTED BY NIGEL SHORT MOZART REQUIEM

6 THE KREMPF TRIO BEETHOVEN TRIOS

7 ALED JONES THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM 

8 LESLEY GARETT THE BEST OF LESLEY GARRETT

9 LUDOVICO EINAUDI UNA WATTINA

10. IL DIVO IL DIVO

"It's been a good year for both core classical and classical crossover discs. Warner Classics deserve enormous credit for the breadth of their core classical releases throughout the year. The young Italian pianist Alessio Bax includes some real gems on Baroque Reflections, my personal favourite for 2004."

MARK ADAMS '

Senior music programmer, Emap Performance TV

1. EAMON F"K IT (I DON'T WANT YOU BACK)

2. GREEN DAY AMERICAN IDIOT

3 BRITTNEY SPEARS TOXIC

4 SNOW PATROL RUN

5. THE RASMUS IN THE SHADOWS

6. ERIC PRYDZ CALL ON ME

7 MAROON 5 THIS LOVE 

8. KELIS TRICK ME

9 NATASHA BEOINGFIELD THESE WORDS

10. MARIO WINANS I DON'T WANNA KNOW

"It's been a fantastic time for music. Stand out albums for me were definitely Snow Patrol's Final Straw, Kanye West's The College Dropout Green Day's American Idiot and, of course, the long awaited Encore from Eminem. Albums I'd suggest getting your ears around when you can:

Teetra Moses' Complex Simplicity, James Blunt's Back To Bedlam and the fantastic Thirteen Senses' The Invitation."

JONATHAN BOWN

Features editor. Smash Hits

1. MCFLY OBVIOUSLY

2 BUSTED THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO

3. USHER BURN

4 NATASHA BEDINGFIELD THESE WORDS

5 THE 411 DUMB

6. EMINEM JUST LOSE IT

7 RACHR STEVENS SOME GIRLS

8. GIRLS ALOUD THE SHOW

9. V HIP TO HIP

10. 3 0F A KIND BABYCAKES

"2004 was a fantastic year for the Americans - while Britney stole the, headlines. Usher, Christina, Outkast and Eminem kept us plugged-in musically. But it was McFly who were the real winners, picking up the baton from labelmates Busted and treating us to three fantastic singles and an album that appeals to teenagers everywhere - and their mums."

IAN ANDERSON

Editor, fRoots

1. AMPARANOIA REBELDIA CON ALEGRIA

2. AYHURKECEKURDAN

3. BEMBEYA JAZZ THE SYUPHONE YEARS

4. ANDREW CRONSHAW OCHRE

5. JAOJOBY MALAGASY

6. LHASA THE LIVING ROAD

7 LA TALVERA COBLE MON POBLE

8. THE HERONS HEAVLN & HELL

9. OLD SWAN BAND SWAN UPMANSHIP

10.THINKOFONECHUVAEMPO

"It has been the proverbial game of two halves in the year of world roots and folk album releases. It started out with real promise, but stopped being so interesting around July. Hopefully this is a blip. Some of the big guns put out their best releases in recent memory - notably Youssou N'Dour, Martin Carthy, Khaled, Mory Kante, Gypsy Kings but as ever it was the byways and smaller labels that turned out the stuff that intrigued the most."

PHIL PENMAN

Music trading controller, Entertainment UK

1. MINDY SMITH ONE MOMENT MORE

2. ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION LONELY

RUNS BOTH WAYS

3 PATTY GRIFFIN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

4 KASEY CHAMBERS WAYWARD ANGEL

5. STEVE EARLE THE REVOLUTION STARTS NOW

6 LEONARD COHEN DEAR HEATHER

7 TOM WATTS REAL GONE

8 TK STREETS A GRAND DONT COME FOR FREE 

9. DAVID KITT THE BLACK AND RED NOTEBOOK

10.RAMMSTEIN REISE REISE

"Mindy Smith's debut album displays maturity of songwriting as well as voice as pure and clear as you will ever hear and offers comparisons to Alison Krauss. Neither Patty Griffin and Kasey Chambers' albums were released in the UK, but both are wonderful voices and albums packed with great emotional songs. Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now is edgy and political, but also contains pair of great Earle ballads."

PAUL JACKSON

Programme director. Virgin Radio

1. KEANE EVERYBODY'S CHANGING 

2. SNOW PATROL HOW TO BE DEAD

3. MAROON 5 THIS LOVE

4. U2 VERTIGO

5. HOOBASTANK THE REASON

6 EMBRACE GRAVITY

7. REM LEAVING NEW YORK

8 NO DOUBT ITS MY LIFE

9. JET LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE

10. SCISSOR SISTERS LAURA

"Looking back, it wasn't a bad year. There were some strong songs from new bands that didn't make the 10 the Razorlight album points to a lot of talent. The Libertines survived media feeding frenzy to produce an album with some strong tracks and Morrissey produced a stunning return to form. Last year was generally about classic pop rock records, with Keane leading the way with the best-selling album of the year closely followed by Snow Patrol and Embrace."

NATHAN THOMPSON

Assistant programme controller, Vibe FM

1 SHAPESHIFTERS LOLA'S THEME (MAINMIX)

2 STONEBRIDGE PUT 'EM HIGH (JJ'S CLUB MIX)

3. AXWELL FEEL THE VIBE (ORIGINAL MIX]

4 MICHAEL GREY THE WEEKEND (ORIGINAL MIX)

5. ARMAND VAN HELDEN MY MY MY (ORIGINAL

MIX)

6. TWEET BOOGIE TONIGHT (2004)

7 MARTIN SOLVEIG ROCKING MUSIC (ORIGINAL

MIX)

8. JUNIOR JACK STUPID DISCO (ORIGINAL MIX)

9. SOUL CENTRAL STRINGS OF LIVE (DANNY KRIVIT

RE-EDIT)

10 NARCOTIC THRUST I LIKE IT (ORIGINAL DUB)

"In a year where, as a programmer, R&B dominated most of our playlist it was really exciting to see Eric Prydz, Deep Dish and Shapeshifters cross over and become huge tracks. It has really paved the way for the New Year too. There is some exciting stuff on the cards from the likes of Data and Positiva once again."

STEVE LAMACQ

Radio One/BBC 6 Music

1 ART BRUT FORMED A BAND

2. DRESDEN DOLLS GIRL ANACHRONISM

3 FRANZ FERDINAND TAKE ME OUT

4.HIEM CHELSEA

5 TEENAGE WEREWOLF LOVER

6 THE RAKES 22 GRAND JOB

7 INTERPOOL SLOW HANDS

8 BLOC PARTY BANQUET

9. GREEN DAY AMERICAN IDIOT

10. THE DUKE SPIRIT CUTS ACROSS THE LAND

"The music I most enjoyed in the past year came out of the blue, or in some way broke the rules. I think the danger for the music industry now is that too many people are working to some mythical blueprint (get the NME on board, go to Radio One, tour with someone big or fashionable and build a street team), which is demurring to the media's ego and becoming a bit predictable. Vive le difference."

LOUISE KATTENHORN

Producer, John Peel Show, Radio One

1. SUBTLE A NEW WHITE

2. SUPERQUEENS CHEAP SHOTS 

3 JAWBONE DANG BLUES

4. PHILLIP ROEBUCK ONE MAN BAND

5. SHITMAT FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST 

6. MARTYN HARE MIND SWEEPER

7 JONE CASH FOR THE PIRATES

8 BEARSUITCAT SPECTACULAR

9. KIKI RUN WITH ME

10. TUNNG MOTHER'S DAUGHTER & OTHER SONGS
 12/25/04
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