101 Irish Records (you must hear before you die) - book by Tony Clayton-Lea (Liberties Press 2011)
Lists like these tend to be quite subjective, after all its a matter of personal taste. Clayton-Lea has selected quite an eclectic mix of musical styles and artists which he reckons you must hear before you pop your clogs and each entry is backed by revealing quotes and insights from the people who made the records, and other useful details. To be honest, I'd have no interest in hearing a lot of the records included here and some great Irish records are noticable by their absence, but as I said earlier its all a matter of personal taste. Of interest to us NI punkers is the inclusion of great NI punk records such as Rudi's classic 45 Big Time, The Outcasts single Self Conscious Over You, SLF's anthemic Alternative Ulster, The Undertones self-titled debut album, and The Starjets one and only album God Bless The Starjets. Other notable NI bands / artists who make an appearance are Therapy?, Ash, Divine Comedy, Snow Patrol, David Holmes, Van Morrison, Duke Special, and Cashier No. 9. The usual suspects are of course included - U2 (three fxxking entries!), Boomtown Rats, Radiators, The Pogues, Thin Lizzy, Horslips, Rory Gallagher etc. etc. but there's no room for the likes of Ruefrex, Victim, Stage B, Paranoid Visions, and a host of other classic Irish punk records. However, the book is well laid out, easy to read, has plenty of illustrations and has enough detailed info to keep the anoraks happy. A bit pricey though at around 15 Euros!
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