Memoirs of a Roadie

I've been a bit behind on the poll posts, but I'm aiming to catch up over the next few days!

So the next poll year is 2006.

First off, topping my list was Tool with 10,000 Days. I came to this album late, as I think it had already been out for a at least a year before I picked up on it. Since then, it has grown on me, as on first listen I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. It was a step ahead of their previous albums, although the next one was going to be a massive leap. How little did we know. 

I have been a fan of Ministry for a very long time now. Since their early days, their sound has changed dramatically, and their lyrics much most politicised. The album Rio Grande Blood, part of a trilogy regarding GWB, sees their aggressive industrial metal fit neatly into the verbal attack on the the American political system at the time. As can be heard on later abums, the ammunition Uncle Al had to fight with became much needed with subsequent Rebuplican complacency.

Like many of my generation, and musical interests, my first exposure to Gary Numan was Replicas and Are Friends Electric? Having been a big fan initially, towards the end of the 80s and through the 90s, although I still enjoyed his music, it wasn't as ground breaking as it had been. Jagged was a massive return to form (thanks in no small measure to his wife Gemma). It firmly put Gary back on a course that was more of a continuation from Beserker, than intervening albums had ever been. His musical output has only gone from strength to strength.

Porcupine Tree are sadly a band I didn't get initially, which is surprising considering how much I enjoy the Prog Rock scene of the 80s/90s. I don't remember what song or album I first heard, but for whatever reason it didn't grab me. Then, somewhere around 2011, someone played me some songs and I had to ask who they were. I was gutted to discover that they'd recently disbanded and I'd missed the opportunity to see them live several times. This live album, Arriving Somewhere... is a pure delight from start to finish, and features a selection of gems from the previous few albums.

Bruce Springsteen is a phenonmenal songwriter and performer. His ability to write such a strong volume of output is probably only matched by Neil Young, Prince, and Bob Dylan. However, for this album, he neatly side-stepped his own canon of work, and looked back at the songs of Pete Seeger. Several have since become very well known through the years, but Bruce's take on them, gave a complete new lease of life to them all. Dropping the E Street Band, and assembling a new group of musicians to perform with,