The 100 Club

When I first started this blog I was enamoured with my iPod. I was still buying CDs and purchasing songs from the iTunes Store. I’d spend hours uploading songs onto my laptop and hours trawling through an ever increasing wealth of music. I was hitting peak playlist creation, with dozens of personal playlists being curated and tweaked at regular intervals. Making playlists, it seemed, was the only way I could make sense of having so much music at my fingertips. And I loved it. I’d take my iPod everywhere, even to bed. There wasn’t a day that’d go by where it didn’t get used. But that was then.

Sometime late 2017 my iPod finally gave up the ghost. It was time for me to move on. The end of an era. A truly fantastic device, it had been a most reliable companion for the best part of 10 years. But the fact I was still so reliant on it meant I was out of step with how the majority of people listen to music nowadays. The majority of people I know anyway.

Without trying to sound like a Luddite, I had dabbled in streaming music but I’d resisted it for the most part. I just didn’t want to say goodbye to my iPod. Now that I no longer have that as an option I feel I have no alternative.

The last 12 months have seen me succumb to taking up streaming subscriptions with both Apple Music AND Spotify. I stuck with Apple at first as a result of years of familiarity. I’ve felt compelled to keep it going as I don’t want my library of purchases I’ve amassed over the years to become obsolete. It’s just not that great to use though.

Spotify feels better suited for making and sharing playlists. That’s what I like doing, and that’s what’s led me to this. Blowing off the cobwebs of my blog (again) and sharing some playlists with whoever may choose to listen.

I’m starting today with what I’m going to call my 100 Club. A select few bands or artists who have amassed at least 100 songs in their back catalogue that I have a genuine affection for.

100 songs! That’s no mean feat.

These playlists are essentially going to be my favourite albums by my favourite artists with any filler cut out. By adding stand alone singles and B-Sides I’ll be compiling what I consider to be the best work from these prolific acts. I’m not suggesting I’ll ever sit down and listen to a 100 song playlist in one sitting, but I’m looking forward to having a go to place for finding all the best music from my most favoured artists. Be it choosing a particular period, or simply listening on shuffle I know I’ll be guaranteed great music whatever way I chose to listen.

My first inductee to the 100 Club is going to be David Bowie. The idea for making these playlists came to me around the anniversary of his death earlier this year. Whilst reading tributes and articles about Bowie on Twitter I came across one semi-serious claim that David Bowie should simply be celebrated for writing about 100 ‘bangers’. As much as I enjoyed this glib summarisation of his life’s work, I did wonder to myself if it could actually be true.

Now, I think even the staunchest Bowie fan would struggle to claim that all of the songs in this following playlist are actually ‘bangers’ but I certainly feel that there’s something worth listening to in every track.

Unsurprisingly the majority of these 100 songs were recorded during the 1970’s. It’s obvious that Bowie’s run of albums from The Man Who Sold the World to Scary Monsters contains the bulk of his best work. Personally I never felt much affection for his 80’s and 90’s output but his last two albums, The Next Day (2013) and Blackstar (2016) were a return to form and really did end his career on a high. Blackstar itself I’ve included on this playlist in its entirety. It really is a remarkable set of songs.

There’s not much else I can say about David Bowie that hasn’t already been said. I think it’s best to let the music speak for itself.

Until next time. Here are 100 of Bowie’s best.