Well, 35 of you scribbled, crossed-out, rewrote, threw the paper away and started again, and again, and sent me the lists of your
favourite albums. The list below is an organic beast of a thing too. Should anyone who hasn't voted feel that something should be included that isn't, Now That's What I Call Folk Rock, Vol 35 for example,
please send a copy of YOUR top 25 albums, in ranked order to:

Tiernan.Henry@nuigalway.ie

I'll include them in updates of the big list.

Some stats then. More than 240 groups/artists appear, and there are 443 different albums on the list. The top of the list is still
dominated by the big guns from the 60s and 70s, though there is quite a catholic selection in the middle reaches (Shonen Knife are near neighbours of Allen Ginsberg for example).

Twenty-four Bob albums made the list, with three taking most of the votes. No surprises which ones they are, though the order may raise an eyebrow or two. The number four slot is occupied by Dylan's "Time Out Of Mind", a remarkably high and strong debut for such a recent album (indeed all the others in the Top 10 are at least 24 years older than it!).

The Beatles, The Stones, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen all polled strongly, but it was also nice to see Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart and Elvis Costello making multiple appearances.

It's still a man's world, as James Brown would say (polling six points for "Star Time" by the way), but it's nice to see some newer
female faces among those we'd have expected to see. Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald and Patti Smith appear, as do Iris DeMent, Rosanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Gillian Welch and Liz Phair
(whose Windy City debut, "Exile On Guyville" - 38 votes - is as much homage as critique of the Stones "Exile On Main Street" - 218 votes).

The 60s and 70s dominate throughout, but there are quite a few more recent releases cropping up. The Jayhawks appear twice, Jack Logan's essential "Bulk" crops up, Belle & Sebastian's "If You're Feeling Sinister" makes an appearance, as do albums from Whiskeytown, Pulp, Oasis and Radiohead (along with albums from those mentioned above).

And best of all, CP Lee, author of the definitive text on the brouhaha surrounding the 66 tour, makes an appearance. "Snuff Rock",
an album by Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias (of whom CP was once a proud member) got one vote.

From CP himself. And rightly so.

Enjoy.

Tiernan..........Oh yeah and the charts, well just click HERE