The mission is easy:

List all of your favourite bands from A to Z.

The implementation not so much. Since I was completely overwhelmed, I decided to list my favourite bands with my favourite albums. That way, I get more variety and I don’t feel bad because I included a band where I only like one album right next to one where I like practically every song they ever hummed in the shower.

[I’m excluding classical music and soundtracks (mostly). This post is epic enough as it is.]

A

a-ha – Hunting High and Low, Foot of the Mountain
[Yeah, I know that it’s kind of weird that I really love their first album and then again the latest one they have, but there you are.]

Abba – Gold
[Oh, come on, who doesn’t love their Gold Best of Compilation thingy?]

Adele – 19
[A very strong and beautiful debut. I hope she continues on that way.]

Alex Lloyd – Black the Sun
[It’s generally a strong album, but Lucky Star blows me away every time I hear it.]

Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
[I also liked their debut, but they really got me with Humbug.]

Die Ärzte – Die Ärzte, Die Bestie in Menschengestalt, Planet Punk
[German punk rock band Die Ärzte have been making music for longer than I’m alive. They have a lot of great stuff, but for me the best things they made was the stuff in the 80s and early 90s. ]

Attwenger – Sun
[Austrian, slightly strange, totally worth it.]

B

The Beatles – Everything
[While I may not like every Beatles song, I like every Beatles album.]

Blur – Everything
[I like all their stuff, though I have to say that they reached their peak with the last three albums – Blur, 13 and Think Tank.]

Bauchklang – Jamzero
[Though nothing compares to them live.]

C

Carpark North – Grateful
[Catapulted themselves on to this list, but they’re really awesome.]

Cássia Eller – MTV Unplugged
[Ever wanted to get into Brazilian music that is not Samba or Axé? Start here.]

Cold War Kids – Robbers & Cowards
[Perfect. Unfortunately followed by a pretty crappy 2nd album.]

Coldplay – Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head
[They lost me more and more with the subsequent albums to a point where I really don’t care anymore, but these first two were amazing.]

The Cranberries – Bury the Hatchet
[You actually have to add Zombie to Bury the Hatchet to get all my favourite songs, but albumwise, it’s Bury the Hatchet all the way.]

D

Damien Rice – O
[Wonderful, wonderful stuff. 9 isn’t bad either, but didn’t achieve the same greatness.]

Daniel Merriweather – Love & War
[Great debut.]

Deathcab for Cutie – Plans
[Very nice.]

Deftones – White Pony
[Ah, yes, my rebellious youth.]

Duffy – Rockferry
[Such a debut makes me more than hopeful for the second album, due sometime this year. But even if the second album sucks, we’ll always have this one.]

The Doors – Best Of
[As with Abba, The Doors are another case of “really love their Best of but don’t need anything else.”]

Doves – Everything
[I remember the first song I ever heard by the Doves was Darker. And basically it was the musical equivalent of “you had me at hello.”]

E

EAV – Geld oder Leben, Kann den Schwachsinn Sünde sein, Nie wieder Kunst
[Austrian band. Musically not necessarily worth checking out, but the lyrics are pretty damn amazing.]

Editors -Everything
[Though especially In this Light and on this Evening.]

Elbow – Everything
[Seriously, every little scrap of music.]

Everlast – Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, Eat at Whitey’s, Love War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford
[I remember going to the Everlast concert in 2000 in Vienna (maybe it was 2001). I got the tickets for my birthday and took * with me and I think it was the third concert I ever saw and the first one I absolutely loved. He’s stayed in my heart since then. Though of course he also makes awesome music.]

F

Falco – Einzelhaft, Junge Römer, Falco 3, Out of the Dark (Into the Light)
[Ah, Falco, treasure of the Viennese music scene and excuse since the 80s why there’s no real support for Austrian musicians. But dammit, he was brilliant.]

The Feeling – Twelve Stops and Home, Join With Us
[So far, they’ve only released those two albums, which were both good (though I might like Twelve Stops and Home a little better). Looking forward to their third one which should come out later this year.]

The Frames – Everything
[Thank you, world success of Once, for making me discover Glen Hansard’s earlier band, The Frames. Who are amazing.]

Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
[I don’t like their debut that much, though I’m warming to that, too.]

G

Genesis – Best of
[Another example of a Best of Band.]

George Michaels – Ladies and Gentlemen
[For those not in the know, Ladies and Gentlemen is George Michael’s Best of.]

The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen
[With those members, it’s no wonder that the album is terrific.]

Gorillaz – Everything
[I have to admit that I did have my problem with D-Days but Rockit makes even that worth it.]

Gossip – Music for Men
[Standing in the Way of Control isn’t bad, either. But my heart belongs to Music for Men.]

H

Heli Deinböck – Best of
[Great musician, even better lyricist. If you want to know the lighter side of Austrian/Viennese humour, you just need to understand Deinböck.]

I

INXS – Greatest Hits
[Awesome.]

Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days
[Very nice and so very relaxed…]

J

James Blunt – Back to Bedlam
[Back to Bedlam was an awesome album. It is unfortunate that he didn’t follow it up with anything worth mentioning.]

Jamie Cullum – The Pursuit
[Ever since it came out, it’s a constant companion.]

Jill Scott (feat. various people) – Collaborations
[Beautiful stuff.]

Jose González – Veneer
[What you can discover by watching ads on TV…]

Just Jack – Overtones
[I just discovered that he has two other albums which I’ll have to check out because Overtones is that amazing.]

K

Kaiser Chiefs – Everything
[They are just bloody brilliant.]

Kate Bush – The Kick Inside
[I don’t think I know any of her other songs than the ones on this album. While I’m not at all motivated to check her other stuff out, I seriously love that album.]

Kate Nash – Made of Bricks
[I didn’t get a chance yet to listen to her second album, but I’m really looking forward to.]

Keane – Hopes and Fears, Under the Iron Sea
[Their third album, Perfect Symmetry is nice, but the other two are really amazing.]

Kings of Leon – Because of the Times, Only by the Night
[I’m sooo waiting for them to come to Austria…]

The Kinks – Everything
[Just as with the Beatles, I may not like every song, but I do like every album.]

Korn – Issues
[For when I feel teenage angst. :)]

Kosheen – Resist
[Gotta thank die andere lena for that one. :)]

L

The Libertines – The Libertines
[It really is a fuckin’ wast that they split up… Though it seems that they’re reforming now.]

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
[It’s good to see that she’s only getting started.]

Linkin’ Park – Hybrid Theory
[Excellent album.]

Louise Attaque – Louise Attaque
[Bloody good music.]

Ludwig Hirsch – Dunkelgraue Lieder
[If you want to know what the darker side of Austrian humour is like, you just need to understand Ludwig Hirsch.]

M

Mia. – Zirkus
[Not to be Confused with M.I.A., Mia. is a German pop band. Their songs are sweet and fun and make me smile.]

Mark Ronson (feat. various people) – Version
[Amazing album.]

Mika – Everything
[I love his music. Best antidote to feeling down.]

Muse – Absolution, Black Holes and Revelations
[I don’t include their new album because I only really like two songs of it…]

N

Nirvana – Nevermind
[I don’t think that there’s any person my age whose taste in music wasn’t somehow influenced by this band. To get all my favourite songs though, you’d also have to include Heart-Shaped Box.]

O

Outkast – Speakerboxx/The Love Below
[Especially The Love Below.]

P

Paolo Conte – Best of
[Via Con Me alone would probably be enough to include this album on this list. Fortunately, though, it’s not the only song that’s good.]

Paolo Nutini – These Streets
[Fabulous feel-good music.]

Phil Collins – Best of
[Real good music.]

Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing
[Iconic album for someone my age, no? Sleeping With Ghosts isn’t bad, either.]

Q

Queen – (a very extended) Best Of
[Loads of good and great songs. Not enough to like every album they ever made, but more than a single Best Of could include.]

R

R.E.M. – Document, Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Around the Sun
[Though I wouldn’t want to listen to all of their albums in a row, there’s some really good stuff there.]

O Rappa – Rappa Mundi
[They are from Brazil and they are great.]

The Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
[This is one of the most important albums in my life. I think I listened to it for three years straight, I know all the songs by heart and I still love to listen to it.]

Richard Ashcroft – Keys to the World
[I love The Verve, but in my opinion, Keys to the World is the best thing Richard Ashcroft ever did.]

Rita Lee – Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar
[Bossa Nova arrangements of Beatles songs, sung in Portuguese. What’s not to love?]

Robert Downey Jr. – The Futurist
[Is there something this man can’t do?]

Roger Cicero – Männersachen
[I’m always assuming that he is being ironic with his lyrics. If he wasn’t that would be sexist shit…]

Roxette – Best of
[Awesome pop music.]

S

Santana (feat. various people) – Supernatural
[Ah, so many favourites!]

Seeed – New Dubby Conquerors, Music Monks
[German Dancehall/Reggae – and it works! Who would have thought? Personally, I’m more a fan of their Dancehall stuff, but it’s generally great music. And they rock live.]

O Seu Jorge – The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Soundtrack
[Brazilian versions of David Bowie songs? Yes please! (Sorry, couldn’t resist to include this soundtrack.)]
[Also, before you wonder: O is the Portuguese article, therefore he’s listed under S.]

Silverchair – Neon Ballroom
[Back when I was still an emo in puberty, Silverchair was my go-to band. Ah, nostalgia…]

Skunk Anansie – Post Orgasmic Chill
[Great album, even though with the one flaw of not including Hedonism…]

The Smiths – Best Of
[Oh yeah, only a best of, but definitely The Smiths.]

Sneaker Pimps – Bloodsport
[Great album.]

Spandau Ballet – Best Of
[You just gotta love the 80ness of it all…]

Starsailor – Everything
[Even though I didn’t like their last album as much as their first three, it’s still all excellent music.]

Stereophonics – Best Of
[I always really love their singles, but the rest not that much…]

The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free
[Awesome second album, was never followed up with something of the same quality.]

The Swell Season – Once Soundtrack, Strict Joy
[Once again, thank you, world success of Once.]

T

Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie
[I just need to forget that I ever saw them live.]

The Thrills – So Much for the City
[Good times.]

Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman
[So wonderful.]

Travis – Everything
[Though their debut is a little weak, they have consistently made one good album after the other. Amazing.]

Turin Brakes – Everything
[When will they ever go on tour in Austria/when will I ever be in Britain when they’re on tour? AND OH MY GOD I MISSED THAT THEY HAVE A NEW ALBUM!!! (ETA: I have since bought the new album and it is awesome again.)]

U

U2 – Best Of
[Especially the Best of 1980-1990, but 1990 to 2000 isn’t bad either.]

V

The Verve – Urban Hymns, Forth
[As I said, I love The Verve. Even if I love Keys to the Kingdom just that bit more… :)]

W

White Lies – To Lose My Life
[Great debut.]

X

Sorry, don’t know any bands starting with that letter.

Y

Sorry, don’t know any bands starting with that letter.

Z

Sorry, don’t know any bands starting with that letter.