#1. THE CONNELLS - "Ring"(TVT, 1993)
Based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, The Connells have never had more than a cult following in the United States. This, their sixth album, should have been the one to correct that grave injustice; although it was their most popular (and its single "'74-'75" was a smash hit in Europe), its radio-ready rock recipe still fell short of giving them the mainstream recognition they were aiming for in their homeland. The Connells are most frequently compared to R.E.M. in terms of their "jangle-rock" sound, and though it's an apt comparison, I've just never managed to grow fond of Michael Stipe and company, let alone have the deep fondness for them and their music that stretches back twenty years, as I have with The Connells. Minor U.S. single "Slackjawed", the whimsically acerbic "Doin' You", sprawling ballad "Disappointed", the frantic "Hey You", the elaborate and ear-catching drumming on "Burden", and my all-time favorite Connells song, "New Boy" (with its fantastic guitar hook), all make this album well worth picking up and listening to. I vividly remember first holding this album in my hands -- my mother had been nice enough to pick it up for me at a Tower Records store when I wasn't able to go along on the 90-minute drive into the city. It was a small, boring town that we had just recently moved to, and this CD helped make the two years we lived there pass a little more quickly.
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