So why is Swell Maps’ International Rescue on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
It’s really fun and exciting when you can’t decide which song is your favorite on an album because there are a bunch in contention and they all seem to get better on re-listen. Such is the case with International Rescue, a greatest hits albums of sorts released in 1999, but chronicling the pretty obscure (at least in the U.S.) British punk band’s best output in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
I kind of landed on “Read About Seymour” as my favorite song on the album – at least at the moment – because it speaks to Swell Maps’ ability to sound very much of its time, the early explosion of punk music out of the UK starting to take many different twists and turns, and also has a fresh, timeless quality at the same time: incredible raw energic punk that’s also catchy and melodic enough to keep you coming back for more. And all that in a tight minute and a half to boot.
And then, okay, there are other days when the thrashy wild (also) minute and a half blast in a glass* that is “Get Down And Get With It.”
* Anyone who picks up that Dena from Jersey Shore reference gets lots and lots of bonus points in my book.
But wait, maybe… it’s actually “Ripped & Torn” that’s my favorite, fantastic garage punk that rips and tears through its 106 seconds of playing time.
Some stats & info about Swell Maps – International Rescue
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? British Bands, British Punk, Punk, Punk Rock, Old School Punk, Rock, Rock Music
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was International Rescue released? 1999
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #823 out of 1,000
Swell Maps’ International Rescue on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Swell Maps’ International Rescue that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Why can’t I look out? I don’t look out.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.