So why is The Libertines on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
The Libertines’ self-titled album from 2004 is the band’s very best for a few reasons – one of which for me is personal, more on that below.
The Libertines is an album that particularly lends itself toward starting with the first track – the upbeat and melodic rocker “Can’t Stand Me Now” – and letting it run straight through.
It’s an album that kicks off well and gets better and better as it glides through its 42+ minutes of playing time. Pete Doherty, for all of his incredibly tumultuous personal doings, has an exquisite knack for songwriting and tuneful, melodic alt rock-meets-punk. His best songs feel instantly timeless, like you can’t believe you haven’t heard them before*.
* Sidenote that I’ve become increasingly obsessed with Doherty’s other band, Babyshambles, over the years.
By the time you get to “Campaign of Hate,” the ninth track, you feel like you’re fully immersed in the best of the British alt rock scene circa the mid-aughts.
I particularly dig this bit:
But she said “Baby
I like the cut of your J.I.B.”
And then “Road to Ruin,” the penultimate song, hits and you can’t believe you’ve rolled through this thing so quickly (and you start thinking about heading back to “Can’t Stand Me Now” and giving it another go round once again). This is a glorious end of the night, last call you-don’t-have-to-go-home-but-you-can’t-stay-here kind of tune.
Along route there are plenty of other highlights. “Music When the Lights Go Out” is fantastic – an enchanting acoustic rocker with an incredible melody – that takes its sweet time to get to a more revved up, punkier section before relaxing back to its charming baseline.
“What Katie Did” digs deeper into British music traditions and American rock and roll and R&B (I think?), but more importantly it’s sweet and wonderful.
Some stats & info about The Libertines
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alternative Rock, Punk Rock, Punk Revival, Pub Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Libertines released? 2004
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #167 out of 1,000
The Libertines on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Libertines that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Well I no longer hear the music when the lights go out, love goes cold in the shades of doubt.
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 review of 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.