#108 Fiona Apple, 'When the Pawn ...' (1999)

AKA ‘When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right.’ You’ve gotta love Fiona Apple’s album titles. The title is actually a poem written by Apple in response to an unfavourable Spin Magazine cover story written about her. At the time, the album title broke the record for longest. It was later beaten by Chumbawamba. I digress, this album is extraordinarily Apple’s third new entry into the list. Great to see an artist of her calibre receive the recognition she deserves. Apple is a true artist. Her music is considered and carefully structured.

I found this album to be a more cohesive, more palatable album than previous entry, ‘The Idler Wheel…’ Lead single, ‘Fast As You Can’ is a song that takes you through all the ups and downs of a relationship, changing tempo multiple times throughout. One of her most successful singles, the song rose to #20 on the Modern Rock Chart. Third single, ‘Paper Bag’ was nominated for Best Female Vocal Rock Performance at the Grammys. The song is simply about an experience Apple had where she mistook a bag for a dove. That just sums Apple and her music up completely. Quirky and whimsical.

#rs500albums

#107 Television, 'Marquee Moon' (1977)

#109 Lou Reed, 'Transformer' (1972)