Put me on top (Aimee Mann) (LP 3049 - 3055)

Aimee Mann  Whatever (CD, Geffen Records, 1993) **** 

Aimee Mann  I'm With Stupid (CD, Geffen Records, 1995) *** 

Aimee Mann  Magnolia (Soundtrack) (CD, Reprise Records, 1999) *** 

Aimee Mann  Bachelor No. 2 or: The Last Remains Of the Dodo (CD, V2 Records, 2000) ***** 

Aimee Mann  Lost In Space (CD, V2 Records, 2002) **** 

Aimee Mann  The Forgotten Arm (CD, SuperEgo Records, 2005) **** 

Aimee Mann  @#%&*! Smilers (CD, SuperEgo Records, 2008) **** 

Aimee Mann  Charmer (Vinyl, SuperEgo Records, 2012) **** 

Genre: Alt-pop, Indie-rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, JB Hi Fi, Fopp, HMV 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Red Vines

Gear costume: I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Red Vines was my first clue that I was on to a winner with Aimee Mann. So, I bought Bachelor No. 2, then Lost In Space, and then...I was gone burger.

There were a lot of traumas in her family background (long story short: an affair by her mother led to a divorce when Aimee was 3, then a kidnapping by her mother, and a second kidnapping/ rescuing by her father) which have surely influenced her view of life and relationships. Naturally, that kind of PTSD was going to eventually emerge in her artistic life. It's amazing that she's as well adjusted as she appears to be.

Her first solo album, Whatever, came after she left the band 'Til Tuesday. What a hilarious title - this is not music that is tossed off with a shrug of the shoulders. It's on Geffen, has both Roger McGuinn and Jim Keltner guesting and is a clear statement of intent: erudite songs, sung well, catchy melodies and with a sting in the tail/tale. 

She is amazing, is Aimee Mann. 

Follow up, I'm With Stupid, breaks out the electric guitars and boosts the bass, thus creating a tougher sound - more alt-rock than indie-pop. The three minute song length remains intact and as a second album it successfully shows a different side to Aimee's skills.

The Magnolia soundtrack came next (the film starred Tom Cruise so it generated wide exposure). Aimee features heavily (there are tracks by Supertramp and Gabrielle as well which jar a tad). A few of the songs were from earlier in her career and a few would turn up on her next studio album.

Her cover version of Nilsson's One is fantastic - she makes the song her own.

As I said above, it was Bachelor No 2 (etc) that gave me the chills when I first heard it. I couldn't stop playing it! I think it's her most commercial album, ironic given Geffen wouldn't release it because they didn't hear any singles. Yet Red Vines made for a superb single. 

The album was released by Mann independently on her own label - SuperEgo, and was a triumph!

Artistically, I think it's her first classic album. It sounds terrific and every song hits home. It sounds effortless too, which means it's assured and the result of Aimee's confidence.

The momentum was maintained for Lost In Space. By now the Aimee Mann style for textured, complex, wryly sardonic songs was embedded. She delivers again on this album.

The Forgotten Arm is a concept album (about two characters who try to escape their problems but end up worse off) but still contains 'coolly elegant pop arrangements and displays of tart wordplay' according to one reviewer.

I can hardly ever follow the story line on concept albums so I just enjoy the songs and the performances. This one returns to a more alt-rock sensibility for the most part. I have to applaud her ambition with this album - and trying for something new.

@#%&*! Smilers has Aimee returning to a simpler, song-based process after The Forgotten Arm. It's reminiscent of Bachelor No. 2 and therefore it's hardly surprising it's one of my favourites. The piano and horn arrangement on Medicine Wheel are brilliant.

I think that's the thing with Aimee's songs. The brilliance factor is high, and consistent throughout these albums and therefore it's hard not to get complacent. 

The final album in my list is Charmer from 2012. It's the only one of hers I have on vinyl which is a shame. The packaging on her CDs and Charmer is usually superb. definitely value for money after she left Geffen.

Charmer is not a lot different to her previous work - melodies, sparky lyrics, hooks aplenty. Her standards remain high. I've yet to hear a bad or uninspired album from her.

Where do they all belong? I have a few gaps to plug post Charmer but I'm not sure if I'll chase her Christmas album from 2006.