Classic albums, perfect venues

This coming Monday at Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Patti Smith will be playing, in its entirety, her classic 1975 album, Horses.

Us Ticket folks, however, are wondering what other classic albums in their entirety we’d next like to hear in Ireland – and in which ideal locations they should be performed. Here’s our top five:

The Waterboys - Fisherman’s Blues (1988)

The album: Mike Scott and Co leave behind their grandiose Big Music for a down-home blend of trad/folk/country.

The venue: Any decent pub in Spiddal or environs. Look out – there’s a flying Steve Wickham fiddle solo!

Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

The album: An album deemed by Radiohead’s record label to lack commercial value has now sold over eight million copies.

The venue: Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin. Of course!

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks… (1977)

The album: Noisy, inspiring, and angry. Very angry. One of the most important albums in the history of rock music? Simple as.

The venue: Leinster House, Dublin. Obviously.

Kraftwerk - Autobahn (1974)

The album: “Mike Oldfield for unmitigated simpletons,” wrote US critic Robert Christgau. Wrong! “Sound poetry,” said Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hutter. Right! A landmark album in electronic music.

The venue: It just has to be the M50, doesn’t it?

Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

The album: This debut album set the standard for post-punk guitarists, but no one (and we really mean no one) could top, let alone challenge, Tom Verlaine’s lithe, spiralling guitar lines.

The venue: Live at the Marquee, Cork. No other venue will work. Honest.