Welcome to Fifty by Two, a podcast about music where two friends with very different tastes count down their top fifty albums.
We return after another longer than anticipated gap! We discuss our second favourite albums, our Spotify Unwrapped (and Apple’s equivalent) for 2025, the ongoing effects of aging, and some controversial statements.
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Episode 49 – A Big and Complicated one
49 – #2 – A Big and Complicated One – Fifty by Two
Welcome to Fifty by Two, a podcast about music where two friends with very different tastes count down their top fifty albums.We return after another longer than anticipated gap! We discuss our second favourite albums, our Spotify Unwrapped (and Apple's equivalent) for 2025, the ongoing effects of aging, and some controversial statements. Content Warnings: some explicit language.Full show notes, transcript, and content warnings available at https://50by2.net/2026/02/06/episode-49-2-a-big-and-complicated-one/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript coming soon.
Content warnings: some explicit language.
See below for show notes, and further listening and watching recommendations. Note that this will contain spoilers, and we’d recommend reading on after listening to the episode.
Recommendations
Albums Discussed in this Episode
- Glen’s choice: The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium (Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube).
- James’ choice: Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube).
Music Clips Used
The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium:
- This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed (14:19).
- Cicatriz ESP (22:11).
- Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) (27:50).
- Televators (33:15).
- Son et Lumiere/Inertiatic ESP (36:36).
- Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt (44:37).
- Drunkship of Lanterns (57:20).
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?:
- Some Might Say (01:02:22).
- Don’t Look Back in Anger (01:12:01).
- Hello (01:17:46).
- Wonderwall (01:22:35).
- Roll with It (01:27:16).
- Cast No Shadow (01:34:07).
- She’s Electric (01:42:24).
- Champagne Supernova (01:50:46).
Other sources:
- The Mike Flowers Pops – Wonderwall (01:56:22).
Countdowns So Far
You can also see how we rank each other’s albums here. Note that this is up to and including the latest published episode, so will contain spoilers if you are not up-to-date.
| Rank | James | Glen |
| #50 | Tim Minchin – Matilda, the Musical | Horse the Band – R. Borlax |
| #49 | The London Symphony Orchestra – Classic Rock | Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells |
| #48 | Remy Zero – The Golden Hum | Nile – Annihilation of the Wicked |
| #47 | Harry Secombe – Bless This House | Nick Drake – Pink Moon |
| #46 | Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way Baby | The Reindeer Section – Son of Evil Reindeer |
| #45 | Dr Dre – 2001 | Elbow – Asleep in the Back |
| #44 | Lauren Daigle – Look Up Child | Gomez – Bring it On |
| #43 | The Baseballs – Strike! | Ben Howard – Every Kingdom |
| #42 | Tom Jones – Reload | Foreign Slippers – Farewell to the Old Ghosts |
| #41 | Black Lace – Party Party | Opeth – Ghost Reveries |
| #40 | Nell Bryden – Shake the Tree | Maximum the Hormone – Bu-ikikaesu |
| #39 | The Torero Band – Lennon and McCartney, Tijuana Style | Jimmy Eat World – Clarity |
| #38 | Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise | Goo Goo Dolls – Dizzy up the Girl |
| #37 | Genesis – Invisible Touch | Metallica – Master of Puppets |
| #36 | Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers – The Album/Swing the Mood | Arcade Fire – Funeral |
| #35 | Richard Hawley – Coles Corner | Bat for Lashes – Fur and Gold |
| #34 | Grainne Duffy – Out of the Dark | Damien Rice – O |
| #33 | David Brent and Foregone Conclusion – Life on the Road | Biffy Clyro – Only Revolutions |
| #32 | Damien Rice – O | Mogwai – Happy Songs for Happy People |
| #31 | Wildwood Kin – Turning Tides | Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist |
| #30 | Sam Kelly – The Lost Boys | Pulp – Different Class |
| #29 | The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds | Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse |
| #28 | Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | Counting Crows – August and Everything After |
| #27 | Nickelback – Silver Side Up | Soundgarden – Superunknown |
| #26 | Paul McCartney and Wings – Band on the Run | Skunk Anansie – Paranoid and Sunburnt |
| #25 | The Shires – Brave | Mastodon – Leviathan |
| #24 | [Film Soundtrack] – Little Shop of Horrors Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Sigur Rós – Takk |
| #23 | Pearl Jam – Ten | Nirvana – Nevermind |
| #22 | The Darkness – One Way Ticket to Hell… And Back | Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness |
| #21 | Rend Collective – Homemade Worship by Handmade People | The Mars Volta – The Bedlam in Goliath |
| #20 | Michael Jackson – Bad | The Fall of Troy – Manipulator |
| #19 | Queen + Paul Rogers – The Cosmos Rocks | Pearl Jam – Binaural |
| #18 | U2 – Rattle & Hum | Placebo – Without You, I’m Nothing |
| #17 | Oasis – Definitely Maybe | David Bowie – Hunky Dory |
| #16 | Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice – Jesus Christ Superstar | Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust |
| #15 | Avril Lavigne – The Best Damn Thing | At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command |
| #14 | U2 – All that you Can’t Leave Behind | Pixies – Surfer Rosa |
| #13 | Meat Loaf – Bat out of Hell | REM – Automatic for the People |
| #12 | Elton John – Sleeping with the Past | Radiohead – The Bends |
| #11 | Eagles – Hotel California | A Perfect Circle – Mer De Noms |
| #10 | Michael Jackson – Thriller | Coheed & Cambria – The Second Stage Turbine Blade |
| #9 | Thirty Seconds to Mars – A Beautiful Lie | Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine |
| #8 | Fleetwood Mac – Rumours | System of a Down – Toxicity |
| #7 | Norah Jones – Come Away with Me | The Mars Volta – Frances the Mute |
| #6 | Ray LaMontagne – Trouble | Radiohead – In Rainbows |
| #5 | Queen – A Night at the Opera | TOOL – Lateralus |
| #4 | The Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed | Coheed & Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth Vol. III |
| #3 | The Darkness – Permission to Land | Jeff Buckley – Grace |
| #2 | Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? | The Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium |
Our current theme is a cover of Europe’s The Final Countdown, lovingly (and very quickly) made by Glen.
Fifty by Two 
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