Great top 10. ^
Not mine exactly, but I love your taste.

10 - jane's addiciton 'kettle whistle' - yeah it's a compilation but it was also my first taste of JA's music and unlike most comps, it wasn't just a collection of singles pulled directly from the albums. the live version of 'three days' is incredible.

9 - the jimi hendrix experience 'ultimate experience' - yes, another comp. but it was my first real taste of hendrix and it covers pretty much all the highlights from the 3 experience discs.

8 - soundgarden 'superunknown' - it's the album that really pulled me into my generation's music.

7 - fear factory 'demanufacture' - my first taste of metal with a singer who could go from growling to singing with ease and a full album that didn't have any guitar solos.

6 - the chemical brothers 'dig your own hole' - up until i heard the singles for this disc (setting sun / block rocking beats) i thought all electronic music was garbage. then again all the electronic music i had heard prior actually WAS garbage.

5 - monster magnet 'dopes to infinity' - sludgy psychedelic goodness that opened up doors for all sorts of other stoner rock.

4 - tomahawk 'anonymous' - a traditional 4 piece rock band that ends up sounding like the soundtrack for a native american period piece. they also accomplished it without having bus loads of guest musicians or each person playing 20 different instruments.

3 - SIANspheric 'there's always someplace you'd rather be' - i'd always liked whatever shoegaze i'd heard in the past but this was the first full album i was able to listen to. the closer 'puff, analogue, intelligent jungle' is massive.

2 - eric dolphy 'last date' - a fantastic live performance 3 weeks prior to his death, his playing on 'you don't know what love is' is sublime.

1 - red hot chili peppers 'blood sugar sex magik' - i wore out the cassette then i wore out the cd, that's how much i listened to it. i learned how to play the album on guitar and bass. i even went to a haloween party wearing a sock on my ****. i don't really care for the chili peppers anymore but i'd be a fool to deny their impact on my development.

10. Van Morrison - Greatest Hits
This was the first CD I bought, when I was in 6th grade and wanted the song Brown Eyed Girl. Since I spent my hard earned money on it, I listened to every song hundreds of times and learned that there was more to music than what was played on the oldies station.

9. Modest Mouse - This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About
Modest Mouse were my first obsession in music, and this album started it. I HATED this album the first time hearing it, it was the rawest and ugliest thing I'd ever heard. Now I adore it.

8. Comus - First Utterance
So nasty for acoustic instruments! This is ones of the best (albeit darkest and most terrifying) of folk albums. It's weird, demented, complex, and untouchable.

7. Donovan - Sunshine Superman
The album that got me into psychelic folk, which has long since become my favorite genre. He's my favorite solo musician.

6. Led Zeppelin - III
Just one of my favorite records ever, I have never tired of a single song off it and its one of the only albums I continue to play regularly years later.

5. Gráda- The Landing Step
Grada are a semi-traditional Irish/Celtic band, it is my favorite genre of world music and this is the best example of it from my collection. It's beautiful.

4. Love - Forever Changes
I think this album has my favorite lyrics of the 1960s, along with some of the most beautifully crafted arrangements.

3. Jefferson Airplane - Crown of Creation
I am a psychedelic rock junkie, and these songs are just engraved in me by now. Jefferson Airplane played a rooftop concert even before the Beatles did, and they played my favorite song off this album ("House at Pooneil Corners")

2. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
Listened to this and realized....country can be amazing. Not to mention the vocals are like smooth southern butter.

1. King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
This isn't my favorite KC album (I can't choose), but it was my first KC album and my first prog album. It takes me where nothing else in the world can, such a brooding, magical atmopshere.

Check your PMs :)

Cheers RT :)

Hmmmmm....in no particular order:

10. U2-The Joshua Tree-Argueably THE greatest U2 album ever. It definitely sold a ****load of records. I liked War, but this one was simply amazing, as I honestly cannot find a stinker on the entire record(and thats hard to do in music).

9. KISS-Double Platinum/Destroyer/Alive-Turned me into a giant KISS fan. I saw then @ age's: 6/7/8, and went as a different member every year(except in '79 when I broke my ankle, then i couldn't go). With KISS, it's never been about their musicianship, it's always about the show/experience. As I doubt ANY band today could outwork or out "show" them.

8. Depeche Mode-Speak & Spell-One of the best DM records ever & a huge reason why I became such a huge DM/80s fan.

7. Journey-Infinity-I was introduced to Steve Perry, aka "The Voice", and became a fan immediately after. I still, to this day, listen to this record on a weekly basis. Maybe not every day, but at least 4-5 times a week.

6. Van Halen- Women & Children First-I was a fan immediately afterwards. I totally dug Eddie's shredding gitars, and "Diamond Dave's" enormous stage presence, and voice. Just about everyone I knew wanted to be like him, he was cool, and got all the girls, what more could you want?

5. AC/DC-Back in Black-again, became a huge fan, immediately afterwards, Brian Johnson's voice was cool, and this is an amazing album. "Back in Black" is probably my favorite off this album. And, as i said earlier about a different album, I can't find one single clunker on it. Tops from head to toe.

4. Morrissey-Viva Hate-I was going through some rough **** when I first heard this disc, for some reason, I just took to it, and Im glad i did, I was a fan almost immediately afterwards(even though, I had already knew of Morrissey, when I heard the Smiths). IMO< his best solo disc(next to Vauxhall & I:)).

3. The Cure-Boys Dont Cry-It was hear I think I garnered an instant love affair w/"new wave", they were just so brilliant when I first heard them, and still are. Not a clunker on the disc.

2. A Flock Of Seagulls-there's soooooooooooooooo much more to them that just "I ran", they were a true "new wave" Pioneer, IMHO, they(Much like DM and Gary Numan and others)relied heavily on Synths throughout their music. If you can get past the whole "I Ran" thing(which isn't a bad song, I actually like it), they put out some good music. "Nightmares", "Telecommunication", and "Messages" have to be a few of my favorites.

1. The Smiths-The Queen is Dead- No album touyched me more than this masterpiece. Morrissey's voice and lyrics throughout, made you wish you were in the front row dancing away @ the music. One of the greatest albums ever made.

Top 10 Most Important Albums To Me.
 

10. Meatloaf - Bat Out of Hell
During the summer of '00 I would listen to this album constantly on the way to the public pool. I remember memorizing the lyrics of paradise by the dashboard lights and singing it constantly freaking everyone out good fun:laughing:!
9. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
During a period of time I stayed isolated. I listened to this album all day.
8. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Whenever I'm in a bad mood I put this album on and it always manages to relax me.
7. Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
An album full of hate and self loathing. What's not to like !? After getting into a debate about religion with friends or family afterwards I'd usually blare this album to my hearts content.
6. AC/DC - Back in Black
It was the first real "rock" album I've ever listened to. It got me into bands such as Guns and Roses and Van Hallen.
5. Guns and Roses - Apatite For Destruction
This was the frist group I was really obsessed about and it helped that I loved the album.
4. Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother Suite
My favorite Pink Floyd album.
3. Electric Light Orchestra - Time
My favorite ELO album, and is an awesome concept album.
2. Slayer - Reign In Blood
One of the best metal albums of all time and is my favorite Slayer album.
1. Metallica - Master of Puppets
My favorite album of all time. And is in my opinion the best metal album.

10. Buckethead - COLMA
The first all instrumental album I ever listened to (its been awhilz now). Although it stands out like a sore thumb in terms of style compared to what this incredible guitarist has done with his collaborators, COLMA was simply gorgeous to hear at times. Oh, and Big Sur Moon+Machete is kickass.

9. Comus - First Utterance
Showed me that folk music was more than just acoustic pandering. Dense, dark/disturbing, beautiful and heavy all at once, there is nothing out there like First Utterance, even after over 30+ years. :D

8. Yes - Relayer
Ah Relayer, where would we be without the freak-out jazzy "Sound Chaser" and your War-and-Peacey epic "The Gates of Delirium"? Not very well off I'd say. Although admittedly it was the track South Side of the Sky from Fragile which really got me into Yes, it was this album that made me love them (and got me into jazz-fusion too).

7. The Residents - Not Available
Hmn. What to say about one of the weirdest albums of all time, even by the standards of The Residents? This was the album that got me into avant-garde. May not be the best experimental music of all time, but I recommend it anyway.

6. Radiohead - Amnesiac
I could praise Radiohead all day and night for a billion different opiniated and biased reasons, but while Amnesiac was not a landmark work by any means, it was the album that introduced me to the more complex, "post-modern" side of music. Even now "Pyramid Song" and "Life in a Glasshouse" give me chills when I hear them, and I just think "Christ, these guys are in a league of their own". But that's just my opinion.

5. Faith No More - The Real Thing
Although more radio-friendly than Angel Dust and perhaps less "F-U" than his pet project Mr. Bungle, this album was my introduction to a rediculously talented individual named Mike Patton, who was FNM's vocalist from this album to the band's breakup in 1998. While I don't revere him as a god like people in some circles do, I will say he's pretty darn close. :)

4. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
It's Led Zeppelin for God's sake, what can I say? It has "No Quarter", "Over The Hills...", and six other incredibly kickass tracks. Nuff' said.

3. Opeth - Blackwater Park
People can spout off whatever bull**** they want about whether or not Opeth is overrated (they really aren't), but ultimately this was, atleast for me, the record that DEFINED death-metal's possibilities as a genre. Sorry kids, but there's more to the world of music than "WE HATE MELODY" and thrash guitar. XD

2. Tool - Aenima
An album that defined the 90's (cliche phrase, but who cares). I'm not doing a damn review though; go to ALLMUSIC for that junk.

1. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
Okay, while I don't listen to that much of it anymore ("Time" and "Us and Them" withstanding), TDSOTM was the album that truly made me interested in music. My dad listened to this back when 8-tracks were the bomb in his army days, and he told me it changed his entire view on music too. But, although Pink Floyd went on to do plenty of great stuff down the line, I suppose it was this album (along with Meddle) that defined my spacy tastes in music. Strangely enough, its also the 3rd highest selling album on the planet...go figure eh?

not necessarily favourites, but important:

1. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
2. Black Flag - Damaged
3. Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
4. Can - Tago Mago
5. Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside YOu
6. Bad Religion - Suffer
7. MBV - Loveless
8. Fugazi - 13 Songs
9. The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
10. Boredoms - Super AE

lots i've left out but these have all been significant in shaping my taste through the years.

This is in no particular order.

10. Nofx - Whitetrash, Two Heebs and a Bean

9. Greenday - Dookie

8. Lagwagon - Hoss

7. Pink Floyd - The Darkside of the Moon

6. Bob Marley - Legends

5. At the Drive-In - Relationship of Command

4. Nirvana - Nevermind

3. Pennywise - Full Circle

2. Pearl Jam - Ten

1. Daft Punk - ALIVE 2007

There you go!

I SO hope that you're not just here to advertise the link in your sig.