Top 10 Most Important Albums To You

zeppy111 · 06-05-2009, 07:48 AM

No real order to it.

Bob Segar - Greatest Hits

It seems like this album was the only one my parents would play that wasn't some 80's band(generally poison and gnr) and really took my hand and led me into the world of enjoying music. The lyrics and vocals were amazing, so dark and raspy.

Bruce Hornsby And The Range - Scenes From The South Side

Bruce Hornsby + piano = AMAZING!!!! Nuff said.

The Clash - London Calling

I picked this up with an amount of change in my pocket, what a bargain, after just recognising the name and thinking I needed to hear this stuff. Led me to go out and buy 3 of the other clash albums the following day and still 4 or 5 years later one of my favourite bands.

The White Stripes - Elephant

First album I bought with money I had got for myself. As well as me just being crazy about those two crazy Americans. Jack's rawness in his voice was a stand-out.

The Doors - L.A. Woman

No words can actually do justice to this album and the effects it has had on me. The first time i heard it I thought "what a pile of ****"... Gave it another re-run a few months later and BANG! Another devoted Doors fan. Such great music, way beyond its times, what a tragedy. RIP!

Night Ranger - Greatest Hits

An introduction to 80's I guess. Not that I have enjoyed much else from the time, this really was a stand-out. "Sentimental Street" and "Sister Christian" still see the rotation at least once a week.

Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind

First metal album I bought and what inspired me to dig deeper into this genre of music so frowned upon by society. Best decision I made in music so far.

Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

The album that got me listening to post-rock and to experiment with avant-garde and just overall love the layout and tranquility of this album.

Yazoo - Yaz

A variation from the usual confinement of guitar bashing and raspy vocals to up-beat, poppy english music. Some of the best memories of my short life have been had with this album spinning!!

10 000 Maniacs - Unplugged

Taught me to appreciate women in the musical field. Natalie Merchant!!!! My favourite vocalist (maybe on a par with Steve Perry) and the influence of the soothing instruments in the background. BEAUTIFUL!

YourLocalTyrant · 06-05-2009, 08:29 AM

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way
This was the album that really got me into the RHCP, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Coincidently it’s the only album since BSSM that I can listen to more than once in a sitting.

9. Weird Al Yankovich – The Food Album
Sure, it’s Weird Al, but this was my first album, ever. It deserves a place in my list.

8. The Ziggens – Greatest Zits
Don’t ask, this album just holds a special place for me, and I don’t even know why.

7. REM - In Time
Not so much because it’s REM (I’m kind of indifferent towards them..) but more so for a personal note. When my older brother was going through a rough patch while the rest of the family moved to Alabama, he told me that whenever he heard REM, he thought of me. Then we laughed about how I think he must think I’m a manic bipolar depressive. It was good times. I bought the album after that, I still listen to it from time to time.

6. Breaking Benjamin – Saturate
This was me. This was my album throughout the beginning years of high school. I thought I identified with it (I don’t, ahaha, but its cool!) Saturate really kept me going through football season, various lifting sessions, and generally everything else. It helps that they were hometown heroes back when I lived in Pennsylvania. Whenever I load this album up on my MP3 player, that creeping nostalgia of Friday afternoon right before the game comes over me.

5. The Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse
Beside the fact that I can never listen to “One Headlight” again, Bringing Down the Horse helped me understand what I wanted in music. Again, I got this album late. We’re talking eight years late. It got me out of my hard rock “I’m a bad ass, look at me” phase and showed me that songs crafted with good music and equally good lyrics mean a lot more than thrashing guitars. Because of this album, I started branching out, delving deeper into folk and blues.

4. The Malcolm in the Middle Soundtrack
What? It's probably the best soundtrack I've ever heard, and I was so heart broken when I lost the disc.

3. The *** Blades – Ghosts
Listening to Ghosts is some of the most fun I’ve ever had listening to an album. It’s all so engaging, there’s nothing about it I don’t like. I suppose it’s one of the very few albums that I can go from start to finish without skipping a track. Even though it’s fairly recent, I can see this being a long standing favorite to me.

2. Riverboat Gamblers – To the Confusion of Our Enemies
I saw them at a local show in Shamokin, Pa. I was actually there for some band called Sandbox Heroes or something. I got completely sucked in by the Gamblers’ showmanship and the sheer energy they put out during a three song set. Picked up the album for 10 dollars, went home and found myself listening to it for almost four hours straight. Though, like most things, I was late coming into the scene, the Gamblers’ helped me find a home with punk music. Because of them I started back tracking to the roots, subsequently filling up my music library.

1. Coheed and Cambria – Second Stage Turbine Blade
Since I first got into Coheed and Cambria (Around the In Keeping Secrets Silent Earth 3 days, thanks in no small part to A Favor House Atlantic) SSTB has always been my favorite. I loved how raw it felt in contrast to the rest of CoCa’s work. It was just a punk-er feel than IKSSE3 and the two GAIBSIV albums. Some of my fondest memories involving music are tied to this album. It stands the test of my fleeting attention span being that while I can’t much stand Coheed anymore, I still, and always will, love this album.

Rickenbacker · 06-05-2009, 09:37 AM

Here we go.

10 The Beatles - Rubber Soul
As soon as I heard Norwegian Wood and the subsequent tracks years ago, I knew that The Beatles were not the shallow pop band that I always thought they were. My Beatles bashing stopped in its tracks.

9 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love
Simply the greatest influence on everybody's guitar playing, Axis had special significance for me, as I knew that the guitar could be a beautiful thing and a heavy thing at once.

8 The Essential Johnny Cash: 1955-1983
This compilation quickly destroyed my inherent bias towards country music that I had developed after hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd and throwaway racist bands like that. Mr. Cash showed me that country music can stand for something, a la Man in Black and Don't Take Your Guns to Town.

7 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Destroying another even greater bias of mine towards rap music, tracks like Stan, Kim, the Way I Am, and Criminal showed to me that rap was much more than "bitches, hoes, and big screen TVs".

6 Joy Division - Live at Les Bains Douches [18 Dec. 1979]
One of the five best live records I have, this recording held significance for me in a time when I was feeling just terrible. Thankfully, Ian Curtis saved me from possibly turning to emo music or something awful like that.

5 U2 - Achtung Baby
One of the three great releases of the wonderful musical year of 1991, Achtung Baby made U2 more than just "my mom's band".

4 Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
The first incarnation of modern Jazz and still the greatest, Kind of Blue made me think of music as more than songs, more than albums, but as a cohesive thing. From here, music influences everything I do.

3 White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground
Taking a step further from Hendrix and Joy Division, White Light/White Heat had a tremendous influence on how I viewed "noisy" music. The 16 minute epic "Sister Ray" most exemplified this. Consider me a tremendous Velvets fan from this point on.

2 Talking Heads - The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
Undoubtedly the second greatest live album I have, TNoTBiTH not only introduced me to the Heads, but to the beauty of beats, bass, synths, and minimalist songwriting, all of which I had dismissed pre-Talking Heads.

1 R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Sometime in August 2002 my parents were driving my sister and me to Maryland from Connecticut to see my grandparents, one of whom was very sick. We drove down there in silence. As we got there, we learned that my grandmother had died. I shed no tears, but felt very sad inside. As we drove back the following day, my dad told me to take out a CD from the front pocket of the car and put it in the drive. That CD was R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. The tracks flowed together as a seemingly tangible unit, building on the themes of the previous. By "Everybody Hurts" I was in tears and by "Nightswimming" I felt like I couldn't take it. It was the saddest, most relevant, most disturbing, and greatest record I had ever heard. Then, the album closed with "Find the River", which gave me hope without making me forget the events that had occurred. Bravo Michael, Mike, Peter, and Bill! Bravo!

crash_override · 06-05-2009, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

Here we go.

10 The Beatles - Rubber Soul
As soon as I heard Norwegian Wood and the subsequent tracks years ago, I knew that The Beatles were not the shallow pop band that I always thought they were. My Beatles bashing stopped in its tracks.

9 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love
Simply the greatest influence on everybody's guitar playing, Axis had special significance for me, as I knew that the guitar could be a beautiful thing and a heavy thing at once.

8 The Essential Johnny Cash: 1955-1983
This compilation quickly destroyed my inherent bias towards country music that I had developed after hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd and throwaway racist bands like that. Mr. Cash showed me that country music can stand for something, a la Man in Black and Don't Take Your Guns to Town.

7 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
Destroying another even greater bias of mine towards rap music, tracks like Stan, Kim, the Way I Am, and Criminal showed to me that rap was much more than "bitches, hoes, and big screen TVs".

6 Joy Division - Live at Les Bains Douches [18 Dec. 1979]
One of the five best live records I have, this recording held significance for me in a time when I was feeling just terrible. Thankfully, Ian Curtis saved me from possibly turning to emo music or something awful like that.

5 U2 - Achtung Baby
One of the three great releases of the wonderful musical year of 1991, Achtung Baby made U2 more than just "my mom's band".

4 Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
The first incarnation of modern Jazz and still the greatest, Kind of Blue made me think of music as more than songs, more than albums, but as a cohesive thing. From here, music influences everything I do.

3 White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground
Taking a step further from Hendrix and Joy Division, White Light/White Heat had a tremendous influence on how I viewed "noisy" music. The 16 minute epic "Sister Ray" most exemplified this. Consider me a tremendous Velvets fan from this point on.

2 Talking Heads - The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads
Undoubtedly the second greatest live album I have, TNoTBiTH not only introduced me to the Heads, but to the beauty of beats, bass, synths, and minimalist songwriting, all of which I had dismissed pre-Talking Heads.

1 R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Sometime in August 2002 my parents were driving my sister and me to Maryland from Connecticut to see my grandparents, one of whom was very sick. We drove down there in silence. As we got there, we learned that my grandmother had died. I shed no tears, but felt very sad inside. As we drove back the following day, my dad told me to take out a CD from the front pocket of the car and put it in the drive. That CD was R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. The tracks flowed together as a seemingly tangible unit, building on the themes of the previous. By "Everybody Hurts" I was in tears and by "Nightswimming" I felt like I couldn't take it. It was the saddest, most relevant, most disturbing, and greatest record I had ever heard. Then, the album closed with "Find the River", which gave me hope without making me forget the events that had occurred. Bravo Michael, Mike, Peter, and Bill! Bravo!

That's a good list, I'm not a fan of U2 but the rest is very tasteful. I lke R.E.M. at #1, they have always had a knack for their flowing albums. do you listen to any of their earlier I.R.S. stuff?

Rickenbacker · 06-05-2009, 11:47 AM

Sure. All of their 1982-1987 stuff was fantastic. My favorite IRS records are Murmur, Fables, and Lifes Rich Pageant. Not a big fan of their first major label record (Green), but thankfully they made up for it with Out of Time and the subsequent albums.

LoathsomePete · 06-05-2009, 12:04 PM

I have ranking things in order, so this has no order to it.

CunninLynguists - A Piece of Strange

I never get tired of listening to this album, the pieces are all there to make it one of the greatest hip hop albums ever produced. The beats are catchy, the lyrics are intelligently written and delivered flawlessly and the guests were really well chosen for each track. I spin this album at least once a week and it's usually always on my MP3 player or MP3 CD.

Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness

Such a powerhouse album, one track running in at 60 minutes long. I love listening to this album at least once a month. I use to smoke up with this album playing in my headphones, laying back on the couch and just listening at peace, some of the best memories I have that are marijuana and music related. I could easily see this album surviving 100 years from now and being regarded in the same sense that we regard Mozart or Bach today.

Opeth - Blackwater Park

This was one of the toughest decisions to make as I love all of Opeth's albums. One of the strongest bands I've ever seen, they have never released a bad album to me, some have been stronger than others, but each are enjoyable in their own way. "Blackwater Park" was my first introduction to Opeth and I don't think anybody could ask for a better introduction to a band as amazing as Opeth. Solid from start to finish.

Strapping Young Lad - City

Along with "Blackwater Park" I think "City" was my first introduction to Strapping Young Lad and I don't think anybody could recommend a better album to start. Extremely ferocious and heavy but retaining some tongue-in-cheek dark humor that is a staple of Strapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend. Recently I recommended it to Antonio and I believe he really liked it.

WarsawpacK - Gross Domestic Product

Unknown Canadian hip hop/ reggae group who as ohkasey described their sound "Like if Rage Against the Machine took a chill pill but with better grooves". Very politcally and environmentally critical, yet retaining intelligent and insightful debates and arguments, rather than the typical "**** Bush and all the Republicans" that seems to be the only argument you can get from some bands. Sadly they have disbanded

The Smalls - My Dear Little Angle

Another little known Canadian group from Edmonton Alberta, these guys were an eclectic blend of jazz, punk, metal, and some country. "My Dear Little Angle" was their debut album and I don't think you could have asked for a stronger debut. Extremely bass driven songs that are surprisingly heavy, yet retaining jazz influences, this is another band that has sadly disbanded

LuciDream - Choose The Madness

Yet another Canadian band, this one being from Calgary (unofficially known as Canada's Armpit). "Choose The Madness" does everything right for me as far as hip hop is concerned. All the guitar parts are acoustic, but the lyrics are what really drive the album. I reviewed it last week in my Music Journal, however I think I praised it a little too highly as it was unable to live up to the unreasonable expectations that I had created for it. Regardless of that, it is a phenomenal album from start to finish with intelligent and beautifully written lyrics that are extremely thought provoking.

Devin Townsend - Terria

Anybody who follows my music knows how much of a Devin Townsend fanatic I am and this list wouldn't be complete if I left one of his albums off. "Terria" is a bit of an odd choice for some, because it was released at a weird time in his life, where he had already been diagnosed with bi-polar depression and was on treatment for it. It had been 4 years since he released anything with Strapping Young Lad, and the year before he released his 3rd solo album "Physicist" that was heavy and angry enough to qualify as a Strapping album. "Terria" is far more environmentally conscious and after listening to it all the way through I could easily see Devin spending time out in the Canadian wilderness to get inspiration. Containing tracks like "Nobody's Here", "Earth Day", and "Canada" this is probably his most underrated album, and one of 2001's finest entry's.

Elliott BROOD - Ambassador

People who know my taste in music were probably anticipating this album on this list. Gothic Country at it's finest, the songs are brilliantly dark, yet hauntingly beautiful. A perfect introduction to the band that launched them into a type of fame. If you're looking for something that is dark yet beautiful, this is oen of the albums to look for.

Gruvis Malt - ... With the Spirit of a Traffic Jam

I believe this was my first entry in my "A Gift From Me To You" series that I started a month ago. This album really did a number on me when I heard it for the first time last year. A perfect blend of progressive rock with jazz and hip hop influences, this is one of my favorite "
chill out" albums. For some reason I've found it works better during the winter time, the album seems to warm you up when you listen to it. I hope the people that received it enjoyed it as much as I do, and if you didn't receive it but want to give it a try, please feel free to PM me.

Honorable Mentions

Rehab - Graffiti The World
The Interpestuals - ReviveR
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Aesop Rock - Labor Days
Meshuggah - Catch 33

crash_override · 06-05-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rickenbacker

Sure. All of their 1982-1987 stuff was fantastic. My favorite IRS records are Murmur, Fables, and Lifes Rich Pageant. Not a big fan of their first major label record (Green), but thankfully they made up for it with Out of Time and the subsequent albums.

I've always been partial to Document. Murmur is classic though.

jackhammer · 06-05-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crash_override

I've always been partial to Document. Murmur is classic though.

You don't have Document do you at all? I can't find that sucker anywhere and I miss my old cassette

Rickenbacker · 06-05-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

You don't have Document do you at all? I can't find that sucker anywhere and I miss my old cassette

PM me if you want it. I'll .zip it up.

crash_override · 06-05-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

You don't have Document do you at all? I can't find that sucker anywhere and I miss my old cassette

I don't have a cassette thats for sure. But if you could settle for a digital copy I'm sure I could hook you up. Only problem is i don't know how you upload stuff. if you care to help me out with a good site i would be happy to set you up.

06-05-2009, 07:48 AM	#231 (permalink)
zeppy111 16, so? Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Africa Posts: 630	No real order to it. Bob Segar - Greatest Hits It seems like this album was the only one my parents would play that wasn't some 80's band(generally poison and gnr) and really took my hand and led me into the world of enjoying music. The lyrics and vocals were amazing, so dark and raspy. Bruce Hornsby And The Range - Scenes From The South Side Bruce Hornsby + piano = AMAZING!!!! Nuff said. The Clash - London Calling I picked this up with an amount of change in my pocket, what a bargain, after just recognising the name and thinking I needed to hear this stuff. Led me to go out and buy 3 of the other clash albums the following day and still 4 or 5 years later one of my favourite bands. The White Stripes - Elephant First album I bought with money I had got for myself. As well as me just being crazy about those two crazy Americans. Jack's rawness in his voice was a stand-out. The Doors - L.A. Woman No words can actually do justice to this album and the effects it has had on me. The first time i heard it I thought "what a pile of **"... Gave it another re-run a few months later and BANG! Another devoted Doors fan. Such great music, way beyond its times, what a tragedy. RIP! Night Ranger - Greatest Hits An introduction to 80's I guess. Not that I have enjoyed much else from the time, this really was a stand-out. "Sentimental Street" and "Sister Christian" still see the rotation at least once a week. Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind First metal album I bought and what inspired me to dig deeper into this genre of music so frowned upon by society. Best decision I made in music so far. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun The album that got me listening to post-rock and to experiment with avant-garde and just overall love the layout and tranquility of this album. Yazoo - Yaz A variation from the usual confinement of guitar bashing and raspy vocals to up-beat, poppy english music. Some of the best memories of my short life have been had with this album spinning!! 10 000 Maniacs - Unplugged** Taught me to appreciate women in the musical field. Natalie Merchant!!!! My favourite vocalist (maybe on a par with Steve Perry) and the influence of the soothing instruments in the background. BEAUTIFUL! __________________ My Blog (album of the day): http://musicfromthesouth.blogspot.com

06-05-2009, 12:04 PM	#236 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I have ranking things in order, so this has no order to it. CunninLynguists - A Piece of Strange I never get tired of listening to this album, the pieces are all there to make it one of the greatest hip hop albums ever produced. The beats are catchy, the lyrics are intelligently written and delivered flawlessly and the guests were really well chosen for each track. I spin this album at least once a week and it's usually always on my MP3 player or MP3 CD. Green Carnation - Light of Day, Day of Darkness Such a powerhouse album, one track running in at 60 minutes long. I love listening to this album at least once a month. I use to smoke up with this album playing in my headphones, laying back on the couch and just listening at peace, some of the best memories I have that are marijuana and music related. I could easily see this album surviving 100 years from now and being regarded in the same sense that we regard Mozart or Bach today. Opeth - Blackwater Park This was one of the toughest decisions to make as I love all of Opeth's albums. One of the strongest bands I've ever seen, they have never released a bad album to me, some have been stronger than others, but each are enjoyable in their own way. "Blackwater Park" was my first introduction to Opeth and I don't think anybody could ask for a better introduction to a band as amazing as Opeth. Solid from start to finish. Strapping Young Lad - City Along with "Blackwater Park" I think "City" was my first introduction to Strapping Young Lad and I don't think anybody could recommend a better album to start. Extremely ferocious and heavy but retaining some tongue-in-cheek dark humor that is a staple of Strapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend. Recently I recommended it to Antonio and I believe he really liked it. WarsawpacK - Gross Domestic Product Unknown Canadian hip hop/ reggae group who as ohkasey described their sound "Like if Rage Against the Machine took a chill pill but with better grooves". Very politcally and environmentally critical, yet retaining intelligent and insightful debates and arguments, rather than the typical "** Bush and all the Republicans" that seems to be the only argument you can get from some bands. Sadly they have disbanded The Smalls - My Dear Little Angle Another little known Canadian group from Edmonton Alberta, these guys were an eclectic blend of jazz, punk, metal, and some country. "My Dear Little Angle" was their debut album and I don't think you could have asked for a stronger debut. Extremely bass driven songs that are surprisingly heavy, yet retaining jazz influences, this is another band that has sadly disbanded LuciDream - Choose The Madness Yet another Canadian band, this one being from Calgary (unofficially known as Canada's Armpit). "Choose The Madness" does everything right for me as far as hip hop is concerned. All the guitar parts are acoustic, but the lyrics are what really drive the album. I reviewed it last week in my Music Journal, however I think I praised it a little too highly as it was unable to live up to the unreasonable expectations that I had created for it. Regardless of that, it is a phenomenal album from start to finish with intelligent and beautifully written lyrics that are extremely thought provoking. Devin Townsend - Terria Anybody who follows my music knows how much of a Devin Townsend fanatic I am and this list wouldn't be complete if I left one of his albums off. "Terria" is a bit of an odd choice for some, because it was released at a weird time in his life, where he had already been diagnosed with bi-polar depression and was on treatment for it. It had been 4 years since he released anything with Strapping Young Lad, and the year before he released his 3rd solo album "Physicist" that was heavy and angry enough to qualify as a Strapping album. "Terria" is far more environmentally conscious and after listening to it all the way through I could easily see Devin spending time out in the Canadian wilderness to get inspiration. Containing tracks like "Nobody's Here", "Earth Day", and "Canada" this is probably his most underrated album, and one of 2001's finest entry's. Elliott BROOD - Ambassador People who know my taste in music were probably anticipating this album on this list. Gothic Country at it's finest, the songs are brilliantly dark, yet hauntingly beautiful. A perfect introduction to the band that launched them into a type of fame. If you're looking for something that is dark yet beautiful, this is oen of the albums to look for. Gruvis Malt - ... With the Spirit of a Traffic Jam I believe this was my first entry in my "A Gift From Me To You" series that I started a month ago. This album really did a number on me when I heard it for the first time last year. A perfect blend of progressive rock with jazz and hip hop influences, this is one of my favorite " chill out" albums. For some reason I've found it works better during the winter time, the album seems to warm you up when you listen to it. I hope the people that received it enjoyed it as much as I do, and if you didn't receive it but want to give it a try, please feel free to PM me. Honorable Mentions Rehab - Graffiti The World The Interpestuals - ReviveR Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow Aesop Rock - Labor Days Meshuggah** - Catch 33 __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

06-05-2009, 08:29 AM	#232 (permalink)
YourLocalTyrant Groupie Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bama Posts: 23	10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way This was the album that really got me into the RHCP, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Coincidently it’s the only album since BSSM that I can listen to more than once in a sitting. 9. Weird Al Yankovich – The Food Album Sure, it’s Weird Al, but this was my first album, ever. It deserves a place in my list. 8. The Ziggens – Greatest Zits Don’t ask, this album just holds a special place for me, and I don’t even know why. 7. REM - In Time Not so much because it’s REM (I’m kind of indifferent towards them..) but more so for a personal note. When my older brother was going through a rough patch while the rest of the family moved to Alabama, he told me that whenever he heard REM, he thought of me. Then we laughed about how I think he must think I’m a manic bipolar depressive. It was good times. I bought the album after that, I still listen to it from time to time. 6. Breaking Benjamin – Saturate This was me. This was my album throughout the beginning years of high school. I thought I identified with it (I don’t, ahaha, but its cool!) Saturate really kept me going through football season, various lifting sessions, and generally everything else. It helps that they were hometown heroes back when I lived in Pennsylvania. Whenever I load this album up on my MP3 player, that creeping nostalgia of Friday afternoon right before the game comes over me. 5. The Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse Beside the fact that I can never listen to “One Headlight” again, Bringing Down the Horse helped me understand what I wanted in music. Again, I got this album late. We’re talking eight years late. It got me out of my hard rock “I’m a bad ass, look at me” phase and showed me that songs crafted with good music and equally good lyrics mean a lot more than thrashing guitars. Because of this album, I started branching out, delving deeper into folk and blues. 4. The Malcolm in the Middle Soundtrack What? It's probably the best soundtrack I've ever heard, and I was so heart broken when I lost the disc. 3. The * Blades – Ghosts Listening to Ghosts is some of the most fun I’ve ever had listening to an album. It’s all so engaging, there’s nothing about it I don’t like. I suppose it’s one of the very few albums that I can go from start to finish without skipping a track. Even though it’s fairly recent, I can see this being a long standing favorite to me. 2. Riverboat Gamblers – To the Confusion of Our Enemies I saw them at a local show in Shamokin, Pa. I was actually there for some band called Sandbox Heroes or something. I got completely sucked in by the Gamblers’ showmanship and the sheer energy they put out during a three song set. Picked up the album for 10 dollars, went home and found myself listening to it for almost four hours straight. Though, like most things, I was late coming into the scene, the Gamblers’ helped me find a home with punk music. Because of them I started back tracking to the roots, subsequently filling up my music library. 1. Coheed and Cambria – Second Stage Turbine Blade** Since I first got into Coheed and Cambria (Around the In Keeping Secrets Silent Earth 3 days, thanks in no small part to A Favor House Atlantic) SSTB has always been my favorite. I loved how raw it felt in contrast to the rest of CoCa’s work. It was just a punk-er feel than IKSSE3 and the two GAIBSIV albums. Some of my fondest memories involving music are tied to this album. It stands the test of my fleeting attention span being that while I can’t much stand Coheed anymore, I still, and always will, love this album.

06-05-2009, 09:37 AM	#233 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	Here we go. 10 The Beatles - Rubber Soul As soon as I heard Norwegian Wood and the subsequent tracks years ago, I knew that The Beatles were not the shallow pop band that I always thought they were. My Beatles bashing stopped in its tracks. 9 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis: Bold as Love Simply the greatest influence on everybody's guitar playing, Axis had special significance for me, as I knew that the guitar could be a beautiful thing and a heavy thing at once. 8 The Essential Johnny Cash: 1955-1983 This compilation quickly destroyed my inherent bias towards country music that I had developed after hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd and throwaway racist bands like that. Mr. Cash showed me that country music can stand for something, a la Man in Black and Don't Take Your Guns to Town. 7 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP Destroying another even greater bias of mine towards rap music, tracks like Stan, Kim, the Way I Am, and Criminal showed to me that rap was much more than "bitches, hoes, and big screen TVs". 6 Joy Division - Live at Les Bains Douches [18 Dec. 1979] One of the five best live records I have, this recording held significance for me in a time when I was feeling just terrible. Thankfully, Ian Curtis saved me from possibly turning to emo music or something awful like that. 5 U2 - Achtung Baby One of the three great releases of the wonderful musical year of 1991, Achtung Baby made U2 more than just "my mom's band". 4 Kind of Blue - Miles Davis The first incarnation of modern Jazz and still the greatest, Kind of Blue made me think of music as more than songs, more than albums, but as a cohesive thing. From here, music influences everything I do. 3 White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground Taking a step further from Hendrix and Joy Division, White Light/White Heat had a tremendous influence on how I viewed "noisy" music. The 16 minute epic "Sister Ray" most exemplified this. Consider me a tremendous Velvets fan from this point on. 2 Talking Heads - The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads Undoubtedly the second greatest live album I have, TNoTBiTH not only introduced me to the Heads, but to the beauty of beats, bass, synths, and minimalist songwriting, all of which I had dismissed pre-Talking Heads. 1 R.E.M. - Automatic for the People Sometime in August 2002 my parents were driving my sister and me to Maryland from Connecticut to see my grandparents, one of whom was very sick. We drove down there in silence. As we got there, we learned that my grandmother had died. I shed no tears, but felt very sad inside. As we drove back the following day, my dad told me to take out a CD from the front pocket of the car and put it in the drive. That CD was R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People. The tracks flowed together as a seemingly tangible unit, building on the themes of the previous. By "Everybody Hurts" I was in tears and by "Nightswimming" I felt like I couldn't take it. It was the saddest, most relevant, most disturbing, and greatest record I had ever heard. Then, the album closed with "Find the River", which gave me hope without making me forget the events that had occurred. Bravo Michael, Mike, Peter, and Bill! Bravo!

06-05-2009, 11:47 AM	#235 (permalink)
Rickenbacker / Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Conn Posts: 1,338	Sure. All of their 1982-1987 stuff was fantastic. My favorite IRS records are Murmur, Fables, and Lifes Rich Pageant. Not a big fan of their first major label record (Green), but thankfully they made up for it with Out of Time and the subsequent albums.