Think of 15-20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They drag you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world.
Here are mine:
1. The Beatles - Abbey Road (1969)
The first album I really listened & listened & listened to. It only occasionally came off on my parent's stereo (to put on Sgt. Pepper). I somehow wore this album out on the B side (Here Comes the Sun & the McCartney song symphony), but Come Together on the A side is still my favorite song.
2. The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (68)
This album kicks off the Stone’s string of best of rock and roll thru to 1971's Exile on Main Street. An amazing string.. Hard rock, yet blues background. I spent hours learning the words on this one -- Sympathy for the Devil, etc.
3. Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (1972)
A brilliant follow-up to Aqualung; At the time -- this was high school for me remember -- I thought these "concepts" albums were the future of music -- it is a symphony in the rock form.
4. The Doors -- The Doors (67)
I'm sure I heard Light My Fire before, but I didn't know this album until I went to college & someone in our dorm wing played the whole thing for me. Then I knew the Doors were special. Luckily, LA Woman was released about then too (1971), making this a big one-two punch.
5. Pink Floyd -- Dark Side of the Moon (73)
What can I say, I was stoned and I missed it!
6. Talking Heads -- More Songs About Buildings and Food (78)
The start of the punk years.. After this one, any new Talking Heads album always stayed a long time on my play list.
7. Elvis Costello: Armed Forces (79)
The 2nd coming of Elvis, in punk form. I listened to this one thru most of my computer science degree work.
8. Paul Simon: Graceland (86)
Fascinating fusion of African rhythms into Simon's music.
9. R.E.M.: Out of Time (91)
The alt-rock pinnacle of melody & harmony Any song titled "Losing my Religion" is ok in my book; what the song is supposed to really say, I have no idea.
10. Eric Clapton -- From the Cradle (94)
For me, the ultimate modern blues album. Clapton takes a bunch of the old songs and plays them to modern perfection.
11. Gipsy Kings: Gipsy Kings (95)
Latin focus-- I couldn't get enough of this sound! Jesse Cook et. al. followed.
12. Santana -- Supernatural (1999)
Perfect ends to the 20th century! Santana’s backing counterpoint of guitar note ecstasy works on this rich mix of songs.
13. Bob Dylan --- Love & Theft (2001)
Rediscovery of the master’s brilliance in a new century, though the trend started with Time Out of Mind(97); Made me go back and buy all his old albums in CD. One of the best moves I ever made.
14. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (98)
15. Old 97s: Too Far to Care (97)
These two together represent my discovery of Alt-Country. I love these two.
16. John Hammond Jr.: Wicked Grin (2001)
John Hammond, known for his blues covers, here covers Tom Waits songs. And his voice pulls from them even more than Tom's does.
17. Nora Jones: Come Away with Me (2002)
Her phrasing on the songs is unique & her voice.
18. Cracker: Countrysides (2003)
Another alt-country classic -- I couldn't get if off the CD changer; And if you know me, you will know I had to play “Ain't Going to Suck Itself” to *everybody*.
19. Cowboy Junkies: Early 21th Century Blues (2005)
I love these covers, from tradition to Dylan to Springsteen to Lennon to U2. Political? Maybe. But the CJs mood harkens back to early Velvet Underground
20. Jenny Lewis: Rabbit Fur Coat (2006)
Brilliant words and beautiful voice.
Honorable Mentions: I wasn’t able to fit all the albums that I listened to a lot into a short list. Here are some others:
1. Firesign Theater: How can you be in two places at once, when you’re not anywhere at all (1968)
It stayed off the list because its comedy. But we listen to it enough to memorize all the words. See the entry above for Dark Side of the Moon to understand why I can’t remember any of these routines now.
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood (83)
My favorite blues guitar player. I still listen to all these songs. It didn't make the list because I listened more to Clapton's From the Cradle when it first came out.
3. U2: Joshua tree (87)
I loved the song Sunday Bloody Sunday from the earlier War album, but this album really cemented U2 as a great rock band
4. Green Day-- Dookie (94)
Throw away Nirvana, this is the way post punk grunge should sound
5. The White Stripes: The White Stripes (99)
The stripped down sound. Elephant may be technically a better album, but this was my first introduction to the White Stripes, and with covers of Dylan and Robert Johnson and a unique St. James Infirmary.
6. Sublime: Sublime (96)
Didn’t really qualify for the list because I didn't listen to the whole album full on, over a single time period. But I love the punk/reaggea sound, the humor (or is that anger), the sampling, etc. and songs keep coming back up as my favorites.
7. Marley remixed: Chant Down Babylon (99)
The re-sampled Marley with rap works. Somehow. The only “rap” album I like.
8. Buddy Guy: Sweet Tea (2001)
Buddy Guy with the hard driving blues -- with an all most White Stripes-ey studio sound.
9. John Hiatt: The Tiki Bar is Open (2001)
Focus on the singer / songwriter. All Hiatt tunes should be studied for how to write and play and sing songs.
10. Leonard Cohen: Live in London (2009)
What I have on right now. I can't stop listening. Not sure why yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment