Ten albums that "changed your life"

You know what I mean. Desert island discs. The ones you couldn't go on living without. The ones that sculpted your formative years. The album playing in the other room the first time you got laid, the first time you got hauled off to jail, the album that sparked your personal "renaissance."...

Only ten. In order:

10. Genesis - And Then There Were Three
9. Alan Jackson - Here In The Real World
8. Chris Ledoux - Western Skies
7. Jimmy Buffett - Barometer Soup
6. Urge Overkill - The Supersonic Storybook
5. Sebadoh - Harmacy
4. Enigma - MCMXCaD
3. Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle
2. Mana - Suenos Liquidos
1. James Taylor - Greatest Hits

Wow. It's hard to pick just ten. Even harder to rank them.

In no order:

Fugazi: 13 songs
Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes
Pink Floyd: Animals
Pearl Jam: Ten
Led Zeppelin: IV
Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream
Pete Rock & CL Smooth: Mecca and the Soul Brother
Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Legend
Green Day: Dookie

All fairly old but I was impressionable enough way back then to have my life changed.

1. Layla -- Derek and the Dominos
2. Ziggy Stardust -- David Bowie
3. Nantucket Sleighride -- Mountain
4. Caravaranseri -- Santana
5. Trans Europe Express -- Craftwerk
6. Space is the Place -- Sun Ra
7. Apostrophe -- Zappa
8. Never Mind the Bolloks -- Sex Pistols
9. Headhunter -- Herbie Hancock
10. Some cheap ass Motzart compilation -- Motzart

My ten, in no particular order because the impact these had at the time is not the same as they make upon me now, but that doesn't diminish the impact's importance. Mostly these are and were important to me because they made me rethink music.

-Sonic Youth, Sister
-DEVO, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are DEVO.
-Talking Heads, Remain in Light
-Television, Marquee Moon
-The Ramones, Rocket to Russia
-Led Zeppelin, IV/Zoso/Runes/4 Sticks
-Elvis Costello, Get Happy!
-King Crimson, Discipline
-Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
-...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Source Tags & Codes

Each of the albums below have all done something to shape the person I've become and my way of life.

1 showcases one of the greatest guitarists ever.
2-4 is for reflecting.
5-6 introduced me to electronic music and nearly 95% of my music library.
7 is the soundtrack for any alcoholic.
8 is lyrical mastery.
9 will make anyone want to own a Hammond organ.
10 is for the summer-time.

1. Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
2. Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
3. Bob Marley, Legend
4. Pulp, Different Class
5. soundtrack, Trainspotting
6. soundtrack, The Saint
7. The Doors, The Best of
8. Beastie Boys, Paul's Botique
9. Jimmy Smith, Walk on the Wild Side: The Best of the Verve Years
10. Beck, Guerro

Led Zep - The Song Remains the Same
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Moby - Play
The Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah
People Under the Stairs - Stepfather
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Daft Punk - Discovery
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene
Santana - Supernatural
The Roots - The Beginner's Guide to Understanding The Roots vol. 1

grateful dead - live dead
pink floyd - pipers at the gates of dawn
slayer - show no mercy
bad brains - roir tape
king crimson - larks tongue in aspic
devo - freedom of choice
black sabbath - volume 4
sonic youth - daydream nation
public enemy - it takes a nation of millions to hold us back
aphex twin - Richard D James

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BLOOD SWEAT STEEL

You know what I mean. Desert island discs. The ones you couldn't go on living without. The ones that sculpted your formative years.

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The ten that "sculpted my formative years", or that "changed my life" are certainly not the same as my desert island discs.

^ Seconded. When I was in 6th grade I listened to Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend about ten million times, and it was influential to me I guess, but it's not one of my ten favorite albums (although I still like it).

I guess as a musical biography/soundtrack to my life kinda thing (like if this was an episode of The Wonder Years), I'd have to have...

Various Artists, Dukes of Hazzard Original Soundtrack (which has "Up on Cripple Creek," my first favorite song).
Run DMC, Kings of Rock.
Violent Femmes, Violent Femmes.
Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet.
Guns and Roses, Lies and Appetite for Destruction.
Jane's Addiction, Ritual De Lo Habitual.
Elmore James, Let's Cut It.
Built to Spill, Keep It Like A Secret.
This awesome two disc Stax/Volt compilation album. I can't remember what it is called, but it is fucking great.
Stevie Wonder generally.
The Hold Steady, Separation Sunday.

Wow, I could really go on and on... but I have to go to dinner.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Led Zeppellin: The symbols album
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed
Allman Bros.: Live at the Fillmore East
Grateful Dead: Europe '72
Grateful Dead: Blues for Allah
Steely Dan: Katie Leid
Yes: Fragile
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe
Patti Smith: Horses

I also have to mention Lou Reed: Heroin

In no particular order


Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
Al DiMeola - Casino
James Taylor - Never Die Young
Frank Zappa - Apostrophe
Ween - White Pepper
Miles Davis - Agharta
The Slip - Angels Come on Time
Pat Metheny - Secret Story
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly



yeah, im fucking weird

The albums that formed me, in order of formation:

Partridge Family
Beatles' Sgt Peppers
Neil Diamond's Hot August Night
David Essex's All the Fun of the Fair
Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti
Rolling Stone's Some Girls
Elvis Costello's first 3 or 4 and anything Nick Lowe was involved in
Roxy Music's Avalon
and a whole bunch of synthesizer, electronic, early day English stuff like Human League, Depeche Mode and Visage

I'm still being formed, thankfully, by artists like Sufjan and Thom Yorke and others...

Formative years (most of these were before my high school years, but for some reason they pulled me in):

Depeche Mode - Violater
The Cure - Disentigration
U2 - Achtung Baby
Pink Floyd - The Wall
The Cure - standing on the beach, staring at the sea
The Cranberries - No need to Argue
Morissey - Suedehead
XTC - Nonsuch
The Cure - kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
Depeche Mode - Music for the masses

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yogachik

David Essex...

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Hey kid, rock and roll
Rock on, ooh, my soul
Hey kid, boogey too, did ya

Hey shout, summertime blues
Jump up and down in my blue suede shoes
Hey kid, rock and roll, rock on

And where do we go from here
Which is the way that's clear

Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean
(James Dean)

And where do we go from here
Which is the way that's clear

Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen
Prettiest girl I ever seen
See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Rock on
Rock on
Rock on

Hey, hey
Rock and roll
Rock on

Rock on
Hey, hey
Rock and roll
Rock on

Rock on
Hey, hey
Rock and roll
Rock on

Rock on
Hey, hey
Rock and roll
Rock on........



Great fucking vocal.

Ten albums? Can't do that. Have fun.

Red Hot Chili Peppers- "Mother's Milk"
Public Enemy- "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back"
Nirvana- "Nevermind"
Pearl Jam- "Ten"
Rollins Band- "The End Of Silence"
Jane's Addiction"- Ritual Del Lo Habitual
The Beatles- "The Beatles" (White Album)
New Radicals- "Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too"
The Replacements- "Pleased to Meet Me"
Bruce Springsteen- "Born to Run"

Black Flag - My War
Tool - Undertow
Dead Kennedys - Plastic Surgery Disasters
The Meatmen -We're the Meatmen and You Suck
Circle Jerks - Wonderful
Ministry - Psalm 69
Misfits - Earth A.D.
Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine
Butthole Surfers - Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
Kyuss - Sky Valley
Rollins Band: Life Time

I got my political leanings (DK, RATM), sense of humor (Meatmen, CJ, BS, Misfits) teen-angst (rollins), paranoia (BF, Tool), and more from these tapes/CDs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slippy

The Meatmen -We're the Meatmen and You Suck.

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Unbelievable! Not sure if I'd put them on my ten most influential list, but you gotta like a band with songs like "Blow Me, Jah" and "Crippled Children Suck."

I was a little innocent listening to that album at 12 years old and it definitely fucked with my mind. Only people I've met that have heard of them were from the east coast, telling me how they ssaw them at some college house party.....you too?

No one has mentioned Air Supply yet?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slippy

I was a little innocent listening to that album at 12 years old and it definitely fucked with my mind. Only people I've met that have heard of them were from the east coast, telling me how they ssaw them at some college house party.....you too?

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Never saw them live. I was browsing at Newbury Comix, saw the title, and thought "I have got to own that."

I got it on vinyl, so I haven't listened to them for years, but some of the fucked-up lyrics still swirl around in my head.

"Then she kicked me in the dick. God she was pissed."

No particular order.........

Death From Above 1979 - "You're a Woman, I'm a Machine"
Change of Heart - "Tummysuckle"
The Sex Pistols - "Never mind the bullocks......."
Refused - "The Shape of Punk to Come"
Rage Against the Machine - "Rage Against the Machine"
The Reverend Horton Heat - "The Full-Custom Sounds of........"
The Tragically Hip - "Day for Night"
Kyuss - "Welcome to Sky Valley"
Queens of the Stone Age - "Songs for the Deaf"
Tool - "Aenima"

I guess in order of influence, it'd have to be something like:
Getz/Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
Meet the Beatles - Beatles
Abbey Road - Beatles
Thriller - MJ
Raising Hell - Run DMC
Graceland - Paul Simon
Decade of Aggression - Slayer
Ten - Pearl Jam
Rastaman Vibration - Bob Marley
Live Dead - Grateful Dead


There, that takes me from a wee young lad to early high school. Everything after that was just a variation of the above.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Suit

I was browsing at Newbury Comix...

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Pretty much the best store evar.

Back in the day they'd have the bin of 45's by Bosstown bands up by the register, I still have a shitload of those.

If I define it as albums that defined certain periods in my life, and I just played the hell out of in these periods, it would go something like this in roughly chronological order:

1. U2 - War
2. Echo & The Bunnymen - Porcupine
3. The Church - Heyday
4. New Order - Substance
5. Catherine Wheel - Ferment
6. Julian Cope - Jehovahkill
7. Straitjacket Fits - Hail
8. Radiohead - OK Computer
9. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
10. Built to Spill - You In Reverse

Alphabetical order, life-changers rather than DIDs:

Chet Baker, Once Upon a Summertime
De La Soul, Three Feet High ... and Rising
Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking
Love Tractor, This Ain't No Outerspace Ship
Thelonious Monk, ... Plays Duke Ellington
Nirvana, Nevermind
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mother's Milk (close call for Blood Sugar Sex Magic)
R.E.M., Fables of the Reconstruction (close call for Murmur)
Straitjacket Fits, Melt
The Who, Live at Leeds