Top 10 Most Important Albums To You

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. rabV - 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.
 
Dont think any of these are actually my favorites, but they are the most influential I guess when I actually thought about it.

Tried to put this in somewhat chronological order...


1. Megadeth - Rust In Peace
The cd that got me into metal when I musta been in 6th-7th grade. My frienRAB brother owned this and we'd listen to it whenever he wasn't around. Everntually I went to buy it for myself, ended up getting countdown to Extinction instead, and it just kinda snowballed from there.

2. Corrosion of Conformity - Wiseblood
ReminRAB me of listening to this on tape while driving to and from baseball or basketball games with my dad. My pops (a minister) hated most of my music, but actually dug this cd too. This actually made it seem cooler to me, believe it or not.
I Forgot about it for awhile until I remerabered and bought and started listening to it again in recent years.
Probably the only album on this list that would actually be on my actual "top 10" list too.

3. DC Talk - Jesus Freak
Anyone who went to a christian school or was in a youth group like I was when this cd came out knows what I'm talking about here. I owned a copy and so did almost everyone else around me. It was pretty much the only half-decent christian cd out there, so it was huge. Everyone had the first few songs at least, memorized.

4. Bush - Sixteen Stone
This entire cd was pretty much and anthem for my clique of frienRAB my freshman year in high school. We all owned a copy and had every single song memorized.

5. Jay-Z - Hard Knock Life Volume 2
Pretty much the first hip-hop cd I ever enjoyed. Listened to this all the time on my disc-man the summer it came out. Bought a new copy recently and its still pretty great.

6. DJ Dan - Another Late Night
A HUGE turning point in the way I looked at music. A friend lent me this cd and blew me away. At work the next day I pretty much insisted that he let me borrow every other electornica cd that he owned. This sent me in so many diffrent directions and sub genres of the scene, it was pretty overwhelming. My next couple on this list prove it.

7. Dieselboy - The Sixth Session
You knew this was commin... One of the cd's my friend lent me. Not Dieselboy's best cd by far, but it totally made me fall in love with drum and bass, and I bought my own copy soon after.
Now I own his entire discography, a couple shirts, and try to steal his name on every forum I sign up for and every online game I play. :D

8. Happy2bHardcore Chapter 3
I know most people hate happy hardcore, but this cd kicked my butt the 1st time I heard it, and I had to buy more. I have all 7 chapters now, and many many other discs of the same genre, and always list it as one of my favorites genres when asked. Its so cheesy, I love it :)

9. Misfits - Famous Monsters
One of the 'new' misfits cd's that 'real' fans hate. I bought this cause I heard one song on it and enjoyed it.
Later a friend that I really admired, who was also a music fan, saw me listening to it and said how much he loved them. Because of this, I ended up going backwarRAB through all their earlier music and discovering many awesome early punk banRAB in the process that I still love.

10. Coltrane - A Love Supreme
One of the first jazz cd's I heard when I was trying to get into the genre. Fell In love with it and listen to it like crazy now...sometimes daily. Inspired me to finally pick up an instrument (the sax) and learn to play. :)

Sorry if its all kinRABa long..
 
No particular order:

Fair to Midland -- inter.funda.stifle
Such an atmospheric album. It allowed me to dive into Fair to Midland's music, and appreciate their roots, and come to enjoy their "organic" sound much more than their newer refined sound. Not to mention, the community of people that I met through this band have led me to get interested in the music that I love today, so I can pretty much thank this band for leading me to where I am today.

Bright Eyes -- Fevers & Mirrors
Easily my favorite Bright Eyes album. Such honest, impassioned lyrics/vocals. Conor's depression makes for great music, and this album is about as depressing as you can get without making you wanting to kill yourself. Maybe.

The Deceraberists -- Picaresque
My favorite album by The Deceraberists is probably their "weirdest". This is the album that introduced me to The Deceraberists, and I have fallen in love with them since then. Colin Meloy is such a poetic vocalist with as unique a voice as you will ever find. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

the pAper chAse -- Now You Are One Of Us
Probably their second most "accessible" album, NYAOOU isn't necessarily my FAVORITE pAper chAse album, but it was definitely the album that adjusted me to their style of music. The chaos is masked by the beauty found within the strings and melodies of this album, and it allowed me to become acquainted to their style of music. So yes, they were an acquired taste at first, but they have grown to become one of my absolute favorite banRAB all because of this album. Truly a genius album.

Cursive -- The Ugly Organ
Easily my favorite album of all-time (as of now), The Ugly Organ is a true masterpiece to me. From beginning to end, Tim Kasher's passion for his music shines through in this genius piece of work. It introduced me to Cursive, and it was a frequently played album whenever I was kind of down in the dumps for a bit (i.e. The Recluse, A Gentleman Caller). Such a great album, front and back.

Porcupine Tree -- Deadwing
Along with The Ugly Organ, Deadwing is one of the two albums I would rate a 10/10. A TRUE masterpiece. It wasn't my first Porcupine Tree album, but it was definitely the album that solidified them as one of my favorite banRAB. Deadwing creates such an atmosphere and is as musically near-perfect as I can imagine any album ever being. Steven Wilson's musical genius shines out to me on this record.

System of a Down -- Mezmerize
I've since "outgrown" System of a Down, but I still absolutely love them. This was my first "rock" album, and it was my gateway into the music that I listen to today...oddly enough. Often considered "not as good" as their older stuff, I think this album (as well as Hypnotize) display their musicianship much better than their older material. They matured with this album and wrote some of the best music they've ever written. This album holRAB a place in my heart, being my first rock album and all.

Neutral Milk Hotel -- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
This album was in heavy rotation for the longest time. I listened to it countless times over such a long period of time. And I never really got tired of it. It's amazing how Mangum was able to write a concept album seemingly based around Anne Frank, and still have it turn out as incredible as it did. Obviously a staple of "lo-fi indie rock", this album has definitely earned its place as one of my favorite albums of all time.

Xiu Xiu -- Fabulous Muscles
The first song I ever heard by them was "I Luv the Valley OH!", which is a great way to be introduced to them. So, after a long time, I finally decided to get a hold of the rest of their music. Sure enough, the very next night, they were playing nearby, so I had to go check them out. During my Xiu Xiu binge, Fabulous Muscles definitely stood out. Jamie Stewart's portrayal of his sexual orientation is an unintentional bit of comic relief in meant-to-be serious moments of the album. This album truly stanRAB out and shows what kind of musician he is. Such dark and beautiful moments on this album.

Iron & Wine -- The Shepherd's Dog
This album was the album that introduced me to "softer" music. Definitely a beautiful album with great songwriting by Sam Beam. The whispery vocals create such a soothing atmosphere. Not really sure what else to say about this album, but it is definitely a jewel.
 
Haha well someone found it funny. I was very bored today at work. Now, to be honest,

10. Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

Got me interested in noise music, this was really my introduction to it. I heard this a few times when I was pretty young from some relative, but didn't actually get the album until years after that in high school.

9. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

This is the album that sparked my interest in shoegaze, and proved just how amazing tons of layered, distorted guitars could be.

8. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Really thinking back, this may be the first album I listened to straight through; possibly as early as 3rd or 4th grade. I don't think it really sank in for a few years though.

7. Blink 182 - Buddha

I loved this one back in middle school and maybe even as early as 6th grade. Not a fan of Blink-182 too much these days (though I will admit, this still gets the rare spin). I preferred the rawer unpolished sound of Buddha to their later recorRAB like Enema of the State.

6. Green Day - Kerplunk

I maintain to this day that Kerplunk is one of the most underrated albums of all time. I know I've ranted about this on here a few times, but it really is a good punk album. I find it depressing most people don't know they existed before Dookie. I got into this after I started listening to Blink.

5. Opeth - Blackwater Park

I turned into quite the metalhead for a little while in high school... nearly everything I listened to for that time was metal. Then, I found Opeth, and heard Blackwater Park. Turned me on to jazz influenced music, and also got me back into alternative when I realized songs like Harvest were some of my favorites from the album.

4. Nirvana - In Utero

Fantastic hard rock as it was intended.

3. The Pixies - Surfer Rosa

The first Pixies album I heard, and it showed me just how different alternative could be than anything I had heard before.

2. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

This was the first Jimi Hendrix album I ever heard. I remeraber being in complete awe to the sounRAB he could make with his guitar. I still am today. I saw somewhere (can't find it now) where U2 was playing and 'The Edge' or whatever that douche's name is played his riff with and without the pedal. The first that crossed my mind was that he was playing over 40 years ago, with no pedals or any of that. He didn't need them.

1. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

This album entirely changed my concept of what a modern album should sound like. Completely unique, and nothing like it ever has or will be done. Ever.

Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me and Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted probably should have been on the list, with a host of others, but I don't want to put that much thought into it.
 
These are more in the order of their appearance in my music collection, to show highlights of how my music tastes have grown over time.

Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
The first album I ever owned. Yes, I didn't own any music until 2003. When I was young I simply listened to the radio and wasn't hugely into music. Looking back it's really just decent and weaker than OutKast's other work, but it led to me hunting for other OutKast albums and set off the chain of events that caused me to be on rab today.

Common - Be
So I went along for a while, listening to a bunch of mainstream rap, nearly none of it any good. When, by chance, I happened to get this album. I didn't love it at the time as much as I do now, but it helped show me there was more to rap than Lil Jon and Ludacris. It actually sort of helped set my later hatred for the rap I used to listen to in motion.

System of a Down - Mesmerize
Then everything changed. I heard BYOB and really enjoyed it. It was different from anything I listened to at the time, but good nonetheless. Quite heavy by the standarRAB of someone who's heard nothing but pop and rap on the radio as well. I ran out to gt Mesmerize, and spent hours upon hours listening. This also was when I got into music a lot more.

Black Sabbath - Symptom of the Universe 1970-1978
My next one is, unfortunately, a greatest hits compilation. I now largely dislike them (greatest hits albums) and have deleted it from my library in exchange for getting the real albums, but it was important to me at the time. Right around this time I had begun to hate all rap (because I had really only been exposed to the bad stuff), and was listening to not much other than metalcore and nu metal. But hearing this helped open me up to a lot of the classics in metal, and began my love for metal that's still going strong.

Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
This was my first introduction to indie (through a friend), and remains one of my favorite albums to this day.

Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante
I had some small developments in rock, but no other albums really worth mentioning here. However, at one point a friend recommended this to me (well, it was part recommendation and part... warning almost) saying simply that I would leave it a much less sane person. As far as I can tell, he was correct, though the two may be somewhat unrelated. Was I ready for this album? No, not at all. It was abrasive, it was insane, nothing was normal, and...I want to say I loved it, but I didn't. Not for a while. It took several (pretty much forced at first) listens to be able to begin appreciating it. I always loved it for the sake of "Wow look at how weird this is," but didn't initially enjoy it as music. This album is the reason I now like avant garde and experimental music, and most likely the reason I have a wide range of tastes in the first place.

Sonic Youth - Goo
Another mind and taste expander. While more accessible than some of their earlier works, this was my first introduction to noise rock. It made a nice transition, and helped me get into noisier things.

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
By this point, I pretty much absolutely hated rap. Every bit of it. But my friend convinced me to give Aesop Rock a try, and I loved it. It was then that I realized that not all of rap is what you hear on the radio. That said, I've managed to get into a bit of mainstream rap now (Wu-Tang Clan, OutKast, etc), though a lot of it isn't current. Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle was the main reason behind this (and almost got a spot here, but was cut from the list at the end).

Death - Syrabolic
My first true death metal album, and still one of my favorites. This paved the way for me to get into much heavier stuff and expand into other metal sub genres. A classic in itself, and a gateway to much more for me.

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
This one was actually quite recent for me. I've had an interest in jazz for a while, but not listened to much outside of fusion and the like. This was my introduction to jazz music (such a predictable choice to start with, I know), and an absolutely wonderful album.
 
Codeine "The White Birch" [SubPop[ 1994

Yes "Yessongs" [Atlantic] 1973

Sonic Youth "Dirty" [Geffen RecorRAB] 1992

The Cure "Faith" [Fiction RecorRAB] 1981

Red House Painters "Retrospective" [4AD] 1999

Pink Floyd "Animals" [Capitol RecorRAB] 1977

Genesis "A Trick Of The Tail" [EMI] 1976

Cocteau Twins "Treasure" [4AD] 1984

Kate Bush "HounRAB Of Love" [EMI] 1985

The Smiths "The Queen Is Dead" [WEA] 1986
 
The Specials - The Specials
Was the first time I felt the power of the lyrics and how it reflected life at the time as I saw it. Tracks "Too Much too Young", "Concrete Jungle", "Doesn't Make it alright" & others. Interestingly 30 years on the lyrics are still reflective in much of day to day life now.

Bob Marley - Survival
I'd only really heard commercial reggae at the time as sweet as it still is but Survival opened me up to more harder/rootsy Reggae music

Frank Zappa & Mothers - Were only in it for the money.
My DaRAB album originally (long time passed on to me) was the first Trippy album I listened to. As a Kid I felt it Strange, Scary, Funny, Brilliant, ****, ***, and inventive. Today I see it the same.

Oasis - Definately Maybe
On first listen every single track hit the mark. I still enjoy each of the tracks equally. A wonderful debut that kinda gave British Rock a new lease of life. It was Rock n Roll.

The Beatles - 1962 - 1966
All their early hits on one double album helped me see how they progressed as pop stars and inspired a lasting love in me for pop music, which has since receded due to maturity.

Pink Floyd - Wish you were Here.
An outstanding album and one that includes "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". What an experience. I'll never forget how I felt whilst stoned lay on my floor in my flat as a teenager with the Speakers next to my ears like gigantic Headphones coming into my head. A Haze.

on the subject of Haze...

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are you Experienced.
An early introduction for me as to how an Electric Guitar can be played by some people. An electric journey with just a squeeze of trippiness. From this I got right into Jimi & Co.

Blancmange - Happy Families
I became a fan of the Duo for about short while. Away from the guitars they gave my musical journey a new direction. I met them and both band merabers signed all my recorRAB and were lovely guys. They put us both on Guest list for Manchester Apollo Gig in early 80's. Top fellers. This is a treasured album although I don't listen to it much now.

The Tarrantino Connection - Compilation Soundtrack Album
Love his films and as a Selecter his tunes in those films always please. So much variety on this album.

Love - Forever Changes
This album allows me to drift into hippydom anytime I play it. I love it.
 
Now I can see why you hate glam banRAB.

Anyway, my list would probably go something like this.

1.Pantera - Power Metal (the album that transitioned me from a thrash fan to a glam fan, though I'm a huge fan of both)
2.Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (I'm going to be hated for this, but damn it's an ultra fun, catchy, and just all out great album. =P)
3.Journey - Escape (this in my opinion is the ideal commericial rock album)
4.Foreigner - self-titled
5.Metallica - Kill 'Em All (pretty much the reason why I got into heavy metal)
6.Judas Priest - Painkiller (the perfect heavy metal album, in my opinion, I don't care if it doesn't have the most intelligent lyrics.)
7.The Cars - self-titled (album that got me into new wave)
8.a-Ha - Hunting High and Low (album that made me even more of a fan of the same genre)
9.Europe - The Final Countdown (probably another popular album to hate here, but I love it!)
10.The Beatles - Rubber Soul/Revolver (I know their two different albums, but both are equally as important to me, not to sound like an annoying fanboy, but you have to at least appreciate some of The Beatles music, and these are my two favorites.)
 
John Williams - Star Wars
For the first 12 years of my life the Star Wars theme was my favorite tune. Iconic stuff!

Led Zeppelin - The Box Set
My parents bought this and it was the first thing that ever really made me pay attention to music.

Nirvana - In Utero
After listening to Zeppelin passively, I still wasn't an active fan of music. I'd hear songs on the radio now and then, enjoyed playing a few Zeppy songs while on the computer, but when I heard the single "All Apologies" on the internet, I became fascinated with the band. I scoured the interent (and at this time I didn't know about torrents and such) for more, but all ended up getting was a scattered collection of random, lo-fi songs.

Finally somebody gave me the album In Utero. I listened to the whole thing the first time I spinned it, something I had never done before. I was never real angsty and it seemed like everything on the modern rock radio was nothing but pure testosterone. I immedietly realized I was listening to something.. different. It's art, not angst that I was interested in. It really got me into interested in music.

the Pixies - Surfer Rosa and Doolittle
These two albums introduced me to what has become one of my favorite acts of all time.

Hans Zimmer - The Dark Knight
This soundtrack inspired me to pursue film music, which landed me my current job. It's a great listen and a great film.

The Notorious BIG - Ready to Die
In terms of popular music, for a while I was the typical 'rock not rap' teenager. As soon as I decided to open up I picked up this album, and now I'm an avid hip-hop/rap fan.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
Listened to it a year ago and it completely changed my mind about pop music. I wasn't afraid to listen to pop because it was "uncool" anymore.

Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
Made me a Hendrix fan!
 
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