I heard Flash Back off of Renaissance Man when I was 16 and it changed my life. You can play "outside" and still be real funky. Who knew?stevelew wrote:Jamaaladeen
5 Albums That Changed Your Life
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Jay Reynolds
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capnreverb
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in 5th grade, Pink Floyd's The Wall got me obsessed with music.
when I was 16 hearing Bartok's Music For Strings,Celeste, and Percussion moved my tastes in a whole new direction.
when I was 17, my friend and I would get high and he would always play Coltrane's A Love Supreme. At first I did not like it, by the 5th time i was obsessed. This led me to Live At The Village Vanguard and Eric Dolphy's bass clarinet solo made me buy a horn and learn how to play.
Jimmy Giuffre's Thesis made me rethink everything I thought about improvised music. Changed my whole playing style.
Robert Wyatts Rock Bottom has been a cornerstone of my being since i first heard it in high school. it still sounds magical to me today, and is a quality referance point for all music.
honerable mentions
The Late Beethoven String Quartets, Debussy's sonata for violin and piano and Giancinto Scelsi.
ps. Sonny Sharrocks Ask The Ages
when I was 16 hearing Bartok's Music For Strings,Celeste, and Percussion moved my tastes in a whole new direction.
when I was 17, my friend and I would get high and he would always play Coltrane's A Love Supreme. At first I did not like it, by the 5th time i was obsessed. This led me to Live At The Village Vanguard and Eric Dolphy's bass clarinet solo made me buy a horn and learn how to play.
Jimmy Giuffre's Thesis made me rethink everything I thought about improvised music. Changed my whole playing style.
Robert Wyatts Rock Bottom has been a cornerstone of my being since i first heard it in high school. it still sounds magical to me today, and is a quality referance point for all music.
honerable mentions
The Late Beethoven String Quartets, Debussy's sonata for violin and piano and Giancinto Scelsi.
ps. Sonny Sharrocks Ask The Ages
My new band..... www.myspace.com/prestigeatlanticimpulse
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Jay Reynolds
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Cream- Wheels Of Fire
I heard my dad playing this when I was very young, before I had any idea what rock music even was. "White Room" seemed ominous and scary, but in a good way like a roller coaster.
Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
The record that introduced me to the concept of production- it was the first time I realized records weren't just a recording of a band playing live.
REM- Murmur
I'd given up trying to play guitar before I heard this album. Wow, not only were these songs great, but you didn't have to be Jimmy Page to play them! This one rekindled my interest in music and hipped me to the idea of "underground" or "college" music.
Lou Reed- New York
This one was a case of "right place, right time". I was a beginning bass player when this came out, and something made me decide to play along. I learned a whole lot at once from playing along with this one album- my style evolved from "retarded" to just "bad" in a week. I haven't heard it in years, but it had a big impact on me at the time.
Matthew Sweet- 100% Fun
"How did they get those drum sounds?" "Putting a compressor on a subgroup, you say?"
I heard my dad playing this when I was very young, before I had any idea what rock music even was. "White Room" seemed ominous and scary, but in a good way like a roller coaster.
Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti
The record that introduced me to the concept of production- it was the first time I realized records weren't just a recording of a band playing live.
REM- Murmur
I'd given up trying to play guitar before I heard this album. Wow, not only were these songs great, but you didn't have to be Jimmy Page to play them! This one rekindled my interest in music and hipped me to the idea of "underground" or "college" music.
Lou Reed- New York
This one was a case of "right place, right time". I was a beginning bass player when this came out, and something made me decide to play along. I learned a whole lot at once from playing along with this one album- my style evolved from "retarded" to just "bad" in a week. I haven't heard it in years, but it had a big impact on me at the time.
Matthew Sweet- 100% Fun
"How did they get those drum sounds?" "Putting a compressor on a subgroup, you say?"
Steve Albini used to like it
Didn't even know there was one until now! I have the UK version with bonus tracks (live B-sides IIRC), and I've had various bootlegs of the bonus disc Toronto show since the late '80s (terrific show). I can't imagine the sound is $22 better than my old CD... is it?cgarges wrote:Have you gotten the re-issue yet?lobstman wrote:REM- Murmur
Is Richard Lloyd touring with Sweet? I just saw that Ivan Julian and Rick Menck played on the new record, too... may have to pick that one up.
Steve Albini used to like it
When I was barely old enough to talk (maybe 2 or 3), I would hold up the following 3 LPs and ask my parents to play them over and over again:
-Endless Summer ("I Get Around" was my favorite song then)
-With the Beatles (I was obsessed by "I Wanna Hold Your Hand")
-A 2-disc compilation of various Debussey works (this explains why I generally dislike music that is too direct/obvious/literal)
It's hard to pick the last two, but if I really think hard about what else changed my life, I would have to say they were:
-Painful by Yo La Tengo (the first album I bought by them, it started me on my lifelong obsession with this band)
-Louder than Bombs by The Smiths (I rarely listen to it anymore, but this opened up my awareness of college/indie/underground rock.
-Endless Summer ("I Get Around" was my favorite song then)
-With the Beatles (I was obsessed by "I Wanna Hold Your Hand")
-A 2-disc compilation of various Debussey works (this explains why I generally dislike music that is too direct/obvious/literal)
It's hard to pick the last two, but if I really think hard about what else changed my life, I would have to say they were:
-Painful by Yo La Tengo (the first album I bought by them, it started me on my lifelong obsession with this band)
-Louder than Bombs by The Smiths (I rarely listen to it anymore, but this opened up my awareness of college/indie/underground rock.
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cgarges
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I haven't heard it yet, but Mitch and Dixon are really happy with it. Calbi did the remaster.lobstman wrote:I can't imagine the sound is $22 better than my old CD... is it?
No, but Ivan and Rick were there. Paul Chastain was playing guitar, too. I met the bass player, but I'm spacing on his name right now. They all sounded great and the new tunes were good. I'll have to get that record, too.lobstman wrote:Is Richard Lloyd touring with Sweet? I just saw that Ivan Julian and Rick Menck played on the new record, too... may have to pick that one up.
Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
All of these albums made me think about music differently than I had before. In some way or another, they shook my music-making or music-thinking world.
In no particular order:
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Chromelodeon - Heart of Sawdust
This is what I wrote about it on amazon: This album is a seamless aural odyssey. It is a complex journey through the dimensions of sound and emotion. The songs are layered endlessly throughout with guitars, synthesizers, accordion and thundering percussion. This album is an absolute masterpiece. This is the greatest band ever. "One" is the greatest song ever written EVER. It changed the way I thought about composition. It taught me that melody is the most important part of a song. This album is PURE melody through and through. I would describe this album as TOTAL MUSIC. No gimmicks, no shitty vocals stomping over anything (yes, this album is instrumental). Pure music. I have trouble describing this album to people. Its beautiful. There is no band I love more than Chromelodeon, no band or single song writer means more to me than them. Long Live Chromelodeon.
Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes
Never before in my life did I think that someone could construct an entire rock album on just a 4 track. It showed me that rough edges, perfomance errors, recording problems can all add color and life to a piece of music. It is a perfect blend of experimental mood pieces and hooky pop rock. I have only been into this band for less than a year, but after the first listen-through of this album, I was blown away. Plus, you got to give it up to Bob Pollard for writing more songs in his life time than his favorite artists (thewho, thebeatles, therollingstones) combined, and more songs than Prince.
Van Morrison - Moondance
This album is probably the most important album of my life. It got me into music in the first place. My mom would put this album on when I was trying to sleep. The melodies are soothing and beautiful. I would be out before the first side was over. It wasn't until about 7 years ago that I actually made it to the other side.
The Fucking Champs - III
This album did two things... it shattered my concept of what metal is, and it showed that drum machines and synthesizers aren't made just to make boring trance or house music. Tim Green and co. crafted a masterpiece of instrumental heavy metal with interludes of John-Carpenter-esque synthesizer pieces. This album got me really into playing guitar and keyboards.
They Might Be Giants: Then: The Earlier Years
Okay, so...this one is kind of cheating. "Then" is their first two albums and their associated B-sides and outtakes on two discs, but screw it. I can listen to both discs end to end with out stopping. These guys taught me that you don't need to sound like anything in particular to have a particular sound. They showed me that you can write music with out a proper backing band. You can make an album in your basement and no one will know. You can have several of your songs featured in Dr. Demento, but not be considered a novelty band. Their later material isn't quite as spectacular as these first two albums, but they have awesome songs, and its awesome that these guys, in their 50's now, still go on tour and write music.
In no particular order:
-------------------------
Chromelodeon - Heart of Sawdust
This is what I wrote about it on amazon: This album is a seamless aural odyssey. It is a complex journey through the dimensions of sound and emotion. The songs are layered endlessly throughout with guitars, synthesizers, accordion and thundering percussion. This album is an absolute masterpiece. This is the greatest band ever. "One" is the greatest song ever written EVER. It changed the way I thought about composition. It taught me that melody is the most important part of a song. This album is PURE melody through and through. I would describe this album as TOTAL MUSIC. No gimmicks, no shitty vocals stomping over anything (yes, this album is instrumental). Pure music. I have trouble describing this album to people. Its beautiful. There is no band I love more than Chromelodeon, no band or single song writer means more to me than them. Long Live Chromelodeon.
Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes
Never before in my life did I think that someone could construct an entire rock album on just a 4 track. It showed me that rough edges, perfomance errors, recording problems can all add color and life to a piece of music. It is a perfect blend of experimental mood pieces and hooky pop rock. I have only been into this band for less than a year, but after the first listen-through of this album, I was blown away. Plus, you got to give it up to Bob Pollard for writing more songs in his life time than his favorite artists (thewho, thebeatles, therollingstones) combined, and more songs than Prince.
Van Morrison - Moondance
This album is probably the most important album of my life. It got me into music in the first place. My mom would put this album on when I was trying to sleep. The melodies are soothing and beautiful. I would be out before the first side was over. It wasn't until about 7 years ago that I actually made it to the other side.
The Fucking Champs - III
This album did two things... it shattered my concept of what metal is, and it showed that drum machines and synthesizers aren't made just to make boring trance or house music. Tim Green and co. crafted a masterpiece of instrumental heavy metal with interludes of John-Carpenter-esque synthesizer pieces. This album got me really into playing guitar and keyboards.
They Might Be Giants: Then: The Earlier Years
Okay, so...this one is kind of cheating. "Then" is their first two albums and their associated B-sides and outtakes on two discs, but screw it. I can listen to both discs end to end with out stopping. These guys taught me that you don't need to sound like anything in particular to have a particular sound. They showed me that you can write music with out a proper backing band. You can make an album in your basement and no one will know. You can have several of your songs featured in Dr. Demento, but not be considered a novelty band. Their later material isn't quite as spectacular as these first two albums, but they have awesome songs, and its awesome that these guys, in their 50's now, still go on tour and write music.
Disintegration - The Cure
Basically, this album was the blueprint for everything I wrote and recorded from 1990 to 1994. Nuff Said.
The Smiths - The Smiths
I grew up on a steady diet of hard, arguably "classic" rock. When I got to high school my collection included a lot of Iron Maiden (whom I *still* love), Jethro Tull (ditto), Blue Oyster Cult and Led Zep. I was spending the night at a friends place and we were digging through his older brother's record collection when we found this one. The combination of Johnny Marr's sparse angular guitar with Morrissey's crooning over the Joyce/Rourke rhythm section immediately struck me. I picked up the cassette the next day and wore it out. Why in god's name did they leave Handsome Devil (from Hatfull of Hollows) off of this album?
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
A clich?? Regardless, this album not only expanded my idea of what a recording could sound like, it also led to discovering Coil via its remixes. When TDS came out I swapped out my telecaster for an Emax SE and Atari 1040ST. I stopped listening for a while, no longer having much use for anger catharsis out of my teens, but was recently delighted to see an all instrumental version available at the NIN remix site (as an aside, I think what Mr. Reznor is doing with his remixable stem tracks is fantastic). Though it is unmastered, its great to be able to listen to all the layers of production without having to endure what may very well be rock's worst lyricist.
Pony Express Record - Shudder to Think
Before mp3, I was constantly replacing this album in my collection. It would inevitably be either destroyed from the rigors of travel, or I would have simply given my copy away in an effort to convert some lucky soul. Either way, I *had* to always have a copy of this record around. I recently had the opportunity to go see these guys at the last show of their reunion tour and was absolutely blown away. To this day this is still some of the most original and moving rock music I've ever heard. Also, Ted Nicely's production set a standard for my recordings for years to come.
Plexiglass Cube - Ilium
This little EP was a game-changer for me. I was playing in a 6 piece prog/funk band *very* inspired by Tull, Crimson, etc. We played a Halloween gig sponsored by a local rag who gave away CDs at the door. I grabbed this unclaimed gem after the show and it blew my mind. Short and sweet, this all instrumental herky jerky music (which I was later to hear referred to as Math Rock) made me rethink my own output in a *major* way. Rather than trying to find a sound via colliding genres (which is what my own combo aspired to do) these guys seemed to step *outside* genre almost completely. It's been done to death now, and Faraquet popped up soon after and *owned* the genre for me completely, but this was definitely my gateway into this stuff.
other notables:
Revolver: The Beatles, The Land of Rape and Honey:Ministry, Thick as a Brick: Jethro Tull, The View From This Tower: Faraquet, Live After Death: Iron Maiden, Concentration: Machines of Loving grace, Violator: Depeche Mode, hundreds more I'm sure...
Basically, this album was the blueprint for everything I wrote and recorded from 1990 to 1994. Nuff Said.
The Smiths - The Smiths
I grew up on a steady diet of hard, arguably "classic" rock. When I got to high school my collection included a lot of Iron Maiden (whom I *still* love), Jethro Tull (ditto), Blue Oyster Cult and Led Zep. I was spending the night at a friends place and we were digging through his older brother's record collection when we found this one. The combination of Johnny Marr's sparse angular guitar with Morrissey's crooning over the Joyce/Rourke rhythm section immediately struck me. I picked up the cassette the next day and wore it out. Why in god's name did they leave Handsome Devil (from Hatfull of Hollows) off of this album?
The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
A clich?? Regardless, this album not only expanded my idea of what a recording could sound like, it also led to discovering Coil via its remixes. When TDS came out I swapped out my telecaster for an Emax SE and Atari 1040ST. I stopped listening for a while, no longer having much use for anger catharsis out of my teens, but was recently delighted to see an all instrumental version available at the NIN remix site (as an aside, I think what Mr. Reznor is doing with his remixable stem tracks is fantastic). Though it is unmastered, its great to be able to listen to all the layers of production without having to endure what may very well be rock's worst lyricist.
Pony Express Record - Shudder to Think
Before mp3, I was constantly replacing this album in my collection. It would inevitably be either destroyed from the rigors of travel, or I would have simply given my copy away in an effort to convert some lucky soul. Either way, I *had* to always have a copy of this record around. I recently had the opportunity to go see these guys at the last show of their reunion tour and was absolutely blown away. To this day this is still some of the most original and moving rock music I've ever heard. Also, Ted Nicely's production set a standard for my recordings for years to come.
Plexiglass Cube - Ilium
This little EP was a game-changer for me. I was playing in a 6 piece prog/funk band *very* inspired by Tull, Crimson, etc. We played a Halloween gig sponsored by a local rag who gave away CDs at the door. I grabbed this unclaimed gem after the show and it blew my mind. Short and sweet, this all instrumental herky jerky music (which I was later to hear referred to as Math Rock) made me rethink my own output in a *major* way. Rather than trying to find a sound via colliding genres (which is what my own combo aspired to do) these guys seemed to step *outside* genre almost completely. It's been done to death now, and Faraquet popped up soon after and *owned* the genre for me completely, but this was definitely my gateway into this stuff.
other notables:
Revolver: The Beatles, The Land of Rape and Honey:Ministry, Thick as a Brick: Jethro Tull, The View From This Tower: Faraquet, Live After Death: Iron Maiden, Concentration: Machines of Loving grace, Violator: Depeche Mode, hundreds more I'm sure...
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austin
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For some reason I've ignored this thread until now. It's fun reading everyone's stories. I'll jump in! (Too hard choosing just 5, so I'm confining it to records that set me on the path to making my own records.)
Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters
Age 13: "Wait, so let me get this straight: Dave Grohl played every instrument on this? By himself? Through a process called 'overdubbing,' eh? Hmm..."
The Breeders, Last Splash
Age 13: I always liked this record (and still do), but it was never a huge favorite or anything. In retrospect, though, I think this was where I first got the idea that not everything on a record needs to sound similar. You can put your big rock hit next to a sorta creepy quiet tune, next to a weird little distorted near-instrumental, next to a pretty country cover... and it can all work. (This idea was soon reinforced through Vitalogy, Odelay, and others)
Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand
(and at around this same time, Elliott Smith's early records)
Age 17: "You're telling me they recorded these songs themselves? In their basement? Using a 4-track, you say? Hmm..."
ilyAIMY, Wingsweep/Wingswept
Age 17: I doubt anyone here has heard of this, but it's probably directly responsible for me recording and releasing my own music. This was a cassette-only release by some acquaintances of mine from an open mic I frequented in high school. I think they were the first people I knew who had self-recorded and self-released their music. And despite the humble nature of its release, the music itself is killer: Ostensibly "folk," but with a certain dark, intense undertone to it. I was playing drums in rock bands at this point, and we and our friends' bands were going to studios and recording "albums" that we self-released too -- but this was the first time I saw someone making weird, quiet, personal music at home, and releasing it on their own terms, and doing it so well.
Death Cab For Cutie, The Photo Album
Age 19: This came out right before I made my first album of my own songs, and I remember being really knocked out by the lyrics, to the point that I felt I needed to go back to the drawing board and work a lot harder on mine. I had been writing lyrics that sounded "poetic" to me -- opaque phrases and images that meant something to me, but probably wouldn't have been interpretable by anyone else. This album's songs were full of vivid imagery too, and seemed to suggest more than they actually said, but you could still understand exactly what they were about. This was not the case for most other music I was listening to at the time. It seemed like a startlingly direct approach -- it seemed brave.
Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters
Age 13: "Wait, so let me get this straight: Dave Grohl played every instrument on this? By himself? Through a process called 'overdubbing,' eh? Hmm..."
The Breeders, Last Splash
Age 13: I always liked this record (and still do), but it was never a huge favorite or anything. In retrospect, though, I think this was where I first got the idea that not everything on a record needs to sound similar. You can put your big rock hit next to a sorta creepy quiet tune, next to a weird little distorted near-instrumental, next to a pretty country cover... and it can all work. (This idea was soon reinforced through Vitalogy, Odelay, and others)
Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand
(and at around this same time, Elliott Smith's early records)
Age 17: "You're telling me they recorded these songs themselves? In their basement? Using a 4-track, you say? Hmm..."
ilyAIMY, Wingsweep/Wingswept
Age 17: I doubt anyone here has heard of this, but it's probably directly responsible for me recording and releasing my own music. This was a cassette-only release by some acquaintances of mine from an open mic I frequented in high school. I think they were the first people I knew who had self-recorded and self-released their music. And despite the humble nature of its release, the music itself is killer: Ostensibly "folk," but with a certain dark, intense undertone to it. I was playing drums in rock bands at this point, and we and our friends' bands were going to studios and recording "albums" that we self-released too -- but this was the first time I saw someone making weird, quiet, personal music at home, and releasing it on their own terms, and doing it so well.
Death Cab For Cutie, The Photo Album
Age 19: This came out right before I made my first album of my own songs, and I remember being really knocked out by the lyrics, to the point that I felt I needed to go back to the drawing board and work a lot harder on mine. I had been writing lyrics that sounded "poetic" to me -- opaque phrases and images that meant something to me, but probably wouldn't have been interpretable by anyone else. This album's songs were full of vivid imagery too, and seemed to suggest more than they actually said, but you could still understand exactly what they were about. This was not the case for most other music I was listening to at the time. It seemed like a startlingly direct approach -- it seemed brave.
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teleharmonium
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in chronological order:
1. John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
The first record I bought with my own money. $6, at the mall. I think I was about 8 years old which would put it in 1978 or 79. It was a little harder hitting than I expected, but I loved it.
2. David Bowie - Changes Two
sixth grade, my sister and I got several albums for Xmas from an aunt, I kept this one. The others included Pat Benatar and (post Gabriel) Genesis. I made the right move.
3. Miles Davis - Get Up With It
I started getting into jazz in the 7th grade after I started playing the upright bass. Miles, Coltrane, Monk, and Mingus were the big ones at first. I became fascinated with Miles' electric period and I bought this album as a new dutch import probably in '85 and wore it out.
4. Joy Division - Closer
I heard New Order first and liked them, but once I heard this record in the late 80s I became a big fan and soon had all their stuff and then took it to a new level for me by tracking down cassettes of all their live material that was floating around. The production always fascinated me.
5. Beach Boys - Smile
I had heard a little of this stuff before, but I finally got around to checking it out in detail about 8 years ago and it really affected me and helped me be more open to pop music again and to lyrics that mean something intelligible, sincere, and positive, which subsequently led to me getting into reggae and related musics in a much deeper way than I had before.
This list ignores the large amount of experimental music and free jazz that I got into after '89 both as a listener and player, but those interests were not so much driven by individual albums although I could name some killers; anyway a 5 record list is going to leave huge holes for all of us, I would hope.
1. John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
The first record I bought with my own money. $6, at the mall. I think I was about 8 years old which would put it in 1978 or 79. It was a little harder hitting than I expected, but I loved it.
2. David Bowie - Changes Two
sixth grade, my sister and I got several albums for Xmas from an aunt, I kept this one. The others included Pat Benatar and (post Gabriel) Genesis. I made the right move.
3. Miles Davis - Get Up With It
I started getting into jazz in the 7th grade after I started playing the upright bass. Miles, Coltrane, Monk, and Mingus were the big ones at first. I became fascinated with Miles' electric period and I bought this album as a new dutch import probably in '85 and wore it out.
4. Joy Division - Closer
I heard New Order first and liked them, but once I heard this record in the late 80s I became a big fan and soon had all their stuff and then took it to a new level for me by tracking down cassettes of all their live material that was floating around. The production always fascinated me.
5. Beach Boys - Smile
I had heard a little of this stuff before, but I finally got around to checking it out in detail about 8 years ago and it really affected me and helped me be more open to pop music again and to lyrics that mean something intelligible, sincere, and positive, which subsequently led to me getting into reggae and related musics in a much deeper way than I had before.
This list ignores the large amount of experimental music and free jazz that I got into after '89 both as a listener and player, but those interests were not so much driven by individual albums although I could name some killers; anyway a 5 record list is going to leave huge holes for all of us, I would hope.
Sea of Storms: www.reverbnation.com/seaofstorms
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Waltz Mastering
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