Yukon Cornelius Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I know not The Seldom Scene. I will have to investigate. I like Old and in the Way very much so who knows. me to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 trying to stay with the theme of life defining, or how music helped shape ... these are not necessarily my favs, but they played a role in making me, me. boston - boston. loved their debut and i link it to high school. the opening notes of 'more than a feeling' transport me right back there. u2 - the joshua tree. this one hit in college and i link it to the first thoughts, in the midst of blind partying and cramming as much van halen, motley crue, scorpions, def leppard, hair metal hair metal into my head that i could that maybe, just maybe, music, and life, might mean a bit more than balls to the wall partying. pearl jam - 10. angst. why did i have angst? no good reason. remember too many parties jumping around to evenflow or group singing i'm still alive. jeremy told a story clearer in a song than anything i'd heard before. release at the end connects me with my dad in a powerful way. this also spawned the love affair with the band over the next decade and beyond. kid a - radiohead. earlier on in my career i was big time concerned about getting swallowed up by the corporate machine (which has happened by the way, but it's not as bad as i thought), and this one was masterful in connecting techno, industrial like sounds, beeps, phrases into very human, deep, insightful songs. almost like crying out from within the madness. ok computer started down this road, but still also sounded like older rockin radiohead, but with this one, they went over the top. listened to it for countless hours when programming. led zeppelin - II. this one has been with me my whole life. growing up i loved the rockin' songs like whole lotta love and heartbreaker, appreciated 'ramble on' more as i got older when times of transition came up, 'thank you' is a masterpiece that got me through some (what i believed at the time to be) life-ending breakups, later, the bluesy songs got me fired up about learning guitar and taking lessons. this is a big one across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Interesting question... I really look at "pivotal" albums that led me into other good albums. What I mean by this is that certain artists have a sound, are ina genre, that causes you to search for others in that genre. So here goes. 1984 Van Halen - First real "rock n roll" I listened to. From there I picked up AC/DC Back in Black, Ozzie, Ratt, Twisted Sister, etc... GNR Appetite - This album was the gate keeper for the grunge rock that would soon explode onto the scene in the late 80's early 90's. REM Document - After hearing this album I had to delve back into earlier REM, also put me onto 10,000 Maniacs (Natalie Merchant), B-52's, etc... Ten Pearl Jam & Nevermind Nirvana - these are probably two of the most influential albums. THis spawned a buying spree of the "Seattle Sound", Soundgarden, Pumpkins, Screaming Trees, STP, etc... Remember Two Things DMB - Completely and totally different from anything I had heard up to that point. I started looking for "obscure" bands and found Toad The Wet Sprocket (Their "Pale" album is unreal), Live (Mental Jewelry was a great album), WSP, etc... In another completely different genre, but an album that I loved was RUN DMC Raising Hell. Got me into NWA and the some Dr. Dre, Ice-T, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Back in Black- Just punch you in the face rock n roll. It was played everywhere in the town I grew up in. Angus was king Ozzy- Tribute - Randy just absolutely mastering an instrument and its a great balance of Ozzy and Sabbath songs VH1- Countless days of drinking beers with my friends with this cranking in the background Black Crowes- Souther harmony and Musical companion- The clincher for me that IMO they are the best band to come out in the last 20 years Judas Priest- Sad wings of destiny- Got me hooked on metal edit to add: Just saw GNR appetite on SEC's list. Gotta give that honorable mention. Cranked that all through high school Edited January 27, 2012 by whomper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Ozzy- Tribute - Randy just absolutely mastering an instrument and its a great balance of Ozzy and Sabbath songs Black Crowes- Souther harmony and Musical companion- The clincher for me that IMO they are the best band to come out in the last 20 years edit to add: Just saw GNR appetite on SEC's list. Gotta give that honorable mention. Cranked that all through high school Tribute is awesome. So many good ones, I like Goodbye to Romance and the Ozzy songs you just don't hear on the radio anymore. I have every Black Crowes album, except the latest one. Southern Harmony and Amorica are my favs and yes I have the pubic cover I would say that Apetite is in the lead so far Edited January 27, 2012 by Scooby's Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Interesting thread....I am going to refrain from trying to name my favorite albums, as I think that is different that "life defining". If you are looking for albums that made me think, or were a big part of a certain period of my life, then: Kiss Alive II - probably the most influential album in terms of getting me into rock and roll. I was 9 years old when it was released, and pop-oriented songs like "Rock and Roll All Night", and ballads like "Beth", were something that got me interested. it also came with some cool tatoos inside the cover It was after getting hooked on them that I started listening to their older stuff, and then dug into some Skynard and Zeppelin. Stranger in Town (Bob Segar) - another rock-oriented album that was a big favorite in my household when I was growing up. With songs like "Still the Same", We've Got Tonight", and "Hollywood Nights", he became a staple on our turntable for many years thereafter, and played a part in shaping my soft-rock & pop-rock listening (Rod Stewart, James Taylor, Billy Joel, etc.) Thriller - anyone that thinks that this album wasn't influential in their lives is kidding themselves. Released during my freshman year of high school, Jackson was the phenomenon of my high school years, and a staple of every school dance I ever went to. No question his artistry opened my listening up to a wider genre of music, and got me into other pop artists such as Prince, etc. Midnight Magic (Commodores) - maybe an odd choice, but it was on this album that was their huge hits "Sail On", and "Still"....important because "Still" was the first song I even had with a girl (I think I was 12 or 13). It got me into a lot of soft rock, and made me connect music with chicks, love, and fooling around. I think I might have grabbed my first boob listening to these guys, so how can they not be on the list? War (U2) - While The Joshua Tree is one of my favorite all-time albums, I think War was probably a bit more influential to me, as it laid the groundwork for my 10-15 year stint of seeing hundreds of shows. My first concert without my parents was in 1984, and it was U2 at the Spectrum...with this album being the focal point. Watching a young Bono passionately sing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Years Day", with 18,000 people in unison singing along to such meaningful tunes, shaped my appetite for concert-going for years to come.Up to that point, it always bugged me when people didn't sing the song the same as it was on album. After watching Bono chant "If you walkaway, walkaway, I walkaway, walkaway"...and then hold the mic out to the audience to sing scream "I Will Follow"....I was hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thriller - anyone that thinks that this album wasn't influential in their lives is kidding themselves. Released during my freshman year of high school, Jackson was the phenomenon of my high school years, and a staple of every school dance I ever went to. No question his artistry opened my listening up to a wider genre of music, and got me into other pop artists such as Prince, etc. Darin is also a big fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'll take a stab at this and think about albums that either opened doors for me or were anthems. In no particular order: Poncho Sanchez Live at Kimball's East- Was turned on to him at a Cinco de Mayo fest at the Greek Theater in Berkeley 1990 or so, ran out and picked this up, and was instantly a fan of Latin Jazz which remains one of my favorite genres. Tow Waits- (tie) Nighthawks at the Diner and Heart of Saturday Night. Dude paints pictures with words and both of these were recorded before he went off the deep end with freaky circus music and such. The only of his later albums that I really like is Mule Variations, the rest I can't get into. But Waits was one of the guys whose albums I'd collect before it was as easy as it is today. Elvis Costello This Year's Model- Because this was my favorite album in HS and you were listening to Survivor says much about why I'm cooler than you. All kidding aside, like Waits, this was a guy who I just started hording and memorizing words to before most. And an album I like every bit as much today. The Last Poets- This Is Madness- Turned on to this at about the same time as NWA's first album by an old hippie who lived next door. Showing me that militant rap was not actually new. Curiously enough, a couple of years later, Del the Funky Homosapien was filming a video at my house and Ice Cube was there in a cameo role. We actually took him next door, burned one, and turned him on to it. He said he'd never heard it before. Actually prefer Delights of the Garden musically, but This Is Madness was harder. Getz Plays Jobim- Another gateway album for me and to a genre that dominates my playlists now. We entertain a lot so Bossa has become my defacto soundtrack. Everything smells, tastes, and looks nicer when there's bossa nova playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Interesting thread....I am going to refrain from trying to name my favorite albums, as I think that is different that "life defining". If you are looking for albums that made me think, or were a big part of a certain period of my life, then: Kiss Alive II - probably the most influential album in terms of getting me into rock and roll. I was 9 years old when it was released, and pop-oriented songs like "Rock and Roll All Night", and ballads like "Beth", were something that got me interested. it also came with some cool tatoos inside the cover It was after getting hooked on them that I started listening to their older stuff, and then dug into some Skynard and Zeppelin. Most definately Kiss Alive II. My older brother got me hooked when I was 4. Kiss Alive II Blues Brothers Led Zep - Houses of the Holy Billy Joel - Glass Houses Foreigner - Double Vision A couple of 45's I'd like to mention... Queen - We WIll Rock You and We are the Champions Bill Haley and the Comets - Rock Around the Clock Edited January 27, 2012 by Scooby's Hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thriller - anyone that thinks that this album wasn't influential in their lives is kidding themselves. Released during my freshman year of high school, Jackson was the phenomenon of my high school years, and a staple of every school dance I ever went to. No question his artistry opened my listening up to a wider genre of music, and got me into other pop artists such as Prince, etc. definitely an honorable mention for me in terms of how i'm thinking of the thread. at the time of this album, prior to all the madness. weirdness and disaster that would ensue, at just this moment, dude was king. to dance like him, to combine rock and pop (lukather and van halen playing on beat it?!?!?!), the glove, the jacket, thriller the video ... i don't really connect the songs to me personally (billie jean and pregnancy, beat it and gangs, thriller and mummy's, never called chicks PYTs, etc.), but the music, the sound, the image and everything else was huge. then came the chimp, webster, neverland, children, skin bleaching, plastic surgery massacres, oxygen chambers, dangling babies, sham marriages, trials, drugs, overdose .... no question this is one of the biggest falls/collapses in pop culture if not human history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazinib1 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'll play. hmmm... 1. Journey - Frontiers -- The first album i ever bought. Nothing even comes close to Perry. Faithfully is an all time sing when you drive song. 2. AC/DC -Back in Black -- I remember putting this album on the record player on my 18th Anniversary. 3. Prince - 1999 - My high school years...oh so glorious. I miss them. 4. Nirvana - Nevermind -- My die hard party years....man I miss Kurt. 5. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream -- As posted earlier, I wore this cassett out. Best $5 I've ever spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 trying to think chronologically...end up with 6 I can't really leave off. REM - document. I think this was the first REM album I owned (on tape), I was probably 12 or 13. this (along with a couple talking heads albums that get joint credit) set me down the college rock/"alternative" path once and for all. it was so fricken good compared with everything else that was popular. Murmur and maybe a couple others are better albums IMO, and ones that I've probably worn out more, but as far as "life-changing" this would probably be the one. pixies - doolittle. this is the soundtrack to my first two years of high school. zen arcade and buffalo tom's "birdbrain" were other favorites at the time. miles davis - kind of blue. one of the first jazz albums I owned, played it incessantly my last year in HS, first couple years in college. another major gateway for me in this area was a 5 CD smithsonian classic jazz set someone got me. charles mingus - the black saint and the sinner lady. this is like a warm blanket for me. expansive, amazing, jaw-droppingly beautiful. this was a very frequent listen during the most intellectually formative years of my life, in my early 20s. bach violin sonatas and partitas (nathan milstein on DG) -- I had several bach recordings before I came across one with the solo violin pieces. hearing the d-minor chaconne for the first time is maybe the most incredible experience with music I've ever had. I wasn't even paying attention, just had the discs on as background music while I was studying, then it started and grabbed my complete attention and by the time it finished I was mush. that 13 minute piece-within-a-piece is one of the absolute pinnacles of human achievement. it may sound weird to say, but it planted a seed of faith in my heart as well. can - tago mago. I had to be almost 30 when I finally got around to checking out can. it blew my mind that here was an album from 1970 (give or take?) that sounded so completely new and fresh over 30 years later. it was like I found the best "post-punk" music I'd ever come across, except it was recorded way before punk was even a twinkle in dee dee ramone's eye. creative in ways I didn't think rock could be. they became my all-time favorite rock band almost overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I agree that Wish You Were here is Pink Floyd's best work. I find it ironic that if you have not listened to a Canadian Band you are not American, yet I agree. I know not The Seldom Scene. I will have to investigate. I like Old and in the Way very much so who knows. Levon is from Turkey Scratch, Arkansas. They came together in Fayetteville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Junta (Phish) - this was the most influential album for me in numerous ways and it literally spoke to me the first time I heard it - sure I was on the cleanest fluff I've ever ingested, but it did speak to me ever so sweetly. My musical tastes and influences would never be the same after listening to Junta at the tender age of 19. This album opened up my musical palette in too many ways to count. To this day I still consider this my favorite album of all time and it's not even close. Ummagumma (Pink Floyd) - This isn't my favorite listening album but boy did this album wake me up. This album is simply genius and the song "Grantchester Meadows" is an obvious influence on much of the indie-acoustic music that's become mainstream these days from bands like Iron & Wine and Bon Iver to name a couple. This isn't an album you're going to pop in at your next barbeque but it was a staple for me and my friends to close the night out on a magical trip. After the Goldrush (Neil Young) - It's hard only choosing 1 Neil Young album because as an artist he may be my single biggest influence. But this album is just incredible and single-handedly started me playing guitar. There is not a bad song on the album and is a must-listen for all youths beginning to explore their love for music. Sung Tongs (Animal Collective) – The prior 3 albums on my list are all albums I first heard in my teens or early 20s but this album is the exception. Released in the spring of 2004, it’s hard to believe that after 100 years of recorded music an album can be so innovative and creative. Of all their albums, this is the most “acoustic” of them and it’s nothing short of genius. Aside from tracks #3 and #7, the entire album is amazing. It seamlessly blends acoustic and electric instrumentation with tribal beats and Beach Boy-esque harmonies. This might go down as one of the most creative albums ever written. It’s a must-listen for any music lover. Building Nothing Out of Something (Modest Mouse) – I think this is a compilation album but who cares, this album is loaded with well crafted songs, clever lyrics and innovative instrumentation. This album opened up my ears to now one of my favorite bands ever, Modest Mouse. Having grown up on classics like Led Zeppelin and Beatles, this album exposed me to the “punk” side I lacked as a youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 pixies - doolittle. this is the soundtrack to my first two years of high school. zen arcade and buffalo tom's "birdbrain" were other favorites at the time. Fine choice, and I recall it was on the dessert island list of essentially any musician who mattered back then. I still think I'm a surfer rosa guy, but love doolittle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'm kind of putting them in order of when I first really "heard/listened" to them: Led Zeppelin IV - I still remember where I was the first time I heard Black Dog. At the time, I was into KISS but Zeppelin ended that childhood crush. I was blown away by that album. Pink Floyd DSOTM - A masterpiece. Pink Floyd, The Wall - a masterpiece (I have man-love for Dave Gilmour) The Beatles - Sgt Pepper - and thus began my love affair with The Beatles. I find it impossible to choose a "favorite Beatles album--it depends on my mood. I cannot think of a 5th album right now that redirected my taste in music. I enjoy other genres but I always come back to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Zeppelin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 This doesn't belong here, but I really dig Cage the Elephant's Thank You Happy Birthday album. Just awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I really look at "pivotal" albums that led me into other good albums. What I mean by this is that certain artists have a sound, are ina genre, that causes you to search for others in that genre. GNR Appetite - This album was the gate keeper for the grunge rock that would soon explode onto the scene in the late 80's early 90's. Hmm, I don't see that as grunge at all...they tilted the field from the overly-slick rockified pop that the LA glam scene had morphed into (Motley Crue were raw and punky on Too Fast For Love, and that kinda slowly morphed into Poison's bubblegummy anthems) into a rawer, earthier sound. But I don't see any "grunge" connection there; I guess you could probably argue that it turned you, personally, away from the lighter, poppier stuff into darker and heavier music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Kiss - Destroyer The Doors- The Doors Little Feat- Waiting for Columbus Grateful Dead- Workingman's Dead Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I'll Play... these are the albums I remember listening to the most and helped shaped my musical direction. Starting from what I remember as being the earliest. 1. The Wall - had a chick in high school write me a note to get out of school so I could go home and get stoned and listen some more 2. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire - tickets sold out in 13 minutes to their 1200 seat venue show back in 84. I got two. They then came back after In The Name Of Love broke them wide open and I scored 2 tix to see them at the richfield coliseum 3. Led Zeppelin III - got to college and this was all I listened to freshman year. That's The Way still gives me goose bumps 4. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking - except wearing this album art on my T-shirt to the old folk's home to visit gramma. 5. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish - saw them open for RHCP at the same 1200 seat venue I saw U2 a scant 6 years earlier. Pearl Jam opened for both of them. 1990. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgaddis Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Metallica - Master of Puppets. When I was younger this record changed my life...it was so different that Michael Jackson or anything else on the radio at the time. Dinosaur Jr. - cant recall the record but this band got me off the metal train I hadd been riding for years throughout highschool Rage against the Machine - when I couldn't handle any more grunge in the 90's thank god this band came around Jimmy Eat World - Static Prevails - great band, life changing record was the second one Clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti Super Tramp - Breakfast in America PInk Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon Metallica - Ride the Lightning U2 - Joshua Tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 U2 - The Unforgettable Fire - tickets sold out in 13 minutes to their 1200 seat venue show back in 84. I got two. They then came back after In The Name Of Love broke them wide open and I scored 2 tix to see them at the richfield coliseum Which venue was better - the 1200 seater or the coliseum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Which venue was better - the 1200 seater or the coliseum? Smaller virtually always better in my experience though there are exceptions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Which venue was better - the 1200 seater or the coliseum? the smaller was better. But it might have to do with the fact that it was smaller...if that makes sense. The large show, we had better seats for, if that makes sense. The Waterboys opened at Music Hall. I don't remember who opened at the Coliseum. They seemed to play harder at the smaller show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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