Fifteen albums that always stay with you....
The "Rules": Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen albums you've heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me, because I'm interested in seeing what albums my friends choose.
I'm not tagging. You don't have to either. (Re-posted from Tyree.)
In chronological order:
Styx - Kilroy Was Here The first album I ever actually requested for myself. This marked the beginning of listening to my own music rather than just whatever my parents had on the radio. I also suspect that it primed me for liking prog rock and concept albums.
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime The single best concept album of all time. I saw the video for Eyes of a Stranger on MTV (yes, children, this was back when they played videos) and went out and bought every Queensryche album I could. This was my first "favorite band".
Megadeth - Holy Wars I listened to a metal countdown show on the radio in my room and heard the first nasty, crunchy, melodic guitar lick of Holy Wars and knew that this was metal genius. At 17 years old, this was the hardest, fastest, most awesome stuff that ever existed. Now, after the years of Metallica selling out, I'll fight anyone who thinks Metallica is better than Megadeth.
Ministry - Psalm 69 In my last year of high school, I began looking for some music that was as fast and rough as possible, and Ministry fit the bill nicely. This album is just full of screaming anthemic noise that appeals to the 18 year old brain. Also, on a side note, over a decade later, in my office at work, my boss, who was in his 60's, walked into my office just in time to hear the prelude to Just One Fix (a weird, distorted voice advising you to "Never trust a junkie!") and looked at me like I was playing devil music. Good times.
Alice in Chains - Dirt While Nirvana hit it big a couple years earlier, what I think of as good grunge didn't start hitting until my freshman year in college (Nirvana sucks, people, and Kurt Cobain, like many cultural icons, was a poser who didn't deserve his fame). I could easily have put Pearl Jam's Ten here, or Soundgarden's Superunknown, or, if I wanted to be interesting, I could put The Chronic by Dr. Dre, but the soundtrack to my freshman year dorm room was most often Alice in Chains. This album is so good, and it amazes me that people don't give AiC the credit for being such a talented band, and somehow think Nirvana was great. Hell, the Foo Fighters are better than Nirvana, so we should know that Cobain was holding Grohl back the whole time anyway.
Nine Inch Nails - Broken Wish was in rotation on MTV during my first year in college as well, and it's such a great screaming orgasm of a song that I had to get the album. While NiN is pretty hit or miss for me, when Reznor does it right, it's pretty damn awesome. Like Ministry, it showed me that there were musical styles descended from punk that didn't have to tread the metal line.
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell This was the soundtrack for my summer following my freshman year. Working at a lumber yard in sweltering heat, the pure aggression of Pantera made it all worthwhile.
Tori Amos - Under the Pink And....we take a right turn... I bought this album on a whim because a friend recommended it, and it never occurred to me that so much emotion could be housed in a little slip of a girl sitting at a piano. The aggression is all there, and these songs will still get you to the emotional heights that any speed lick on a guitar can generate. Put simply, Tori Amos is metal. Later, other grrl power artists like Ani DiFranco showed me that this wasn't a fluke.
Bjoork - Post I came back from my work co-op with IBM and found that some of the pop music that the kids were listening to was still pretty good. This album really showed me what could be done by a certifiably crazy lady with amazing pipes.
The Cure - Wish As I returned to KSU, I began playing poker with the Daxes (if you don't know, it's hard to explain). I could easily pick Squirrel Nut Zippers, Son Volt, or Live as memories of this time, but the greatest impact on my life was opening my eyes to The Cure. Wish is such a gut-wrenching album, and it's exactly what I want from the most depressing band in the business.
Fuel - Sunburn Broke up with a long-term girlfriend and met another girl who immediately crushed my heart. For whatever reason this was at the same time that Shimmer was on the radio, and for me it always brings back the bittersweet memories of that time. Fuel catches a lot of shit, but I still think this album is solid. It's possible my emotional reaction is why.
The Mike Hosty Trio - Volume Memories of working at The Gatekeeper, where the CD changer was full of awesome music that I'd never heard before. First and foremost, this CD changer introduced me to my current favorite band on the planet, the Mike Hosty Duo (Chris Weiser has since moved on to other pursuits). This is just good music. I've taken most of my friends to Hosty shows, and nobody, regardless of musical preference, has failed to have a great time.
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom Another regular in rotation from The Gatekeeper. Soul Coughing also reminds me of the struggle to open Patch and Crow's Nest, as Conner and I are both big fans. Despite this being a huge low point in my life, I still love the music, and Conner and I are still on speaking terms. :)
Brand New - Deja Entendu Driving down Anderson Avenue one sunny afternoon, and Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades came on 91.9. It just blew me away that there were emo bands that were actually worth listening to. This album really got me into emo and screamo, and got me back into punk after many years absence.
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth Discovered Brother Ali through a review in the Onion's A.V. Club, and thought it might be interesting to see what a white albino Muslim from the mean streets of Minneapolis had to say. It turns out that the man is an absolute dynamo on the mike, with monster rhythms and complicated rhyme structures. It also happens that he's got such tremendous courage and soul to sing so plainly about his life and what he's been through without the usual braggadocio. He's gotten me through some of the trials and tribulations of grad school. "If we were put here to carry a great weight, the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."
I'm not tagging. You don't have to either. (Re-posted from Tyree.)
In chronological order:
Styx - Kilroy Was Here The first album I ever actually requested for myself. This marked the beginning of listening to my own music rather than just whatever my parents had on the radio. I also suspect that it primed me for liking prog rock and concept albums.
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime The single best concept album of all time. I saw the video for Eyes of a Stranger on MTV (yes, children, this was back when they played videos) and went out and bought every Queensryche album I could. This was my first "favorite band".
Megadeth - Holy Wars I listened to a metal countdown show on the radio in my room and heard the first nasty, crunchy, melodic guitar lick of Holy Wars and knew that this was metal genius. At 17 years old, this was the hardest, fastest, most awesome stuff that ever existed. Now, after the years of Metallica selling out, I'll fight anyone who thinks Metallica is better than Megadeth.
Ministry - Psalm 69 In my last year of high school, I began looking for some music that was as fast and rough as possible, and Ministry fit the bill nicely. This album is just full of screaming anthemic noise that appeals to the 18 year old brain. Also, on a side note, over a decade later, in my office at work, my boss, who was in his 60's, walked into my office just in time to hear the prelude to Just One Fix (a weird, distorted voice advising you to "Never trust a junkie!") and looked at me like I was playing devil music. Good times.
Alice in Chains - Dirt While Nirvana hit it big a couple years earlier, what I think of as good grunge didn't start hitting until my freshman year in college (Nirvana sucks, people, and Kurt Cobain, like many cultural icons, was a poser who didn't deserve his fame). I could easily have put Pearl Jam's Ten here, or Soundgarden's Superunknown, or, if I wanted to be interesting, I could put The Chronic by Dr. Dre, but the soundtrack to my freshman year dorm room was most often Alice in Chains. This album is so good, and it amazes me that people don't give AiC the credit for being such a talented band, and somehow think Nirvana was great. Hell, the Foo Fighters are better than Nirvana, so we should know that Cobain was holding Grohl back the whole time anyway.
Nine Inch Nails - Broken Wish was in rotation on MTV during my first year in college as well, and it's such a great screaming orgasm of a song that I had to get the album. While NiN is pretty hit or miss for me, when Reznor does it right, it's pretty damn awesome. Like Ministry, it showed me that there were musical styles descended from punk that didn't have to tread the metal line.
Pantera - Cowboys From Hell This was the soundtrack for my summer following my freshman year. Working at a lumber yard in sweltering heat, the pure aggression of Pantera made it all worthwhile.
Tori Amos - Under the Pink And....we take a right turn... I bought this album on a whim because a friend recommended it, and it never occurred to me that so much emotion could be housed in a little slip of a girl sitting at a piano. The aggression is all there, and these songs will still get you to the emotional heights that any speed lick on a guitar can generate. Put simply, Tori Amos is metal. Later, other grrl power artists like Ani DiFranco showed me that this wasn't a fluke.
Bjoork - Post I came back from my work co-op with IBM and found that some of the pop music that the kids were listening to was still pretty good. This album really showed me what could be done by a certifiably crazy lady with amazing pipes.
The Cure - Wish As I returned to KSU, I began playing poker with the Daxes (if you don't know, it's hard to explain). I could easily pick Squirrel Nut Zippers, Son Volt, or Live as memories of this time, but the greatest impact on my life was opening my eyes to The Cure. Wish is such a gut-wrenching album, and it's exactly what I want from the most depressing band in the business.
Fuel - Sunburn Broke up with a long-term girlfriend and met another girl who immediately crushed my heart. For whatever reason this was at the same time that Shimmer was on the radio, and for me it always brings back the bittersweet memories of that time. Fuel catches a lot of shit, but I still think this album is solid. It's possible my emotional reaction is why.
The Mike Hosty Trio - Volume Memories of working at The Gatekeeper, where the CD changer was full of awesome music that I'd never heard before. First and foremost, this CD changer introduced me to my current favorite band on the planet, the Mike Hosty Duo (Chris Weiser has since moved on to other pursuits). This is just good music. I've taken most of my friends to Hosty shows, and nobody, regardless of musical preference, has failed to have a great time.
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom Another regular in rotation from The Gatekeeper. Soul Coughing also reminds me of the struggle to open Patch and Crow's Nest, as Conner and I are both big fans. Despite this being a huge low point in my life, I still love the music, and Conner and I are still on speaking terms. :)
Brand New - Deja Entendu Driving down Anderson Avenue one sunny afternoon, and Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades came on 91.9. It just blew me away that there were emo bands that were actually worth listening to. This album really got me into emo and screamo, and got me back into punk after many years absence.
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth Discovered Brother Ali through a review in the Onion's A.V. Club, and thought it might be interesting to see what a white albino Muslim from the mean streets of Minneapolis had to say. It turns out that the man is an absolute dynamo on the mike, with monster rhythms and complicated rhyme structures. It also happens that he's got such tremendous courage and soul to sing so plainly about his life and what he's been through without the usual braggadocio. He's gotten me through some of the trials and tribulations of grad school. "If we were put here to carry a great weight, the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."