Five Hundred and Twenty
On Facebook, there's a thing going around, where you list the 15 Albums that Changed Your Life.
So, I did that, but I like it enough that I don't want it to drown on Facebook.
1. Beatles '65 - I got it for Christmas or my birthday one year in my early elementary skool days. It was on LP. My parents had other Beatles albums, but this one was mine, adn the Beatles were the first band I loved.
2. Vanilla Ice - whatever his first cassette was, I loved it. Just loved it! But it really hasn't stood the test of time, sadly.
3. Phil Collins - But Seriously - Perhaps my taste has evolved over time. The intro to "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" rules, though.
4. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
and
5. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes - When my dad took me to see Tom Petty live in England (we were living there at the time) in 1991, that changed everything. And I mean everything. I stopped listening to pop rap, and poor Phil Collins had to take a back seat to rock'n'roll. I put away my keyboard and learned to play guitar. These were the two albums that I fixated on. They sound every bit as good today as they did when I first heard them.
6. REM - Murmur - My uncle put this on a mixtape he made for my family - he often made us good mixes. For awhile, REM was my favorite band, even more than Petty. This is around 1993 we're talking about.
7. Husker Du - Zen Arcade - Reading books about music, books about REM led me to Husker Du and more. The consensus seemed to be that Zen Arcade was the best Huskers album. I hadn't heard a second of their music, but I bought this one down at the record store. I loved it then, and I love it today. It's my favorite album by my favorite band of all time.
8. Ramones - All The Stuff And More, Vol 2 - My town's library had this. I borrowed it. I racked up lots of fines. I still remember driving around with my learner's permit, trying to crank this as loud as I could without my dad complaining!
9. Screeching Weasel - Bark Like A Dog - As I didn't have many friends who listened to this stuff, I came at some bands from weird angles. I bought this the week it came out. It was my first SW album. It's no longer my favorite, but I played the HELL out of it.
10. NOFX - Punk In Drublic - See #9, but forget the weird angles - this one really is the best NOFX ever did. Pure genius. NOFX is the only band allowed to sound like this.
11. Boris the Sprinkler - Mega Anal - Local WI favorite. I borrowed heavily from Norb for stage banter and moves... and tone of voice... maybe I still do.
12. Replacements - Tim - It took moving away from home and real heartbreak, but the 'Mats became and are my second favorite band, and this is my favorite album by them.
13. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska - Nobody would've looked at my listening habits in 1998 and said "One day Nato's gonna be playing 'Born In The USA' on acoustic guitar from start to finish at parties", but this was the gateway drug. And here we are.
14. Reigning Sound - Time Bomb High School - Changed the way I wrote songs, lyrics... completely timeless genius. Greg Cartwright is god.
15. Bent Outta Shape - Stray Dog Town - And then a guy who would become my best friend for awhile (I miss you, Jimbo) blew us all away with the coolest album of the decade. I moved to New York City because of this album. And here I am, still learning from this one...
So, I did that, but I like it enough that I don't want it to drown on Facebook.
1. Beatles '65 - I got it for Christmas or my birthday one year in my early elementary skool days. It was on LP. My parents had other Beatles albums, but this one was mine, adn the Beatles were the first band I loved.
2. Vanilla Ice - whatever his first cassette was, I loved it. Just loved it! But it really hasn't stood the test of time, sadly.
3. Phil Collins - But Seriously - Perhaps my taste has evolved over time. The intro to "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven" rules, though.
4. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
and
5. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedoes - When my dad took me to see Tom Petty live in England (we were living there at the time) in 1991, that changed everything. And I mean everything. I stopped listening to pop rap, and poor Phil Collins had to take a back seat to rock'n'roll. I put away my keyboard and learned to play guitar. These were the two albums that I fixated on. They sound every bit as good today as they did when I first heard them.
6. REM - Murmur - My uncle put this on a mixtape he made for my family - he often made us good mixes. For awhile, REM was my favorite band, even more than Petty. This is around 1993 we're talking about.
7. Husker Du - Zen Arcade - Reading books about music, books about REM led me to Husker Du and more. The consensus seemed to be that Zen Arcade was the best Huskers album. I hadn't heard a second of their music, but I bought this one down at the record store. I loved it then, and I love it today. It's my favorite album by my favorite band of all time.
8. Ramones - All The Stuff And More, Vol 2 - My town's library had this. I borrowed it. I racked up lots of fines. I still remember driving around with my learner's permit, trying to crank this as loud as I could without my dad complaining!
9. Screeching Weasel - Bark Like A Dog - As I didn't have many friends who listened to this stuff, I came at some bands from weird angles. I bought this the week it came out. It was my first SW album. It's no longer my favorite, but I played the HELL out of it.
10. NOFX - Punk In Drublic - See #9, but forget the weird angles - this one really is the best NOFX ever did. Pure genius. NOFX is the only band allowed to sound like this.
11. Boris the Sprinkler - Mega Anal - Local WI favorite. I borrowed heavily from Norb for stage banter and moves... and tone of voice... maybe I still do.
12. Replacements - Tim - It took moving away from home and real heartbreak, but the 'Mats became and are my second favorite band, and this is my favorite album by them.
13. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska - Nobody would've looked at my listening habits in 1998 and said "One day Nato's gonna be playing 'Born In The USA' on acoustic guitar from start to finish at parties", but this was the gateway drug. And here we are.
14. Reigning Sound - Time Bomb High School - Changed the way I wrote songs, lyrics... completely timeless genius. Greg Cartwright is god.
15. Bent Outta Shape - Stray Dog Town - And then a guy who would become my best friend for awhile (I miss you, Jimbo) blew us all away with the coolest album of the decade. I moved to New York City because of this album. And here I am, still learning from this one...