RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Media "The Records That Changed My Life..."

Okay, perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but what are some of the records that you go back to over and over--you know, wear them out a few times, lose them and immediately replace them, and so on. Whenever I see topics like these, I always find something I'd never been exposed to and search feverishly to find it. Anywho, I'll start first with nine records that didn't change my life, but I'm glad I found 'em. No real order:

1. DJ Shadow Endtroducing: I was pretty heavy into trip-hop acts like Portishead and Tricky at the time, and some review touted this album as the "head of the class" of the emerging genre--couldn't be farther from the truth. This album is a collage of forgotten sounds woven together in a mesmerizing manner, as its everything hip hop should be and so much more. The drums alone, man...

2. Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted: Recently split from NWA, Ice Cube goes East to collaborate with Public Enemy's production team the Bomb Squad. I'd heard angry before on a record, but never in this way, tempered with intelligence and a certain weariness. His world was vibrant, dangerous, and vividly described--I KNEW THESE PEOPLE HE SPOKE OF. Still one of the best produced albums EVER, from any genre, employing a deft mixture of sampling and live instruments. Wicked.

3. Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle: At the height of Faith No More's fame, lead singer Mike Patton refused to sign a new contract with Warner Bros. unless it included this band. Produced by avant-jazz genius John Zorn, each song is a mind-bending journey courtesy of frequent time changes, samples from the Altered Beast video game, and porn. This is the music that clowns must listen to, as evidenced by the menacing caricture on the front of the CD case. Blending ska, heavy metal and jazz never seemed so easy.

4. Radiohead OK Computer: I worked for EMI when this record came out, and didn't know what to expect when I received my advance copy. I'd liked their previous album, but...Needless to say, I was blown away--I felt like I was listening to the future, and I still feel that now. It's an imaginary narrative of a group of friends slipping away from the comforts of modern life (in my mind). When singer Thom Yorke wails "pull me out of the aircrash" in the song 'Lucky', I feel like he's talking to me.

5. Nurse With Wound To a Tiny Man From a Quiet Girl: Sometime in 1996, I lost it--meaning I'd lost my love for mainstream music. It was too structured, too predictable. While visiting my hometown of Monterey, CA, I stopped at a dusty record store called Vinyl Revolution to visit its owner, Bob. I explained my dilemna, and he confidently handed me this CD. "For what ails ya" he said as I walked out the door. I played it in my car and nearly freaked out! It was banging on metal, demented screams, poorly tuned violins; the sound of a serial killer disposing of his prey. I listened to it for a week straight, and it gave me nightmares. It still gives me nightmares.

6. Nine Inch Nails Downward Spiral: Their first two releases, Pretty Hate Machine and Broken, had made me a huge fan of the band, but this album, well, fuck me. From the THX-1138 sample at the beginning to the droning ending of 'Hurt', this album is a stone-cold masterpiece in my eyes. The sounds and the words are a contextual cry for help, from battering drums to intricate guitar solos to the idiosyncratic clicking of Zippo lighters in the title track. Ten outta ten.

7. Ras Kass Soul on Ice--One of the most gifted lyricists over the past decade, a derisive attitude and ho-hum beats have kept him from being one of the most recognized rappers around. Track five on this album has the undisputable classic 'Nature of the Threat', an 8 minute diatribe on the history of modern man from early BC to the fall of Constantinople. Whether one agrees with every assertion or not, the ambition of the track and its relentless flow are hard to ignore. This album is out of print, but the song itself is worth tracking down.

8. Moby Animal Rights: Recorded before Play, this album was the reason Moby was dropped from Elektra records. A guitar-centric record that includes a Mission of Burma cover, this record remains one of his most raw and unfocused work--yet still strangely compelling to me. I also respect the fact that he's so upfront with his politics and beliefs, and although I don't always agree with him, I think he's articulate and don't mind someone respectfully presenting a contrary opinion.

and...
9. Kris Kristofferson The Essential Kris Kristofferson: A sentimental pick in that my dad used to listen to a lot of him and Johnny Cash and the other old country artists, and he passed away last summer. His songs are simple, his voice isn't always the best, but he has a way of saying things that make them instantly relatable. My favorite song is 'Sunday Morning Coming Down', the page from the diary of a man down on his luck.


These picks tend to change from time to time, and the larger the list (20 or so) and the list stays pretty static.

Next?

For me its individual songs. Not records.

I love Springsteen's Born in the USA album. I 'm on my third copy of that album. I'm stil on my first coppies of Human Touch and Lucky Town from Springsteen. I should replace those on CD soon. I wore out 2 each of Dire Straits On Every Street and ZZ Top Afterburner. I also have some Garth Brooks and Dwight Yokum albums I will have replace soon.

Sgt. Pepper and the John Lennon Collection.
i bought those two when I was a freshman in high school. After I heard those I made it a goal to hear everything the Beatles/John Lennon had ever done.

Darklands - The Jesus and Mary Chain
Meat is Murder - The Smiths
Never Mind the Bollocks - The Sex Pistols
Let it Bleed - The Rolling Stones
Sandanista - The Clash
Quadrophenia - The Who
Ocean Rain - Echo & The Bunnymen
The Best of the Byrds
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Rio - Duran Duran
Without you i'm Nothing - Placebo
Definately Maybe - Oasis


As far as albums go that's the top 12 that really turned my life.....

Good music and more importantly, good NEW music should do that periodically.

Excitable Boy-Warren Zevon
Born to Run-Bruce Springsteen
The Essential Johnny Cash
Elvis' Greatest Hits

I never went through a Beatles phase. I like some of their music and can appreciate their talent, but I was always more into the other 60s icons: Dylan, the Who, the Stones, the Velvet Underground.

White City by Pete Townshend
Not his best work, but the first album I bought by a "real" musician. I listened to this album so much, it completely changed the style of music I listened to. It made me switch my radio from Top 40 to classic rock, which when you're 13 years old, is a big deal...

Quadraphenia by The Who
It's not as well known as Who's Next or Tommy, but it's Pete Townshend's songwriting at it's best. It doesn't have all the big hits like Who's Next, but it's consistant throughout. Every track is a classic, and it's vastly underrated.

Animals by Pink Floyd
Again, not the most well-known, but thats the allure of this album. Radio plays songs off The Wall, Darkside of the Moon and Wish You Were Here till I can't stand them anymore, but the songs on this album, because of their length, have never been radio-friendly. Plus, some of David Gilmour's best licks. The one Pink Floyd album I never get tired of listening to.

Waiting for Columbus by Little Feat
Hands down, my favorite live album of all time, even better than The Who's Live at Leeds and The Grateful Dead's Europe '72. I love Lowell George era Little Feat, but many of the studio albums seem to be lacking a certain kind of energy. The music always seem too polished and overproduced for a band with their sound. Waiting for Columbus opens their sound up, allowing the music and musicians an opportunity to breath. Almost all the tracks are extended versions of their studio counterparts, and that lets the musicians funk up the songs quite a bit. Anybody who likes New Orleans funk and R&B like Dr John, Bo Dollis or Proffesor Longhair should check this album out. Likewise, anybody who likes this album really needs to check out the above listed three. Another album I'll never tire of. Little Feat has their own label where they've been releasing occasional archive CD's, but most of them focus on the reformed band jazz version, nearly skipping the Lowell George era altogether. Damn shame.

Achtung Baby by U2
Hated this album when it came out, mainly because I couldn't stand U2 after hearing The Joshua Tree endlessly for three years prior. Their preachiness on Joshua Tree just wore me down. About a year after this album came out, it started to grow on me, and slowly over time, earned a spot in my all time favorites list. The slick production job, coupled with the fact that it sounded like they were just out to have fun and make good music finally turned me around.

Songs From the Big Chair by Tears for Fears
Wore out a copy of this one when I was growing up. The right combination of new wave angst and rock hooks captured my imagination for years. I still feel a shiver run down my spine when I hear the opening to Shout. I picked up the latest Tears for Fears album a few weeks back, with a newly returned Curt Smith, and it wasn't too bad. Not as great as their earlier work, but still listenable...

I'll pop more up when I think about 'em/get a chance...

the only 2 i will explain:

weezer's pinkerton. i had listened to the blue album sporatically while growing up, but when i bought pinkerton my freshman year of high school, it fueled jsut about everything i am today. it got me into good music -into rock and away from nsync. it fueled by now disgusting obsession with weezer, who i will see for the 5th time this thursday.

the beatles abbey road. i had always "liked" the beatles just like everyone else in the world, but never got into them until about 3 years ago when i decided to buy this album. the first album of theirs id ever sat down and listned to. now today i own more beatles cds than any other band. i also am goign to see pauly in september (!!)

the bouncing souls - hopeless romantic.
mustard plug - evil doers beware
elliott smith - either/or
the verve -urban hymns
the pixies - doolittle
oasis - (whats the story) morning glory
save ferris - it means everything
le tigre - le tigre
rilo kiley - execution of all things
kevin devine - make the clocks move

i could go on. i kinda feel like amount of albums that can change a person is endless. if i look at all the albums i own, each of them made me go in one direction or another.

Not sure if any albums changed my life,but some have definitely defined moments of it.

Hysteria-In 1987,I had just started to expand my tastes in music.I didn't know who Def Leppard were really.I had seen the name(logo)on various schoolbook covers and stuff but that was about it.I didn't watch much MTV until then(my parents were pretty strict at the time),but I caught the video of "Hysteria" and really liked it.I bought the tape & was hooked...this was just before "Pour Some Sugar On Me" sent the album up the charts.I wore this tape out so much that two replacements were necessary

Slippery When Wet-Now Bon Jovi already had some hits off this album before I even bought it,but like Hysteria,I enjoyed every song on the album.

Dare to be Stupid-This album introduced me to the humour of "Weird Al"...I laughed so hard my sides would hurt when I listened to it.

Dr.Feelgood-My first Motley Crue album.This album was so good,everything else by them after it paled.I would buy and enjoy all their previous stuff but nothing tops this one for me.

Crazy Nights-Another first for me....my first KISS Album.Riding the pop-metal craze,this album made me a fan.

Master of Puppets-My first foray into heavy metal...long after it's release but before "..And Justice for All".Remains my fave Metallica album.

There's so much more I could list....not just stuff from the 80's but from 60's,70's,90's & today.

I won't bother with spanish speaking bands cause no one will know what I'm talking about...

The Beatles - Abbey Road: I got all Beatles albums at the same time in a pirate CD, but if I have to choose one I'm going with this one. The best Beatles album, therefore the best album in rock history. It was approapiate that Sgt. Pepper started the Live 8 concert: that's where modern music began.

Queen - A Kind of Magic: Again, got all Queen albums at once thanks to the marvel of technology, but I'm staying with this one, since it has Princes of the Universe, among others.

The Doors - The Doors: Before listening to the whole album, whenever I heard The End I'd just yawn and skip. But then... fuuuck. This is one of those bands that if you really like you can enjoy every single song they make simply because of their unique mood.

Pink Floyd - The Wall: Blew me away twice: the first time I heard it, because it was the first time I listened to a Pink Floyd album, and then years later when I was preparing a presentation on the movie and started discovering all the layers it has.

Led Zeppelin - : Once again, got them all at the same time, and after much listening I came to the conclusion this one is my favorite, because it has the perfect mix of what Led Zep could do. There's heavy rockers like Rock and Roll and Black Dog, soft songs like Battle for Evermore and Going To California, and Stairway to Heaven to put them all together.

Pulp - Different Class: Holy fuck, there's decent music after the 70's! This came as a shocker to me, seriously. Pulp is probably the most intelligent band in history. They sound so serious on the surface, but if you stop to listen to their lyrics it's hard not to crack up.

The White Stripes - White Blood Cells: During the time this came out I got into a lot of bands like The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines, etc. But only The White Stripes stuck. Like The Doors, if you like this band every song is enjoyable. They have an energy unseen in modern bands, and in spite appearances more originality than any recent band.

David Bowie - Heathen: The first Bowie album I liked was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, but I wasn't interested in any of the rest. I listened to "Heroes" and dismissed it quickly. But then, after months of the new single Slow Burn being played on the radio, I decided I liked it and got the new album. I liked it so much I actually BOUGHT it (...!) and decided to give another chance to the rest of Bowie's discography.

I don't know. Listen to "the Velvet Underground and Nico," which came out before Sgt Pepper. I would argue that the VU did "modern" music first.

Kathleen--I dig the Pinkerton choice; its the one Weezer album I can listen to over and over again. Same with Elliot Smith.

It always seemed to me like the beginning of modern rock music was Dylan's 'Like a Rolling Stone'. Velvet Underground is also a great choice.

VU/Nico came out in March 1967, before Sgt Pepper (June 1967) but after Revolver (August 1966).

Which might indicate that, actually, Revolver is the beginning of modern rock. However, a lot of the sound on Revolver (horns, strings, etc.) is actually reminiscient of the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds," which came out in May of 1966.

I'm actually starting to think that theory9 might be correct that Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", (From Highway 61 Revisited, might actually be the one. That came out way back in 1965 and seems to have influenced everything since then, including the Beatles, Beach Boys and Velvets.

Still, listening to some of the VU stuff, especially "Heroin," which still sounds like it could have been on a U2 or Soundgarden album, I think they were the most modern of anyone going back then.