15 Albums That Changed Your Life, or, Facebook Meme, #850

Due to “popular demand” I am re-posting my list from Facebook (thanks again, Mike!), because some of you seem interested.  I didn’t think more than 2 people even read this thing!  In case you didn’t know, I love love love music and listen to a lot of it, but can get a bit OCD about things.  Without further ado, here’s a copy and paste post.  If you feel like making your own list, I suggest you do.  It takes time, careful thought (it’s not a favourites list) and was very interesting.

Think of 15 albums—vinyl LPs, 8-track tapes, cassettes, compact discs or MP3s—that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life. Music that dug into your soul and brought you to life when you heard it…Royally affected you…Kicked you in the wazoo…Literally socked you in the gut! Or whatever…Maybe you just really liked it or it entered your life at a time that made it seem significant? The point is, you like music, I like music, it affects our lives, so let’s talk about it.

I’m not ranking these in any way… they are vaguely chronological, though. I also didn’t limit it to just 15. I couldn’t.
I also added a few words on why each one made the list. A lot of them are where my particular branches of music tastes began (which means they aren’t necessarily the best thing ever released by that artist, let alone the greatest record of all time). These are a lot of “light on” albums.

If anyone reposts this I would love to know why people have picked particular albums for their lists… but even just listing albums would be great. Don’t feel like you have to do it if I tagged you, and if I didn’t tag you, don’t let that stop you from tagging me back if you decide to do this…

(thanks Mike, this was fun and time consuming)

All of these albums were played to death when I discovered them, but made the list because I still love them and occasionally still play them to death. I can recite the lyrics to each and every track, and probably always will be able to. Top drawer stuff.

Sloan – Smeared (1992)
Not only is this a seminal Canadian rock album, it made me understand that there were regional differences to music. I suppose it instilled in me some sort of patriotic duty to support Canadian music, and perhaps even the little guy somewhat. This was also a good album for what teen angst I felt at the time, yet was totally non-destructive.

Afghan Whigs – Gentleman (Oct 1993)
What can I say – Greg Dulli is the shit. I always loved the loungy, sleazy aspect to his voice both back then and today. He is currently performing with the lovely and talented Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees fame. This was one of my attempts at getting into the ‘grunge’ scene, but couldn’t quite commit. Besides the Whigs were from Ohio. Lots of people I know who love music have never heard the soundtrack to a 1994 film called Backbeat, about the young life of the fifth Beatle. Don Was produced the soundtrack, which was performed by a truly awesome supergroup consisting of Greg Dulli and Dave Pirner on vocals, Thurston Moore on guitar, Mike Mills on bass, and a young drummer named Dave Grohl. Check this shit out if you have never heard it. No, it’s not on iTunes.

Suicidal Tendencies – Controlled by Hate/Feel Like Shit (Oct 1989)
I discovered this album a couple of years after it came out – maybe I’d heard it previously but gave it a miss. 89-94 was a particularly hard time in my life, and although the bands name had nothing to do with the way I was feeling, the music did. This was played loud, often and at close range for a long time. Maybe the energy in the music helped keep me going.

Green Day – 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (July 1990)
I love compilations. I bought this album at that little place at the end of Yates back in the day, because I was following my first big musical trend. In hindsight, even though I was on the bandwagon, I still was years ahead of most people when it came to Green Day. Doug Johnson and I did thousands of late-night doughnuts in his Mustang Mach 1 with this going full tilt. There were a number of times we probably should have died, or at least been arrested.

The Beatles – Past Masters Vol I and II (March 1988)
Not my favourite Beatles material (I like 1968-70 better) but eye-opening none the less. This compilation led me to Abbey Road, which is a monster of an album, and I must have played the triumvirate of Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came In Through the Bathroom Window five times a day for three years. Loud and at close range. Reinforced my love for the “album” as presented by the artist. I still listen to only albums today because of these three songs. Oh, the rest of the album is good, too.

Kyuss – Welcome to Sky Valley (June 1994)
I was working in my first restaurant job at the time (life changing), and a co-worker named Bret Vokes introduced me to lots of after-hours shenanigans, including the Beatles played in the restaurant after hours very loudly. This album is unique in this list because it’s not one of my favourites, but fits the bill because in the same breath as blasting Kyuss from the 25 foot ceilings amid the smoke and empty glasses, he also played for me a little album called Aenima, by a little band called TOOL. Blew my fucking mind, and still does on occasion. Bret, who was a drummer, taught me to listen to something besides the singing and the guitar – Danny Carey played drums on this album, and just learning to listen to music as a whole instead of singing along or playing air guitar was also life changing.

Elliott Smith – Either/Or (February 1997)
This was introduced to me by my brother in law, Stacy, and to this day is one of my top three favourite albums. Everyone who’s heard it pretty much falls in love right away. The topics Smith sings about don’t really relate very well to me, but his ease of use of instrumentation is enthralling, use of melody and harmony enchanting, and ability to pull at my heart strings irresistible. Can’t say enough. R.I.P.

Pressure Cooker (??)
Uhm, hello? Grade 10 phoned and wants it’s Reebok Pumps back. This album, which I cannot find any trace of and lent to a girl (foolishly) and cannot replace ever, is really part of a social experience I had at this time. My friend Sean Harrison, although he never knew it, was helping me through a rough period when I was busy pushing people away and becoming introverted. He was going through a big move and the separation of his parents at the time, too. (Ed: Update, I have the album in question now, it’s just as I remembered.  Thanks Mike, again!)
He was happy to share books, ideas, philosopher’s brew at Bohematea, and take me to all ages shows featuring bands like Pressure Cooker, Pigment Vehicle, Mexican Power Authority and the Vinaigrettes. Besides the surf twang of the Vinaigrettes, Pressure Cooker was the only music I really enjoyed in this context, and to this day I think the only time I ever enjoyed dancing while sober.

Public Enemy – Fear Of a Black Planet (March 1990)
“You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge.” Whew, thanks Chuck N.W.A.. I grew up in Gordon Head – we had brown people in our neighbourhood, but they weren’t black. Countless hours were spent with Hector listening to this, N.W.A., the Ghetto Boys and 3rd Bass while talking to the dead on his Ouija Board.

Black Sabbath – Paranoid (September 1970)
This was my ‘Colin’ album. Everyone in my peer group at the time must have had one or two of these. A real eye opener to real music. Too often dismissed by people because it’s “metal”. It’s not, it’s just good social commentary set to great music. Bonus points for making me fall in love with Faith No More (again) because they covered War Pigs.

Charlatans U.K. – Some Friendly (October 1990)
Another album that kept me going when my mom was dying of cancer when I was 12-16. I spent hours by myself with the headphones on, on the bus, at the beach, sitting in the library just trying not to explode, wishing I could explode but not having the guts to. Funny things is this is the polar opposite of everything else I was into at the time, maybe I was using it to self medicate.

Morphine – Cure For Pain (September 1993)
I had been exposed to a variety of musical styles prior to this, but this is life changing because I’d never heard anything like it before (or since) and it was dark, gloomy and depressing, with occasional flashes of up tempo happiness, just like me. Mark Sandman (R.I.P.) played a two string fretless bass, Dana Colley played a tenor sax, and Jerome Dupree played drums. Where’s the electric guitar? Bass? Big drum kit? Not here, that’s where. All the Morphine albums are fantastic, bonus point for being on Rykodisc.

Danzig – Danzig II: Lucifuge (June 1990)
Glenn Danzig of Misfits and Samhain fame. Rick Rubin, the other half of the Def Jam/Def American record label, is a wicked producer who crafted this album to be a bluesy, satanic affair. Pretty unique as far as I was concerned at the time. Not only is this album, and it’s predecessor Danzig I, wonderfully written and performed, it opened me up (and changed my life) to another aspect of the ‘album’, that of the producer. Over the years, every once in a while I will make a playlist not of artists, but of producers and enjoy music that way instead, looking for trademark sounds and techniques.

Corb Lund – Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer (September 2006)
The first country album I ever loved, and set me on a path of roots music, mainly Canadian roots. Bands like The Bills, Gruff, Outlaw Social, etc.

Disney Read Along Books – The Black Hole (December 1979)
There are a few more like this one (Pete’s Dragon, Star Wars) that I am pretty sure taught me to read, or at least made me an above average reader. I think that’s deserving enough of a spot on a list like this.