Your top 3 most important/influential albums :)

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For me, favourite songs come and go, as do favourite albums.. but some stay with me and will always have a warm and close place in my heart.
I am now sitting here listening to one of them.. the album that made me fall in love with music for the first time and thought that it might be nice to share some stories about the music we Love.
These are not necessarily the albums I enjoy the most today, but they hold the most importance to me as a musical being based on what they conveyed to me at a time when they where the centre of my attention
I'll do a countdown.


3: Nevermind the Bollocks here's the Sex Pistols

This is the soundtrack of my late teens.
Anger and resentment, but also a sense of pride, this album is probably one of the benefactors that made sure I did not just lay down and die, but instead turned the apathy and angst into a driving force of creativity.
Listening to it today I am pretty amazed at the quality of the album in terms of actual audio quality. This is one skilfully produced album with all the energies at all the right places, nothing is obsolete and yet no expenses are spared... too bad this was not adapted by the rest of the Punk movement (in my opinion).


2: The Mystery of the 13 Crystal Skulls
(This position is a slightly winner over the album "Hotel" by Moby... )

This is the album that opened up my mind to the intricate and the mystical, the world of the psychedelic and the strange.
Explaining to me how music can be so much more than just the notes being played, it is the colours of the unknown and the distant dreams of moments long since past...
In plain sight it twisted and bent the way I thought of sound and the way it may be used to achieve wondrous things in the mind of the listener.


1: Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

The musically equivalent of honey, a fireplace and a cup of hot chocolate.. the feeling of the first snow... the list can be made long... this is THE album in my very personal book. The album that made me fall in love with music. Sure, I enjoyed music before this, but I had never felt the feeling of Love connected to a piece of music before.
This album has followed me like a dear friend through different periods of my life and have time after time surprised me with its ability to fit seamless into my life no matter where I've been at the time.. and not only that, but has showed me a different side of the music each time. I have never had that experience with any other music. Most music in my life is pretty short-lived, and once spent, has a fixed place in time that will only serve me with nostalgia. But this album continues to sync with the ME I am now and serve me a fresh perspective at the same time as we can enjoy the nostalgia of seasons past.


That was all I had
It would be nice to see what your favourite albums are and if you like, what they mean/have meant to you

<3

Okay. I'll play.

3. KISS - Destroyer

There used to be a guy I knew in high school who was the biggest KISS fan. He talked about them incessantly, drew pictures of them, and had a jeans jacket with a huge painting of Gene Simmons on the back. It piqued my interest. Who, or what, was KISS, and what was this kid's fascination with them? The town's public library used to have records. Back in those days you could borrow two or three at a time, maybe five. I used to have this cheap Nancy & Clancy turntable. The speakers were small but it was better than nothing. I brought the Destroyer album home to listen to. My heart was trembling when I put it on. I didn't know what to expect. This Gene Simmons guy was spitting blood! Surely, the music was thunderous and scary. I listened to it and "got" it right away. I appreciated the raw power and the loud guitars. I've been hooked on them, and other hard rock & metal bands, since then.

2. Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin & Paco Di Lucia - Friday Night in San Francisco

I was in college the first time I heard Al DiMeola. The radio station was playing Mediterranean Sundance. My jaw hit the floor. Was it possible for someone to play like that, with that speed and accuracy? It didn't seem humanly possible. The Al DiMeola album I did finally get my hand on was Friday Night In San Francisco. The interplay between the three musicians was phenomenal. It just didn't seem real. It started me off listening to jazz guitar. Since I was a fledgling guitarist myself, I started studying it as much as possible. I never did achieve those blinding speeds but it did allow me to appreciate guitarists like Richie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen, Yngvie Malmsteen, Jimi Hendrix and other sppedsters.

1. Steely Dan - Aja

My sister used to go to a hoity-toity arts college in upstate NY. I visted her once. Her roommate was a drug addict who was barely around. She did have a cassette sitting around which I'd never heard of, Aja. I asked my sister about it but she said she'd never heard it but, if I wanted to, I could "borrow" it. Her roommate, she guessed, was too out of it to notice it was gone. I brought it back to my house and listened to it over and over. I was fascinated with the quality of the recording, the performances and the sound itself. How could a band with all those musicians produce a recorded that seemed so "airy", like you were lying in a field of clouds when it played? That was the magic of Steely Dan. I still listen to them to this day and still think the album is fantastic. Little did I know, Aja would lead me to listening to "real" jazz artists such as Return To Forever, Miles Davis, Oscar Peterson, David Benoit, Tom Scott, Chick Corea, Diane Schuur and many others.

Oasis- What's the Story (Morning Glory)?

Probably one of the biggest albums of the 1990's. I remember when the album came out and my brother bought the CD. I used to listen to it all the time. About ten years later and after my angst ridden teenage years, and the release of the album Don't Believe the Truth, I started to appreciate the greatness of the 1995 release. It was the peak of the Britpop era when songs like "Boys and Girls" by Blur, and "Wonderwall" came out. The difference in sound showed that Blur was more experimental, but Oasis was more rock-based and heavily influenced by the Beatles, and eventually a bit of Pink Floyd. I was more fond of Oasis than I was Blur. So I always liked them better.

Rammstien- Reise, Reise.

It was around the time I hit 20 years old where I stopped listening to bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit and any other heavy metal type groups that would sing about misery and pain. I was tired of it. But I decided to start listening to Rammstien somehow. The first two albums I bought were Sehnsucht and Reise, Reise. I preferred the sounds and (translated) lyrics of the latter album. The earlier one had some great songs, but I could listen to the entire Reise, Reise album without skipping a song. The reason why I pick this as important or influential? This was the last metal band I would listen to and enjoy. This was the stage in which I would grow up.

Boston (untitled-debut album)

Thanks to the video game "Rock Band" when it was released in 2007, the song "Foreplay/Longtime" became one of my favourite songs ever. I would sing it at karaoke if I could. I ended up buying the album because of Rock Band for some reason. I don't regret the decision. This album is definitely my favourite album of all time. It had some great songs. in fact, I think every song has been played on the radio. That's how great this album is to me. I had a hard time picking a favourite song from this album after "Foreplay/Longtime." I also remember around this time period that life was good to me as well and I had the most fun I have ever had in my adult life at that point.

here's mine.

3. Nevermind by Nirvana:

This album blew hair metal off of the charts, (thank God,) and gave us these three grungy rockers. I've loved Nirvana for a very long time, and this album deserves all the praise it gets. The song Smells Like Teen Spirit was basically a call for a revolution in a five minute package, and it paved the way for alternative rock going mainstream. I also believe that Kurt Cobain was the last great rock star, and that he is sorely missed by rock fans, a talented young man who went too soon, but left us some beautiful music.


2: Closer by Joy Division: This short-lived post-punk group was pretty influential to alternative rock as well, (especially gothic rock.) It is a hauntingly depressing album, especially the last three tracks. The band's lead singer and lyricist, (Ian Curtis,) killed himself at the age of 23, and this album was released after his death. He was a poetic soul, and the music fits well with his depressing lyrics, and ensures that this band will not be forgotten soon.


1: London Calling by The Clash: This album is widely regarded as one of the best albums of all time. The Clash is one of my, (if not my favorite,) band, and their music dabbled in just about every genre possible. This album contains punk songs, but also pop tunes, reggae, ska, jazz, r&b, rockabilly, and pretty much everything else you can think of. The songs are performed pretty much flawlessly, no matter what genre they belong to. After listening to it you can clearly see why critics at the time called The Clash "the only band that matters."

Fireball, by Deep Purple.

This was the first Album I ever bought. It was pretty awe-inspiring when it first came out, especially to a young lad.



Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton by John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers, Known as the Beano album.
This album set me down the road of finding real music independently of the current fashion.



Sheer Heart Attack by Queen
My favourite album from the best year of ones life, 16
It used to go with a crush I had on the most perfect Girl I ever saw and the first girl I ever asked out, (apart from the girl I asked to marry me when I was 6).

Very hard to narrow it down to 3 so in no real order,

Alice in Chains- Dirt
I like all of Alice's records and really this is tied with Jar of Flies except Dirt has more songs on it that I listen to on a loop. That record speaks to me and the sound is perfect for the songs, this record restarted my music SI.

Meat Loaf-Bat out of Hell
I bought this used as a young kid of about 8 years old and loved the sound and the arrangements on that, the screaming guitars with Steinmann's piano, the song lyrics went over my head and that was just aswell. It was so amazing to hear the 10 min full length songs on that.

Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
2 songs off this made the Road Rash PC game soundtrack(perhaps that should be on the list) and this was my introduction to grunge, then I bought that album and was reintroduced to grunge. This record will forever be a connection to happier times when I was a little 6 year old.

This list can go on and on and it changes now and then though depending on mood, I never mentioned any of my indie folk heros yet they also remain major influences even if I don't really listen to that much anymore.

1. Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson
Aside from just being one of my favorite albums musically, it is also one of the most lyrically appealing albums I've come across, which has made it one of the most important albums in my life. The entire album is about feeling emotionally detached and alienated from the rest of society, so it's something I had an instant connection with. It deals with a lot of relational issues, and it also has a lot of self-loathing that I can relate to. It's a great melancholy album for me, and it's consistently been one of the things I've turned to in bad times.

2. Wildlife by La Dispute
I first heard this album perhaps last year, but I can guarantee I've listened to the end album at least 120 times. Likely even more. This album just really struck a chord with me. It's the kind of album that cuts so deep it can't help but resonate in me. It deals with topics in ways I didn't think music could really handle them. Everything about this album hits me just right: the lyrics, the intensity, the music, the content. There's so much beauty and sadness in this album that I don't think I could avoid putting it on this list even if I wanted to. This album is probably going to be something I'll hang on to for the rest of my life.

3. Mer de Noms by A Perfect Circle
This album is another album I can listen to all the way through under any circumstances. I truly enjoy this album no matter how I feel, and it always seems to enhance whatever it is I'm feeling when I put it on. It makes the good times better, the bad times somehow more rewarding. It's one of the albums that got me more into music that really means something, and I've cherished it for years. It's not only fantastic music, but now I have all kinds of memories I can associate with it, good or bad. It's the kind of album that can I can lose myself in: whether in memories, the songs, or in the creativity it spurs within me.

I have only 2 that I can safely say are the most important/influential in my life.

U2 – Achtung Baby
This album has a very ominous feel that the end is upon us. Either through war, breakdown of society, or environmental collapse the future is waiting to destroy us. The harsh, angry mood and gritty sound is mesmerizing, so unlike their previous work, and yet it maintains their unique poetic quality. To me it seems they are sending out a message that our current way of life is leading us to a dirty, smelly demise and that somewhere in the back of our minds we know this but we just glue ourselves to the television so we don’t have to think about it.

The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
I come from Manchester, England and to me no other Album can sum up what if feels like in that city than this one. Ian Brown’s vocals are angelic, soothing, and yet somehow threatening. It came at the end of the 1980’s when the north of England had effectively been shut down, and all we had left was music, drugs and empty warehouses to party in. I think the tracks on this album have an underlying feel of desolation, the kind you may feel on a bleak afternoon, but they also have a distant sense of hope to them.

Vespertine by Björk.
Had some difficulties at first with Björks style of singing, it sounded a bit artsy and annoying. But friends at studio kept playing her and I gradually got used to her voice. Her music is the opposite of what I thought electronic music was about, monotony, minimalism and lack of emotion. The scenes, moods and emotions she paints with her music are beautiful and original. She does her own thing and doesn't need an army of producers, record label people and stylists to make her an international star. For an Aspergirl in her 20's she was someone who's courage and independance I admired, closest thing to an idol I ever had. My first ever trip abroad alone was to go see her perform in Madrid, on a bull fighting arena. This was a close call, between Vespertine and Post, which has my favourite song by her, Yoga.

Du och jag, Döden by Kent.
Anyone into Skandinavian noir, this is the band for you. Moody and dark, beautiful and melancholic. Guitar based alternative rock with great melodies. And lyrics too, I'm sure there's translations of the swedish lyrics somewhere online. Used to listen to
Kent when I needed a boost of energy, in the evenings trying to finish a school project or if I was working late. Guess Kent is for me what Survivors Eye of the Tiger is to others On later albums the band has taken influences from dance music and done it pretty well. But their earlier, dramatic songs with the soaring guitars will come first to me always, that's what made them great.

War by U2.
First album I ever bought with my own money, I was 12 or so. I had heard the song New Year's Day on radio and I was blown away. The mood of the song fitted my own moods of anxiety and depression. This was early 80's and the Cold War was at it's peak. Growing up in that athmosphere was not easy for me and music was one way to escape the fears. This album was the first I listened to time and again and I got to expience how songs can grow on you and on an album form a coherent whole. A year ago I was going through my stuff to put something nice on the wall and I came across this LP. That angry looking kid is now on my living room wall and is sort of a portrait of myself in that age

Jon Gomm - Don't Panic
Explosions In The Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Rising Force

In order of discovery^

Jon Gomm - Don't Panic:
I was forced to watch a youtube video on a tiny iphone screen of Jon Gomm's song "Passionflower" or appear rude at my father's family's get together one Thanksgiving holiday a couple of years ago. It was of some average looking mildly unkempt Joe and a beat up old acoustic, but he played it in ways a guitar wasn't designed for, which intrigued my interest. He is phenomenal and unlike many highly technical guitarists who go nuts for speed, understands the importance of composition and melody. In other words, you can watch him and get the circus side show feel or listen in content without him in your sight like music should be able to be experienced. He's a one man band, and can pull it off without perspiring. I also like his unserious nature and occasionally bizarre and nonsensical lyrical themes.

Really though, he was the first act to drag me in content to something that wasn't metal. I'd been metal or nothing since age 13 and I was 24 upon hearing him. His style has caused me to look at my guitar in a much more outside the box manner in designing my own style. He also opened me up to listening to other genres of music other than metal without an immediate negative bias before opening my ears for evaluation.

His only mp3 album on Amazon was "Don't Panic" so I bought that and later found his site and bought the singles for "Passionflower", "Ain't Nobody(Cover)", "Message in a Bottle(Cover)" and tacked them onto the digital album in my itunes library... So in my mind, it's all the same album >_>

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place:
EITS is, if not my ex-girlfriend's favorite band, one of her top favorites the last time we spoke going on two years ago. I found her enjoyment to the music immensely endearing, but just didn't get it. The music was so busy (despite sounding nice) it made my mind overload and unable to process it after the first 60 second wave of each track before my mind felt like useless goo. Some time after she left, I picked up the album with the names of songs I recognized most which was "The Earth..." about a year ago. My health had improved, and I'd done other things to get better cognition like dropping prescription meds and working in mind management, and then it all just made sense why she got so excited by the beauty. I ended up buying all of their non-movie-soundtrack albums, and then getting hooked on other post rock acts too.

I'm still not sure, but I am inspired to possibly go in the direction of such music with my developing style, though even if not, I certainly gain inspiration and joy from the music, and am grateful that the album kicked off such a lovely niche of varying music from blissfully tranquil, to masochistically intense pleasantness.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Rising Force:
I'd always loved the Metallica's 80's songs which included a classical/spanish guitar feel in Kirk's lead, but was shocked at how much more this album had a closer portrayal to how some of the sounds in my head would be played. I also had no idea how I'd never heard of Malmsteen at age 26 (discovered through a soliciting guitar mentor email suggesting a listen), but beside the point. His technical ability sparked my intrigue... though quite frankly, I feel he plays too fast in most of the songs in his albums after "Rising Force", so I take my inspiration from him with a grain of salt when applying speed to my playing and opt more for melody and finesse like in said album "Rising Force" when idolizing speed.

The album sparked my delving into speed training and working on a myriad of techniques I was oblivious to, as well as realizing music theory was a friend I needed to make. It also peaked my interest in Neo Classical, and was the catalyst for poking about and finding my fascination in classical guitar (though most Malmsteen isn't played classical). Despite not being a direct relation, I pleasantly discovered and started listening to Andrés Segovia, Pepe Romero, and Christopher Parkening, and studying classical fingerstyle to incorporate into my playing.

UGH, just 3?! Makin' this tough. Here goes...

Primus - Pork Soda
Borrowed this from a friend that lived a few doors down from me during middle school. Single-handedly started my interest in bass guitar and, of course, Primus and Les Claypool. I've been playing bass for about 18 years now. I didn't even know what a bass guitar really was before I heard this, and it was just other-worldly.

Tool - Aenima
Simply a masterpiece from start to finish. Recently took this out for a 'loop-play' stint.

Pink Floyd - Meddle
One of my top favorite 'Floyd albums. So soft and mellow until the final track, Echoes. Worth the price of admission for that song alone. In my opinion that's where you can hear the tinges of DSotM starting up. I just love the aquatic feelings this album gives, especially Echoes with its sonar sounding intro and whale/dolphin-call bridge. Truly sublime.

american idiot greenday.
I like the music and lyrics but also this was on the radio a lot when i first started to find a place for my self in society

War of the world
this played a big part of my childhood

as for the 3rd...

blackholes and revelations by muse
i really identify with the themes in this album

Two of my all-time faves...

Thriller (Michael Jackson)

There's a reason this album's still at #1 after more than 30 years, and its not tabloid crap. From playful with tracks like "Thriller" and "PYT", to sincere with "The Girl is Mine" or "Human Nature", and warnings about reckless violence and promiscuity in "Beat It" and "Billie Jean"...Michael put his heart into every facet of this collection, and it still works.

The First Decade (Michael W. Smith)

All the hits are here, from Smitty's early days. From now-iconic hits like "Place in This World" and "Friends", to more somber tracks like "Pray For Me" and "Kentucky Rose"...this has the best of the best, all the way.