15 Albums, 15 stories
Sep. 20th, 2010 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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andy_wolverton posted about 15 albums that were important to him. He asked what albums would be on my list. Sadly, it was really hard to think in terms of albums anymore - I'm so used to just hitting shuffle on my iPod while I'm in the car, and that's where I listen to the most music nowadays. But I wracked my brain and came up with a list:
In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (1982) - Various Artists - this was probably one of the first albums I heard and listened to as a child, even though I didn't actually own a copy. My mom's friend, Robyn, made me a mix tape. Side A was In Harmony, side B was a random mix of everything from Ally-Oop, Magic Bus, and the Rice Krispies jingle. All of the songs still stick with me - just last week when I was getting ready to go home and go to bed, the Pajamas song popped into my head!
Out of the Blue (1987) - Debbie Gibson - oh we were all young and foolish once! Every generation has a pop singer that makes adults throw up in their mouths a little but kids bop around. Debbie was my first pop-star. I wore that cassette tape out. She was 80s bubblegum which is what my kidself would have enjoyed. I doubt I will ever listen to any of her stuff again; while some childhood things survive adulthood, others do not age so well. I'm pretty sure Out of the Blue would fall into that category.
Off the Deep End (1992) - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Definitely one of Al's best albums, even the songs that are not straight-up parodies are good on this one. Being my usual geek/anti-mainstream self, there were a lot of songs parodied on this album that I never heard the original version of until much MUCH later (like, Rock Band later). Al may not make one cool, but you can make a LOT more friends listening to him.
Ten Summoner's Tales (1993) - Sting - it's hard to deny the influence my Mom has had on my listening habits. She was always a big Sting fan and I grew up listening to Dream of Blue Turtles and listening to her explain the meanings behind the songs. To this day, I prefer to listen to singer/songwriters and Sting is one of the best. This album is his strongest ever, each songs so beautiful and different. But, strip away the riffs and the melodies you are still left with some amazing poetry. One of my favorite albums of all time.
Star Wars: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1977; 1997 reissue) - The music of John Williams played a major part of my childhood. Joining band felt cool because it was a band, an orchestra that created the soundtrack. In it's simplest form, listening to these soundtracks taught me some basid music language - the idea of a theme and how it could be weaved into other bits of the song...I'm pretty sure you could put this CD into the player and I would be able to identify what part of the movie the music was from.
A Hard Day's Night (1964) - The Beatles - You knew the Fab Four would have to make an appearance! Believe me, deciding on a single album was difficult, but in the end, I think HDN is my favorite. I know that Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper are big steps forward for them musically, but this album, made up of all Lennon/McCartney tunes, would be my top listen. 'If I Fell' is my favorite Beatles song of all time.
Eternal Nightcap (1997) - The Whitlams - The summer before my senior year of high school, I took a trip to Australia with the People to People tour group. Just getting into modern music after my 3-year Beatles only diet, I went into one of the local record stores around Sydney and asked them for a really good Australian band. The guy handed me this CD. I remember listening to it on the ferry and then letting my friend listen to one of the tracks. She looked at me weird and said "I didn't think you liked music like this". I never quite understood what she meant, except that it was not Beatles haha. I love that you can still hear Tim Freedman's Aussie accent buried in the vocals. I love that there is a Bob Dylan cover on here (one of the first Dylan songs I ever heard!). I love the line in "Up Against the Wall" when he sings "She was one in a million, yeah, so there's 5 more just in New South Wales" "There's a show on the television now, a man in the jungle with monkeys - he's saying we've come so far. Well, it's news to me: I better go and evolve now".
Australia (2000) - Howie Day - Howie owned a good portion of my second year of college. I saw him play all kinds of little clubs in the PA/MD/VA area. He was my first "little guy" who had no label and just a smattering of fans. He recognized me at shows, even bought us ice cream and pizza once haha. Too bad he turned out to be kind of a dick :( But anyway, at the time, it was very exciting to buy a CD from the artist and have him sign it and listen to the songs I had heard on stage for a year redone in the studio. Yet at the same time, it was sort of that moment when you realize how some things are better live...
Poses (2001) - Rufus Wainwright - This CD was a happy discovery while working at the college radio station. It was "freeform", meaning we could play whatever we wanted, though the heads of the station wanted us to play at least one song off of a CD in the station every hour. To be honest, most of the stuff was shite. And it was hard-rock stuff that I didn't really like anyway. But then I found this CD sitting on the shelf. Someone had scribbled "Rufus is a tit man" across the cover (I was not aware of the Loudon Wainwright song so I just thought it was weird). I wish I could remember what the first song was I heard from the album, but I instantly fell in love with Rufus' style, voice, and songwriting. It made me a little less afraid of that shelf of new music.
Kid A (2000) - Radiohead - I knew of Radiohead but never really listened to them until Howie Day started covering 'Idioteque' during his shows. Then I met AD and I think he told me it was a Radiohead song. Kid A is like nothing else in my collection. But it was the CD that made me realize I could listen to music that was "different". Thom Yorke's vocals are nothing like Rufus or Sting. It opened my mind up to a whole different kind of sound. It's funny, many point to Ok Computer as their best album, but for me Kid A is number one (though In Rainbows is pretty freakin awesome).
Continuum (2006) - John Mayer - I was worried after 'Heavier Things' that the John Mayer I had seen in concert so many times before was no more, that the pop-machine had eaten him up. But then Continuum came out, and the blues/jazz player that blew my mind on stage reappeared. I don't know if he'll ever be able to top this album. The lyrics, the guitar work - I remember putting this CD on and thinking it would be the last straw and just feeling so elated that, not only did it not suck, it was a solid album through and through. (too bad his most recent album was a total dud...yeah yeah it's so rough being a rock star...NEXT CD PLEASE!)
Garden State (2004) - Various Artists - THANK YOU ZACH BRAFF! Really, this great mix CD from Zach, which also happened to be the soundtrack to his movie, really did change my life. I think I had it in the CD player for all of 2004. My introduction to Imogen Heap (Frou Frou - Let Go), the two Shins songs that I like, Remy Zero, Nick Drake, and Simon & Garfunkel!!!! The album had everything and then some. If I had to pick an album that defined my young adult life my last year of college, this would probably be it.
Speak for Yourself (2005) - Imogen Heap - One of the best impulse purchases of my life. After hearing her sing on the Garden State soundtrack, I wanted more and this album had just been released. We were in "Tunes", a used record store in Medford NJ and I saw the CD there and just wanted it. There is no one like Immogen. Her voice, her ability to create her own music on stage with loops and other tricks (and I feel so foolish thinking Howie was so amazing, Immi blows him away). And her lyrics are just as strong. And, again, it was an addition to my music shelf that was so different from anything else I had at the time (which was mostly acoustic guitars). And seeing her live was just so amazing. She is one awesome lady.
Antidote (2003) - Rockwell Church - I wish these guys were still touring around and writing songs. But this album is important to me for more reasons than just the music, even though it is one of their strongest albums. But, really, it's on the list because the guys invited us to New York when they were recording it and we got to hang out with them on a cold December night. AD took photos of them around the city and we hoped they would be part of the album. We even get a mention in the CD booklet. :)
Once More With Feeling (2001) - Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - It's one of the few albums that I ALWAYS loaded onto my iPod, even back when I only had the Nano and space was limited. I love every single song. And, it's odd, but I knew I wasn't happy in my current job at the radio station when I used to sing along to "Going Through the Motions" and end up in tears in my car. And we won't even mention the happy memories I have of singing along to this episode with friends and strangers...that's a whole other post. :)
andy_wolverton posted about 15 albums that were important to him. He asked what albums would be on my list. Sadly, it was really hard to think in terms of albums anymore - I'm so used to just hitting shuffle on my iPod while I'm in the car, and that's where I listen to the most music nowadays. But I wracked my brain and came up with a list:In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (1982) - Various Artists - this was probably one of the first albums I heard and listened to as a child, even though I didn't actually own a copy. My mom's friend, Robyn, made me a mix tape. Side A was In Harmony, side B was a random mix of everything from Ally-Oop, Magic Bus, and the Rice Krispies jingle. All of the songs still stick with me - just last week when I was getting ready to go home and go to bed, the Pajamas song popped into my head!
Out of the Blue (1987) - Debbie Gibson - oh we were all young and foolish once! Every generation has a pop singer that makes adults throw up in their mouths a little but kids bop around. Debbie was my first pop-star. I wore that cassette tape out. She was 80s bubblegum which is what my kidself would have enjoyed. I doubt I will ever listen to any of her stuff again; while some childhood things survive adulthood, others do not age so well. I'm pretty sure Out of the Blue would fall into that category.
Off the Deep End (1992) - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Definitely one of Al's best albums, even the songs that are not straight-up parodies are good on this one. Being my usual geek/anti-mainstream self, there were a lot of songs parodied on this album that I never heard the original version of until much MUCH later (like, Rock Band later). Al may not make one cool, but you can make a LOT more friends listening to him.
Ten Summoner's Tales (1993) - Sting - it's hard to deny the influence my Mom has had on my listening habits. She was always a big Sting fan and I grew up listening to Dream of Blue Turtles and listening to her explain the meanings behind the songs. To this day, I prefer to listen to singer/songwriters and Sting is one of the best. This album is his strongest ever, each songs so beautiful and different. But, strip away the riffs and the melodies you are still left with some amazing poetry. One of my favorite albums of all time.
Star Wars: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1977; 1997 reissue) - The music of John Williams played a major part of my childhood. Joining band felt cool because it was a band, an orchestra that created the soundtrack. In it's simplest form, listening to these soundtracks taught me some basid music language - the idea of a theme and how it could be weaved into other bits of the song...I'm pretty sure you could put this CD into the player and I would be able to identify what part of the movie the music was from.
A Hard Day's Night (1964) - The Beatles - You knew the Fab Four would have to make an appearance! Believe me, deciding on a single album was difficult, but in the end, I think HDN is my favorite. I know that Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper are big steps forward for them musically, but this album, made up of all Lennon/McCartney tunes, would be my top listen. 'If I Fell' is my favorite Beatles song of all time.
Eternal Nightcap (1997) - The Whitlams - The summer before my senior year of high school, I took a trip to Australia with the People to People tour group. Just getting into modern music after my 3-year Beatles only diet, I went into one of the local record stores around Sydney and asked them for a really good Australian band. The guy handed me this CD. I remember listening to it on the ferry and then letting my friend listen to one of the tracks. She looked at me weird and said "I didn't think you liked music like this". I never quite understood what she meant, except that it was not Beatles haha. I love that you can still hear Tim Freedman's Aussie accent buried in the vocals. I love that there is a Bob Dylan cover on here (one of the first Dylan songs I ever heard!). I love the line in "Up Against the Wall" when he sings "She was one in a million, yeah, so there's 5 more just in New South Wales" "There's a show on the television now, a man in the jungle with monkeys - he's saying we've come so far. Well, it's news to me: I better go and evolve now".
Australia (2000) - Howie Day - Howie owned a good portion of my second year of college. I saw him play all kinds of little clubs in the PA/MD/VA area. He was my first "little guy" who had no label and just a smattering of fans. He recognized me at shows, even bought us ice cream and pizza once haha. Too bad he turned out to be kind of a dick :( But anyway, at the time, it was very exciting to buy a CD from the artist and have him sign it and listen to the songs I had heard on stage for a year redone in the studio. Yet at the same time, it was sort of that moment when you realize how some things are better live...
Poses (2001) - Rufus Wainwright - This CD was a happy discovery while working at the college radio station. It was "freeform", meaning we could play whatever we wanted, though the heads of the station wanted us to play at least one song off of a CD in the station every hour. To be honest, most of the stuff was shite. And it was hard-rock stuff that I didn't really like anyway. But then I found this CD sitting on the shelf. Someone had scribbled "Rufus is a tit man" across the cover (I was not aware of the Loudon Wainwright song so I just thought it was weird). I wish I could remember what the first song was I heard from the album, but I instantly fell in love with Rufus' style, voice, and songwriting. It made me a little less afraid of that shelf of new music.
Kid A (2000) - Radiohead - I knew of Radiohead but never really listened to them until Howie Day started covering 'Idioteque' during his shows. Then I met AD and I think he told me it was a Radiohead song. Kid A is like nothing else in my collection. But it was the CD that made me realize I could listen to music that was "different". Thom Yorke's vocals are nothing like Rufus or Sting. It opened my mind up to a whole different kind of sound. It's funny, many point to Ok Computer as their best album, but for me Kid A is number one (though In Rainbows is pretty freakin awesome).
Continuum (2006) - John Mayer - I was worried after 'Heavier Things' that the John Mayer I had seen in concert so many times before was no more, that the pop-machine had eaten him up. But then Continuum came out, and the blues/jazz player that blew my mind on stage reappeared. I don't know if he'll ever be able to top this album. The lyrics, the guitar work - I remember putting this CD on and thinking it would be the last straw and just feeling so elated that, not only did it not suck, it was a solid album through and through. (too bad his most recent album was a total dud...yeah yeah it's so rough being a rock star...NEXT CD PLEASE!)
Garden State (2004) - Various Artists - THANK YOU ZACH BRAFF! Really, this great mix CD from Zach, which also happened to be the soundtrack to his movie, really did change my life. I think I had it in the CD player for all of 2004. My introduction to Imogen Heap (Frou Frou - Let Go), the two Shins songs that I like, Remy Zero, Nick Drake, and Simon & Garfunkel!!!! The album had everything and then some. If I had to pick an album that defined my young adult life my last year of college, this would probably be it.
Speak for Yourself (2005) - Imogen Heap - One of the best impulse purchases of my life. After hearing her sing on the Garden State soundtrack, I wanted more and this album had just been released. We were in "Tunes", a used record store in Medford NJ and I saw the CD there and just wanted it. There is no one like Immogen. Her voice, her ability to create her own music on stage with loops and other tricks (and I feel so foolish thinking Howie was so amazing, Immi blows him away). And her lyrics are just as strong. And, again, it was an addition to my music shelf that was so different from anything else I had at the time (which was mostly acoustic guitars). And seeing her live was just so amazing. She is one awesome lady.
Antidote (2003) - Rockwell Church - I wish these guys were still touring around and writing songs. But this album is important to me for more reasons than just the music, even though it is one of their strongest albums. But, really, it's on the list because the guys invited us to New York when they were recording it and we got to hang out with them on a cold December night. AD took photos of them around the city and we hoped they would be part of the album. We even get a mention in the CD booklet. :)
Once More With Feeling (2001) - Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - It's one of the few albums that I ALWAYS loaded onto my iPod, even back when I only had the Nano and space was limited. I love every single song. And, it's odd, but I knew I wasn't happy in my current job at the radio station when I used to sing along to "Going Through the Motions" and end up in tears in my car. And we won't even mention the happy memories I have of singing along to this episode with friends and strangers...that's a whole other post. :)
