OT: Top Five Most Influential Music Albums/CD´s of Yo

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:15 pm

While we are on a favorites kick, I would be very interested in reading everyones choices for their most influential albums or CD´s in their life. The list definitely does not mean your absolute favorites, just most influential (it could even be somethaing that you hated and then went on to change you musical outlook)...
 
 1. Frank Zappa: Joes Garage and/or You Can´t Do That Onstage Anymore Vol.1 - Got these at the same time and WOW !!! I never knew music could be like that. Complicated, intense, funny, interesting, melodic, different, beautiful, crass, daring, diverse...and all at the same time !!! Not to mention the incredible musicianship. Change my whole outlook on music and song writing (I am a musician myself).
 
 
 2. Barenaked Ladies: Gordon - This was their first CD and I picked it up as a promo from the record store I worked at. The cover had a bunch of REALLY goofey looking guys on it and I had no idea what to expect. What I got was very surprising. Unfortunately, like many great bands, they took a serious nose dive after this album. But as far as great song writting, fun music and just overall uniqueness, this one really grabbed me and my buddies. We were addicted to it for an entier summer. If you are not too jaded by their later stuff and have never heard their first CD, give it a try. I recently burned it for a friend who can´t stand them (from their more recent stuff) and he loves it.
 
 3. Kiss: Alive 1 - I was a weird kid (shock, I know) but I was REALLY into Kiss when I was in kindergarten. I was obsessed. I think it was actually when I was turning 6, I knew I was getting Kiss Alive 1 for my birthday and I couldn´t sleep at all in anticipation. I woke my parents up at like 6:00am and made them let me open it. I sat and listened to it on headphones for about 3 hours. I was hooked !!!
 
 
 4. Rolling Stones: Still Life - This was the live album from the Tattoo You tour. I remember staying up really late cause they were playing songs from it on the radio throught the night before it was released. I then went and bought it the second the record store opened. I was a huge Stones fan, and was completely turned upside down from the cable TV showing of their Hampton ´81 show which my whole family went over to our familly friends house to watch on their ´big screen´ TV. That concert is what made me first ´get it´ with Rock & Roll. I was totally insane with Mick and Keith. ´Still Life´ was bascially the album from that concert (same tour) and I was totally freaked out over it.
 
 5. Ween: Pure Gauva - This album is very interesting. This was one of the first CD´s that made me realize that music did not have to be ´hi-fi´ sounding or slickly produced to be great. This entire album is recorded on a home 4-track and is totally lo-fi. But it is great. I really admire the two guys in Ween. There really great songwriters
 and have such a unique style. Creative is about the best word I have for them. They also really infulenced my song writting approach (although you probably would not hear it in my music). Very underated band and song writers.
 
 
 While there are a ton of other ablums that really grabbed me throughout my life, these are the ones that stand out for me right now.
 
 Who else has some ???
 
 
 
 
 [ This message was edited by: Spooky on 12-12-2003 14:18 ]

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 6:38 pm

These aren´t necessarily the best albums I´ve ever heard, but they´re the ones that have been the most influential because they turned me on to certain genres:
 
 The Doors -- "Greatest Hits"
 The first true rock record I owned, as a freshman in high school in 1979. My rock journey launched with this record.
 
 Crystal Method -- "Vegas"
 I thought all techno, trance and the like was "Saturday Night Fever" until I heard Crystal Meth for the first time in 1998. Now I listen to a ton of different techno, house, trance, etc.
 
 Son Volt -- "Trace"
 Much like "Vegas," "Trace" caused me to plunge head-first into alt-country, Americana, whatever the hell you want to call it when I first heard it in the mid-90s. This record proved to me that smart, intelligent songs about real topics -- not some Nashville cliche -- could be done while still maintaining some country sensibilities.
 
 Miles Davis -- "Kind of Blue"
 I never really understood jazz much until I first heard "Kind of Blue" for the first time about five or six years ago. Then it all clicked, and I listen to a shitload of classic jazz now. This record is a true masterpiece of music. It is the Ten Commandments of jazz, if you ask me.
 
 Sex Pistols -- "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here´s the Sex Pistols"
 Still the definitive album of my life. I never heard music so raw, so powerful, so direct, so stripped before I first heard "Bollocks" in the late 80s. I know it´s tame by punk and hardcore standards now, but it´s still an incredible album, especially when you consider the glam rock and disco context of the era when it was released.
 
 I´m sure there are more, but these are the records that are on the tip of my head now as real ground-breakers for me.
 
 Take care,
 PK [ This message was edited by: pk500 on 12-12-2003 14:41 ]

bayousooner · Post by **bayousooner** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:00 pm

The Cure - Standing on the Beach.
 This greatest hits album came out when I turned 21 and it changed my music taste forever.
 
 The Sex Pistols Pistols - Never Mind the Bullocks.
 Before this I though heavy metal music was edgy
 
 BT - Movement in Still Life
 This album changed my music taste again and I have not turned back
 
 Any 2 other albums I would pick, would be as a result of one of the above.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:16 pm

Good topic, Spooky. My five:
 
 1) Rush--Moving Pictures: Rush has been the soundtrack to my life. Not in a "their music changed the way I look at the world" way. Just that I have been a Rush fan for 2/3 of my life, and a lot of their music reminds me of different moments from my life. This was the one that started it all in 1981.
 
 2) The Clash -- The Story of the Clash: I had already gotten into the Ramones and Sex Pistols, but this was the album that really got me into old punk. It changed what I expected from music.
 
 3) The Cure -- Standing on a Beach: My story is similar to bayou´s. I was a big metalhead in high school. I hated anything that didn´t have a fast guitar solo in it. Then I listened to this. Completely changed my listening patterns.
 
 4) (Tie) Pavement -- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain / Guided by Voices -- Under the Bushes Under the Stars: The two albums that got me to realize there´s a treasure trove of music that never makes it´s way to a major label. And that great pop music wasn´t dead. These two completely influenced my music purchases for the last 8 years.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:35 pm

In chronological order:
 
 1. Kiss: Double Platinum – the first album I ever bought with my own money.
 
 2. U2: War – U2 has been my favorite band since the first time I heard the Edge play guitar.
 
 3. Run-DMC: Run-DMC: - introducing rap to white boys like me. A classic.
 
 4. U2: Achtung Baby – my all-time favorite album, but I didn’t really like it at first because I couldn’t appreciate the layers of guitars and simple yet brilliant lyrics.
 
 5. Nirvana: Nevermind - responsible for ending the careers of hundreds of hair bands. [ This message was edited by: Leebo33 on 12-12-2003 19:53 ]

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:39 pm

Pink Floyd-The Wall This was the first album I ever bought. I use to put on the huge foam headfoams, the ones that encompass your whole ear, and listen to this in the dark. It would scare the s*** out of me, and I loved it!
 
 Led Zeppelin-Physical Grafitti I first listened to this in High School and I was hooked for life. Still my favorite group.
 
 Nirvana-Nevermind Although I liked In Utero much more, this came along when my life was very unstable and sometimes staying in your room, listening to angst can help you get through some things.
 
 Pretty mainstream, but these albums molded the music that I listen to today.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:40 pm

1. SuperChunk
 
 Foolish.
 
 
 
 2. The Church
 
 Starfish.
 
 3. U2
 
 War
 
 4. Guded by Voices
 
 Bee Thousand
 
 5. REM
 
 Eponymous

GROGtheNailer · Post by **GROGtheNailer** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:46 pm

1. Blue Oyster Cult (Fire of Unknown origin)
 
 2. Pink Floyd The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon( Comfortably Numb and Time are some of the best lyrics ever)
 
 3. The Cars ( loved them back in the day...still do)
 
 4. Nirvanna: Nevermind
 
 
 A friend just turned me on to The Dandy Warhols which i´m digging right now and before that i have been really listening to The White Stripes

BBReBozo · Post by **BBReBozo** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 7:47 pm

Glad to see I´m not the only one who will list a Rush album.
 
 As this is top five "influential", I consider this to mean the albums that affected me as a musician (I play bass) and not necessarily my favorite albums of all time. And away we go:
 
 1. Rush - Hold Your Fire
 I was late to the whole Rush party and didn´t get into them until about 1987 or 88, right about the time this CD came out. This was my introduction to the band (besides the songs everyone had heard -- Tom Sawyer, Limelight, etc.) and I was struck by its sound quality and epic scale. The first time I heard the guitar line to "Open Secrets" I couldn´t believe how HUGe and open it sounded. To this day it still gives me chills.
 
 And Geddy was really trying to push the boundaries of rock bass on this CD -- playing with a fury and intensity that he has rarely matched. This CD was my BIBLE for years when it came to playing bass and I cut my teeth figuring out a lot of Geddy´s lines here. I still listen to it (and it´s late-80s production values) with fondness.
 
 2. Stuart Hamm -- Radio Free Albemuth
 A monster of a bass player´s debut album. In the late 80s, if you were a bass player, you knew who Stu Hamm was and you did your best to track down this CD. Astonishing skill and musicianship really pushed the limit of what it meant to play bass. And a great title for the album, borrowed from the Philip K. Dick book.
 
 3. Tim O´Brien and the O´Boys - Oh Boy! O´Boy!
 This CD introduced me to Tim O´Brien´s extraordinary singing voice and musicianship and, more importantly, bluegrass in general. I don´t think the CD has aged well upon recent listenings but luckily O´Brien has certainly matured as a songwriter and his playing and singing is better than ever. This CD made me realize that there were other forms of music out there to try and play -- rather than rock and jazz; and that so-called "simple" music was not simple at all. Really opened my eyes.
 
 4. Jazz From Hell - Frank Zappa
 I still listen to "While You Were Art ll" in astonishment, not to mention "Beltway Bandits" and "G-Spot Tornado." This was so completely different from anything I´ve heard, even in the context of the Zappa "genre", that it blew my head apart. A landmark, underappreciated achievment.
 
 5. XTC - Oranges & Lemons
 Now THIS CD would definitely make my Top Ten CDs of all time. Redefined pop music in the late 80s for me and, much like Tim O´Brien did with bluegrass a few years later, taught me that pop music didn´t have to be dumb.
 
 
 [ This message was edited by: BBReBozo on 12-12-2003 15:48 ] [ This message was edited by: BBReBozo on 12-12-2003 15:49 ]

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:02 pm

1. Slave: Slave- Steve Arrington and the fellas had me tapping my toes big time as a teenager in Detroit. They were out of Dayton Ohio,and they brought the funk! "Slide" was my skating rink song. There were so many great funk bands during that period. Brick,Brothers Johnson,Bootsy Collins,Parliaments....Damn that was some serious rump shaking music. Rappers today sample that music on almost every hook. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_mad.gif">
 
 2. Bob Marley: Everything! The king of reggae. I still get my head right with Bob<IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
 
 
 
 3. Grand Funk Railroad: Caught in The Act-Yep Grand Funk! They were the first white group I ever bought an album from."Closer To Home," "The Loco Motion," "Foot Stompin´ Music," "Rock ´N Roll Soul," "Black Licorice" and of course, "We´re An American Band." The boys from Flint were fun to listen to. They opened a whole new rock world up to this brother. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif">
 
 4. Jimi Hendrix: The Best Of- After getting turned on to "Rock" Thanks to Grand Funk,I was interested in something a little more hardcore. Well Jimi gave me that! He was dead but I was amazed that a brother could crossover and kick ass in the Rock world. "All Along The Watchtower" is still one of my favorite tunes.
 Hey Joe,Third Stone From The Sun,Fire,1983...Hell you get my point. Awsome album! What a talent,Jimi would be 62 today.Hard to believe.
 
 
 The last two albums opened me up to so many good bands. Music diversity was a real good thing for me in the 70´s. I thank my parents for making sure I heard everything that music had to offer.
 
 [ This message was edited by: JackDog on 12-12-2003 22:01 ]

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 8:26 pm

Pavement: Terror Twilight - This album is my personal Prozac.
 
 Rush: Hemispheres - Whattup, prog rock!? I learned to play bass listening to Geddy Lee, and this is my absolute favorite Rush album. Intricate, anthemic, and full of bullshit sci-fi lyrics. Permanent Waves would be a close second.
 
 Elvis Costello: Get Happy - It´s hard to pick one EC album to champion above all others, but for now I´ll pick this one, especially the release with the bonus tracks. Hoover Factory was too good a song not to see the light of day.
 
 Yes: Close to the Edge - Furthering my appreciation for twenty-minute long songs and men with abnormally high voices.
 
 Michael Penn: March - I have to include this not only because I love the way he constructs his songs, and not just because he sang clearly enough that I was able to glean all the lyrics without use of a lyrics sheet, but primarily because this was the first "modern" album I bought when I was a kid where I though every single song was good, instead of just one or two.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:14 pm

Top thread fellas..so here´s mine
 
 1. Kraftwerk - Autobahn
 
 I was 9 yrs old, watching a program called ´Tomorrow´s World´, and up popped these 4 German blokes in suits bashing round metal pads with sticks. That started me off on music..and I still love this album, almost 30yrs later. Going to see them again in March, and I can´t wait.
 
 2. Brian Eno - Apollo
 
 Bought this about 1984, on spec because it was on sale and I´d heard some other Eno stuff. This was what the soundtrack to the Apollo missions should have been, rather than that bombastic ELP s***. Contemplative but not background music, and I´m having one track (Ascent) on my funeral listing..
 
 3. Pixies - Surfer Rosa/Doolittle
 
 I´d spent most of the 80´s completely ignoring rock, and listening to these really got me back into it. Still annoys me that the cash and the kudos that should have been theirs went to junkie boy Cobain and the tedious Nirvana, who I also hold responsible for the emetic that is Foo Fighters.
 
 4. Stone Roses - 1st album
 
 For a brief period in 89/90, Manchester was one of the coolest cities on the planet. I was 22, just back from uni and loving every minute of it. From the period before your E´s came with free added horse tranquiliser..
 
 5a. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
 
 Could be any Waits, really. Must be one of the few artists with a long discography and no stiffs in in, unlike say the ever-lauded Neil Young. Every time I listen to this I hear something different, and it moves effortlessly from the experimental to the simple and moving. Just like all of his albums, really.
 
 5b - David Byrne & Brian Eno - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
 
 First heard this as the theme music to Channel 4´s NFL coverage, which is a bit bizarre, as the track in question (The Jezebal Spirit), uses samples of an actual exorcism. The first album to use significant amounts of sampling (it was released in 1979), it is still genuinely disturbing.
 
 So, lots of weird/experimental stuff in there. Must be the climate...
 
 PS - PK, if you like your techno now, try some Boards of Canada..

TheMightyPuck · Post by **TheMightyPuck** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 9:17 pm

Damn this is tough.
 
 Velvet Underground and Nico
 Rolling Stones Hot Rocks
 Elvis Presley Greatest Hits
 Never Mind the Bollocks...
 Led Zeppelin IV

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Dec 12, 2003 11:04 pm

"4. Stone Roses - 1st album"
 
 agreed.

J_Cauthen · Post by **J_Cauthen** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 9:04 am

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2003-12-12 16:26, Slumberland wrote:
 
 Yes: Close to the Edge - Furthering my appreciation for twenty-minute long songs and men with abnormally high voices.
 
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 I don´t believe it - another Yes fan! Close to the Edge remains my all time favorite album. I still listen to it at least once a month. It was light years ahead of its time, and quite frankly, it still is. I head something new everytime I hear Close to the Edge!
 
 My other 4 choices would be:
 
 Days of Future Passed - Moody Blues. 37 years old and gets played now by my own teenage kids... it´s also my 16 year old daughter´s favorite.
 
 Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd. What a production masterpiece. Mellow Floyd is the best Floyd, IMO.
 
 Hearts - America. Pure folkish pop but very listeneable and enduring.
 
 Something/Anything - Todd Rundgren. What a variety of tunes there were on this double album set. It was a brilliant production for the most part and showed the range of Todd´s songwriting, playing, and vocal talents.

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 10:23 am

"Interesting thread that tells as much about the posters than the bands making the music."
 
 
 sf_z it really does. What a list of some great music.
 
 Zappa,Kiss,The Doors,Blue Oyster Cult,Rush,Yes,Kraftwerk,Miles Davis...................DSP members have great taste!!
 
 The music listed in these threads makes me want to call K-Tel and have them do a DSP best of CD.<IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 10:58 am

Jack, you are quite right.
 
 The best indicator is that I looked through everyone´s list, and had at least 1 of the 5 they posted.
 
 Apart from yours.. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 11:22 am

Don´t laugh....
 
 Poco - Legend
 
 Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
 
 Rolling Stones - Made In the Shade
 
 Jimmy Buffett - A1A
 
 Boston - Boston
 
 I had everyone of these on vinyl and now have all of them on cd. I´ve listened to these a million times and never get tired of them. Even now when I listen to them, they still take me back to that important time in my life.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:05 pm

Twisted Sister - (The one with "I wanna rock" on it. ) This album got me started down the road to a lifelong love affair with heavy metal, and made we want to play the guitar, which I did in a band for a few years. While I cannot stand this album anymore, my love affair with Heavy Metal still goes on.
 
 Tragically Hip - Up To Here: I grew up in Kingston, Ontario so I knew of this band in their very early days. I still think Up To Here is their best album, and it was a staple in college. I don´t like alot of the new Tragically Hip. Haven´t really enjoyed a full album of theirs since "Road Apples". However... what a show to see live! Amazing. "New Orleans is Sinking" is one of the first songs I learned on the guitar.
 
 Pearl Jam - 10: Holy crap. When I heard this I could not believe it. Simply amazing. Played constantly at college, and some of the first songs my band ever played were off this album.
 
 Nirvana - Nevermind
 
 Alice In Chains - Facelift
 
 Iron Maiden - Number of The Beast and Powerslave
 
 Metallica - Master of Puppets: I learned to play Hetfield´s part of almost every song on this album, and the band I was in played Orion, Sanitarium, and Master of Puppets regularly in our practice sessions.
 
 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon: This (along with Wish You Were Here) really demonstrate how well David Gilmour can work the guitar, getting so much emotion out of it, without just resorting to playing fast. His solos aren´t that hard to play, but they are very very emotional and original.
 
 U2 - Boy
 
 Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine. Loved it when it came out, still love it today.
 
 Van Halen - 1984
 
 Rush - 2112
 
 Unit 187 - Loaded
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 [ This message was edited by: James_E on 13-12-2003 08:07 ]

laurenskye · Post by **laurenskye** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:21 pm

It would be easier to put drummers who influenced me (me being a drummer and all)but I´ll try.
 
 in no real order...
 
 1. Rush-Moving Pictures
 canada gave us hockey and Rush, thank you. If you were a drummer back in the day this cassette was never removed from your Trans Am tape deck.
 
 2. Frank Zappa-Sheik Yerbouti
 I love Terri Bozzio´s stuff from Frank to Missing Persons (the Black Page is awsome) but this album really shines, and funny as hell.
 
 3. Dream Theater-Images and Words
 During the progressive metal stage in my life (doesn´t everyone go through that <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_biggrin.gif"> ). Jaw dropping musicianship and "how the hell does he do that" drumming by Mike Portnoy.
 
 4. Led Zeppelin-iv
 Holy s***! Nuff said
 
 5. Mahivishnu Orchestra-Inner Mountain Flame
 When John McLaughlin hooked up with Billy Cobham they took the whole Jazz/Fusion thing to a new level (along with Cobham´s Spectrum). The greatest Fusion band ever.
 
 Not nearly enough room for all, but that is some.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:34 pm

Alice in Chains - Dirt
 Alice in Chains - Jar Of Flies
 Van Halen - 5150
 Van Halen - F.U.C.K
 A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms
 Incubus - Make Yourself
 
 Tim

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 12:52 pm

Time for the techno-music geek´s list..
 
 BT - ESCM. Never forget the first time I listened to BT. I remember I had just come back from my friend´s house and I was in a real shitty mood, so I decided to pop it in and listen to it in bed to fall asleep to. 70 minutes later I was still up and blown away. Forever changed my perspective on what ´techno´ music could sound like.
 
 Portishead - Dummy. Some of the most emotionally expressive music you´ll ever hear IMO.
 
 Daft Punk - Homework. Before this I wasn´t really into straight dance music, as I needed more rock sounding stuff with vocals, but the house beats on this CD were just so damn catchy.
 
 Orbital - 2. Great album, nuff said.
 
 Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy. His sweet bass grooves and killer drum and bass lines opened me up to a whole new genre, but I still think this album tops anything by Aphex Twin or his ilk.
 
 Honorable mentions.
 Avalanches - Since I Left You
 DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
 Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
 God Lives Underwater - Empty
 Aphex Twin - Richard D. James

lessthanme · Post by **lessthanme** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:47 pm

R.E.M.-Automatic for the People: One of my first CD´s. Still love it
 No Doubt-Tragic Kingdom: Another early CD that veered me toward the punk/ska/indie style music and away from mainstream pop, even though the singles were considered quite poppy.
 Weezer-Pinkerton: Such a lovely teen-angst album. Listened to it tons in the 16-17 years.
 The Velvet Teen-Plus, Minus, Equals: Just strikes a chord, one of those albums that certain situations trigger lyrics from.
 The Cure-Boys Don´t Cry/Singles Collection: Combination of these two helped me discover some of what the 70´s and 80´s had to offer
 Atmosphere-Lucy Ford EP´s: Another CD that just strikes a chord. Maybe it has something to do with living in Minnesota.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 5:32 pm

Closely construing the title, these are the most influential to me as a music lover, not necessarily my favorite 5.
 
 1. Led Zeppelin IV
 
 Just a towering moment in rock, and one of the first records which just blew me away on first listen. It´s a source of neverending intruige to me how one of the biggest, most hyped and most popular bands of all time remains underappreciated in many respects.
 
 2. Purple Rain, Prince
 
 The first time around, while almost everyone my age group was digging the whole Prince as superstar thing, I was basically indifferent. But about a decade later I rediscovered this record. It´s nowhere near his best, but its eclecticism and creativity compelled me to investigate his amazing back catalog and become an unabashed Prince maniac. He is definitely an egomaniac and his late work is erratic, but no other single artist has brought me more delight.
 
 3. King of the Delta Blues, Robert Johnson
 
 Like most people who discovery Johnson´s music, I was led to him by name-checking superstars like Clapton, Zeppelin and the Stones. I listened to this record regularly for a year, wondering how the scratchy recordings and bizarre songs could be the catalyst for these giants referring to Robert Johnson as a genius. Then, after about a year, it all clicked.
 
 Epiphany day was on a long road trip, and for some reason the 75th listen to "Terraplane Blues" was worlds removed from the first 74. "Getting it" wasn´t an intellectual exercise, but some sort of aesthetic and emotional earthquake. Once I´d had it, the whole rich world of pre-war rural music was mine for the appreciating.
 
 4. Live at Storyville, Charlie Parker
 
 Nowhere near Bird´s best, but the first Bird I ever bought. Listening to it today can still take me back to the day I got it at Record Service in Champaign, Illinois. The vitality and power of Bird´s playing on this radio broadcast alerted me to the fact that jazz DEFINITELY had something to offer me, and wasn´t just an itimidating labyrinth of musical and intellectual snobbery.
 
 5. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
 
 My favorite album of all time and one which has taught me so much. White boy blues can be as compelling as any "authentic" blues. Rock can be art without draping itself in pretense and haughtiness. So many more.
 
 There are more honorable runners up than I can mention, but a few of these were almost impossible to leave off:
 
 Follow the Leader, Eric B. & Rakim
 
 One Day It Will All Make Sense, Common
 
 Muddy Waters Greatest Hits
 
 The Wall, Pink Floyd
 
 Neck and Neck, Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler
 
 Mozart´s Jupiter Symphony, Bruno Walter
 
 Live at Newport, Duke Ellington
 
 In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Neutral Milk
 Hotel
 
 Ray Charles´ Greatest Hits
 
 Best of Little Walter
 
 Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen
 
 Things Fall Apart, The Roots
 
 Enter the 36 Chambers, Wu-Tang Clan