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The Top 6 Albums That Have Changed Your Life ♥
in I Want... Music!25 Apr 2010 | 11 Comments
Every now and then I go to write about a list of albums that I believe that everyone simply must hear/own, but inevitably stop and freak out because a) there are so many albums in the world, and how could I POSSIBLY narrow it down to a select few?! (Really, how could I, without creating the world’s biggest blog post ever?!); b) I keep discovering new music that I fall in love with ALL THE TIME, and therefore feel it would be unfair to all of the other albums out there that my ears haven’t even met yet to create a list of essentials; and c) everyone has their own opinion about what constitutes as an excellent musical experience, and I kind of don’t want to have to receive any ‘’HOW DARE YOU FORGET TO MENTION BILLY RAY CYRUS’S SOME GAVE ALL?!’’-esque e-mails because of this. Eek!
But! This isn’t to say that we can’t discuss the albums that have changed, shaped or improved our lives now in some way now, is it? No! So! Here are the top six albums that have significantly made a difference to my life in one way or another over the years, and I would love to hear about yours!
1. The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Oh, Ringo, Paul, John and George. This album of yours is the first that I can ever remember hearing and as a result, I can still rattle off almost all of the words to Octopus’s Garden! (Which I’m REALLY hoping will prove useful in a trivia competition or something one day, but so far? No dice!)
2. The Ramones - Ramones
Trailing closely behind The Beatles’s Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in the 'Albums I Was Raised On' department, The Ramones’ self-titled debut was on high rotation throughout my childhood and I’m 99.9% convinced that this is why I love rock music today! Which makes no sense as I list the next album (and yes, I know that The Ramones are technically a PUNK-rock band, but hey, who wants to get all genre-y and stuff?!), but anyway.. incongruity is FUN!
3. The Spice Girls - Spice
Sheesh, I can almost hear the deafening roar of laughter from here! Stop it! (But honestly?! Hush! I still listen to most of these songs!) Buying this album was ludicrously exciting not only because it featured Wannabe and 2 Become 1 and oh, did I love those songs, but because it was an actual CD, and NOT the cheaper option of a tape! HALLELUJAH! No more rewinding! No more feverishly sitting beside the radio and waiting to hear Wannabe and quickly pressing the ‘record’ button to capture it! Wonderful!
4. Silverchair - Neon Ballroom
Prior to owning this album, my stereo had been sitting in a dust-covered state of loneliness for years. The Spice Girls had long broken up, everything on the radio seemed boring and repetitive, and all of a sudden, the sheer thought of pop music left a surprisingly unpleasant taste in my mouth. And then I heard Anthem Of The Year 2000 and oh hello, all of a sudden, my stereo had a new friend to play with! (A lot.) I listened to this album endlessly and swooned over singer Daniel Johns just as regularly, and this was probably the moment where I first recognised that actually, there was a reason why I didn't love The Backstreet Boys or 'NSYNC, but identified with my parents' collection of rock and roll so much more. (And that's because I adored pot pants. Okay, not really!)
5. Tool - Aenima
A boy at my high school introduced me to this album and I will always be forever grateful for this, because in addition to being one of my favourite albums of all time, it was also the inspiration behind my learning to play guitar, and the subject of one of the first conversations that my now-boyfriend-of-six-years and I ever shared! (The only person who possibly WASN'T so thrilled about this discovery was my mother, who after being initiated to these songs by hearing them thundering through the hallway at home 24/7, quickly became acquainted with the likes of Slipknot, Metallica, and Pantera, too, and made ''YOU'RE NOT PLAYING THOSE SCREAMING MEN AGAIN, ARE YOU?!'' her favourite line. Love!)
6. Queen - Greatest Hits 1,11 & 111
And finally, Queen's three-disc extravaganza, Greatest Hits 1,11 and 111. Where do I even begin to start by saying how much I love this album except for, well, I LOVE this album?! My boyfriend introduced me to Queen years ago and ever since then, as ridiculous as it sounds, they've sort of become like the musical equivalent of a blanket to me: extremely comforting. I listen to them when I'm sad, I listen to them when I'm happy, and I listen to them for no reason at all except for the fact that their unique, heavy-rock-infused-with-opera sound blows me away every single time.
♥
Tell me! Madonna's Like A Virgin? Justin Timberlake's Justified? Nirvana's Bleach? What are the albums that have changed YOUR life, and why?
xoxo
(Images thanks to The Album Artwork Archive and Wikipedia.)
Comments (11)
i think that to limit myself to 6 albums would be outrageous, but 6 major ones that are just amazing : cheshire cat and enema of the state blink 182, secured me as a punk kid from the beginning, ramones anthology-self explanatory, fall out boy take this to your grave, anything by led zeppelin, dire straits , far out corrine why get me talking about music!? i can never stop!!!
i bought wicked cds today :)
30 Apr 2010, emma loves corrine
Fab post idea, Corrine. I may just be a copycat and do one on my blog (crediting you, of course :D)
I think my top 6 would have the likes of The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Vampire Weekend, The Spice Girls, Stevie Nicks and possibly Regina Spektor :)
28 Apr 2010, Alex, http://stockingsneededmending.blogspot.com
1) bloodflowers, by the cure
i think this was the first cd i ever heard that really made me Notice music. i'd been aware of it before, but it was just in the background. this made me feel it.
2)traffic from paradise, by ricky lee jones
just...achingly beautiful. got me through the final year of school and a lot of really stressful, awful long walks between assignments - reminded me that there was wonder, i just had to get through hell first.
3) takk, by sigur ros
the first sigur ros album i bought, after seeing them quite by accident, accompanying an avant garde ballet performance i went to. i heard them play and realised that i Had to find out who they were. they take me somewhere else every time.
4) not albums, but 3 songs that are linked, and hold an incredibly precious place in my childhood:
Sweet Jane, by lou reed
Love and Affection, by joan armatrading
Sweet Jane (With Affection), by two nice girls
5) no nukes, various
another childhood album, something my brother and i love beyond words
6) solitude standing, suzanne vega
my favourite, favourite album as a small child, played frequently (on cassette tape!) on road trips; later it was the first vinyl record i ever bought. it's essentially poetry, which i love, but with beautiful music too...
i never got into the spice girls...it's so curious to see what people love, what makes them tick and change; music is fantastic, too, the way it's sometimes the pieces you least expect that effect you most vitally.
26 Apr 2010, n., http://designsonfragility.wordpress.com/
I adore you for including the Spice Girls. Honestly, I think that may be one of the most influential albums of my existence - I was obsessed!! :)
26 Apr 2010, Cafe Fashionista, http://cafefashionista.blogspot.com
Wow - these are really great picks!
I definitely love Queen too & The Beatles, they were so influential on anything that came after.
Mine would probably be Bloc Party's A Weekend In The City (I love the lyrical work on it!), Prince's Greatest Hits (my mother played Prince all of the time!) and Bon Jovi's Keep The Faith. I know about all of Bon Jovi's songs by heart :)
26 Apr 2010, Anisha, http://livelifedeeply.net
Holly-Rae - Ha, I LOVE that we both adore Tool and The Spice Girls! :D How awesome is that?!
Luana - Awww. 'Tragic Kingdom', 'Return Of Saturn', and Moby's album 'Play' are albums that I also grew up on and loved, too! :)
Julie - Oh %$^^, maybe it is! I'm not sure! I just always remember 'Octopus's Garden' and 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' being played, so I naturally (stupidly?!) assumed that they were on the same album, WHOOPS!
Vanessa - Of course! And ah, I LOVE 'Jagged Little Pill'! :D I still listen to those songs all the time.
Danielle - 'One' is SUCH a good song! And 'Girls, Girls, Girls' by Motley Crue is so brilliant, too! :D
Yay! I love all of these happy music memories!
26 Apr 2010, x Corrine/Frock & Roll x, www.frockandrollonline.com
This is very tough...but I will try my best.
1: Queensryche--Operation Mindcrime. This album tells a story throughout every single song and the rhythm and guitar riffs and Geoff Tate's melodic voice sends my heart into a flutter.
2: Metallica--...And Justice For All. This album has the war-driven song "One" on it and every day I would try and master the drum part. This album introduced me to my love of drums and influenced my learning of said instrument,
3: Sisters of Mercy--Floodland. Ahh the start of my goth life....
4: Bon Jovi--Slippery When Wet. I am from New Jersey and it is a requirement to have something of Bon Jovi in your life if you live in this state.
5: Motley Crue--Girls, Girls, Girls..This album started my 20 year crush on the man known as NIKKI SIXX. I remember before I was engaged that most of my boyfriends looked like him or had qualities of him, barring the drug use of course.
And for guilty pleasure I give you....
6: New Kids on the Block--Hangin' Tough. Okay I know I mention 5 hard rock/heavy metal albums and why am I bringing up a boy band? Easy--first CD bought on my own, first concert with my friends at the original Giants Stadium. All there is to it.
XOXO,
Danielle
itisajoiseywayofthinking.blogspot.com
26 Apr 2010, Danielle, itisajoiseywayofthinking.blogspot.com
Spice was my first album too! :> After this I would probably say Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette, Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt, and... hmmmmmm I'm not sure! Can I get back to you? :>
26 Apr 2010, Vanessa
Isn't Octopus's Garden from Abbey Road? I love Sgt. Pepper, my favourite song is With A Little Help From My Friends which I sing all the time.
Favourite albums: Abbey Road and A Hard Day's Night from The Beatles, Black Holes and Revelations and The Resistance from Muse, Fame and The Fame Monster from Lady Gaga aaaaand Lovedrunk from BoysLikeGirls.
My first CD was Christina Aguilera's debut album, I still have it and it still plays!
26 Apr 2010, Julie, http://juliettemaxwell.com
Wow this is a tough one! I agree on Spice Girls— for me it came at a time when I didn't know English yet, so I just made up the words. When I finally learnt what the lyrics said I was like WOW I had nooo idea this was about that! Hehe. Blink 182 Enema of the State, No Doubt (Tragic Kingdom AND Return of Saturn), Moby, Ayumi Hamasaki Rainbow...All of these bring back such good memories, I love them all!
25 Apr 2010, Luana, http://www.lemonlu.com/
I'm right there with you when it comes to Tool and Spice Girls. Spice was the first CD I ever owned (it was a Christmas present) and even now I find myself absent mindedly singing all the words.
Tool was introduced to me by my mum! I'm pretty sure that most people would be weirded out by singing along to Stinkfist at the top of your lungs with your mum but, who cares!
The other one which really changed me was Green Day's International Superhits. I was 11, it sent me down this path of mad, happy rock-ness ^_^
25 Apr 2010, Holly-Rae
