Don't confuse this with a "Favorite five albums" thread...This is about music that opened your ears, so to speak; music that forever changed the way you listen to music from then on.

Don't forget to give some sort of description as to WHY each album had such an impact!
(And by the way, yes, I directly ripped this idea off from the thread in the OiNK forums and am reposting my exact response)

In chronological order, the essential albums that lead to my current, most basic musical tastes:


Metallica - Ride the Lightning: basically the first music I got into by my own taste rather than adhering to the classic rock familiarity I inherited from my parents. I loved the fast, angry thrash sound, and it later got me into bands like Slayer, Exodus, Dark Angel, Megadeth, Testament, etc

Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains: something about AIC's dark twist on early '90s grunge really set the mood for my budding music tastes. This in conjunction with some of the above bands, particularly those like Dark Angel and Testament, was probably the iniquitous seed of my love for death and black metal. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, and the hoard of other grunge acts never really hit me like AIC could.

Tool - Ænima: Ah, Tool -- my first real obsession. Never before had I had the elements of hard rock I'd come to love...the progressive stylings of Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, et al....powerful, intelligent lyrics I could identify with and -- perhaps thanks to Maynard's cryptic nature -- find my own meaning in...all combined and conveyed with amazing musical genius and talent. This was around the time I was beginning to learn to play drums, and Danny Carey was my god.

Opeth - Still Life: My second cardinal obsession. Not only did they have that heavy, fast, death metal sound I had come love, but they were so progressive. One song would have me banging my head and wanting to break things at one moment, and the next have me floating in a sea of tranquility, all done seamlessly. I was blown away by both the technical and creative skill of the entire band, and within 2 days of having that first album I owned their other four (at the time).

Meshuggah - Destroy, Erase, Improve: My third, current, and longest addiction. Philosophic, trippy, impassioned, eloquent, arresting, and above all, awe-inspiring. The polyrhythmic, off time, and syncopated rhythm had me floored. Unlike today's "math metal," essentially the raping of rhythmic structure masquerading as music, these guys could write an entire album virtually never using common time or melody and have it flow and groove like the most solid jazz or funk I'd ever heard. I'd always been a fan of smoking some herb and listening to music, honestly who isn't...it was when I listened to this album high that I found some sort of new connection with music. Don't get me wrong, I'd always had the utmost appreciation of it from coming from a musical family and being a musician myself. But that night, laying on my bed between two massive speakers blasting this album, music became transcendental. It was really the first religious experience I'd ever had, and I've never looked back.

5/3/2007 5:04:48 PM

reminds me of this thread /message_topic.aspx?topic=446409

i'll be back to this one later though

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 5:13 PM. Reason : add to my topics]

5/3/2007 5:13:25 PM

ah yeah, also good thread. I'm hoping to get a little deeper with this one though, which is why EXPLANATIONS are especially important

5/3/2007 5:15:09 PM

Quote :

"i'll be back to this one later"

5/3/2007 5:24:12 PM

I'll go ahead and provide a more recent honorable mention...

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea: This album is making me realize all "indie" music doesn't annoy me. I like it a lot. Also getting into some post-rock, like Godspeed You! Black Emporer

5/3/2007 5:27:25 PM

^ That really should be in the top five, mister.

5/3/2007 5:31:44 PM

this is really hard...past loveless, i'm blanking

give me a week.

5/3/2007 5:33:19 PM

Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence: I remember picking this one up after reading Mike Portnoy's cover story in Modern Drummer magazine a few years ago. Around this time I was beginning to get tired with whatever music I was hearing on the radio/MTV, and these guys sounded like they were pretty interesting. Over the next few months after, I went obsessive and bought pretty much all of their albums.

King Crimson - The Power To Believe: I bought this disc a few years ago on a whim after reading so much about the band being one of the top progressive acts of all time. I remember popping it in the car on the drive home and being blown away. I thought to myself, "these are the guys that have been making music since 1969?!?!?" It was completely modern, with a fresh sound. As I delved more into their catalog, I realized just how varied their albums were. They constantly reinvented their sound, trying not to repeat themselves, while remaining true to themselves and the progressive mindset. One could argue that they are the only progressive rock band of the "main 6" (Yes, Genesis, KC, ELP, Jethro Tull, Rush) that stayed true their roots and never went "commercial" to make a quick buck.

Opeth - Blackwater park: Up until I heard this album, I could never get into any bands with growling/yelling/whatever. This album (and band) opened up my eyes to a whole world of music that I had previously avoided.

Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts: What an album. Completely different sounding than anything else I had previously listened to before. Just look at the lineup: with one drummer, an organ player that played bass pedals as well, a sax player that sometimes played 2 at once, and a vocalist that also played keyboards...well you can imagine that they'd be different sounding. Their leader, Peter Hammill has a voice unlike any other in the music business. He can go from peaceful celestial singing to growls, grunts, highly controlled screams, and everything else in between...within just a few lines. Many people compare him as the Jimi Hendrix of male vocalists, and I'd have to agree completely.

Robert Fripp - A Blessing Of Tears: Opened up my eyes to ambient music. I was just completely in awe with the sounds and textures that could be made with one man on guitar, looping and delaying his playing in real time, and creating this excellent compositions that have brought me to tears on a few occasions.

5/3/2007 5:34:34 PM

pantera - cowboys from hell the first "metal" album i ever purchased. i started comparing all cd's to it for a good while. i also couldn't get over dimebag's sound and his playing.

nirvana - nevermind is there really a need for explanation here?

nine inch nails - the downward spiral the first time i listened to it, i didn't care too much for it. listening to it on headphones totally changed my mind. the whole concept album thing sinks in and the album takes on a life of itself. i had no idea noise could make so much sense.

kmfdm - nihil - introduced me to the industrial scene at the time. up until this point (7th grade) i was dumb enough to think that only music that gets played on the radio is good.

ministry - the mind is a terrible thing to taste - i don't know how to describe it other than a sonic assault. the musical stylings aren't anything complex, but it is still one of the most brutal albums i've ever heard. it opened the door to bands like fear factory for me.

5/3/2007 5:44:53 PM

ok computer
mellon collie and the inifinite sadness (because it was the first decent album i actually liked)
kid a
matmos - a chance to cut is a chance to cure (the first real electronic album that i was really into)
wilco - yankee hotel foxtrox (for proving that american/folk/country-tinged music can mix with innovation)

but if i really wanted to get into what has shaped the way i hear music, a lot more "art" music would sneak in, such as charles ives' "unanswered question", steve reich's music, shostakovich's fifth symph and rachmoninoff's 2nd piano concerto.

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 6:24 PM. Reason : .]

5/3/2007 6:22:42 PM

Metallica- Master of Puppets- My first CD, I finally learned about rock (I was in 3rd grade), and found out not all music is happy and cute.

Michael Jackson- Thriller This is what I grew up on, I learned what music was, and it could make you wanna move and go crazy.

Dr. Dre- The Chronic- Holy shit, and I used to think MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice were rap. This shit was unbelievable.

Rage Against the Machine- Evil Empire- Got me back into rock, kept me going through my irate teenager phase.

Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- And then I discovered this gem, its a perfect album, no album hits the entire spectrum of the human experience (sometimes in a single song). Two headed boy, oh comely, it doesnt get much better.

5/3/2007 6:32:36 PM

i thought about nmh, but i was already listening to good music at that point, it was just a good album

5/3/2007 6:33:43 PM

deftones - adrenaline in 6th grade

smashing pumpkins - siamese dream

between the buried and me - s/t

a whole list of ties after that

5/3/2007 6:50:15 PM

phish - junta- bought it from a friend's older brother when i was in 8th grade .. opened my my eyes to another type of music which i still listen to today

led zeppelin I - introduced me to classic rock

pink floyd - the wall - no explanation

grateful dead - american beauty a surreal album that shows jerry's brilliance

thats only 4, but i could go on forever

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 7:24 PM. Reason : adf]

5/3/2007 7:23:33 PM

I'll play...

(in no particular order)

KISS - Alive II - I got this album when I was 5 years old. (mom was cool) and it is the singular reason that music is so important to me to this day.

Phish - Junta - this was my first foray into jam rock that didn't make me want to kill someone. I have never been a Dead fan (still aren't) and wrongly felt that all "hippie" bands sounded like that. I couldn't have been more wrong. The combination of wit, musicianship, fun, vibe, etc. was just impossible to ignore. To this day I have yet to find a band that speaks to me more than phish. I found them at the perfect time in my life and will always love them.

Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes - I went to governor's school back in 1990 for music. On the first day, I was moving into my dorm room and was unpacking my cds which consisted of stuff like Janet Jackson, Hammer, Milli Vanilli, etc. (I was in a very pop phase). My roommate pops on one of his CDs and I hear Blister in the Sun for the first time. I must have listened to that CD about 1000 times that summer. It is still one of my top 10 all time.

The Who - Tommy - A friend of mine's dad had this on vinyl and one day we just started playing it. I must have been like 7 or 8 at the time. It is shocking to me that I can remember the first time I heard it, but it feels like it was yesterday. If you have seen Almost Famous when William listens to Tommy, it was just like that. (minus the candles). (honorable mention here for Abbey Road by the Beatles. I am a HUGE Beatles fan and this was probably the first time I heard side 2 of Abbey Road (Sun King to the End) It moved me.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - "Something I can Never Have" is one of the single most powerful songs I have ever heard. You can feel the pent up emotion that Trent put in the song. I actually saw the band live (lollapalooza 91) before I ever really listened to the album. Hated them at that show. Heard the disc about a month later and was totally won over. Not the beginning of the industrial movement, but damn sure one of the high water marks.

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking - One word: Transcendent. Opened me up to a WORLD of other sounds.

Other honorable mentions: U2 - Unforgettable Fire, REM - Life's Rich Pageant, De La Soul - 3ft High and Rising, and so on and so on...

5/3/2007 7:58:03 PM

Beatles - Blue Album - first dive deep into song as craft - put pictures in my head walking through snow, rain and watching the sun rise on my paper route

U2 - Joshua Tree - notion of music as storytelling/meaning - put pictures in my head walking through snow, rain and watching the sun rise on my paper route

Guns n Roses - Use Your Illusion 1&2 - foray into anger/loudness - just in time for the packaged rebellion that is 9th grade

Pearl Jam - Ten/Vs - development into angst and hair growth - of course it was all part of the aic/nirvana/soundgarden quadfecta that was 1992

Radiohead - The Bends - mowing lawns and feeling a little more mature - led into things like college music

of course, there's stuff i like way better (no way in hell do i listen exclusively to rock anymore) but those are the things that i have attached to memory

and

i had them all on tape

5/3/2007 8:20:25 PM

pinkerton, soft bulletin, in the aeroplane over the sea, music has the right to children

5/3/2007 8:26:40 PM

risking flames....

for me...

Mos Def and Talib Kweli - Blackstar

5/3/2007 8:53:28 PM

The way I listen to music is still not as fulfilling as I want it to be. Mostly I pay attention to the rhythms and harmonies that the instruments and voices make together. I know that lyrics are extremely important to some people when they hear music but I've just started to pay attention to them within the past few years. Unless I'm really focused on lyricism I don't spend that much time analyzing them I just follow along and enjoy the relationship that the sounds of the words have with the music.

johnny cash - live at san quentin - This was one of the first albums that I actually began to hear lyrics and listen to the stories and such that Cash sings about. The sound of his voice and the humor in his songs is very uplifting.

allman brothers - eat a peach - I think the most important thing about this album is the first time I really listened to "Mountain Jam" all the way through (all 33 minutes) and really enjoyed it. I don't know what made that one listening different than the others but I became intensely interested in how a 30 minute long song could keep me captivated like that. I think its the recycling and progression of the melodies throughout the song and the fact that not one note seems wasted throughout the entire jam.

led zeppelin - 1 - one of the first albums that i wanted to listen to every day, every where I went, and while I was doing anything.

the who - tommy or who's next - either of these albums helped me to distinguish the importance of each instruments contribution to the overall sound of each song. it especially helped me recognize the awesomeness of keith moon's drumming and then i further learned to appreciate great percussionists like bonham and peart.

Quote :

"Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - "Something I can Never Have" is one of the single most powerful songs I have ever heard. You can feel the pent up emotion that Trent put in the song. I actually saw the band live (lollapalooza 91) before I ever really listened to the album. Hated them at that show. Heard the disc about a month later and was totally won over. Not the beginning of the industrial movement, but damn sure one of the high water marks."

something i can never have is on "pretty hate machine" but I agree wholeheartedly that its an incredible song. and actually my fifth album is

Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

5/3/2007 9:04:19 PM

TSCHUDI REEKS OF MUSIC SNOBBERY, KILL HIM!

5/3/2007 9:10:29 PM

good thread

led zepplin IV

this album brought me out of the early age cesspool of music i listened to. 11 years old and BAM, a whole new world of music opened up to me. giddy as a school boy delving through all my parents old albums with wonder and excitement.

nirvana "nevermind"

before this album i was complete disinterested in modern musc. music in the early 90's seemed trite and boring compared to bands like led zeplin, pink floyd and the beatles. thisband completely changed the music scene of the early 90's and shifted my focus to a flurry of great bands coming out at that time.

311 "music"

i heard this for the first time a few monthes before their self titled album came out and it brought me from my grunge era to thrash rock/rap era. this and rage's first album should go hand and hand as i started to listen to both about the same time. this also came about in my jr high to high school transition.

sublime "40 oz. to freedom"

i remeber this girl i was seeing at the time putthis tape in her car as we wer driving around charlotte and thinking "holy shit, this is awesome." this began an absolute obsession with sublime.

phish "a live one"

my first year in college and somehow i really got into this long trancy zany insane jam album. i remember being shocked that one of the songs was 30 minutes long and yet somehow neve got boring. i had heard of them before this and my friends at the time all listened to phish so i borrowed this album and fell in love.


honorable mention goes to violent femmes "add it up"

5/3/2007 10:37:14 PM

Please don't let me be the first to list that Alanis Morissette album.

I was in 5th grade dammit!

5/3/2007 10:39:56 PM

Quote :

"soft bulletin"

here's attempt 2, with a little more time to think about it (in chronological order -- for me):

1) odelay
2) ok computer
3) soft bulletin
4) aeroplane over the sea
5) the glow, pt 2

5/3/2007 10:45:43 PM

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA My dad introduced me to Bruce full time on a road trip to Jersey we took together. I knew who Bruce was but I never understood his music till now.

Bruce Springsteen - NebraskaAfter my run in with Bruce I went exploring and found this gem of an album. Completely different from his Rock n' Roll stuff.

5/3/2007 10:57:09 PM

I don't just listen to pop/rock, but it makes up a huge portion of my music. I will list the one album that got me into rock in the first place, then the 5 albums that allowed my love for the music grow.

What started it all?
Korn - Follow the Leader - introduced me not only to metal, but actually, to rock. Saved me from listening to rap/top40, and I cannot overstate the importance of that.

The meat of this list (If you hold me to 5, these are it):
Nirvana - Nevermind - got me into "alternative." The grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, sure, but also RHCP, The Offspring, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, No Doubt. Sort of tangential, but reading about Nirvana's influences also led me to discover new wave, particualrly Devo.

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy - Introduced me to classic rock. Eventually I realized I liked everything played on classic rock stations, and most of the stuff those bands made that doesn't get radio play.

King Crimson - In The Court of The Crimson King - This falls under the classic rock umbrella, but this album really got me into progrock. Not only the aforementioned "main 6," but also bands like Focus, Marillion, Porcupine Tree, Dream Theater.

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic - Yes, this also falls under Led Zeppelin's "classic rock" umbrella, but Steely Dan made me realize how much I love horns. By following my love for horns, I gained an appreciation for soft rock like Chicago and Elton John, and some harder jazz. It even led me back into the hip-hop world somewhat, after hearing "Spottieottiedopalicious" by Outkast.

Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister - Introduced me to indie and non-mainstream music. Really launched me into a terrific expansion of my musical horizons. Made me discover Death Cab, Sufjan, The Fiery Furnaces, Nada Surf, Cursive, Minus the Bear....etc etc etc. The broadening of horizons was not limited to indie bands though. I started looking for new music all over the internet, occasionally stumbling upon gems like Wir sind Helden.

Honorable Mention:

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII OST - Technically, it was the game FFVII itself. Since it's not really the album, I don't have to include this in my 5. I listen to a lot of video game music now, mainly from square RPG's, and it's thanks to this.

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 11:01 PM. Reason : -]

5/3/2007 11:00:40 PM

Now, I'm not saying that all of these are good, but they did change the way I hear music. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse!

1) Korn - Follow the Leader: Really shitty in retrospect, but it was pretty much the first music I listened to that had guitars and was not a Ren and Stimpy album. Thanks Korn!

2) Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West: The first indie rock I really listened to and probably the best CD of the 90s. Man I like this album a lot!

3)Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense: The soundtrack to the movie, that is. It's all the best Talking Heads songs, only live versions that are done better. It's probably the reason Talking Heads are my favorite band. It also showed me the appeal of extra percussion besides a drum set. Dig that Latin flava!

4)The Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas: Showed me that just a guy with a guitar and some good lyrics could be some pretty sweet listenin'

5)The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds: This one is a recent development! Made me realize that I don't have to automatically find all music made before 1980 really boring!

5/3/2007 11:00:46 PM

^whoa we basically posted at the same time that Follow The Leader got us started.

5/3/2007 11:02:34 PM

^Freak on a Leash was pretty giant in 8th grade man

5/3/2007 11:05:47 PM

^^^i had lonesome crowded west on mine. but you know, it's so hard to narrow these things down. it was my first true "indie" album and i was so enamored with it and long drive.

5/3/2007 11:08:00 PM

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - The seminal moment in my musical realization. Like nothing before it or nothing after.

Pearl Jam - Ten - One of the few albums I can listen to for hours straight. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe it's quality, but I love it.

Jimmi Hendrix - The Ultimate Experience - Not technically a real "album" but he was my first and only real guitar hero. When you're a 13 year old kid and you hear Jimmi it changes your life.

Dr. Dre - The Chronic - The rap album of the 90s. The only thing close is "Predator" by Ice Cube. One of those albums that redifines a genre. Loved it, still love it, will always love it.

Frank Sinatra - The Reprise Years - Again, not a real album, but as a collection of music it has made a huge impact on me. That style of music is probably my favorite and Frank is the man. Classic voice, classic songs. Chill music for my lifestyle.

5/3/2007 11:10:16 PM

he didn't change your life enough to learn how to spell his name. . .

5/3/2007 11:25:48 PM

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
Bob Dylan - too hard to pick just one

5/3/2007 11:46:26 PM

5/3/2007 11:47:54 PM

weezer - blue album
it was the first album i was ever passionate about. i didn't know that i was capable about feeling strongly about music, and this album opened me to that. i still know every word of ever song. once i knew i could feel that way, i wanted more.

smashing pumpkins - mcis
i was hardcore christian at the time this came out...and anything that "yelled" was "bad"...but i loved that album...this album UNDOUBTEDLY led me to love metal like i do now.

between the buried and me - self titled
while i dont know many of the words, i know every intricate detail of every note of every song. i can listen to this whole album in my head, in all its glory, right now. this album lead the way to all the other metal i listen to now.

aphex twin - drukqs
started a whole new thread of understanding and acceptance into different genres of music. i love this album, not only for its masterpiece, but for eye-opening aura to something other than metal.

godspeed you black emperor - f#a#infinity
22 minute songs with no words, just raw creshendo...climax...without words, it still cut into my soul, making me smile...feel whole. godspeed led me to explosions in the sky, and they have eclipsed all else to be my most favorite band of all time. these types of bands i worship for their ability to fill me up with something i lack in my daily life. their songs are better than any sermon ive heard from the pulpit, any verse ive read in the good book...this music from explosions and godspeed, etc, is my religion. who needs god when you can listen to this?

[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 3:06 AM. Reason : ]

5/4/2007 3:04:58 AM

that's how I felt that night when I was listening to Meshuggah, I know the feeling. I've only recently gotten into Godspeed and post-rock in general, and I've heard a lot about Explosions in the Sky...I'll have to check them out

[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 3:09 AM. Reason : spLOLing]

5/4/2007 3:09:07 AM

explosions has greatness in all 4 of their studio albums...each are different in a lot of ways, especially from their first album to their latest. just go to myspace music and search for them...listen to songs "first breath after a coma" "yasmin the light" "the only moment we're alone" and "birth and death of the day"

thats what i would start you off with.

5/4/2007 3:13:09 AM

my list grows slightly

deftones - adrenaline. first CD i owned. got it in 6th grade (nirvana and green day tapes before that )
smashing pumpkins - siamese dream
between the buried and me - s/t
foo fighters - the colour and the shape
Tool - Ænima
hopesfall - combination of frailty of words/nowingstospeakof


also if you like explosions in the sky check out 'of sinking ships'. its a lot more simple than explosions but it was a side project of one of the original hopesfall guitarists. just nice and atmospheric...i always loved the melodic stuff the original(REAL) hopesfall band did and its basically just that.

http://www.myspace.com/ofsinkingships22

[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 3:21 AM. Reason : ]

5/4/2007 3:18:19 AM

paerabol...i love you....tool has completely changed my music life

5/4/2007 3:25:37 AM

Dark Side Of The Moon
Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness
OK Computer
Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada (this was an EP but whatever)
Glow Pt. 2

5/4/2007 3:33:44 AM

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Kanye West - College Dropout

5/4/2007 4:12:11 AM

Nirvana - Nevermind - This got me from top 40 type music into grunge

Tool - Undertow - I was struggling with either this album or The Downward Spiral, but I think this got me more into darker raw music. My main criticism of later Tool albums is that I think they are a bit overproduced. That simply isnt the case with Undertow.

Phish - Rift - this was the album that transitioned me from grunge/metal/etc to more jam based music

Radiohead - Kid A - This album really pushed my shift towards electronic music, especially electronic music mixed with rock

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem - This album defined another big music shift in my life to Dance Punk / Rock Electronic type music.

5/4/2007 8:43:31 AM

Radiohead - Kid A This album "matured" me in my musical tastes.

Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been I was big into grunge music at the time and my dad got me this album for christmas. I still remember painting my room and putting this album in thinking "what the heck I'll give it a go. Out There came on and kicked my teeth in. Never had so much fun painting a room in my life.

Nirvana - Nevermind Actaully remember the day I heard this album still. It was on a class trip and we were all sitting on the bus, and my friend had this album with a naked baby on the cover. I could hear noise leaking from his headphones. He let me put them on and my obsession with grunge music was born.

Morrissey - Bona Drag First album where I learned all of the lyrics in one day!

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication Just insanely cool.


[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 9:38 AM. Reason : asdf]

5/4/2007 9:15:05 AM

This was a pretty hard thing to do

Radiohead - OK Computer I remember sitting at my grandparents house in kentucky, listening to this album on repeat for about 3 months. the depth and complexity of the songs was something I hadn't heard before, and it was almost mesmerizing. Started to turn me away from bands like Nirvana and into something less contrived and more full.


Massive Attack - Mezzanine Still gets very regular play. just absurdly awesome.

Air - Moon Safari <3


Cave In - Beyond Hypothermia Really was the final straw in starting a full on love affair with hardcore.... being like 15, seeing Cave In play at backdoor skatepark in greenville.. steven brodski destroying Crossbearer while standing on a milk crate, screaming in my face was something that still makes my pants tight when i think about it...


Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down moved me away form pure punk and showed me that there is poppy punk i can get with.. sure i mean, i had liked bands like screetching weasel, descendants, and mr. t experience... but this was different.


honorable mentions -
nine inch nails - the downward spiral
led zeppelin II
godspeed you black emporer - Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada
weezer - blue album
converge - caring and killing
joan of arc - a portable model of
mineral - end serenading
cap'n jazz - analphabetapolothology

5/4/2007 9:28:00 AM

rasputina - cabin fever looking back on it, this isn't a great album, but i was obsessed with this band in high school. still, it started me on listening to shit no one else had heard of.

hot rod circuit - if i knew now what i knew then got me into less mainstream stuff, and more emo-ish stuff.

xiu xiu - knife play because good music doesn't have to be pretty--in fact, it's pretty ugly. blew my mind.

built to spill - keep it like a secret really got me into indie rock, and made me want to become a GUITAR HERO.

cap'n jazz - anabetalkdjasflkdsjfldskjf (you know which album i'm talking about) boys that smell like salami

5/4/2007 10:10:37 AM

look at the post above yours for the cap'n jazz title

5/4/2007 10:11:59 AM

Mr Bungle - California was a big one for me.

5/4/2007 10:21:29 AM

Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction - 1992



This came out when I was 13. I don't even know how I got it past my parents. But before that all I ever heard was mess on the radio that I couldn't stand. Would this album be considered heavy metal? I don't know but I loved the ballad type of music if you can call it that.

Manowar - Kings of Metal - 1988



I don't think I got this until around the same time that I got Megadeth. Would this be considered the same as ballad bands of the early 80's? I don't even know half of the stuff they were talking about but I just liked the rhythm and some of the guitar.

Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire - 1996



I did not own this album, though I am glad that I didn't because that kid scares the crap out of me! It justs look like he knows too much.

But the music was just so pleasantly different.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - 1994



The first "Explicit Lyrics" album that my parents let me get. I don't think they even knew what the little sticker meant. I really didn't either, because I could not believe the words they were saying. "I want to feel you from the inside?" I mean damn I was 14.

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion - 1991



Ah yes the quintessential album for me. I went to the concert in 1992 only knowing the song, "November Rain" I remember the concert was a school night and I had to be back at 11:00 pm. I took my binoculars to it! After the opening band, Blind Melon, left the stage, the cameramen were scanning the crowd for girls who wanted to give the jumbotron a show. I had rings on my eyes for the next day from pressing the binoculars too hard!

5/4/2007 10:21:31 AM

MXPX - Life in General got me into the socal punk (along with Blink 182) and other types. wouldn't have found The Starting Line, Dropkick Murphy's, Flogging Molly, MEST, Yellowcard, etc back in the late 90's/early 2000 without picking up the MXPX album that "Chick Magnet" was on

Aerosmith - Pump my brother got it when we lived in London (and my parents made me check it out to see if it was bad b/c of "Young Lust"). This parlayed into getting into older Aerosmith, and then into more and more classic rock

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons w/ Nigel Kennedy I liked some classical music as it's what my parents always listened to on road trips. But this album opened my ears to the passion and force of string orchestras. From there I moved more into the Russian Composers - my favorite to this day is Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition - I don't think there is a finer movement written than #10 - The Great Gate of Kiev

Dr Dre - The Chronic does anything else need to be said? it's the end-all-be-all of rap. It's what made us put 10's in our cars in high school. sure i moved both forward and backward in the rap timeline, but you can always count of the chronic when you need to bump. But today for me it's less gangsta and more Common, Roots, Mos Def for me.

G'n'R - Appetite for Destruction 'nuff said

Honorable mention:
Radiohead - OK Computer I think I was one of the 10 people who liked Pablo Honey, but this simply blew my mind.

[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 10:41 AM. Reason : /]

5/4/2007 10:41:06 AM

Pixies-Surfer Rosa

5/4/2007 10:51:16 AM

Jay-Z - Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life
The first rap CD I truly enjoyed listening and helped to get me into a few beats. Still think Jay-Z is one of the best at just pumping out smooth rap.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
One of the best albums in my opinion, and one that completely got me thinking in a new direction about certain types of music, got me to enjoy some harder rock more.

O Brother Where Art Thou - Soundtrack
Definitely gets pretty much everyone on an Appalachian/Bluegrass kick when they listen to it. The quality and innovation in this is astounding.

Panic! At the Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Believe it or not, this is the CD that got me listening to much more independent alternative. Every song has a tune and tempo you just can't get out of your head.

James Taylor - Greatest Hits
Every one of James Taylors songs has a different meaning for me, since my father brought me up on his music. I can almost recall the exact day I started listening to a certain song when it is played.

5/4/2007 11:04:35 AM