Albums that meant/mean a lot to you

[fange]

Ok, here's a thread that can be like a catch-all "albums that influenced me" spot.

Go on, tell us about which albums influened your tastes, meant the world to you as a kid/in your 20s/when you were having a rough patch, whatever.

I'll come back soon and add one here as well.

[~ / % ? *]

I am not sure how much I have in me to wax rhapsodic on any one album, but I have made note of my Corona soundtrack these past few weeks. I have been listening Johann Johannsson's Retrospective I collection, Max Richter's Sleep boxed set, and Sigur Ros Agaetis 20th anniversary set. They all seem to share a European classical post Minimalist sound: lots of space, use of silence with slowly building crescendoes, melodic with modern sophisticated use of dissonance. The Richter set I found too busy for actual sleep use as it has more in common with Wolfgang Voigt's Gas than Eno's ambient work. Eno is the king of sleep, he is the only one of who seems to get the importance of bass and modulation in ambience.


I find these all add to keeping peace and equilibrium in a couped up house with many people and distractions and boredom, and work to be done.

[sloopjohnc]

I grew up with Hard Day's Night and this was really the first Beatles album that I listened to over and over again, so much so, that when I got the original albums, the song sequencing seemed funny because I was used to this.




Summmer of my junior high school, my brother and I would go over to our best friends' house, who was a set of fraternal twins and we'd goof off around the house and this would constantly be playing (along with a few other albums). I'd always stop and listen to Good Vibrations wherever I was. Listened to it on eight-track.



I was really starting to get into music and AC/DC came along. People didn't quite know what to do with them, but I did. This is easily my favorite album of theirs, and reading back on its recording, it's the one album that they just turned on the amps, turned on the tape machine and went balls out with no frills.



The next step from the Beatles and Heaven Tonight was more than a power ballad. It was more exotic than Stairway to Heaven, Dream On, Love Hurts, Stevie (Pat Travers) and others of its day.



I got into punk pretty early compared to some of my peers and the Cure were my Beatles. I have probably gone through six of these albums through the years.



As an American, I had only heard Clapton's I Shot the Sherrif and Roxanne as far as reggae songs. But I knew I might love the genre. On my first trip to England, this was my first reggae album purchase. I've owned many a reggae album, but this was the first.



Another album I bought on my first trip to England. I have only gotten really sad over two musicians dying: John Lennon and Willy Deville. The guy was an absolute craftsman with passion.

There are many important albums to me, but these are the ones I thought of off the top of my head.

[Deleted]

I did something similar on FB so I had a list ready, just added a few.

Teenage years:
The Beatles – Revolver
Nirvana - In Utero
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow

College:
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
David Bowie - Low
Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express
Boards of Canada – Geogaddi
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Massive Attack - Mezzanine

In and out of various jobs, education and dole queues:
Joni Mitchell - Hejira
Coil – Ape of Naples
Sigur Ros – Agaetis Byrjun
Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
PiL - Metal Box
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

2nd degree to present:

Scott Walker – Scott 4

Leonard Cohen - Songs of

Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Mozart - Requiem (Karajan)
Beethoven - Complete Symphonies (Karajan)
John Martyn - Solid Air
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

[DarknessFish]

I've never seen a better argument against employment and education of the working classes.

[fange]

Some damn fine music above!

[Reactionary Rage]

I will have a think...

[Deleted]

May 6, 2020 7:39:19 GMT DarknessFish said:

I've never seen a better argument against employment and education of the working classes.

I knew I'd get this kind of comment...

[osgood]

Currently doing that on facebook. So far I've listed

Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies - one of the albums that made me fall in love with them in my teens. I could have chosen a 60s greatest hits comp or (surprise, surprise) Soap Opera instead.

Rory Gallagher - Live in Europe - I know this is not exactly popular round these quarters, but it was in heavy rotation during my teenage years amongst my group of friends. If I recall correctly it was the album that got me into guitar listening and playing

Dr. Feelgood - Malpractice - A back to basics album if there was one, and released when it was most needed. By that time I had a prog OD, and it was most welcome.

Dylan & The Band - The Basement Tapes - I was already into Dylan when this came out, the first album I got from him was Before The Flood, and was also familiar with some of the 60s albums, but the sound and atmosphere of this release was a revelation. It is still one of my all-time faves, I don't care if it is heavily editted and not the real thing, or if Robbie included some alien tracks, this album never fails to get me.

The Doors - LA Woman - Again a teenage fave that I know by heart. It has some flaws but still my favourite from them.

Bill Evans - Portrait in Jazz - The first jazz album that I fell in love with. I was probably in my 20s when I heard it and opened a whole new landscape for me.

Neil Young - Everybody knows this is Nowhere - Not the first NY album I heard, in fact I heard it first in the 80s, but definitely the one that made me a fan

To be continued

[sloopjohnc]

I think it would be interesting to see a thread on older brothers and sisters or cousins albums that influenced you.

[Sneelock]

my dad heard "Master of the Universe" by Hawkwind very late at night on an FM radio station. He went to Tower Records, got the album, played it through once. He played "Master of the Universe" a couple of more times and then he was done with it.

it was mine. I loved that damned album. I loved the way the first side freaked out way longer than it should have. I loved the ridiculously ambitious package design - the way the cover folded out - the "flight log" which didn't make a lot of sense but was fun to read while freaking out on side one.

I think that album kicked down a couple of doors for me. I still listen to it and it still does it for me (more or less). I think side two strays a bit but it still gives me a lot of pleasure.

it's certainly one of the first albums I listened to frequently with freakout sax parts and unrestrained electronic noodling. I still like both of those things. I like the tunes, too.

[~ / % ? *]

May 6, 2020 17:03:36 GMT Sneelock said:

my dad heard "Master of the Universe" by Hawkwind very late at night on an FM radio station. He went to Tower Records, got the album, played it through once. He played "Master of the Universe" a couple of more times and then he was done with it.

it was mine. I loved that damned album. I loved the way the first side freaked out way longer than it should have. I loved the ridiculously ambitious package design - the way the cover folded out - the "flight log" which didn't make a lot of sense but was fun to read while freaking out on side one.

I think that album kicked down a couple of doors for me. I still listen to it and it still does it for me (more or less). I think side two strays a bit but it still gives me a lot of pleasure.

it's certainly one of the first albums I listened to frequently with freakout sax parts and unrestrained electronic noodling. I still like both of those things. I like the tunes, too.

Had he ever exhibited Hawkwindian tendencies prior or towards rockNroll in general?

[Sneelock]

no, only Hawkwind track he ever liked near as I can tell. loved rock and roll - Beatles & Stones and an early "headbanger" when he discovered Sabbath.

He had an interest in electronics and Native Americans. I think the "Indian Chant" aspect of the vocal appealed to him.

[~ / % ? *]

Very cool

We had one of the Hawkwind farm acid communes that was formed around them and followed them around the US on tour. Many years ago i missed the unveiling/showing of the founding "Bible" of Hawkwindian (Calvert, Turner, Moorcook, etc) pronouncements that was compiled on said farm: mostly gilt-edged stoned gibberish that seemed profound at the time, I'm sure.

[Deleted]

I'm listening to Doremi Fasol Latido for the first time in years. So if one good thing has come from this thread, it's this.