12 Albums That Changed Your Life

Another one of those Facebook tagged notes things. This one from my long lost pal Jeff. Jeff, as it turns out, had a big impact on the music portion of my life, so I have to respond to this one.

I am taking the title of this literally, so these are not necessarily my favorite albums, although many of them fit that as well, but ones that had an impact on the course of my life. They are more or less in chronological order.

The Clash - Combat Rock
At age 14.5 I got a NC Work Permit and took on a part time job as a dishwasher in a local seafood restaurant. Three weeks later I cashed my first paycheck and bought a boombox and this cassette tape. I didn't really know anything about The Clash. I think I had just heard Should I Stay or Should I Go Now on the radio. But I ended up loving this whole album. It was my introduction to anarchopunk, leanings although they remained under the surface for many years afterward, as I never went for the punk uniform or hung out much in the punk scene. Know your rights!

Jethro Tull - Living in the Past
Most of my friends give a strange look when I start to exclaim my respect for Jethro Tull. Motherfuckers rock out on songs featuring a flute and 5/4 time signature! That takes talent. My HS friends Jeff and Chris had the best record collections. This was one of Jeff's. He was a huge JT fan and introduced me to a lot of music along this vein. He was also a talented musician himself on percussion anf keyboard. Anyhow, it's tough for me to nail down a particular Jethro Tull album, but I believe this one was a sort of hits compilation so it's probably a good one to go with.

Yes - Classic Yes
This one I got introduced to by Chris. It is also a hits album, but it's one I still listen to on a regular basis to this day. Just like Jethro Tull, this was a band nerd's sort of rock group. The songs were technical, dynamic and innovative. The lyrics were poetic. I would put on headphones and trip out to this years before I ever went to college and actually tried psychedelics. Yes didn't transition well to the new era but the classic stuff remains forever Classic to me.

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
I went to this concert film at a completely empty theater and spent much of the film dancing around by myself. It's still one of my favorite music related memories.

Pressure Boys- Krandlebanum Monumentus
As mentioned in a previous post, this was the first indie rock band I ever saw, and they blew me away. The album had a great cover and they were rocking the ska-punk sound years before the ska thing ever got national air play. In fact when groups like Mighty Mighty Bosstones started popping up I always thought they sucked becuase I was comparing them to the Pressure Boys. I can tell you what was missing: the punk part. I'm very bummed to have just learned I missed their reunion show last year back in NC.

Poi Dog Pondering - Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea
This was the first band that zero of my friends liked but I couldn't care less. I bought every album. As far as I knew I was their only fan in North Carolina until a girlfriend got me tickets to a gig up in Chapel Hill and I discovered a packed house with some of the best crowd energy I've ever seen at a show. I sing my daughter one of their songs at bedtime often (Spending the Day in the Shirt That You Wore.

Steve Miller Band - Greatest Hits
This album mostly had an affect on my life because around 1990 I traded this CD for a futon, and I slept on that futon up until my wife made me throw it away and get a tempurpedic in 2005. Still, I'm ok with Steve Miller. I've got a live album that totally rocks.

Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust
Hey check it out. Electronica doesn't have to suck! This album freed me from the guilt of enjoying electronica music even though I knew it kind of sucked. Thanks. I drove with some friends from NC to Chicago to see the Chemical Brothers and it was so damn loud that I lost hearing in one ear for 24 hours and suffered some permanent hearing loss.

DJ Z-Trip & Radar -  Live at Future Primitive Sound Vol II
This album gave me a new appreciation for DJs. It starts off a little slow, but by midway it completely throws down, mixing classic rock and hiphop in a way that was fresh at its time. Exposure to this album and the subsequent following of the Future Primitive activites here in San Francisco probably had the effect of pushing my appreciation of street art to a higher level.

Nick Drake - Pink Moon
A girlfriend turned me on to him in the late 90s. I thought his music was raw, ethereal and haunting. His personal story of suffering and suicide only added to the poignancy of each song. Later his music resurfaced in public consciousness via the splash of the title track being used in a popular Volkswagen TV commercial. For several years my alarm clock was a series of three songs that played each morning; two Drake tracks: Black Eyed Dog and Northern Sky, followed by Sonic Youth's Superstar.

Whiskeytown - Faithless Street
Yeah I know Ryan Adams is apparently a total ass, but this album brought back my appreciation of good country which had been under exercised after moving to San Francisco. It didn't hurt that on first listen the song lyrics reminded me of my hometown, and eventually I found out he actually -was- from my hometown. I ended up getting back in touch with my inner redneck because of this album.

Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
Although I guess techincally psych-rock, it brought back my early prog rock years with a vengance. After listening to this probably 20 times in a row I started putting my languishing Jethro Tull and Yes tracks back in heavy rotation.  Their San Francisco show for this album tour was the best concert I went to that year. Phenomenal.