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Wow, Archie & Edith look so much younger now than they did when I was a kid ;)

I'm sure I'll keep remembering other albums that should have been on my list, as well.

Let me give it a shot. Albums are roughly chronological according to when I first heard them. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bullocks -- I was 13 or 14 when this came out, and would do radio shows on my best friend's older brother's pirate radio station. I liked this album then but at the time didn't realize its significance. But I will credit it for letting me know there was more to music than all of the dinosaur rock being played on commercial radio. Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight -- This came out when I was 14. It was one of the first albums I chose & bought myself (versus getting random albums as a gift), and CT became my first "favourite band." They were also the first concert I went to. Rush - Permanent Waves -- The first album I heard from them, and, well, since I'm here that should tell you the impact it had on my life. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast -- Although I had been listening to other heavy bands such as Van Halen and AC/DC, this may have been my first "heavy metal" album. Regardless, I think it's Maiden's best, and I still love it today. Ultravox - Lament/Quartet/Vienna (I can't remember which one I bought first) -- After Rush's Signals came out I read an interview with them that said their recent keyboard style had been influenced by some band called Ultravox. So I started listening to Ultravox and that drew me into the rabbit hole of "new wave" music. Killing Joke - Night Time -- I couldn't tell you why this was "life-changing," but I have to at least give KJ a mention on a list of bands/albums that are important to me. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire -- I heard their War album before TUF came out, but I'm listing this album as this tour was the first time I saw U2 live, and seeing them changed my life. Seriously, they used to be sofa king good live. Big Country - The Crossing/Steeltown (I always listened to these together so I don't really know which is which) -- BC taught me that good rhythm sections can be found in "alternative"-type bands. Bauhaus - Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape -- This was one of those bands I had heard about, and I got this album to try and get to know them. I still remember listening to the tape in my car, slightly weirded out by how bizarre the music was. I got over that pretty quickly. Front 242 - Front By Front -- One of the first industrial albums I really liked, which led me down another huge rabbit hole. Sheep on Drugs - Greatest Hits -- This is notable because it was a "gateway drug" that got me to start listening to some types of techno/electronic music. Rush - Clockwork Angels -- Life-changing because it made me realize these guys can still make music I really like, and because with this tour I decided I will see them live as often as (somewhat reasonably) possible so long as they continue touring.

So, I'm guessing you liked Mary Ann more than Ginger? (Not that I'm complaining, I would have picked her, too!)

Okay, that I did know! :)

I didn't realize Maude was a spinoff. But then again, we never watched that show at home because my parents thought it was too risqué or something. (I also wasn't allowed to watch Three's Company for the same reason. Oh well.)

I understand where you're coming from. I would have never spent one night in the Bunker household, as Archie was such a repulsive man. The genius of the show was a mixture of a satire of U.S. society (and all its problems with bigotry, politics, religion, etc.) and the strength of the characters and how they dealt with each other. The climax of the series, IMO, was when Mike and Gloria moved away. In spite of all their fighting, they all came to admit that they did, in fact, love each other as a family. Archie and Mike each realized that the other wasn't all bad.....that there was some good in him. Folks, ignore my post. PM said it way better than I ever could and attempted too... :sigh: It's okay, Narp, I understood what you meant. The point of my original post is that at the time the show aired, I didn't understand the satire of the show and the way the characters dealt with it. All I saw was what on the surface, so to speak, and that just didn't find it funny. I think the reason I couldn't stomach it today is that I often find it hard to watch older tv shows because of the writing style, plots, and production values. I've become used to "modern" styles, and the older things are really designed for a different time. (I also have difficulty with old [pre 50s or so] movies and turn-of-the-century novels, for the same reason.)

Pardon me? First off, maybe it's hard for *you* to grasp, but homophobia has always existed regardless of what it may have been called. If you think that the elimination of homophobia and hatred is a bad thing, well then, I'm very glad you are not a friend of mine. Secondly, are you doubting my intelligence? What makes you think you know what I understood as a child? Not that I have to explain anything to you, but I was not a small child when All In The Family was aired. It aired from when I was 7 until I was 15, and I was most certainly able to see and identify misogyny at that age.

We watched that show when I was growing up, but even as a kid Archie bothered me. He's just such (or at least, I remember him being such) a racist, bigoted, homophobic, misogynistic, asshole. I always wondered what people saw in the show. Looking at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family) it describes the show as groundbreaking, simply because it put those issues mentioned out on the table. But I'm not sure I could stomach it today, regardless.

Someone please keep Kevin J. Anderson busy somehow so he doesn't do another Rush collaboration!

The last time I posted it was a limited selection from a particular playlist. I decided to do the random thing on my full iTunes library, unfiltered, unedited. Here's what I got: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra - Mahler Symphony #5 in C Sharp Beehatch - God Is So Good, God is SO Dub (got this album free, never listened to it) Seesaw - Love You (no idea what this is) Megadeth - Five Magics The Wake - Christine Rush - Turn the Page (couldn't it at least have given me a good Rush song?) Schnitt Acht - Crawl The Knife - Bird (a friend gave me this to listen to, I don't like the band) A Split Second - Check it Out Peter Murphy - All NIght Long Malory - Words WOD - Energy (came on some compilation) Spahn Ranch - Solace Numb - Bliss Fracture - Downtown (came on some compilation) I have 15,619 items in my iTunes library. There is a lot of stuff in there I've never listened to, and a lot of stuff I don't care for. It's like trying to drink from a firehose.

Yeah, pretty much the same here. (Although it hasn't cracked my Top 10, it has certainly risen from the bottom three.)

Ouch! Although I would say that's not quite fair. Systemic Chaos seems to be one of the heavier DT albums (which is exactly why I like it), while RTB is certainly not Rush's heaviest. To each his own I guess. :sigh:

Right now I'm listening to a playlist containing just my Rock & Metal genres: Rush - Freewill (playing, coincidentally!) White Zombie - Thunder Kiss '65 Slayer - Spirit in Black Rush - Emotion Detector After the Apex - Zero Crossing Nevermore - Fault of the Flesh Fear Factory - A Therapy for Pain Unjust - Sucker Punkt Tool - Jerk-off Metallica - The Thing That Should Not Be 3D House of Beef - Brittle White Zombie - Grease Paint and Monkey Brains Godsmack - Someone in London Slayer - Jesus Saves Fear Factory - National Panel Beating (I have to listen to the metal stuff when the husband is out because he doesn't like it :( )

F&$* yeah!

Agreed. It would probably be good as a book for pre-teens, but as an adult novel it's very mediocre at best.

That's a really tough choice between Hemispheres and A Farewell to Kings. I think I might have to go with the latter. Oh, maybe I've found a loophole! Both those albums together are 73 minutes—I could fit them BOTH on to a CD! :7up:

I loved Clockwork Angels (it was their best album since the early 80s) but I certainly hope the next is even better.

My parents are 82 and (thankfully!) healthy. But I still worry that one day I will get That Phone Call. About a decade ago they got all of their paperwork in order, and that's probably the most important thing—make sure they have a will stating who will be the executor, and who will get what, especially if you have siblings or if there are step-parents/siblings involved. I've heard horror stories about relatives battling before the deceased is even cold. Also, make sure they have outlined plans for what they want done with their bodies—buried, cremated, organ donation, donating the body to science, etc.--and what kind of service they would like. Find out who their lawyer is, where the official documents (will, house deeds, other important stuff) are kept, and make sure their lawyer, etc. has your current contact info. And possibly most importantly, make sure you are in a good place with your parents. If they die today, is there anything you wished you would have said to them? Maybe now is the time to bite the bullet and smooth over old arguments, tell them you love them. Granted, not every relationship deserves this, but please don't let them leave this planet without saying the things you want to.

I can't believe I'm the only one who likes "Systematic Chaos". It's their best album! What's wrong with you people! ;)

Although I heard of DT years ago I only started listening to them a few months ago. I don't know all their stuff, but the stuff I've heard seems a bit ... inconsistent. I think it really depends on the style(s) of music you like. My favourite album of theirs is "Systematic Chaos." It's hard, the lyrics are dark, and it's overall a bit haunting. All great things in my book. "Awake" is also good, with the exception of the first song, which I hate. Contrast that to "Images and Words," where the first song is the only one I like. The rest of it seems almost like Top 40 or some crap like that. "Metropolis, Pt. 2..." is critically acclaimed, but for me it's just over the "musical masturbation" line. If you're a musician then maybe that will appeal to you. I do need to listen to that album more while reading the lyrics, as it apparently tells a good story. I also like "Black Clouds & Silver Lining" and "Octavarium" but I've only heard them a couple times so I need to hear more of them. I also need to listen to their latest, post-Portnoy album. Have a great time at the show.

I hear ya. Victor is just sort of ... odd.

I never cared for that song before seeing it performed live (several times) this last tour. It's definitely better live, and that particular line has a lot of power.

"Diabeetus"?

"Because he was human, because he had goodness, because he was moral they called him insane."