Twelve Albums That Changed Your Life

[Ancient Ways]

Zep Physical graffiti. My brother had this and other albums. When he wasn't around I played it a lot. First thing I got in to.

Beatles hits (red/blue) sets. My sister had this. I was surprised all this songs I heard on the radio actually were from one bad.

Floyd dark side of the moon. Brother used to listen to this non stop. Great album.

Sabbath paranoid. Again, my brother played this non stop when I was little. When I got it years later I was shocked that I knew the songs and the memories flooded in. Made me realize I was into heavier music at a young age but it took time to hit me.

Moving pictures. This is really the biggest one for me. This took me from casual listener to obsessed about music to the point of learning the guitar. Biggest album ever for me.

Priest Screaming for vengeance/British steel. More modern metal brought me into the 80s.

Maiden Killers. A little heavier and faster.

Metallica ride the lightning. The peak of my obsession with "heavy."

Pumpkins mellon collie and the infinite sadness. Got me in the 90s.

The Sundays static and silence. That voice.

[Rick N. Backer]

These are not necessarily my 12 favorite albums, but they are 12 that changed my life to some degree

 

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz

AC/DC - Back in Black

Def Leppard - High N Dry

Van Halen - Women and Children First

Michael Jackson - Thriller

Pearl Jam - Ten

Duran Duran - Rio

Rush - Permanent Waves

The Beatles - 1962-1966

Kiss - Alive

The Monkees Greatest Hits

 

I have to add Run DMC's Raising Hell to this list. I'm over my limit, but it has to be done.

[hobo73]

1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap- AC/DC

The album that kick started my obsession! THE album that changed everything for me. Period.

 

2. Powerage- AC/DC

My overall fave album of all time, by any band ;)

 

3. Strong Persuader- Robert Cray

Heard this album constantly growing up. Stellar!

 

4. Fire Of Unknown Origin- Blue Oyster Cult

Fantastic! Soooo damn good.

 

5. Heaven Tonight- Cheap Trick

It still blows me away, all these years later.

 

6. A Farewell To Kings- Rush

Not my fave Rush album, but it's definitely the one that opened my eyes to their music.

 

7. Physical Grafitti - Led Zeppelin

My fave LZ album :)

 

8. Don't Break The Oath- Mercyful Fate

The first album I heard of theirs, it's awesome!!

 

9. Hell Awaits- Slayer

Fantastic album.

 

10. Alice Cooper Goes To Hell

SO PERFECT AND AMAZING.

 

11. Toys In The Attic- Aerosmith

I fell in love with it as a kid :)

 

12. In Color- Cheap Trick

First CT album I ever loved! I was about 4 when I got into it.

[ReRushed]

The following can all change tomorrow:

 

The Beatles - The Beatles

This album basically shaped my musical universe. It introduced me to all the corners and lifted all the rocks. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, life goes on to black cloud crossed my mind, blue mist round my soul, feel so suicidal, even hate my rock and roll. Wow.

 

Rush - Moving Pictures

Man, they could play. The moment I heard this album I started to learn about and appreciate musicianship. And the lyrics fed my 13 year old mind on a intellectual level. Words started to make me really think.

 

R.E.M. - Murmur

I grew up with the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin... Murmur was the first time I felt the music was MINE.

 

The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

Strange. Out of tune. Out of key. Heavy. Light. Intellectual. Disposable. Confident. It's a sonic novel. I like other Velvet Underground albums better, but this is the standard of pushing the envelope and not caring what people think. Rock and roll perfected.

 

Prince - Purple Rain

In my teenage years I thought myself too cool to acknowledge Michael Jackson. I couldn't do that with Prince. Underneath the pomp and glam was a truly gifted musician. The man did it all with a sense of humor and killer guitar solos.

 

Brian Eno - Another Green World

The first album where the sound, rhythm and melody was all that mattered. The words seemed nonsensical, but intelligent. Music by a non-musician for a non-musician. My favorite album of all-time

 

Wire - Pink Flag

Non-stop energy. Non-stop attitude. Non-stop irreverence. It took everything before it in and spit it out. 12XU, indeed.

 

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

In my college years you could not avoid it. Yes, I was a bit scared of it, but I took it in and was blown away. I didn't necessarily understand all of it or believe any of it, but it made me open my years and listen. It's a sonic masterpiece. Heavy and inventive. A true benchmark in popular music.

 

Pixies - Doolittle

Basically, this was Nevermind a few years before Nevermind. The bridge between decades that opened the road Nirvana paved.

 

Nirvana - Nevermind

This album blew everything away. Everything. A true turning point in popular music and I loved being on the ride every second.

 

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted

Yeah, it had the balls to rip off the Fall. And to these American ears it was a bit better. It helped me look back and discover a lot of music I ignored or didn't have the time to explore. A primer for alternative music that is original despite being derivative. It never left my walkman for months.

 

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

An album that convinced me that current artists do make good music. Young and confident. Thanks for giving this old codger hope and enjoyment.

[pjbear05]

Oh well, here goes, in no particular order:

 

1. The Bob Seger System-The Bob Seger System (aka Ramblin' Gamblin Man)

2. MC 5-Kick Out the Jams (1st album I owned)

3. Cream-Fresh Cream

4. Qucksilver Messenger Service-Quicksilver Messenger Service

5. Kraftwerk-Autobahn

6. Emerson, Lake, & Palmer-Trilogy

7. Al DiMeola-Elegant Gypsy

8. Brand X-Unorthodox Behavior

9. Jimi Hendrix Experience-Electric Ladyland

10. Rush-Exit Stage Left (1st Rush album owned)

11. Yes-Fragile

12. King Crimson-In the Court of the Crimson King

[bluefox4000]

I'm gonna add a few more just cause, lol

 

Genesis-A trick of the Tail

Steely Dan-Katy Lied

Peter Gabriel- 1-4

Queen-Queen debut

Billy Joel-Nylon Curtain

Elton John-Tumbleweed Connection

Paul Mccartney-Ram

 

Mick

[Cygnus 2112]

AC/DC - Live This is the first CD I've owned and within two weeks I was back at the store buying the two disc collectors edition

Metallica - Master Of Puppets Everybody in highschool listened to Metallica so one day I bought this from a second hand store. Played the crap out of it and had to replace it in two years. 6 years later I had to replace it again.

Rush - Retrospective 1 & 2 I kept seeing ads on TV for the Rush Snakes & Arrows tour so I borrowed these CD's from my dad and started listening to them. These two albums along with Nobody's Hero off Counterparts are the main reason I am a RUSH fan today. Love them

Iron Maiden - Rock In Rio I had some friends that kept telling me I should check out the album "Number of the Beast" Instead I bought this album and played it non-stop for a week. The next week I was back at the record store purchasing more Maiden. I was hooked instantly.

Dragonforce - Inhuman Rampage This album introduced me to Power Metal and helped me progress into the metal genre.

Hammerfall - Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken This album is one of the only albums I listened to in grade 12. It helped me graduate highschool

Pantera - Cowboys From Hell I was hooked from the moment Cowboys From Hell started. This pushed me towards heavier harder metal.

Slayer - Reign In Blood This album was another huge push into heavier music

Lamb of God - Ashes Of The Wake I was discovering lots of different metal but couldn't get into the growly-screamo lyrics. This was the first album I've heard with Growl vocals that I could actually understand and I loved it.

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland This was one of my first classic rock albums and Jimi's guitar hooked me instantly. Dude was a beast

 

This list covers a lot of the same style of music but it lead to me discovering all sorts of fantastic bands and genres.

Edited February 25, 2014 by billybobjoe1881

[Tony R]

A Farewell To Kings - Rush

 

I'd got into Rush in 76 after a school pal made me a rock mixtape largely from his older brother's album collection. His brother was 5 years older than us and had spent time in Canada during his gap year and had picked up all the Rush albums up to ATWAS. The mixtape had the live versions of ByTor and 2112 from ATWAS and they totally blew my mind. I quickly acquired the album on import followed by the studio albums and the band quickly joined the pantheon of my favourite bands, Yes, UFO, Genesis, Zep.

Meanwhile A Farewell To Kings was slated for release and got a stellar review in Sounds music paper and one Saturday morning I jumped on the bus into town to pick up the album that would change my musical life forever.

A Farewell To Kings immediately became my favourite album of all time and Rush my favourite band. A perfect synthesis of Prog and Hard Rock it was if the band had released this album to directly reflect my own personal tastes.

 

And Then There Was Three - Genesis

 

This album practically killed my interest in Classic Prog and apart from the odd release by emerging UK new wave of Prog bands (neo-Prog bands like Marillion, Twelfth Night, Pallas) I took a sabbatical from Prog that would last 15 years or so.

Hackett-less and, to me, clueless this album felt like a betrayal and certainly compared to the explosion of creativity coming from Rush and coupled with the disaster that was Tormato by Yes, my interest in new Prog releases evaporated.

 

In Absentia - Porcupine Tree

 

I had been introduced to Porcupine Tree in the mid-90s and quickly dismissed them as bland Pink Floyd copyists and ignored them from then on. In 2004 I joined Progarchives and there was a buzz surrounding In Absentia (it was nearly 2 years old by then) and someone sent me a rip. I loved it and I immediately downloaded their entire collection. I don't know if I'd changed or I was just ready for the giant wave of Prog resurgence but I quickly became obsessed by the band. I bought all the CDs and attended multiple gigs on every tour. Bought into the whole Steven Wilson Universe really, including audiophile production. Although on the periphery of Prog the band were not only the catalyst of my renewed enthusiasm for 70s Prog but also leaders of the Prog revival which seemed to explode around 2005/2006 and ultimately led to the re-appraisal of the much-maligned genre and a sort of uneasy peace with the music press.

 

 

Various - By Invitation Only - Alan Freeman, Pick Of The Pops Guests. (1976)

 

Alan "Fluff" Freeman was the guiding light for us teenage Grammar School boys through his radio show "Saturday Rock Show" in the 70s. I remember picking this album up and whilst not all the artists being to my tastes, one or two tracks piqued my interest:

 

Tracklist

A1 Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love 5:31

A2 Rolling Stones* – It's Only Rock 'N Roll 5:08

A3 Stephen Stills – Love The One You're With 3:04

A4 Average White Band – Pick Up The Pieces 3:59

A5 Buffalo Springfield – Expecting To Fly 3:40

A6 Premiata Forneria Marconi – The World Became The World 4:43

B1 Heavy Metal Kids – Rock 'N' Roll Man 4:52

B2 Yes – Yours Is No Disgrace 9:45

B3 Wally (3) – Nez Percé 4:59

B4 Roberta Flack – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 4:20

C1 Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Karn Evil 9 - 1st Impression Parts I & II Complete 13:22

C2 Yes – Sound Chaser 9:45

D1 Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song 2:22

D2 Rolling Stones* – Angie 4:32

D3 Delaney & Bonnie – Only You Know And I Know 4:23

D4 Pretty Things* – Is It Only Love 5:05

D5 Aretha Franklin – Somewhere 6:16

 

 

 

Apart from turning me back to Yes (I'd taken an instant dislike to Relayer but I gave it a second chance as Sound a Chaser shone after the dirge of Karn Evil) it also led to my "dirty little secret", foreign language Prog. I was conned really, The World Within The World (album) was an English Language reboot of the first couple of PFM Italian-language albums with lyrics by ELPs Pete Sinfield of ELP fame. I managed to aquire a tape of one of the Manticore PFM releases and one of the Italian originals (sadly lost now). The album was beautiful, quirky and well-crafted but I was embarrased to play the Italian language Storia Di Un Minuto and my interest wained until 2005 or so when I rediscovered them and age made me less self-conscious about foreign language releases. PFM, Banco were just the tip of the thousands of European, American and Asian Prog Bands singing in English, Italian, French, Polish, Spanish with all the flavours that different cultures and ethnicities can imbue. These's a wealth of material out there in the Prog Universe and there's literally not enough time to scratch beneath the surface. But I will try.

 

That's not 12 but my new MacBook Pro Retina just arrived...

 

 

 

[Blue J]

This is a great thread! I had thought about posting something similar lately, like a 'desert island' top ten, or something like that.

 

I need more time than I actually have right now, to post my own list. But I'll get to it.

[Segue Myles]

This is a great thread! I had thought about posting something similar lately, like a 'desert island' top ten, or something like that.

 

I need more time than I actually have right now, to post my own list. But I'll get to it.

 

The albums that changed my life, and my desert island discs are not the same list! Why not make a thread like that anyway?

[Stormtron]

Rush - 2112

I'm 31, so I obviously got in on the Rush game a little late, but I've always liked them since I first heard Tom Sawyer as a kid. I only had Chronicles for a long time, then eventually started getting the albums. I was more into the 80s albums at first, then something about 2112 clicked (the pot probably helped) and now that 70s Rush sound is my favorite music of all time.

 

Misfits - Collection

Operation Ivy got me into punk, but the Misfits felt like a band tailor-made for me...the horror theme, the attitude, the fact that I was already a Danzig fan before I started listening to them. Even when I first came to this forum I still considered them my favorite band. I can still (badly) belt out every song they ever recorded.

 

Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose

The rawness and honesty of this album floored me. This band has changed a lot (for the worst) since this album, but this one felt important. Some of my favorite lyrics of all time here.

 

Wu-tang Clan - Enter the Wu-tang (36 Chambers)

In a weird way this album probably helped get me into punk. Lo-fi, gritty, dark. Made me appreciate DIY sensabilities and moods more.

 

Metallica - ...And Justice for All

What can I say about this? Pretty much my metal starting point, and even though I'm not a huge fan anymore, this was responsible for opening the door to my favorite music. Blackened is still my favorite Metallica song too.

 

Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

AJFA might've been the true metal gateway, but this was the one that got me into hard rock in general. Maybe the first album I ever asked my mom for. Also, my grandma hated it and that made it cooler.

 

Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark

Not a great album, but still important in my musical timeline. An early addition to my metal collection that I only picked out because I liked the cover the most. Also, this album is better than No Prayer, I don't care what noneayall say!

 

Weezer - Blue

One of the first things I remember really liking outside of hard rock, metal, and rap. Really opened my mind to more alternative and indie rock.

 

Built to Spill - Perfect from Now On

Weezer's debut might've been my first taste of the indie sound, but this is the one that blew my f***ing mind wide open, and it remains my favorite album in the genre. I still get goosebumps from this. I know I've gone on about this band on the forum before, but I still can't believe how underappreciated they are.

 

Mastodon - Leviathan

Another band I've already prattled on enough about on here, but f**k it! This is the album that really made me pay attention to the complexities of heavy music. Still my favorite from them too. WHITE WHALE!

 

ICP - Riddle Box

I should probably be embarassed by this one, but as a grown man who dresses the same way he did in high school, I obviously know no shame. I was twelve, obsessed with bad horror movies, gangsta rap, metal, pro wrestling, and a sucker for gimmicks (basically, nothing's changed). I was exactly the type of little shithead this was designed for. I totally get it...these guys are terrible, but this was fun and I made a lot of friends around this time that I still have to this day. Bad music, good memories!

 

Michael Jackson - Thriller

The earliest music I can remember loving and the reason that I can still appreciate a well-crafted pop song to this day. I liked it at five and I still like it now.

[Maverick]

Yes - 90125

Yes - Yessongs

Rush - All The World's a Stage

Rush - 2112

King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King

The Beatles - Abbey Road

Genesis - Three Sides Live

Beethoven - 9th Symphony

SRV - Couldn't Stand the Weather

Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry

Black Country Communion - Black Country

Riverside - Anno Domini High Defintition

Opeth - Watershed

Danny Gatton - 88 Elmira Street

Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Riot Live

[hobo73]

AC/DC - Live This is the first CD I've owned and within two weeks I was back at the store buying the two disc collectors edition

 

 

NICE!!! My first AC/DC CD I owned/bought with my own money, too! =D

However the 2 disc set was insanely elusive for quite a while. I just recently found the 2 disc set at a price that didn't make me bust out laughing ;)

 

Also,I notice you have Inhuman Rampage by Dragonforce- stellar album!! DEFINITELY check out Ultra Beatdown, if you haven't already. Highly recommended.

Edited February 25, 2014 by hobo73

[circumstantial tree]

ABBA - "The Album" (1977)

 

"Xanadu" movie soundtrack (1980)

 

Journey - "Departure" (1980)

 

Rush - "Signals" (1982)

 

Rush - "Hold Your Fire" (1987)

 

The Dream Academy - "The Dream Academy" (1985)

 

Enya - "Watermark" (1988)

 

U2 - "October" (1981)

 

Pink Floyd - "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987)

 

Suzanne Vega - "Solitude Standing" (1987)

 

The Fixx - "Shuttered Room" (1982)

 

Kate Bush - "Aerial" (2005)

[gudbuytjane]

1. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - This is the first album I ever bought with my own money! I have a lot of much older sisters, and their musical tastes definitely shaped mine. I bought this when I was in grade 5, 1979 I think? So strange to think it had only been out for about a dozen years at that point. Even though I was a kid of the 70's the 60's had a magical quality for me growing up, so the Beatles felt like they were from a long time ago even if they weren't really.

 

2. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV - A sister of mine bought this for me for one of my birthdays in grade school, and it set off a massive Zeppelin phase. Also, weird bit of sense memory: At the birthday party where I got this for some reason we were eating Pop Tarts to the point of being sick to our stomachs (we were kids!), and to this day that album evokes a slight memory of, like, the smell of Pop Tarts for me. :)

 

3. Yes, Yessongs - Again, another big influence of my older sisters on me, as well as perhaps a bit of a hint to my demographically underrepresented, gender-defying love of progressive rock. I remember staring at my sister's copy of this for hours when I was really little, probably around when it came out, first for the Roger Dean art. Later I discovered the music, and the rest is yestory.

 

4. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - I fell in love with Bowie on this album, thanks to the suggestion of a boyfriend of a sister, who funny enough was chastising me for listening to so much Zeppelin at the time. I got into Bowie just before Let's Dance was huge, but I was right into the glam rock/Ziggy stuff while the rest of the world was dancing in red shoes. I was so excited when they finally released his Ziggy farewell movie, but I must have been one of three people in the theatre, and definitely the only 13 year old.

 

5. Genesis, Selling England By The Pound - An album I remember from my sisters, again, that I got into years later. Foxtrot and "Supper's Ready" got me into classic Genesis, but this album really spoke to me and still does. I still get chills when Peter Gabriel sings "Can you tell me where my country lies said the unifaun to his true love's eyes?" There are so many moments on this album that leave me in awe, musically.

 

6. The Who, Quadrophenia - I loved The Who SO much. I even saw them on the "Farewell" tour in 82 in Toronto (but not the December show) and I was only 12 years old! I always (Still do? Ha) felt like a weird outsider, so I was drawn to the storyline like a moth to flame. Also, I was just starting to play bass and learning "The Real Me" became the first mountain I climbed and conquered as a player, I feel. :)

 

7. Hüsker Dü, Zen Arcade - On the flipside of my prog rock and classic rock self is my love of punk, new wave, and indie rock. Still, it is interesting to see how both of those things influence the other, and Zen Arcade is both a punk album and a double-record concept album, so I guess it makes sense I liked it. :) Everyone rightly loves the Pixies for their influence on indie rock, but I feel Hüsker Dü deserves equal credit. Unlike many punk bands who learn three chords and leave it at that, Husker Du was one of those bands who took punk to be a work ethic and philosophy more than a specific sound, and as such you can actually chart growth over their career (which come to think of it might be a common draw I have to artists like Bowie and Rush, too, in that they challenge themselves and try new sounds). This was a staple of my teen years, and I wrote their logotype in black Sharpie on many binders, locker doors, and canvas bags. :D

 

8. Pearl Jam, Ten - OK, there ended up being a lot about grunge to cringe about, but by 1991/1992 music felt so processed to me. That noise gate drum sound of the 80's was ubiquitous, and the synth sounds were thin and annoying, so it was a breath of fresh air to hear bands playing guitars and acoustic drums, and writing songs again, not just hooks. It felt similar to the release of "Reservoir Dogs" around the same time in that they both hearkened back to an artistic sensibility not seen for around 20 years at that point, and in 1991 I was glad to see/hear that happen.

 

9. Sleater-Kinney, Call The Doctor - Riotgrrl was a big influence on my life during the 1990's, and Sleater-Kinney were a huge part of that.

 

OK, I need to think about the last three spots. 12 is a lot of life-changing! :)

[Cyclonus X-1]

1) Permanent Vacation -- Aerosmith

Most of the albums I bought as a young kid were things that my friends were into and that I liked well enough but didn't care all that much about. Permanent Vacation was the first one I picked up independently of what everyone else was doing, and it was the first one that I truly loved (and I still love it, as my lyrical outburst in chat the other night probably made evident).

 

2) Rocks -- Aerosmith

Rocks just blew my mind away, particularly with Nobody's Fault and Back in the Saddle. Along with Toys in the Attic, this record showed me just how excellent hard rock can truly be.

 

3) Nevermind -- Nirvana

It wasn't Teen Spirit that hooked me, but Lithium, one of many Nevermind tunes that are catchy and energetic and have a significant edge to them. The power of what I was hearing made me interested in playing guitar myself.

 

4) Undertow -- Tool

My favorite album of all time. The way in which the themes, riffs, and general sound of this album resonated with me was something very personal and very special. This is also where I started to gain an appreciation for atypical song structures. All of the tracks are remarkably powerful and intense, especially Prison Sex.

 

5) Benefit -- Jethro Tull

It actually took me many years to start to appreciate most of Tull's albums, but I found this one compelling at once (a mere few seconds of With You There to Help Me had me totally engaged), largely because of its dark, heavy atmosphere.

 

6) The Very Best of the Doors -- The Doors

I wouldn't say I'm a huge Doors fan, but hearing a batch of their finest tunes made me realize new things in regard to what can be done with keys in rock, jam segments, and lengthy/ambitious song structures.

 

7) Comfort -- Failure

This one took me on a fresh path of doing really cool, strange, and perhaps risky things within compact song structures. I absolutely love the sound of this album, even if Steve Albini and the band members themselves do not.

 

8) Aenima -- Tool

Here's where Tool started incorporating more elements of beauty into their sound (the breakdown in H. being a wonderful example), and they grew even more ambitious in matters of structure—encouraging me to do both with my own compositions in the process.

 

9) Size Matters -- Helmet

I hadn't been listening to much rock for a number of years when all of a sudden good old Page Hamilton made a comeback with this wonderfully sludgy and rockin' record. Helmet was pretty much the only band I listened to for a very long time, and this was (and still is) my favorite member of their discography.

 

10) Moving Pictures -- Rush

After years of being averse to Rush, I finally took to Tom Sawyer and Limelight in a very big way. Within just a few weeks I had purchased all of the group's releases (and given each about a million listens at that). I had a new favorite band—and had finally started to explore prog rock in earnest.

 

11) Close to the Edge -- Yes

The perfect album. All three songs are absolutely phenomenal. All three contain moments that are remarkably moving and show just how powerful rock music can be-- the sorts of moments that most bands spend their whole careers trying to pull off.

 

12) Free Hand -- Gentle Giant

His Last Voyage was so unbelievably beautiful that I just had to stick with GG even after listens to some of their other tunes had left me completely befuddled. The rock numbers on here—like Time to Kill—finally hooked me and made me feel comfortable within the marvelously crazy realm GG resides in.

[By Tor]

There a Three important albums that changed my life which when you put it down on in writing does`nt really tell the whole story but these first three were that important .

 

The Beatles . Sgt. Pepper .

I guess me and millions of others have been turned on by this album , it truly was a Alice in wonderland moment .

 

Rush . A Farewell To Kings .

I saw the band and then bought the album , I had heard a few Rock albums before this , but none had the same impact that I know every note and every lyric to this day .

It was a life changer , I grew my hair and became a Concert , Festival Rock disco loving head banger for the next 7 years .

and from that year in 78 to this day , I still go to concerts and love every minute .

 

Close To The Edge .

Bought it on my 16 th Birthday , I like to think it got me ready for the next few years of Rock and Prog albums that would soon become an obsession .

1 album can do that , that how good it is .

These 3 set up my Rock listening lifestyle .

The next 9 . also had a tremendous effect on me

 

Mike Oldfield . Tubular Bells

Nothing is more amazing than hearing this the very first time .

 

The Beatles . The Beatles .

The White album , what is`nt on this album .

Rock , Blues , Folk , Country , Advent Garde , Comedy , it has it all

 

The Who - Quadrophenia

The best rock album ever made ?

Of course , and hearing this as a 16 year old going on 17 , I was living the album ! (But Not a Mod , I was a Rocker )

 

E.L.O. - A New World Record

This album got me into buying just more than Beatle albums , at the time , a band that made me sit up realise that there was not only The Beatles could blow me away . Telephone Line . A perfect song .

 

The Beatles Revolver .

The last track .

Imagine hearing that , when you had been watching Top of the Pops week in and week out .

 

The Beatles - Abbey Road .

Yet again , The Fab Four just got me hooked into album buying , and they were worth every penny .

 

Wings - Band On The Run .

This was a begining that led to Sgt. Pepper , but it is McCartney at his best in the album solo stakes .

 

John Lennon , John Lennon Plastic Ono Band .

If you have heard this album , you will be noding your head right now and I don`t need to put into words how life changing this album is when you are a working class lad being told by Lennon how it is .

 

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water .

Bought by my older brother (I was 8 when I heard this ) it got me intranced by the almost story telling of Simons song writing and when I think now how I must have been injected by the sounds and harmonies and the beauty of this album that stayed with me for most of my life .

Edited February 25, 2014 by By Tor

[bluefox4000]

Another one i thought of.

 

Prince-Controversy

 

Man this album introduced me to a whole new style. When i heard his vocal on Do me Baby......changed my thinking on where you could take a vocal. That to me.....to this day is still one of the best vocals of all time.

 

Mick

[gudbuytjane]

Okay, I thought of three more to round out my twelve:

 

10. Miles Davis, Kinda Blue - This was the album that made me realize I really did like jazz, and I wasn't just trying to convince myself I did.

 

11. Glenn Gould, The Art of The Fugue - Gould did for classical what Davis did for jazz for me. His performances are spellbinding, and while many focus on his renditions of Bach's Goldberg Variations, the Gould piano versions of Bach's Art of Fugue (he plays the cycle first on a church organ, then piano) still bring me to tears sometimes. And like Rush he's another Toronto musician! I've been to Pape and Danforth and Glenn Gould's gravestone in one afternoon. Toronto's just that kinda town. ;)

 

12. Slade, Sladest - Because they gave me this username. :) Also, they are the rock band most underrated in North America. Gene Simmons admits everything KISS learned about writing rock anthems came from Slade.

Edited February 25, 2014 by gudbuytjane

[Janie]

It was tough to keep it to twelve. In no particular order...

 

2112 – Rush

Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

Ghost in the Machine – Police

Innervisions – Stevie Wonder

Ten – PJ

Aja – Steely Dan

Let’s Dance – David Bowie

Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

Nevermind – Nirvana

Led Zeppelin IV

Murmur – REM

Tattoo You – Rolling Stones

 

[EagleMoon]

There a Three important albums that changed my life which when you put it down on in writing does`nt really tell the whole story but these first three were that important .

 

The Beatles . Sgt. Pepper .

I guess me and millions of others have been turned on by this album , it truly was a Alice in wonderland moment .

 

Rush . A Farewell To Kings .

I saw the band and then bought the album , I had heard a few Rock albums before this , but none had the same impact that I know every note and every lyric to this day .

It was a life changer , I grew my hair and became a Concert , Festival Rock disco loving head banger for the next 7 years .

and from that year in 78 to this day , I still go to concerts and love every minute .

 

Close To The Edge .

Bought it on my 16 th Birthday , I like to think it got me ready for the next few years of Rock and Prog albums that would soon become an obsession .

1 album can do that , that how good it is .

These 3 set up my Rock listening lifestyle .

The next 9 . also had a tremendous effect on me

 

Mike Oldfield . Tubular Bells

Nothing is more amazing than hearing this the very first time .

 

The Beatles . The Beatles .

The White album , what is`nt on this album .

Rock , Blues , Folk , Country , Advent Garde , Comedy , it has it all

 

The Who - Quadrophenia

The best rock album ever made ?

Of course , and hearing this as a 16 year old going on 17 , I was living the album ! (But Not a Mod , I was a Rocker )

 

E.L.O. - A New World Record

This album got me into buying just more than Beatle albums , at the time , a band that made me sit up realise that there was not only The Beatles could blow me away . Telephone Line . A perfect song .

 

The Beatles Revolver .

The last track .

Imagine hearing that , when you had been watching Top of the Pops week in and week out .

 

The Beatles - Abbey Road .

Yet again , The Fab Four just got me hooked into album buying , and they were worth every penny .

 

Wings - Band On The Run .

This was a begining that led to Sgt. Pepper , but it is McCartney at his best in the album solo stakes .

 

John Lennon , John Lennon Plastic Ono Band .

If you have heard this album , you will be noding your head right now and I don`t need to put into words how life changing this album is when you are a working class lad being told by Lennon how it is .

 

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water .

Bought by my older brother (I was 8 when I heard this ) it got me intranced by the almost story telling of Simons song writing and when I think now how I must have been injected by the sounds and harmonies and the beauty of this album that stayed with me for most of my life .

 

You and I have a lot of the same choices. I almost put the Simon and Garfunkel album in my list but at the last minute decided not to. Looks like The Beatles were huge influence on a lot of us.

[Chronos]

1. Blue Oyster Cult: 45 single with "Don't Fear the Reaper" on one side, and "Tattoo Vampire" on the other. I was 6 or 7, and it was a hand-me-down from my significantly older brother. I played it on my plastic toy turntable, and it freaked me out at that young age. I didn't get what I was hearing. And some of the words from "Tattoo Vampire" weirded me out -- I could only make out "demons," "vampires," "flying skulls," and "Chinese breasts." It was enough to make me play it over and over though.

 

2. Genesis: Selling England By The Pound. Age 8. Aside from my BOC single, I didn't yet care about music. But one night, strains of Peter Gabriel's flute from "Firth of Fifth" wafted in from my brother's bedroom into mine, and I was immobilized. It might sound corny, but it was a magical moment, and it's the moment that unlocked the "music hormone" in my brain forevermore. I still remember clearly the exact shade of purple I was coloring when that flute invaded my being.

 

3. The Beatles: 1967-1970 (The "Blue Compilation"). Although I played "Firth of Fifth" over and over and over, I didn't yet get into Genesis. Somehow The Beatles became my first love at age 8 or 9, and this compilation was my first acquisition. I, along with a few of my elementary-school buds, lived and breathed The Beatles for the next couple of years. Their song "Michelle," half sung in French, helped to ignite my lifelong love affair (and career) with languages.

 

4-5. Genesis: Nursery Cryme and Foxtrot. I returned to Genesis in sixth grade by purchasing these two titles as a 2-LP set. I memorized every word, I memorized every note! I occasionally "play" these songs in my head, in their entirety, if I'm out walking without music in my ears. I had planned on picking up more Genesis albums, but...#5 happened...

 

6. Black Sabbath: We Sold Our Soul For Rock N Roll (2-LP compilation). I don't recall how I had heard of Sabbath or why I decided to buy this. My little sixth-grade self was haunted by these songs, and the fact that I got into Stephen King novels simultaneously only weirded me even more. I remember reading a particular disturbing scene in "The Shining" right when Ozzy wailed, "Oh, no, please God help me!" during the song "Black Sabbath" that I promptly decided to put all that away for a while. I went back to Genesis, Styx, and Supertramp for a while. But then that same year...

 

7. AC/DC: Highway to Hell. This album showed me that hard rock didn't have to freak me the fvck out. I had written in another thread that I was innocently minding my own business at the bus stop one morning, when some "bad seeds" from my sixth-grade class lured me into a nearby house. There were three or four of them playing hooky from school that day, pawing through stacks of Playboys, smoking weed, and cranking the newly-released "Highway to Hell." I was scared of that evil weed, and my obsession with the female form hadn't yet flowered, but I knew right then and there I had to save up my allowances to buy that album!!

 

8. Rush: Moving Pictures. Seventh grade, 1981. "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight" were on regular rotation on the radio. 'Nuff said.

 

9. Led Zeppelin: II. Eighth grade.

 

10. Jethro Tull: Bursting Out (live). Eighth grade. My older brother moved back home for a little while, so I pillaged his record collection. The striking photo of Ian Anderson on the cover -- bug-eyed, lecherous, and lunatic -- pulled me in, and I was sold on the music (rock flute?!) at once. I started buying up LPs like crazy. His record collection was fantastic, though. I discovered Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Ultravox, Yes, Deep Purple, Jean-Luc Ponty, and so much more in middle school and high school.

 

I'm unsure how to round out the list to 12. Van Halen's "Women and Children First"? Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell"? Deep Purple's "Machine Head"? Duran Duran's "Rio"? I'm a bit of a metalhead at times, so Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power" or Lamb of God's "Ashes of the Wake" might be appropriate.

 

If you've made it through all this verbosity, thank you.

[GeddysMullet]

I've noticed in this thread that we have a few "early bloomers" with regard to rock'n'roll music. It always tickles me to hear about people who developed a deep connection with music that young.

 

This is my first specific musical memory: The banana fight. I was about 5 and still sharing a room with my 7-year-old brother. One night, for some reason, we were eating bananas in our bedroom, and somehow we started throwing chunks of banana at each other while our parents yelled at us from the living room to stop whatever we were doing and go to bed. Then after a while, my stepfather came into the room, picked me up and carried me into his and my mother's bedroom, deposited me on the bed and told me to go to sleep. The master bedroom shared a wall with the living room, and through the wall I could hear the Simon and Garfunkel record my parents were listening to in the living room. I remember falling asleep to the song "Homeward Bound." When I think back on it, it feels almost like I was born then.

[Mr. Not]

Originally classifying these albums as life changing sounded a bit too dramatic for me, but as I continued to recall and analyze each of these albums and my experiences I noticed that they indeed do just that. All these albums have experiences associated with them, introduced me to a broader variety of music, and most importantly, they changed my life outlook - even if just temporarily.

 

Personal Chronological Order:

 

Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of the Silent Earth 3

Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild

Rush - Grace Under Pressure

Angra - Rebirth

ELO - On the Third Day

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

Yes - Close to the Edge

Weezer - Pinkerton

King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

Blind Guardian - Tales from the Twilight World

Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning

Stratovarius - Nemesis

[gudbuytjane]

I've noticed in this thread that we have a few "early bloomers" with regard to rock'n'roll music. It always tickles me to hear about people who developed a deep connection with music that young.

 

This is my first specific musical memory: The banana fight. I was about 5 and still sharing a room with my 7-year-old brother. One night, for some reason, we were eating bananas in our bedroom, and somehow we started throwing chunks of banana at each other while our parents yelled at us from the living room to stop whatever we were doing and go to bed. Then after a while, my stepfather came into the room, picked me up and carried me into his and my mother's bedroom, deposited me on the bed and told me to go to sleep. The master bedroom shared a wall with the living room, and through the wall I could hear the Simon and Garfunkel record my parents were listening to in the living room. I remember falling asleep to the song "Homeward Bound." When I think back on it, it feels almost like I was born then.

 

That is a fantastic story. Thank you for sharing it. :)