I recently asked an Intern at work to put together a list of her essential albums, because I was curious about what a 20 year old would put down. So in all fairness, with a couple of hours set aside, I decided to work out my own list.
Putting together a list of your most essential music albums is like take a trip back through space and time. It's about finding the CD's, records, tapes that during a point in your life you could not live without, they are part of you, they help define you, and forever, no matter how embarrassing, ingrained into your DNA.
Each track, or single are the dishes that help create a meal, and when you come across a dinner where everything from the wine, to the entree, to the dessert is top notch (or riddled with delicious fat product) you remember it forever. Sadly, most dinners/records are just eh, or mass consumed and forgotten for the upcoming trip to Taco Bell.
The albums on this list are not Taco Bell albums for me, but they might be for you, which makes all list reactions exciting, curious, and intensely nerve racking, like the placing of two souls up against each other looking for some semblance of similarity. If someone doesn't get your music, then they don't know you, they only get you, and in time might understand you, but it's not that Moment when you're driving and suddenly you both hear a song that you love and it might inspire you to shout that "YOU LOVE THIS SONG" and then the other person reacts the same way, and you look at each other and you know that you are two of the same at least in that Moment.
But life moves on, and you don't forget those moments, those songs those albums, but you grow and change and so does life and so does music.
The List (2009)
- Michael Jackson - Thriller (Helped Define my childhood, )
- Billy Joel - Greatest Hits 1&2 (also helped define my childhood, Loved it in the backseat, loved it when I rediscovered it)
- Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (Songs I made my family listen to, no matter how much they hated it), Ray of Light (might be her best album, introduced my brain to all kinds of new sounds, may have led me to yoga.)
- Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl (who didn't love her back then, this CD is like a greatest hits album)
- Boys II Men - II (amazing for a teenage boy in love with everyone and I wanted to sing it to all of them)
- Jodeci - Diary of A Mad Band (I was a teenage boy in love with everyone, and I wanted to well... just listen to it.)
- Aerosmith - Get A Grip, Pump (awesome songs, awesome guitar work, awesome music videos.)
- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits (One of the best greatest Hit collections of all times, powered by the Unforgettable Greatest Hits single "Mary Jane's Last Dance." (probably pointed the way to country music)
- Stone Temple Pilots - Core_ Purple (great music to get mad to, or happy to, or to pretend that you could headbang)
- The Rembrandts - L.P. (God this is embarrasing, but damnit those songs were catchy)
- Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (I've bought this damn thing more then I have any other tape, cd, because I love it, and it had a profound effect on my development as a teenager, eventually destroyed by Shania)
- Tupac Shakur - Strictly for my Niggaz (Listening to Tupac made me feel strong. I can't really explain that.)
- Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales - (Dude, fields of gold, might have made this whole thing worth it, but really the cd takes you on this strange trip.)
- A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (wow. So smooth. The whole thing. If there was a rapper that I could totally get behind, it would be Q-Tip.)
- Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (I was really really mad at the world, and this CD captured that), The Fragile - (One of the best headphones CDs of all time, It was The Downward Spiral mixed with the Wall.)
- Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (revelatory)
- Seal - Seal 1, Seal 2 (before he was a soul singer of adult ballads, he was kind of cool and awesome and edgy, and a soul singer too.)
- Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (who didn't i ask you. who didn't!)
- ALL BEATLES (I disappeared from the Music world for 18 months because I had so much Beatles to digest)
- Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory, Definitely Maybe (I made it a point to hate these guys, until i couldn't. really couldn't, and today I wish I had stayed that way)
- Janet - Janet (If? Every song? If?)
- Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (those cracked people made some damn good songs.)
- Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (Sometimes you need sheryl crow)
- U2 - Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree (I don't need to explain these)
- Shania Twain - The Woman In Me (The CD that officially said i liked Country) Come On Over (oh man...uh the perfect pop cd, maybe, the CD that made me lose all street cred, yes. All Street Cred.)
- Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (The Soundtrack of my senior year of highschool)
- Semisonic - Feeling Strangely Fine (Time, People, Experiences, life)
- Barnaked Ladies - Rock Spectacle, Stunt (perfect cds for that time.)
- Tim McGraw - A Place In the Sun (The Rabbit Hole was always a girl)
- Go - The Movie Soundtrack (Techno? Cool.)
- Pink Floyd - The Wall, Darkside Of the Moon, Wish You Were Here (I can actually say these records changed my life. I mean REALLY changed my life.)
- Radiohead - The Bends, OK Computer (amazing. Discovered the bends way too late, but it's my favorite because it was needed when I Found it.)
- Guster - Lost and Gone Forever (bongos suck. Wait, bongos are cool!)
- The Strokes - This is It (Listening to this CD makes you feel cool, no matter who you are.)
- Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (Yes, an EMO album I could love!)
- Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (The solidified their sound and their songcraft with this song for song awesome field trip through high school emotions)
- The Vines - Highly Evolved (So weird, and so cool, and so derivative, I loved it.)
- Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker, Demolition, Rock N Roll (And other stuff of his) (For years and years upon discovering all of this guys music, It was like I found someone who made music like we were on the same page, his influences, his tastes seemed to mimic mine, that is a little different now, because I think he's sober but I've found so much comfort in his music.)
- The Streets - Original Pirate Material (A revelation) A Grand Don't Come Free (another revelation)
- The Police - Very Best (Could never listen to any of their whole cds, but this was perfect.)
- Liz Phair - Liz Phair (I am universally hated, and mocked for loving this CD. Whatevs)
- Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash (YES!!!)
- Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers (wow, they made the best follow up Oasis Cd that was never made. But one I could relate to, because there not conceited brits.)
- Outkast - Stankonia (Dude, it's rap for Rock fans, er, the other way around, I don't even know), Speakerboxx/The Love Below (how much did I love this before everyone else did, I made it a point to get the cds on the day they came out, loved them for a month, and then Hey Ya! killed The Love Below, but at least I still had Speakerboxx)
- Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind (the album I really love, but other Stevie work is equally powerful
- Prince - (Greatest Hits Collection 1&2) (Wait, why did I hate Prince in the 80's, oh my MOM hated him, ahhh.... this guy is AWESOME!!!, his 80's output was sick, he can play guitar, he doesn't always sing in falsetto.)
- Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
- Kanye West - The College Dropout (What's with the Teddy Bear, oh that's a joke, wait a moment, OH MY GOD THIS IS LIKE THE BEST CD EVER!!! oh man, what's with this terrible 8 minute diary entry with him and Jay-Z, boooooooooo.... excess.... booooooooo DAH!!! He's insane, and I like him much the better that way), Graduation (not as good as College Dropout track for track, but powerful and danceable, and Hennessy Drinkable.)
- Green Day - American Idiot (really? Yeah, so much better for me then anything else they made.)
- Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek (Wait, do I like bluegrass music? Wait, what is bluegrass music again? oh, it's country, wait I'm confused)
- Pete Yorn - Music for the Morning After (Nailed my mood, hopeful, pessimistic, well made.)
- Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (I got an Ipod, I danced to this album while cleaning.)
- The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (perfect)
- Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (felt important to me, and then I realized I really liked the whole damn thing)
- We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor (not particularly well crafted, but really strong hooks, and the lyrics are good to terrible to great)
- The Old 97's - Fight Songs, Satellite Rides, Too Far to Care (Exactly the records I needed when I found them, thank you Rachel.)
- Feist - The Reminder (wow... she's so cute... these songs are so mellow, maybe I can like music like this. love music like this)
- Rhett Miller - The Instigator (perfect pop rock songs.)
- Bon Ivor - For Emma, Forever Ago (I heard the first track and fell in love with it.)
- Zox - Line In the Sand (New, but awesome.)
AND MANY MORE, SOME FORGOTTEN, SOME UNRECORDED
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