OT 10 Albums That Shaped My Life

To be fair, I couldn't even tell you if it holds up. But my favourite tapes growing up were Madness compilations, and it's the first album release I can remember being genuinely excited for. I was queuing up outside Our Price on release day.

Maybe I'll give it another listen after work tonight!

 

Beatles (White) album
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Free-Heartbreaker
Deep Purple -Burn
Budgie- In for the Kill
Montrose - Montrose
Blackman Turner Overdrive -Not Fragile
Blue Oyster Cult - On your feet or on your knees
The Tubes -the Tubes
UFO - Force it

 

Forever grateful for the Ants From Up There recommendation

 

Leaving aside the aforementioned Ants From Up Here, and only allowing one album per artist. And these are based on personal impact on me, and I've discounted anything that predates me originally getting in to music (sorry David Bowie).


Different Class - Pulp
Hour of the Bewilderbeast - Badly Drawn Boy
Is This It - The Strokes
Late Registration - Kanye West
Whatever People Says I Am... - Arctic Monkeys
Funeral - Arcade Fire
I Am A Bird Now - Antony and the Johnsons
For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
The Seldom Seen Kid - Elbow
An Awesome Wave - Alt J

 

No particular order:

Michael Jackson, Off the Wall
Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
George Michael, Listen Without Prejudice
Happy Mondays, Pills n Thrills and Bellyaches
Massive Attack, Blue Lines
Massive Attack, Protection
Portishead, Dummy
RHCP, By the Way
Fugees, The Score
Lauryn Hill, Miseducation of
Nirvana, MTV Unplugged

 

I've been a lifelong Tull fan since the very beginning. There was always music on in our house, and as a child of the 60s I was into all sorts of stuff, but nothing had really grabbed me by the balls and pointed me in a specific direction.
Then in 1968 and supposedly studying for my O-levels, I was up one night watching Whistle Test when this scruffy band shuffled on and this tramp in a long filthy overcoat started playing a flute and singing Love Song. I was totally hooked, and when Whispering Bob Harris mentioned they had their first album out, it was straight down to Geoff Barnard's shop the following Saturday to buy my copy of This Was - which I still have and still play, scratches and all.
Safe to say Ian Anderson stands right up there as one of my musical gods, surpassed only by Beethoven who to my regret I only came to appreciate in my later years.

 

Beatles - White Album.
Gong - Angel's Egg.
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin.
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Catch A Fire.
Adam and the Ants - Prince Charming.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 1985-1992.
Pixies - Come On Pilgrim/Surfer Rosa.
Nirvana - Incesticide.
Tricky - Maxinquaye.
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication.
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not.
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?

 

I would have no chance narrowing 10,000 albums down to the 10 that had the most impact on me, so I’ll narrow it down even further and just choose two. This is the first one.

There were loads of albums that came after, both contemporary albums, plus albums from years gone by that had a big impact when I first heard them, not least Bringing It All Back Home, but my love for music turned into an obsession when we went to stay at my Nan’s house in Robin Hoods Bay when I was about 11 and I did what I always did when I went to someone else’s house (and still do if I can get away with it!), I had a look through her records.

I’d been playing my parents’ records for a few years. My dad’s 7 years older than my mum, and I was born in 1969, so I got the best of both worlds. My dad liked rock ‘n’ roll, especially Elvis and Billy Fury, and western music (not to be confused with country music, my dad loved the cowboy songs by Marty Robbins), whereas my mum liked the 60s bands, especially the Hollies. She’d been to see them all. They didn’t have many albums, but they had some great singles that are still amongst my favourite records today, like I Can’t Let Go by The Hollies, Wonderful Land by The Shadows and I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles. That was the only Beatles record they owned. I played it to death.

I used to listen to Jimmy Savile’s show on Sunday lunchtimes with my dad, where he’d play the old chart rundowns, and my dad would tell me bits and pieces about the songs and the bands. I got my love of 60s girl groups from that show, and I’ll never forget the lightning bolt that shot through me when I first heard Like a Rolling Stone (I still get that feeling now when I hear it). So I must have heard more Beatles tracks on there, although I don’t remember.

Flicking through my Nan’s records I had never seen so much rubbish. Show tunes, classical records, easy listening…I’d been used to spending my pocket money on singles by Joe Jackson, Squeeze and The Police. James Last, Richard Clayderman and South Pacific just weren’t going to cut it. And then, in the middle of them all, was the Beatles red album. Their best songs (providing they were written by Lennon & McCartney!) from 1962-1966. It was the only pop record she had and she had absolutely no idea how it got there! I played it, and I was hooked. I played it so often that week, my Nan couldn’t wait to see the back of it, so it left with me. I probably played it about 2-3 times per day, every day, once I got home.

For my birthday, shortly after, I got the blue album (their best self-penned songs from 1967-1970) and Please Please Me, because I wanted Twist and Shout. My dad actually advised me not to bother with the blue album “because they grew their hair long and went all weird”, but I was never going to listen. Thus began a serious Beatles obsession. No record has ever had an impact on me like that Beatles red album.

Funnily enough, before my teens ended I was living in Liverpool and going out with a girl who went to Lennon's old school, Quarrybank, and who lived a couple of streets from where Lennon grew up, but that was just a coincidence.

 

I was wondering if anybody would put up Ambient Works. Not for me, but I'm pretty sure it would appear on a lot of my friends' lists.

 

As a Beatles fanatic I really appreciate your post. I could easily have stated 10 of their albums as being major influences, but we were fortunate to be at the right age, at the right time, to be exposed to loads of fantastic music.

 

I was fortunate to hit the age where I could start going to gigs in the late 80s, when there were some decent bands emerging. I moved to Liverpool in 88 and then down to Brighton in 94 and to London in 95. And then 96 was a fantastic year to be in London. Loads of fantastic British bands and the European Championships. It all came crashing down when Southgate’s penalty was saved though.

But I couldn’t help thinking it would have been brill to have been born 30 years earlier. I would have hit the age when I could start going to gigs in the late 50s, when there were some more than decent acts from America coming over, like Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. If I’d moved to Liverpool in 58 there may have been some great young bands to see in the Cavern. And then down to Brighton and up to London in 65, in time for the great summer of 66, where there were loads of fantastic British bands and another football tournament in England that had a better ending!

 

Mothermania … Zappa and Mothers
Velvet Underground & Nico
Hot Rats … Zappa
White Album
Led Zeppelin
Thick as a Brick … Jethro Tull
Eliminator … ZZ Top
Never mind the bols… Sex Pistols
Unknown Pleasures … Joy Division
Closer … Joy Division

 

Early Queen were great' never really got them when they did the "i want to break free" and radio ga ga stuff' it was like they sold their creative souls somewhat in favour of commercialism.

 

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
AC/DC - If You Want Blood (live)
Queen - A Night at the Opera
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus
The Jam - All Mod Cons
Killing Joke - Killing Joke
Bill Nelson - After The Satellite Sings
Porcupine Tree - Signify
Semisonic - Feeling Strangely Fine

 

Noooooo ….. I forgot Rattus

 

Rattus Inheritus are a tribute band who are very good apparently

 

I found Wings ‘Band on the run’ when I was about 12. It was the first time I’d listened to a band, and I loved it, especially playing ‘Mamonia’ on 45rpm.

Steve Hillage ‘Fish Rising’ further broadened my horizons.

The Jam were my favourite band back in the day. So ‘Setting Sons’ has to be in there, although I love all their albums and how they mark their progression from Punky to er, almost Style Council.

New Musik ‘ From A to B’. Simple new wave music, takes me back to school days.

Supergrass ‘I should Coco’, Still play it in my car at 59.

Counting Crows ‘ August and Everything After’, just a great American album.

Stranglers ‘Ratus Norvegicus’. Bass and melodic keyboards

Jean Michel Jarre ‘Oxygene’

Al Stewart ‘Year of the cat’

Eric Satie ‘Gymnopedie’

 

"Shaped my life" is no doubt a carefully considered phrase.

What might "shaped" mean?

Does it mean "changed" in any way? More than just influenced you ? Sent you down a different way of understanding, or led you to rebellion?

Or does shape mean "describe" or "follow"?

It goes well beyond a list of albums you think are the best. They may not be the best. Not even my best.

Perhaps it is the 10 albums that made you sit up. And pay attention. But never ever preach to you. Just fit the "shaped my life" requirement.

Mine's a short list - only two.

Never Mind The ********

Closer

 

August and Everything After and Year of The Cat would be in my top 10 best albums.

Though I'm not sure that's what the OP are after.

You should listen to Magnolia Electric Co by Songs Ohia. (if you already haven't).