The most influential albums of all time! (for ME)

I always get sucked into reading or watching those "best of" or "most influential" albums of all time lists. It's interesting (and somewhat predictable) to see what turns up. I got to thinking though, some of these albums were influential to the masses, and brilliant works but didn't necessarily have an impact on my life. I can't say that "Sgt. Pepper" and "Songs In The Key of Life" aren't great records, but I can't really relate to them on a personal level. So, I came up with a list of albums that influenced me. Some of these may not be "masterpieces", but who cares. The nice thing about this list is that you can't argue with it. You might think they all suck, but you're not me!  (Note: I've sequenced them by the year I discovered them - not necessarily by when they were released).

1983 - Men At Work - "Cargo"

This is on the list because it was the first album I ever bought. I got it on cassette at the Record World in Southbury, CT.  In retrospect, it's not a stellar album, but it set me on the path of music fandom. "Overkill" is still one of my favorite songs and Colin Hay still has a great voice.. and it has a really cool album cover.








1983 - Def Leppard - "Pyromania"

Like most people, when I first started getting into music, I would just listen to Top 40 radio. In '83 that meant Men At Work, Culture Club, Duran Duran, The Fixx, etc..but when I first heard "Rock of Ages", I was blown away. I got this cassette and was instantly hooked. Here was some poppy, catchy, music, but it ROCKED.  It also steered me towards the likes of Scorpions, Van Halen, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue.. and basically the bread and butter of what most I love about rock to this day. Even though it's somewhat overplayed, I still love this record.




1985 - Van Halen - "Van Halen"

I had already been into "1984" and "Diver Down" and had heard some earlier songs on mix tapes/radio, but when I got this and listened to the whole thing front-to-back, I was floored. This record, combined with Marty McFly's "Johnny B Goode" scene in Back To The Future convinced me that I HAD to play guitar. I still think that this is one of the best albums, if not THE best album ever recorded - by anyone. Incredible songs, amazing playing, explosive energy.. and a sense of humor! It's a timeless record for me. Alas,shortly after I fell in love with this record, it was announced that David Lee Roth was officially out of the band - an early lesson in heartbreak at age 13.



1990 - David Bowie - "Hunky Dory"

The summer between high school and college. I was full-on into the hard rock/metal thing: Guns N' Roses, Metallica etc.. Rykodisc had just reissued the early Bowie catalogue (which had been out of print for years). I liked Bowie from "Let's Dance" and whatever old songs they played on the radio so I picked this up on a whim. This record didn't "rock", but it got to me. Something about the his voice and the melodies and the sound affected me. It's odd, because lyrically, there are songs about Andy Warhol and Mars and homosexuality and obscure literature and cacti (?), These are subjects that were and are meaningless to me. Maybe it was just that alien quality that I found interesting..or the voice of another young oddball going through ch-ch-ch-changes. In any case, it's a great record.  It didn't really influence me as a musician, but somehow spoke to me at the time... and I still like it.

1992 - Ween - "God Ween Satan"

Around this time, on school breaks, my buddy Kyle and I - bored and still too young to get into bars would spend time writing stupid songs and recording them on a 4-track. We made full use of pitch shifting, wacky effects and dumb jokes. After playing some of it for friends,  someone told us to check out Ween. I got "Pure Guava" and loved it.. and then found this at the local record store. The first time I heard it, I was in tears from laughing so hard. The more I listened, I was hooked. Total insanity. The songs were all over the place: punk, reggae, metal, soft rock, Prince-style funk, and experimental freakouts.. yet, there was a degree of song craft and continuity that kept it all together. It's hilarious..yet at times sincere. "Birthday Boy" still makes me choke up. I've never heard a record like this -before or after. These guys are geniuses in my book.

1999 - Supersuckers - "The Evil Powers Of Rock N' Roll"

The late 90's were a dismal time for rock n' roll music. There had been almost a decade of angsty, fake post-grunge and boring music  (Candlebox, Bush, Hootie and the Blowfish etc..), and the new "heavy" music was knuckle-headed garbage like Korn and Limp Bizkit. I was about to give up hope on rock n' roll when I saw this in a "new releases" display at Amoeba Music in SF. I knew immediately from the album cover alone that I had to have this. Turned out it was exactly what I needed - a bunch of guys having fun playing unapologetic hard rocknroll. It's fun, it's loud, it's ballsy, it's everything I wanted.. and I put me on my current and lifelong quest to rock out. I also discovered that these guys weren't alone -  there were other rockers under the radar: Hellacopters, Turbonegro, Gluecifer, Nashville Pussy, Supagroup, Upper Crust... and now my own dumb, loud rock band!