There are tons of albums that I absolutely love, but some get much much more attention than others. Some of this is a result of back when I was just getting into music...I just didn't have a whole lot of music, so what I did have I dissected to a ridiculous degree. Sometimes I just run across an album that I can't stop listening to and it is soon added to my ever growing list of essential albums.
So, what albums do you know inside and out? You know what I'm talking about. You know every note like the back of your hand. Hell, you may have even found mistakes or listened so deeply you could hear the band members talking in the studio to each other. Listening has become an automatic, cathartic experience. Here are some of mine:
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
This was one of the first albums that I was really proud to show off. It sounded badass and I didn't know many other kids at school who listened to it. It's a grunge album that I still listen to today...and I will probably always listen to it. This also kicked off a giant 90's alt rock/grunge phase for me, which lead to the discovery of the album that changed it all...
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Considering this is the album that changed my life and resulted in the music fiend that I am today, of course I know it inside and out. I know every song on guitar. I know the story behind every song and I have listened to it so many times that I don't even think about the lyrics when I sing along to it...I just do it.
Radiohead - OK Computer
The album that taught me the art of the grower. It sat on my shelf for ages after I first got it...the first listen having not done much for me. One day, I felt like I didn't want to let it become a waste of money so I stuck it on and was BLOWN AWAY. All the sudden, I just GOT it. I then listened to it over and over and over.
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Another of my early-days-of-music albums. After hearing some comparisons to Radiohead, I was inspired to actually check out a whole album. Again, it didn't do much for me at first, but coming fresh off my "grower album" awakening, I gave it more of a chance. This kind of positively reinforced the grower idea because I couldn't get enough eventually. It basically started a huge prog rock phase for me that then lead to discovering...
Rush - Moving Pictures
If the Smashing Pumpkins inspired my love of music and motivated me to learn guitar, Rush taught me how to play it with some skill. I credit Alex Lifeson for teaching me how to play guitar properly. Once I heard this, I was immediately hooked. It had everything I wanted. Crunching guitars, a singer with a unique voice, and catchy music with SKILL. Another album that I also know (most) of the songs on guitar for.
Ok, one more...
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
I had always had a decent respect for electronic music, but I didn't realize what it could do until I heard this. Despite how many times I've listened to it, the feeling I get from listening to it is still unreal. If I ever feel like things are getting TOO out of hand for me, I bust out my studio headphones and get lost in this. It's pure meditation.
And a few honorable mentions...
Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
Megadeth - Rust In Peace
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
The Cure - Disintegration
David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Dr. Dre- The Chronic 2001
The Flaming Lips - Transmissions From the Satellite Heart
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Mars Volta - Deloused In the Comatorium
Deftones - White Pony
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
Sonic Youth - Dirty
Tool - Lateralus
White Stripes - Elephant
Asobi Seksu - Citrus