NSW

It’s hard to keep this list to 10 albums, and really hard to pick the top ten. So I just wrote about the first 10 I could think of. I know we’re supposed to put these in order of how influential they are, but they are going to be in timeline order of when I first listened to them.

Best of Sam Cooke – Sam Cooke
Instrumental in getting me interested in soul and R&B music. What can I say? Sam Cooke had a great voice and style. His songs can be soulful, chipper, moving, or just plain fun. My mom had this one on vinyl, and would play it when I was liiittle (think 4 or 5 years old) and I couldn't get enough of it even then. Obviously, the older I got the more I began to appreciate it in a different way and let it motivate me to check out other soul artists. It’s just an awesome album and a fantastic genre of music that I’ll never stop loving.

There Must be a Better World Somewhere – B.B. King
I love this man. I don’t know how else to put it. When he passes (he’s gettin’ up there ya know), tears will be shed. He is the reason I love the blues guitar, and this is the album that started it all.

5150 – Van Halen
I remember my dad loved this album, and those nights when my mom was working and he was left to tend to us kids, this was one of the albums he would always put on. All three of us (my brothers and I) would rock out with Dad and it was good times! Later on, as I got a bit older and started having crushes and what not, some of the songs from this album like “Dreams” and “Why Can’t this be Love” really started to take on meaning for me. Now I listen to them and think “Gawd, what a bunch of overly sentimental fluff”, but they still bring back the good memories.

Metallica (Black Album) – Metallica
This is the album that got me into Metallica, and thereby metal in general. “Sad But True” was always my favorite song, but I pretty much listened to this album all the way through and loved every minute of it. I’ve since discovered better Metallica albums (well, better metal albums on the whole), but this one will always have the special spot as the first metal album that I really got.

Ledbetter Heights – Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band
This was the first blues album I ever bought on my own, having not heard or read any reviews and without any outside influences. I was perusing the blues section at Best Buy and came upon it. Up until that point in my life, I guess I’d thought of all blues artists as being older, and so when I saw the cover with a picture of this kid who looked to be not much older than myself, I was intrigued. I gave a couple of the songs a listen in the store and decided I liked it. Thus began my obsession with KWSB. I eventually saw him in concert 4 or 5 times. Now a-days, I’m no longer an obsessed fan, and I haven’t picked up that first album in a long while, as I much prefer his next two albums. But since this was my first foray into buying music on my own terms, it’s always going to be at the top of my list.

Tenors on Tour – The Three Tenors (Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti)
When I was young, I couldn’t understand how people could listen to opera and be moved to tears. That was until I heard this album, specifically Placido Domingo’s version a ‘Nessun Dorma’. There are a lot of songs on this album I don’t care for, but this song alone made it worth me purchasing a hard copy and listening to it over and over again. I remember the first time I heard it, I was in the car with my mom. She was always the one trying to put a little ‘culture’ in our lives. We listened to the entire album and got to that last song, and I remember trying to hide my tears by looking out the passenger window and not talking. His voice was so powerful and moving, and combined with the choir and the orchestra, I was blown away. When it was over, I was able to squeak out that it was “pretty good”. She understood.

Braveheart movie score
I’ve never been big on movie scores, usually preferring to listen to the compiled songs on the soundtracks. My husband actually had me listen to this one (before we were married) and I fell in love with it. We even used one of the songs in our wedding, for the walk down the isle. To me, it’s very emotional and beautiful and it reminds me of happier times.

The Moon and Antarctica – Modest Mouse
The first time I heard this album I remember thinking, “Man…this guy has a horrible voice! This is just terrible.” But the couple of people I knew who liked them insisted that I needed to keep listening. So I did…and it did end up growing on me. “3rd Planet” is trippy, “Gravity Rides Everything” is fun to sing along to, “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” has an awesome groove, and “Wild Packs of Family Dogs” makes me chuckle every time I hear it. This album is on my list because it proves that sometimes you do have to give music a second (or third, or forth) chance to realize its merit.

Based on a True Story – Fat Freddy’s Drop
I can’t remember the last time I listened to an album and instantly fell in love, but this is one of those albums. One of my MB gems. Is it reggae, dub, soul…all of the above? I’d never heard of dub before MB, and had very limited exposure to reggae, but I love me some soul music, always have. And this album has taken elements from all of these genres and put them together in one glorious music experience. I can easily sit and listen to this album all the way through, never skipping a song, and that’s hard for me to do normally. Also, I’ve been overly excited about sharing this album with other people, and I’ve gotten a few of my friends hooked.

The Flying Club Cup – Beirut
Another MB gem. I checked this out on a whim, and I haven’t been able to stop playing it since. I never, ever would have picked this up anywhere else besides Musicbanter. But Zach Condon’s voice haunts me and the music is completely different and unique compared to what I’ve been used to listening to. It’s on the list because it’s a reminder of why sites like this are a godsend and a great outlet for becoming exposed to new and exciting music.

__________________
Hi.