1. Are You Experienced? - Jimi Hendrix
This was the first good album I ever owned, my dad gave it to me when I was 13, a time when I was into all the MTV pop stuff. This record introduced me to the power of a distorted guitar. And thus my real interest in music started here.
2. Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
This was the album that got me into Floyd and eventually progressive rock. For the time, I listened to it at least once a day. This was before I realised how popular a record it actually was. So I know it's a cliche thing to say. But this record really did change my life.
3. Nevermind - Nirvana
We all had the phase, and this was an important one for me. Nirvana was important during my angsty teenage years, and they were the first band that got me interested in alternative rock and through them I got into Pixies, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and and the early hardcore bands.
4. In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
The first time I ever heard this band mentioned was when Robert Fripp made Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists list, I didn't think much of it then. 21st Century Schizoid Man and the title track were the first songs I heard from this album and they had me hooked. IMO one of the few bands in existance where it's actually worth owning their entire discography.
5. Post - Bjork
I don't get to talk about her much on this forum, so people probably don't realise just how big a fan of Bjork I really am. Back in the day I thought she was just another pop singer whose only claim to fame was her bizarre outfits and eccentric behavior. But I was very wrong. I remember watching the video for Pagan Poetry and that just blew me away, next thing I had to have a Bjork album, this was my first, and it's still my favorite. I can't really try to describe her music or why it appeals to me, it's just so out there.
6. Close to the Edge - Yes
My interest in King Crimson and Yes grew around the same time. It was through these two bands that I learned what progressive rock was and it was through them that I got into other bands of the genre. My introduction to the band was through the 35th Anniversery collection. After that I downloaded this album. The title track is quite possibly my favorite song ever, it defines everything I love about prog.
7. Early Days and Latter Days - Led Zeppelin
Ok, not REAL albums, but it was through these compilations that I found the Zep, I didn't listen to radio back then, so believe it or not all these songs were completely new to me. After this I bought their first 6 albums pretty much around the same time and I treasured each one, still do.
8. Ok Computer - Radiohead
Blah blah, I can't really talk about this album without sounding like a pretentious hipster douche can I? Well once again, this was before I really realized how popular this band actually was. Those days were so great, I listened to this album every day and loved it. I know people say it's shallow to let people affect your musical tastes, and I TRY not to be that way, but I gotta be honest, since indie hipsters hyped this band into oblivion, it's hard to enjoy Radiohead nowadays without wincing a little bit, I don't even like to think about it.
9. Abbey Road - The Beatles
Along with Revolver, this is the album that really got me into The Beatles. What else is there to say?
10. Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins
Boy do people love to sh*t on this album, but after ranting about how such people have damn near ruined Radiohead for me, that's probably for the best. I know Smashing Pumpkins appeals to angsty teenagers much like Nirvana and etc. I guess that's how my fascination with the band started out. But yeah this was my first SP album and it's still my favorite. This album combined heavy, angsty alt rock with bombastic pomp rock, which is probably why it was such a pivotal album for me, as it marks the point when my tastes were evolving from mainstream alt rock bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam to progressive rock. First double album I ever owned too.
|