Cross-posting this from Facebook since it seemed to have some relevance here.\u00c2\u00a0 Props to Scott Schnaars for inviting me to participate.<\/p>\n
Think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you that they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that, no matter what they were thought of musically, shaped your world. When you finish, tag 20 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good.<\/em><\/p>\n This is in the rough order that these records came into my life (which isn’t necessarily the same as when they were released).<\/p>\n 1. Various Artists – Back To The Future: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><\/a> 2. Nirvana – Nevermind<\/em><\/a> 3. Various Artists – Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><\/a> 4. Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted<\/em><\/a> 5. Brad – Shame<\/em><\/a> 6. Carter USM – Post Historic Monsters<\/em><\/a> 7. 311 – Music<\/em><\/a> 8. The Beatles – Past Masters Volume Two<\/em><\/a> 9. Backbeat – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack<\/em><\/a> 10. R.E.M. – Monster<\/em><\/a> 11. Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself<\/em><\/a> 12. Billy Joel – The Stranger<\/em><\/a> 13. Mike Doughty – Skittish<\/em><\/a> 14. James Robert Morrison – J.R.<\/em><\/a> 15. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/em><\/a> 16. Stereo MCs – Deep Down & Dirty<\/em><\/a> 17. M. Ward – Transfiguration of Vincent<\/em><\/a> 18. Mason Jennings – Mason Jennings<\/em><\/a>
\nThe first album I ever owned — on vinyl…<\/p>\n
\nA dubbed cassette that Brian Boyden copied for Jon Mack who then copied it for me. Somewhat cliche, but this was the record that started me off on my musical journey and helped to make me what I am today.<\/p>\n
\nOne of the first CDs Jon Mack ever bought. We played the heck out of it and always wondered why it didn’t include a Nirvana song. This probably kicked off my fascination with compilations, soundtracks, and tribute albums.<\/p>\n
\nThe exact moment I started to deviate from “grunge” and expand my horizons was when I read a review of this record that started with the words “Mmmm….pop music.” Went out and bought it and never turned back.<\/p>\n
\nI sought this out since it was a Stone Gossard side project, but now I consider it my gateway to Shawn Smith. They call him “Seattle’s Best Kept Secret” and I’ve been along for the ride ever since. Plus it has the most awesome title origin story of any album: They wanted to name the band “Shame,” but another band with that name threatened to sue unless they paid big money for the rights. The leader of that band was named Brad, so they decided to name the band “Brad” and the album “Shame” as a royalty-free workaround. Brilliant…<\/p>\n
\nCarter became my favorite band on April 1 1994 when I saw them live even though I never heard a single song by them before. I bought this album the next day, and the rest of their back catalogue days later.<\/p>\n
\nThe band I caught before their prime, followed religiously, and a couple albums later dropped almost cold turkey. But Music\/Grassroots\/311 are the soundtracks of late high school and early college.<\/p>\n
\nI know this is an odd choice. Under the influence of my parents I always knew a lot about the Beatles and probably had their entire discography memorized at a younger age than I can even recall. When it came time to actually “buy” my own Beatles album this was the one I got first. Sort of a “best of the Beatle B-Sides,” though I don’t think you can really classify any Beatles tune as true “B-Side” material. Both the rocked out version of “Revolution” and “Old Brown Shoe” have held the title of my favorite Beatles song (if not favorite song overall) at certain points in my life.<\/p>\n
\nBrilliant idea of forming an alt-rock all star band to do traditional, straight up, rockin’ covers of the covers the Beatles played in the German clubs in their early days. The Backbeat Band — Dave Pirner from Soul Asylum, Greg Dulli from The Afghan Whigs, Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth, Don Fleming from Gumball (how’d he get this gig?), Mike Mills from R.E.M.and Dave Grohl from Nirvana (pre-Foo Fighters) — put together 27 blazing minutes that introduced me to the concept of the “Supergroup” and still puts a smile on my face to this day.<\/p>\n
\nThe first record I ever stood in line outside a record store at midnight to buy, and probably still my favorite R.E.M. disc to this day.<\/p>\n
\nMy mom used to work in the corporate office of Strawberries record stores. She’d always mail me advance copies of new CDs, but most of them were pretty forgettable. This was the only one I ever felt privileged to hear before most people did.<\/p>\n
\nOne of the only tapes in my grandmother’s old car that I drove the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college. Only 9 songs, but I fell in love with the utter perfection embodied in this album.<\/p>\n
\nOne man and his guitar…and probably the greatest record ever made.<\/p>\n
\nIt sucks when your favorite band breaks up, but it hurts a lot less when one of the members goes on to make a solo record as beautiful as this. (Skittish<\/em> referenced above would also fall into that category.) In one of the last Carter USM songs Jim Bob sang “I don’t want the honeymoon to last; I just want my future to live up to my past.” On this record, it did.<\/p>\n
\nMy friend Chris Evjy told me for years that I should check out Wilco and I never got around to it. Then I had an Amazon gift certificate on the verge of expiration and bought this with it a couple weeks after it came out. And then I bought everything else they ever did…<\/p>\n
\nReminds me of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n
\nHeard his cover of “Let My Love Open The Door” on the radio, bought this album on iTunes as soon as I got home, and bought the rest of his back catalogue a few hours later. (I’m starting to detect an obsessive pattern…)<\/p>\n
\nThe official soundtrack of doing the dishes, and quite possibly the best 1-2 punch of songs to start a folksy album.<\/p>\n