Number 94

10 Albums

So my cousin Keith "nominated" me on Facebook to post the covers of ten albums, one per day, that had an impact on my life. The other part of the deal was I couldn't explain any of my choices. Besides deciding on which 10 albums I was going to choose, that was the hardest part. Well, today was the tenth day, and now that I'm finished, I thought I'd finally offer my explanations. The common theme that runs through all these choices is one of discovery.

Day One (Styx: "Pieces of Eight" 1978)

This is the first album I bought that I'm not embarrassed to admit to. I was in seventh grade, and my previous album choices were, um, suspect.









Day Two (Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town" 1978)

I'm not entirely sure why I bought this album in the first place (it might have something to do with Day Five). And after playing it a few times, I traded it to my brother for J. Geils "Greatest Hits." But for some reason, it kept working on me, and pretty soon I got it back from him. Maybe I was just too young when I bought it, 'cause when I got it back, I became transfixed. If you know only a little bit about me, you know I'm a Springsteen nut. It all started here. This album is just as vital now as when it first came out. "Badlands" just might be the best album opening track of all time.




Day Three (Pink Floyd: "The Wall" 1979)

This was the first double album I bought. In retrospect, I was too young to understand exactly what was going on story wise, but the music sure was cool. Before hearing "Comfortably Numb" I didn't know what a guitar solo was. Afterwards, I did. There are other Pink Floyd albums that I've come to enjoy more than "The Wall" (by a bit), but my love of the band started here.








Day Four (Dire Straits: "Making Movies 1980)

Side one of this album, from back when we had sides, is amazing. Three wonderful songs that flow perfectly together. It's brilliant stuff. Side two is good, also, but frankly, I rarely played it. I chose this album because it was the first time I bought an album with no idea what is was about and got blown away by how great it was. I was joining the Columbia House Record and Tape Club (10 albums for a $0.01!) and needed to pick one more album. I had kinda liked "Sultans of Swing" from their first album so I thought I'd give it a shot. I became a fan for life.




Day Five (Bruce Springsteen: "Born to Run" 1975)

I think I bought "Darkness" because I vaguely knew of this 'Springsteen' person and his song about 'running.' Part of my initial disappointment, in that album, I'm sure, was not finding the song I was looking for. In any event, by the time I got this, my second Springsteen album, I knew it had the song I was looking for. What I didn't know was what a f*cking monster the rest of the album was. Sheer Perfection from "Thunder Road" to "Jungleland." Please don't ever make me choose my favorite Springsteen album - I don't think I could do it.





Day Six (Ian Hunter: Welcome to the Club" 1980)

Back in the day, when an album didn't sell, and record stores had too many copies, it would end up in the cut-out bin. They'd slice off the corner, or some such, and sell it super cheap in an attempt to get rid of surplus. Going through the cut out bin was always dodgy business, because, frankly, many of the albums that ended up there sucked. But every once in a wild you could find a gem. I was intrigued by this album because it was a double album but was no more expensive then the single albums. I had no idea who Ian Hunter was, but gave it a shot anyway because I was cheap. I ended up having the same wonderful experience I discussed with the Dire Straits album, and became an Ian Hunter fan for life.


Day Seven (the Who: "Who's Next" 1971)

Let's take a moment and unpack the Who. Roger Daltrey: one of rock's all time great singers; John Entwistle: one of rock's all time great bassists; Pete Townsend: one of rock's all time great guitarists AND songwriters; and Keith Moon: The greatest drummer in all of rock. Put that all together, and make an album when they are at their creative peak. I am a huge Who fan, and it all started here.







Day Eight (Van Morrison: "Moondance" 1970)

I knew precious little about Van Morrison until I went to college. I fancied myself a bit of a rock n' roll historian at the time, so I was totally overwhelmed (and quite chagrined), to discover I knew nothing of his brilliance. This album was my introduction to "Van the Man," but I am pleased to say my relationship with his music didn't end there. On some days, I'll put Van ahead of Bruce.







Day Nine (Guns n' Roses: "Appetite for Destruction" 1987)

Upon reflection, rock n' roll kinda sucked in the 80's. Hair metal was at it's peak - and while I love me some good hair metal - the formula was starting to run on the fumes from so many emptied cans of hairspray. The music sounded a little too safe and a little too homogenized for its own good. Guns n' Roses almost literally exploded into that environment, and blew it to smithereens. I remember the first time I listened to this album and thought, "Holy sh*t, these guys just made rock n' roll dangerous again!" That was a good thing. "You're in the jungle, baby (heh-heh)"



Day Ten (the Beatles: "1967-70" 1973)

Everybody has a story about how they first got into the Beatles. This album was mine.












Honorable Mentions