Ten albums that changed your life

[twotooto]

Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance
Leftfield - Leftism
Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of the Bewilderbeast
Radiohead - OK Computer
Morcheeba - Big Calm
Beastie Boys - The In Sound From Way Out
Portishead - Dummy
Elbow and the BBC Orchestra - The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road
You Am I - Hourly, Daily

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Radiohead - In Rainbows
This album shouldn’t work but does in a strange way. Could only be done by Radiohead.

Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
I can’t really think of a better named band for the type of music they played.

I really agree with you on In Rainbows - it doesn't have as many great songs as OK Computer, but there is just something about it as a whole that makes it a really compelling listen. Also, I remember the first time I heard a song of Evil Empire on the radio (Guerilla Radio) and it was so freaking exciting!

Beastie Boys - The In Sound From Way Out

This is a really interesting choice to me. I really like it as showing off another side of their music, but wasn't super-moved by it. Can you explain why it made your list?

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl

Seeing this on your list prompted me to listen to it again. I put it on while I was at work yesterday and then again tonight as we drove up north to our in-laws place. It's a really fantastic and very underrated album!

 

[twotooto]

This is a really interesting choice to me. I really like it as showing off another side of their music, but wasn't super-moved by it. Can you explain why it made your list?

Sure. At the time I was at uni and got a part time job at Myer and managed to wangle my way into the music section. I was able to play whatever I wanted and would trawl through all of the albums they had in the store, looking for hidden gems.

When I came across it and played it, it took me by surprise as it was quite a departure from their output up until that point. Loved it from the first listen and played the s**t out of it in the store for months. Remember being taken by its instrumental, percussive vibe, the sound of the keyboards and the whole 'funk-ness' of it.

It "changed my life" in the sense that it opened a pathway into discovering a whole new genre of music that I hadn't really gotten into before - the rootsy stuff like The Meters, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield etc and of course the more contemporary electro-funky-jazzy stuff that was around at the time and afterwards.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Sure. At the time I was at uni and got a part time job at Myer and managed to wangle my way into the music section. I was able to play whatever I wanted and would trawl through all of the albums they had in the store, looking for hidden gems.

When I came across it and played it, it took me by surprise as it was quite a departure from their output up until that point. Loved it from the first listen and played the s**t out of it in the store for months. Remember being taken by its instrumental, percussive vibe, the sound of the keyboards and the whole 'funk-ness' of it.

It "changed my life" in the sense that it opened a pathway into discovering a whole new genre of music that I hadn't really gotten into before - The Meters, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield etc.

Love it - thanks for sharing! I guess for me it wasn't as influential because I was coming to it from the other side. I was heavily into funk music and a friend recommended it because he was a massive Beastie Boys fan.

 

[twotooto]

Love it - thanks for sharing! I guess for me it wasn't as influential because I was coming to it from the other side. I was heavily into funk music and a friend recommended it because he was a massive Beastie Boys fan.

Interesting! Got any old school funk recommendations?

*I added a bit to my post.

 

[atlas1]

Seeing this on your list prompted me to listen to it again. I put it on while I was at work yesterday and then again tonight as we drove up north to our in-laws place. It's a really fantastic and very underrated album!

It's a ripper. Here's the poem that the title is in reference to: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Interesting! Got any old school funk recommendations?

*I added a bit to my post.

Album-wise:
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (the first track is nonsense, although lots of other people love it, but the rest of the album is great)
James Brown - Love Power Peace (an insanely good live album that really captures the version of his band that were really stretching out in terms of their playing rather than being simply the tightest band ever - for that look to Say It Live And Loud)
Parliament - Up For The Down Stroke (just classic old-school funk)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Naturally (although she passed away last year, she was the best throwback soul singer in the world for the past decade)
Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (60s pop mixed with funk - brilliant stuff)
The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py (I know you've listened to them already, but I can't leave this absolute classic off the list!)
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters (the ultimate in jazz-prodigy funk - groovy as all hell)

Other acts to check out (who have some great songs but I can't name an album off the top of my head):
Kool & The Gang (their early stuff, not the later disco era)
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
Betty Davis

Some of my favourite ever funk tracks (not including tracks from acts listed above):
Lee Moses - Bad Girl
The Honey Drippers - Impeach The President
The Bar-Kays - Soulfinger
Skull Snaps - It's A New Day
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Average White Band - School Boy Crush
Sir Joe Quartermain & Free Soul - So Much Trouble In My Mind
Mandrill - Fencewalk
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Highlighters - Funky 16 Corners
All The King's Men - Got To Getcha
Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Eddie Kendricks - Keep On Truckin'

A few new-ish bands you might get into (that all play great throwback funk music):
The Bamboos
Poets Of Rhythm
Fearless Flyers
Quantic Soul Orchestra

WOAH. Sorry. I might've gone a little overboard here.

 

[twotooto]

Album-wise:
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain (the first track is nonsense, although lots of other people love it, but the rest of the album is great)
James Brown - Love Power Peace (an insanely good live album that really captures the version of his band that were really stretching out in terms of their playing rather than being simply the tightest band ever - for that look to Say It Live And Loud)
Parliament - Up For The Down Stroke (just classic old-school funk)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Naturally (although she passed away last year, she was the best throwback soul singer in the world for the past decade)
Sly & The Family Stone - Stand! (60s pop mixed with funk - brilliant stuff)
The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py (I know you've listened to them already, but I can't leave this absolute classic off the list!)
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters (the ultimate in jazz-prodigy funk - groovy as all hell)

Other acts to check out (who have some great songs but I can't name an album off the top of my head):
Kool & The Gang (their early stuff, not the later disco era)
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
Betty Davis

Some of my favourite ever funk tracks (not including tracks from acts listed above):
Lee Moses - Bad Girl
The Honey Drippers - Impeach The President
The Bar-Kays - Soulfinger
Skull Snaps - It's A New Day
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
Average White Band - School Boy Crush
Sir Joe Quartermain & Free Soul - So Much Trouble In My Mind
Mandrill - Fencewalk
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
Highlighters - Funky 16 Corners
All The King's Men - Got To Getcha
Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Eddie Kendricks - Keep On Truckin'

A few new-ish bands you might get into (that all play great throwback funk music):
The Bamboos
Poets Of Rhythm
Fearless Flyers
Quantic Soul Orchestra

WOAH. Sorry. I might've gone a little overboard here.

That is brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to put that list together. Much appreciated!

This might interest you. Local radio station(Perth) has 4 hours of funk/soul/RnB every Friday night(starts 8PM WST).

http://rtrfm.com.au/live-at-rtrfm/

Also, if it takes your fancy, check out a group called VULFPECK(original tunes) and there's another that does awesome funk covers of all kinds of different tunes, called Scary Pockets. Both have channels on YouTube. Two guys from that lot also do solo stuff, Theo Katzman and Joey Dosik - both excellent and worth a listen.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

That is brilliant! Thanks for taking the time to put that list together. Much appreciated!

This might interest you. Local radio station(Perth) has 4 hours of funk/soul/RnB every Friday night(starts 8PM WST).

http://rtrfm.com.au/live-at-rtrfm/

Also, if it takes your fancy, check out a group called VULFPECK(original tunes) and there's another that does awesome funk covers of all kinds of different tunes, called Scary Pockets. Both have channels on YouTube. Two guys from that lot also do solo stuff, Theo Katzman and Joey Dosik - both excellent and worth a listen.

Thanks for the heads up. Vulfpeck are pretty cool - one of them is in the Fearless Flyers, who I mentioned as one of the newish bands to check out. Will look at Scary Pockets too.

Also, I can't believe I forgot Too Many Zooz. They're a NY 3-piece (trumpet, bari sax and percussion) that started as a group busking in subways, but have put out some EPs and an album now. They toured to Australia last year and it was an incredible show.

 

[smasha]

Pretty much all the prog rock albums from the late 60s ,early 70s

Yes Album
King Crimson
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway -Genesis

I'll keep going forever but stop here.

POWERFUL music which we will never hear the likes of again squashed my men in corporate suits.

 

[Ron The Bear]

In approximate order. Some discovered retrospectively.

Australian Crawl - The Boys Light Up
Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain
Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind
AC/DC - If You Want Blood
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Slayer - Reign In Blood
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

 

[ROOINYOU]

these are not my favourite albums of all time(some are close)...but all had an impact on where I was at in life at the time I discovered them.
some I discovered after they had been out for decades.
in no particular order...

Metallica-Puppets,Lighting,Justice.
Alice in Chains-Dirt.
Staind-Break The Cycle.
UFO-Flying,Phenomenon.
Seether-One Cold Night.
Soen-Cognitve
Tool-Aenima,Lateralus.
A Perfect Circle-Mer de Noms
Incubus-Science.
The Butterfly Effect-Begins Here

..so many more to put up but will stop here for now.
FWIW I do like other Genres of music, but these came to mind.

 

[Dancing Potato]

For context, I'm 31 years old so my formative music years were really 2000 onwards. I've listed these albums in (approximate) order that I discovered them and some were discovered retrospectively. These are the ones that shaped my musical taste from the beginning to now.

1. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
The first band I remember being into (as opposed to just random individual songs). The first album I bought. Loved the loud/quiet duality of it.

2. The Living End - Self Titled
Oh boy, what an Aussie classic. So many rocking anthems. I remember watching the video clip for Prisoner of Society on Saturday mornings too many times to count and that song remains one of my GOATs to this day.

3. System of a Down - Toxicity
My first introduction to 'heavier' music. I remember picking up the album for $10 from a local Sanity store and listening to it on repeat for hours. Probably still my favourite band and album of all time.

4. Slipknot - Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses
My foray into heavier music continued and Slipknot seemed the next logical step. Loved the seemingly chaotic nature of it being paired with catchy sing-along style verses.

5. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
This is about the time in my life when the heaviness of the music I listened to peaked. The whirling chaos of the keyboard and guitar pairing had me hooked from the start.

6. Opeth - Still Life
While Blackwater Park seems to be the consensus pick as their best album (and I love it too), this one really stood out for me. Something about the intricate, delicate meshing of the acoustic and electric guitar portions of this album just fascinated me.

7. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Around this time I was finding an appreciation for music that balanced the heaviness with the quieter moments as well as any weird, funky or strange ideas. This was perfect in that regard.

8. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Following from Mastodon I discovered these guys and was...perplexed. Then fascinated. Then hooked. Such chaos. Much scream. Many weirdness.

9. Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
This one represented a shift in my listening habits a few years ago. On first run I didn't get into it all that much but then it grew on me. As my tastes shifted it's become one of my favourites of all time. I can't wait to see what these guys have in store next.

10. Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine
Following my shift in taste and not long after Gang of Youths I got into this album and had it on repeat for months. Itching to finally see these guys live the next time they are in the country. That voice is just sensational.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

For context, I'm 31 years old so my formative music years were really 2000 onwards. I've listed these albums in (approximate) order that I discovered them and some were discovered retrospectively. These are the ones that shaped my musical taste from the beginning to now.

1. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
The first band I remember being into (as opposed to just random individual songs). The first album I bought. Loved the loud/quiet duality of it.

2. The Living End - Self Titled
Oh boy, what an Aussie classic. So many rocking anthems. I remember watching the video clip for Prisoner of Society on Saturday mornings too many times to count and that song remains one of my GOATs to this day.

3. System of a Down - Toxicity
My first introduction to 'heavier' music. I remember picking up the album for $10 from a local Sanity store and listening to it on repeat for hours. Probably still my favourite band and album of all time.

4. Slipknot - Vol. 3 The Subliminal Verses
My foray into heavier music continued and Slipknot seemed the next logical step. Loved the seemingly chaotic nature of it being paired with catchy sing-along style verses.

5. Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper
This is about the time in my life when the heaviness of the music I listened to peaked. The whirling chaos of the keyboard and guitar pairing had me hooked from the start.

6. Opeth - Still Life
While Blackwater Park seems to be the consensus pick as their best album (and I love it too), this one really stood out for me. Something about the intricate, delicate meshing of the acoustic and electric guitar portions of this album just fascinated me.

7. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Around this time I was finding an appreciation for music that balanced the heaviness with the quieter moments as well as any weird, funky or strange ideas. This was perfect in that regard.

8. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Following from Mastodon I discovered these guys and was...perplexed. Then fascinated. Then hooked. Such chaos. Much scream. Many weirdness.

9. Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
This one represented a shift in my listening habits a few years ago. On first run I didn't get into it all that much but then it grew on me. As my tastes shifted it's become one of my favourites of all time. I can't wait to see what these guys have in store next.

10. Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine
Following my shift in taste and not long after Gang of Youths I got into this album and had it on repeat for months. Itching to finally see these guys live the next time they are in the country. That voice is just sensational.

You had me at Blood Mountain.

 

[Dancing Potato]

You had me at Blood Mountain.

Such a brilliant album. Definitely the moment that Mastodon 'arrived' as a band that could go anywhere from there.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

Such a brilliant album. Definitely the moment that Mastodon 'arrived' as a band that could go anywhere from there.

Absolutely.

Hard to believe it's been 13 years.

 

[Dancing Potato]

Absolutely.

Hard to believe it's been 13 years.

Aye, time flys. Feels like yesterday when I first heard the chaotic drumming to open The Wolf is Loose.

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

Aye, time flys. Feels like yesterday when I first heard the chaotic drumming to open The Wolf is Loose.

I'm really happy I knicked that album from the local library. Now I have 6 different physical versions of Blood Mountain alone.

I didn't expect to find someone who appreciates Blood Mountain on BF.

 

[Dancing Potato]

I'm really happy I knicked that album from the local library. Now I have 6 different physical versions of Blood Mountain alone.

I didn't expect to find someone who appreciates Blood Mountain on BF.

Now that's some serious appreciation.

I picked up my (lone) copy of it probably 11-12 years for $10 from some random discount CD store in Perth while I was there on holiday with my family.

It's the album that pushed me into liking things that were a bit more experimental and off-beat in the genre.

This Mortal Soil is probably my favourite track but there really are no bad tracks either.

 

[Roobs321]

Blood Mountain is a great album, but it gets a bit lost in the shuffle/overshadowed given their 3 other 2000s albums in Remission, Leviathan & Crack the Skye (love those 3 more). Blood Mountain on release was my entry point though, so owe a lot to it. I get that for some it provides the ideal balance. There was a LOT of hype around Mastodon at the time, I'm sure it would have been mentioned in older threads here around that time. They toured in early 2007 supporting Slayer from memory, then they did the BDO in 2010 (remember it was over 40 degrees in Sydney).

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

Now that's some serious appreciation.

I picked up my (lone) copy of it probably 11-12 years for $10 from some random discount CD store in Perth while I was there on holiday with my family.

It's the album that pushed me into liking things that were a bit more experimental and off-beat in the genre.

This Mortal Soil is probably my favourite track but there really are no bad tracks either.

Yeah appreciation is a good word for it. I'm at about 51 pieces of different Mastodon Cds/Vinyls when they only have 7/8 albums. Not trying to humble brag I swear. I just never get to talk about mastodon and especially blood mountain.

This Mortal Soil me too. It's almost the best representation of that album.

It definitely helped me gain a further appreciation for off beat mixed with heaviness.

The thing that really sold me was I could hear all that Genesis, King Crimson, Yes influence in it and when I found out those are some of Branns favourite bands I just knew that that album was meant to find me... Or other way round.

Blood Mountain is a great album, but it gets a bit lost in the shuffle/overshadowed given their 3 other 2000s albums in Remission, Leviathan & Crack the Skye (love those 3 more). Blood Mountain on release was my entry point though, so owe a lot to it. I get that for some it provides the ideal balance. There was a LOT of hype around Mastodon at the time, I'm sure it would have been mentioned in older threads here around that time. They toured in early 2007 supporting Slayer from memory, then they did the BDO in 2010 (remember it was over 40 degrees in Sydney).

I can see why blood mountain gets overlooked. I still hold it as their opus.

I missed the slayer gig as I was JUST underage, and the BDO was my first time seeing them. They played CTS in its entirety (a little abridged though) and I was tripping balls on acid. Also Mars Volta played that year and that was an utter mind *.

Haven't missed a mastodon gig since.

 

[Roobs321]

Yeah appreciation is a good word for it. I'm at about 51 pieces of different Mastodon Cds/Vinyls when they only have 7/8 albums. Not trying to humble brag I swear. I just never get to talk about mastodon and especially blood mountain.

This Mortal Soil me too. It's almost the best representation of that album.

It definitely helped me gain a further appreciation for off beat mixed with heaviness.

The thing that really sold me was I could hear all that Genesis, King Crimson, Yes influence in it and when I found out those are some of Branns favourite bands I just knew that that album was meant to find me... Or other way round.

I can see why blood mountain gets overlooked. I still hold it as their opus.

I missed the slayer gig as I was JUST underage, and the BDO was my first time seeing them. They played CTS in its entirety (a little abridged though) and I was tripping balls on acid. Also Mars Volta played that year and that was an utter mind fu**.

Haven't missed a mastodon gig since.

Remember the hype leading up to CTS? That was nuts, certainly one of my most awaited releases and boy did it deliver. The Sydney BDO heat was sickening, but was rapt to finally see them.

Remission has been the biggest grower for me, had overlooked that record for ages (completely neglected cobwebby physical) and then fell hard for it only last year. It will age very well.

Emperor of Sand was pretty good so still believe they can release quality stuff.

1. Leviathan 9.5/10
2. Crack the Skye 9/10
3. Remission 8.5/10
4. Blood Mountain 8/10
5. Emperor of Sand 7/10
6. The Hunter 7/10
7. Once More Round the Sun 6.5/10 (need to revisit this one though)

 

[AuntyBlindEye]

Remember the hype leading up to CTS? That was nuts, certainly one of my most awaited releases and boy did it deliver. The Sydney BDO heat was sickening, but was rapt to finally see them.

Remission has been the biggest grower for me, had overlooked that record for ages (completely neglected cobwebby physical) and then fell hard for it only last year. It will age very well.

Emperor of Sand was pretty good so still believe they can release quality stuff.

1. Leviathan 9.5/10
2. Crack the Skye 9/10
3. Remission 8.5/10
4. Blood Mountain 8/10
5. Emperor of Sand 7/10
6. The Hunter 7/10
7. Once More Around the Sun 6.5/10

Man the CTS hype was incredible. And when they released oblivion and most people were going "who is that singing?" haha.

I love all their albums, it would take me a lifetime to attribute a number score to them but:
1- Blood Mountain
2- Emperor of Sand
3- Crack the Skye
4- Remission
5- Leviathan
6- Once More Round the Sun
7- The Hunter
8- Call of the Mastodon (just to be thorough)

I'd still take the 7th and 8th placed albums over a hell of a lot of other albums.

Not a bad record among them in my opinion.

 

[Roobs321]

Not a bad record among them in my opinion.

Completely agreed, very dependable

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Sorry for this post turning into a bit of a long spiel, but I take lists like this VERY seriously and I almost always go into too much detail. So combine those two factors and you end up with this.

I’ve tried to order them chronologically in my life (rather than their release date). Interestingly, only one (maybe two) of these would make my Top 10 albums of all time.

James Morrison - Snappy Doo (1990)
This was the first CD I remember having that was my very own. I think I got it for my 9th birthday and it started an almost decade long love affair with jazz music. Not only was he the best trumpet player I’d ever heard, it totally blew my mind that he recorded every trumpet, trombone, saxophone and piano part on the album. James Morrisson quickly became my idol and I wanted to be a famous trumpeter like him touring the world.

Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
I came to know Bon Jovi through my two older sisters, but this was the heaviest music I had heard up to that stage in my life (haha) and I felt completely rebellious owning this album and cranking it as loud as possible. I was devastated as a 13yo not being allowed to go to their concert out at Eastern Creek.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme (1998)
On a school trip to Jindabyne, I was put in a room with a couple of friends and another guy I didn’t really know that well who only brought a couple of t-shirts in his bag, as he’d put his stereo and a stack of CDs in there instead. When he put on Acme, I had never heard anything like it before and was hooked on the Blues Explosion. I’ve also been in a band of some sort with that weirdo for the last 20 years (woah).

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)
I remember first listening to this at the HMV at Macquarie Centre and just getting it straightaway. It was probably the first album that I owned that was of a band considered cool and would get played on JJJ. I probably burned through it over a hundred times and learnt every song on bass guitar (well, at least as good as I could play it).

James Brown - Love Power Peace: Live At The Olympia, Paris, 1971 (1992)
I managed to find a copy of this album after a couple of years searching through every record store in Sydney and the dark reaches of the still primitive internet we had back in the early 2000s. I’d listened to a lot of James Brown before, but nothing as loose and wild as this. I just wanted to be in the crowd back in 1971.

Beck - Seachange (2002)
This is probably coloured by the experience of seeing Beck live on the Seachange tour, but it was the most beautiful music I’d ever heard and the pairing of the expansive string arrangements with the heartbreaking subject matter of his long-term relationship breakdown was just so compelling to listen to.

Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (2002)
This album is simply a masterpiece. It’s chock full of great songs and every single sound on every single song is perfectly in the right place. It wasn’t until I listened to it properly on headphones that I realised how fantastic it is and I’ve always strived to record even just one song that sounds as great as every song on this album does.

Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968)
Until the very moment when I brought this album home from the bargain bin in the staff sales room at the music club I worked at, I would’ve sworn black and blue I hated country music. I’m not sure what prompted me to even buy the album, but I immediately loved it and a couple of months later found out about the biopic that was due to be released. Serendipitous.

Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)
As a young Christian that loved music, I was always confused why Christian music sucked so hard. A friend of mine played me a couple of tracks and I immediately bought Illinois off the iTunes store. Although I’d no longer consider myself a Christian, Sufjan’s honest exploration of his own faith will be a part of my musical future until the day I die.

Philadelphia Grand Jury - Hope is For Hopers (2009)
In terms of truly being life-changing, this is probably the most impactful album on this list. We had been playing around for a few years and started to get some buzz with the our first few singles, but it wasn’t until we released Hope Is For Hopers that things started moving fast. And an album in my mind has always legitimised a band, so not only outwardly, but inwardly, this was a massive change. Without it, we never would’ve played overseas and lived in the UK for a while and I would never have even a fraction of the memories.