Ten Albums that Shaped Me
During the lockdowns in 2020, there was a “challenge” on Facebook: for 10 days straight, you posted an album that influenced your musical tastes and upbringing. One of the rules was that you could not offer an explanation or a review of the albums.
Enough time has passed for the statute of limitations to have expired. So without further ado, I present to you my 10 albums, this time WITH explanations and mini-reviews. I’m going from day ten to day one; a sort of reverse countdown.
(This challenge also required you to challenge someone else to do the same each day. So yes, I participated in digital chain mail. But it was fun and, I hope, mostly harmless.)
10 - Testimony by Neal Morse - A work of Christian progressive rock from 2003. Neal Morse was the founder and main songwriter for the group Spock’s Beard. As his first solo record, it tells the story (over four acts on two CDs) of his conversion to Christianity. I first heard about this album from the Dream Theater website, when Mike Portnoy posted that he had just completed his drum parts on the upcoming release. While I was hesitant to pick up a Christian album (I considered myself agnostic at this point in my life), I fell in love with this. The music was excellent, but most importantly for me was the story was not preachy. It merely told Neal’s story. Because of this album, I began to look into Christianity myself and soon became a believer.
9 - Secret World Live by Peter Gabriel - Released in 1994, this live album and corresponding video documented the worldwide tour supporting the album Us. I had gone to see Peter on this tour and found the music and the show spectacular. This album captures the magnificence of the songs, from the opening “Come Talk to Me” to the extended version of “In Your Eyes” that acts as the second encore of the night. Songs like “Digging in the Dirt” and “Blood of Eden” explore the struggles of relationships. Paula Cole shines as a vocalist throughout and, of course, Tony Levin on bass is always worth a close listen.
8 - Disintegration by The Cure - I agree with the boys from South Park who told Robert Smith in an early episode that this was their best album. Having heard songs like “Love Cats” and “Boys Don’t Cry”, I did not like their music until I heard this dark and moody album, with most songs unfolding past the five minute mark. Simon Gallup’s bass is simple and repetitive, but essential for songs such as “Fascination Street” and the title track. While I generally am an upbeat person, this is perfect music for atmosphere on days when your sun is hiding.
7 - Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche - This is a desert island record for me, although the subject matter is such that I would be angry all the time. A concept album about a drug dealer working for a shadowy syndicate and a prostitute who happens to be a nun, this album scorches organized religion and politics and the intersection of the two. This album came out in the era of Jimmy Swaggart and Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and, thus, solidified my agnosticism. I’m now a Christian (see #10 above), but this album still earns the occasional spin. Progressive metal at its finest.
6 - Script for a Jester’s Tear by Marillion - Released in 1983, long after most of my progressive rock heroes had either split up or changed their sound, the voice of Fish on my radio singing “He Knows You Know” gave me hope that this music was not dead. Over the course of the six songs (none shorter than five minutes), I fell in love with the poetry of the lyrics, keyboard solos and intricate guitar structures. And back in the days of album art, Mark Wilkinson’s cover was something to study while listening to the songs about drugs, war and lost love.
5 - Sink Your Teeth Into That by Talas - The second release by the biggest Buffalo band while I was growing up. Many were the nights (and early mornings) that I would stand in the audience wondering how Billy Sheehan got all of those sounds from his beat up (and highly modified) Fender Precision bass. Then hearing that solo captured in “NV4-3347” surrounded by underrated hard rock songs like the title track and “Shy Boy” (later covered by David Lee Roth on his first solo album) shepherded my musical discoveries in the early 80s.
4 - Strangers in the Night by UFO - This is the greatest live album ever made. Any guitarist hearing the five minutes guitar solo in “Rock Bottom” can hear the genius and the talent that is Michael Schenker. Add to that definitive versions of “Lights Out”, “Love to Love” and “Doctor Doctor” and it is easy to wonder why this band wasn’t bigger than they were. This is an album that was discovered by my best friend (and subject of my book Rock the Hard Way), Doug Rockwitz, as he was honing his skills on guitar.
3 - Animals by Pink Floyd - The first Floyd album I ever purchased. Three songs over ten minutes long bookended by two short tracks. This masterpiece came out early in my high school years when finding cool new music could determine who you hung out with. It turns out that Pink Floyd got you in with the nerds and the heads, which was fine by me. Definitely not The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon, this album is often overlooked by fans and never played on the radio.
2 - On Your Feet or On Your Knees by Blue Oyster Cult - I discovered this album by accident when I was still listening to AM radio in elementary school. This was an album owned by the older brother of a friend, and we would listen to the first track, “Subhuman”, frequently. This music was different than the Top 40 I listened to up until then: harder edged, longer, weirder. Not the first album I ever owned, but one that made me aware that there was more to music than three minute singles.
1 - Seconds Out by Genesis - As I wrote last week, this was the first album I owned because of the album cover and the 24 minute song, “Suppers Ready”, listed on the back. And it began my interest in exploring the true possibilities of what music could be.
I survived the challenge (and did not generate any further chain mail posts to my knowledge).
So what are your 10 most influential albums? What are their stories? I’d love to hear them. Drop me a line in the comments. Maybe there are some albums in your list that I still need to hear.