This morning, after having the Blues Traveler song "Hook" stuck in my head for better than 24 hours, I got to thinking about albums that have stuck with me over the years. I assume that everyone does this at one time or another. I can even think of albums that I remember for rather specific time periods in my life. I thought I'd just mention a few and invite you to think of some of yours.
Blues Traveler's Four sticks out in my mind from when I was in college. I met John Popper once in passing at a Wawa (my Philly peeps know what that is) in Bucks County on the way back from a friend's hockey game. He was still huge at the time, both physically and in popularity, but he was pretty cool. I just mentioned that I liked his stuff and chatted for a few minutes about music and then went our separate ways. The album is just great, but a the song that really sticks in my head as a memory is "The Mountain Wins Again." I played this tune at a talent night with a friend on upright bass. For me, it was an electrifying performance to be a part of, ver y satisfying. I need to find a bassist to play with.
Ben Fold's Five Whatever and Ever Amen is another great album. I bought this album used when I was living in CT briefly along with the Band's Greatest Hits. The two albums were in constant rotation. I don't think anyone would say Ben Folds is a great singer but his songwriting is impressive. "Brick" is a shear classic.
Welcome Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne doesn't have a bad song on it. My cousin introduced me to FOW because I rarely listen to top 40 radio. It was on that same trip that he was playing a live version of "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction. I believe I bought both albums at the same time. Some may say Jane's Addiction and Fountains of Wayne have very little to do with each other but they do to me.
Weezer's Blue Album, Green Day's Dookie, The Offspring's Smash, Pearl Jam's Ten (although I still don't own Ten), Soundgarden, Better Than Ezra's Deluxe...these albums all came out when I was playing with a garageband in High School. We listened to a lot of it and played some of it, especially the Green Day. I also remember playing the Offspring's "Come Out and Play" and feeling like a real rebel.
I lived in Seattle for awhile, too, and I was generally disappointed by the music scene there. I came away with two great albums, though. The first album was Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasion Sing Frank Zappa. The Persuasions were a doo-wop group that Frank Zappa helped promote and encourage. The album is just incredible. If you think Zappa's stuff was too out there, listen to this album and it will give you an appreciation for Zappa's genius. The other Seattle era album I remember and still listen to is the self titled album from a Port Angeles band called Tongue and Groove. I was working on a ship at the time and we were anchored in Port Angeles Harbor. The ship was running liberty launches into town so I hopped aboard one. Most of my shipmates headed to the chi-chi bar and I made a beeline, along with a few others, for the dive bar across the street. This bar was great. It was dark, a little dingy, had a scuffed up pool table and the piece de resistance was the trough in the men's room that was full of ice. The bar tender was a beautiful girl nicknamed Gypsy. No one else seemed to know her real name as they'd all known her as Gypsy for so long. I was a little burrito obsessed at the time and they had some good burritos. The bar was mostly empty except for a couple of people who were my age playing pool. We got to talking and they told me they were in a band. One of them went over to the jukebox and played their record. I bought a copy right then and there. That was nearly 13 years ago and I still listen to it. They even recorded a VW bus for their opening tune. I saw them when they'd come to Seattle. They're not together in the same format anymore. The guys I met at the bar quit the band and settled down to careers and families. The two leads continue to tour the Northwest as a duet, writing and playing some great folk and bluegrass influenced rock.
So what was the biggest album to influence me? It took me about a half a second to name it. It wasn't a Beatles album, or Dylan's Bringing it All Back Home, or Buddy Holly's stuff, or the Kingston Trio's greatest hits (I regard all this stuff with the highest esteem). It was an album that I bought after Christmas when I was in 6th grade. My father had rented a car and driven my siblings and I to visit my grandparents in Florida. We stopped at a motel in South Carolina and we thought it was great because the motel room had MTV. I saw a video that changed my life. It was Tom Petty's Free Fallin'. I remember feeling distraught prior to this because I didn't have a favorite artist. A neighbor friend tried to convince me that it was Def Leppard but I had too much good taste for that, even back then. My brother tried to convince me that maybe it was the B-52's, his favorite band. Meh, they were okay but not exactly my favorite. Was it Weird Al? Yes, I dug him but maybe I needed something more serious. Was it the Kingston Trio? I dug them, still do but they seemed kind of dead. Was it John Denver? I loved, and still love, John Denver's stuff but....then WHAM! I saw the video and I was hooked. Who was this ghastly looking fellow with the unique voice and enticing scenes of California? This simple melody hit me like a ton of bricks. I bought the tape when we returned from Florida. I remember thinking that I had to talk loudly over the beginning of "I Won't Back Down" because he sang hell. I still love that album. There isn't a bad song on it and Tom Petty is without a doubt my favorite artist. The Last DJ is a truly inspiring album, as well as most of his other stuff. I've seen him live a few times and they're the best concerts I've been to. I hope to see him and the Heartbreakers again soon.
So what are your most influential albums? Where and when were you? I've only skimmed the surface here. I find I can look a many of the cd's in my collection and recollect something about where and when. They've all influenced me somehow. Have they influenced you?
Blues Traveler's Four sticks out in my mind from when I was in college. I met John Popper once in passing at a Wawa (my Philly peeps know what that is) in Bucks County on the way back from a friend's hockey game. He was still huge at the time, both physically and in popularity, but he was pretty cool. I just mentioned that I liked his stuff and chatted for a few minutes about music and then went our separate ways. The album is just great, but a the song that really sticks in my head as a memory is "The Mountain Wins Again." I played this tune at a talent night with a friend on upright bass. For me, it was an electrifying performance to be a part of, ver y satisfying. I need to find a bassist to play with.
Ben Fold's Five Whatever and Ever Amen is another great album. I bought this album used when I was living in CT briefly along with the Band's Greatest Hits. The two albums were in constant rotation. I don't think anyone would say Ben Folds is a great singer but his songwriting is impressive. "Brick" is a shear classic.
Welcome Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne doesn't have a bad song on it. My cousin introduced me to FOW because I rarely listen to top 40 radio. It was on that same trip that he was playing a live version of "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addiction. I believe I bought both albums at the same time. Some may say Jane's Addiction and Fountains of Wayne have very little to do with each other but they do to me.
Weezer's Blue Album, Green Day's Dookie, The Offspring's Smash, Pearl Jam's Ten (although I still don't own Ten), Soundgarden, Better Than Ezra's Deluxe...these albums all came out when I was playing with a garageband in High School. We listened to a lot of it and played some of it, especially the Green Day. I also remember playing the Offspring's "Come Out and Play" and feeling like a real rebel.
I lived in Seattle for awhile, too, and I was generally disappointed by the music scene there. I came away with two great albums, though. The first album was Frankly A Cappella: The Persuasion Sing Frank Zappa. The Persuasions were a doo-wop group that Frank Zappa helped promote and encourage. The album is just incredible. If you think Zappa's stuff was too out there, listen to this album and it will give you an appreciation for Zappa's genius. The other Seattle era album I remember and still listen to is the self titled album from a Port Angeles band called Tongue and Groove. I was working on a ship at the time and we were anchored in Port Angeles Harbor. The ship was running liberty launches into town so I hopped aboard one. Most of my shipmates headed to the chi-chi bar and I made a beeline, along with a few others, for the dive bar across the street. This bar was great. It was dark, a little dingy, had a scuffed up pool table and the piece de resistance was the trough in the men's room that was full of ice. The bar tender was a beautiful girl nicknamed Gypsy. No one else seemed to know her real name as they'd all known her as Gypsy for so long. I was a little burrito obsessed at the time and they had some good burritos. The bar was mostly empty except for a couple of people who were my age playing pool. We got to talking and they told me they were in a band. One of them went over to the jukebox and played their record. I bought a copy right then and there. That was nearly 13 years ago and I still listen to it. They even recorded a VW bus for their opening tune. I saw them when they'd come to Seattle. They're not together in the same format anymore. The guys I met at the bar quit the band and settled down to careers and families. The two leads continue to tour the Northwest as a duet, writing and playing some great folk and bluegrass influenced rock.
So what was the biggest album to influence me? It took me about a half a second to name it. It wasn't a Beatles album, or Dylan's Bringing it All Back Home, or Buddy Holly's stuff, or the Kingston Trio's greatest hits (I regard all this stuff with the highest esteem). It was an album that I bought after Christmas when I was in 6th grade. My father had rented a car and driven my siblings and I to visit my grandparents in Florida. We stopped at a motel in South Carolina and we thought it was great because the motel room had MTV. I saw a video that changed my life. It was Tom Petty's Free Fallin'. I remember feeling distraught prior to this because I didn't have a favorite artist. A neighbor friend tried to convince me that it was Def Leppard but I had too much good taste for that, even back then. My brother tried to convince me that maybe it was the B-52's, his favorite band. Meh, they were okay but not exactly my favorite. Was it Weird Al? Yes, I dug him but maybe I needed something more serious. Was it the Kingston Trio? I dug them, still do but they seemed kind of dead. Was it John Denver? I loved, and still love, John Denver's stuff but....then WHAM! I saw the video and I was hooked. Who was this ghastly looking fellow with the unique voice and enticing scenes of California? This simple melody hit me like a ton of bricks. I bought the tape when we returned from Florida. I remember thinking that I had to talk loudly over the beginning of "I Won't Back Down" because he sang hell. I still love that album. There isn't a bad song on it and Tom Petty is without a doubt my favorite artist. The Last DJ is a truly inspiring album, as well as most of his other stuff. I've seen him live a few times and they're the best concerts I've been to. I hope to see him and the Heartbreakers again soon.
So what are your most influential albums? Where and when were you? I've only skimmed the surface here. I find I can look a many of the cd's in my collection and recollect something about where and when. They've all influenced me somehow. Have they influenced you?