Your Personal Ten Most Influential Albums

I made this collage of my personal most influential albums for a friend and thought I'd post it here. Also curious to hear what your personal ten most influential albums are. Feel free to list them, with (or without) images and with (or without) discussing them.

 

You might want to say what they are. I don't think everyone here will recognize Tool and I need a magnifying glass to tell that that's Pearl Jam.

 

The first 10 that popped into my tiny, little head, so probably not definitive, but WGAF, it's just a list by an anonymous guy on an Internet discussion board, right?:

Sex Pistols- Never Mind the Bollocks
The Jam- Snap!
Guided by Voices- Bee Thousand
Sebadoh- Bubble & Scrape
Pavement- Slanted & Enchanted
Green Day- 39/Smooth
Samiam- s/t
The Wedding Present- Seamonsters
Pearl Jam- No Code
Descendents- Milo Goes to College

 

Heard this in a used shop about a year ago and loved it! When I went up to the counter and told them I wanted to buy it, the clerk behind the counter said she was actually going to buy it, but begrudgingly sold it to me.

 

Does it have to be in collage form?

 

Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Metallica - ...And Justice For All
Dream Theater - Images & Words
R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
Pearl Jam - Vs.
The Who - Who's Next
Angra - Holy Land
Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Led Zeppelin - Remasters

 

Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
Beatles - The Beatles
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
U2 - Achtung Baby
Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Pink Floyd - The Wall
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
AC/DC - Dirty Deeds
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Oasis - Definitely Maybe

 

Bitches Brew- I’ve mentioned many times here

Luc Ferrari- Presque Rien - Musique Concrete I find a melodic as most find the Beatles

Can - Ege Bamyasi - My fist Can album. I bought it as an import- it still has the Jem Imports sticker on it, in 1978 due to a book titled Critic’s Choice : The Top 200 albums. It was chosen by ATV’s and Sniffin’ Glue founder Mark P

Dadawah - Peace and Love - psychedelic voodoo reggae picked by Lenny Laye in the same book

Toots and the Maytals- Monkey Man - features Pressure Drop, the song that caused me to start playing bass.

Anthony Shake Shakir- Frictionalism 1994-2009 - the last album to make me think, “Holy Sh!t”

Art Ensemble Of Chicago- People In Sorrow. Taught me the concepts of space and understatement opening the doors for..

Morton Feldman- String Quartet No. 2 -to say this is not for everyone would like be a serious understatement.

Delfonics - Tell Me This Is a Dream - favorite group vocals

Keith Hudson- Playing It Cool and Playing It Right- favorite individual vocals

 

To the OP.....Influential in what way? Or do you just mean 10 favorite albums?

 

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Queensryche - Rage For Order
Dream Theater - Images and Words
Dream Theater - Awake
Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Type O Negative - October Rust
Opeth - Deliverance
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
Steven Wilson - The Raven That Refused To Sing
Steven Wilson - Hand.Cannot.Erase

 

1. Axis Bold As Love - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
2. Kind Of Blue - Miles Davies
3. Sign 'O' The Times - Prince
4. Damn Right I Got The Blues - Buddy Guy
5. All Eyez On Me - 2Pac
6. Friday Night In San Francisco - Al Di Meola, John McClaughlin, Pac De Lucia
7.The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
8. Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal
9 - Solid Air - John Martyn
10. T-Bone Blues - T-Bone Walker

These either deeply influenced my own guitar playing, or opened up a new genre of music to me, often both.

 

Guy Clark - Old No. 1
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Ray Price - Night Life
John Prine - John Prine
The Beatles - Revolver
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis
Elton John - Madman Across The Water
George Jones - I Am What I Am
Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours

 

Electric Ladyland - Jimi Hendrix
Reckoning - R.E.M.
Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü
The Buried Life - Medicine
Wired - Jeff Beck
Hollywood Town Hall - The Jayhawks
Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
Across a Crowded Room - Richard Thompson
The Love That Whirls (Diary of a Thinking Heart) - Bill Nelson

 

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight

Bob Dylan - Shot of Love

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail

KISS - Destroyer

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack

Ramones - End of the Century

Rush - A Farewell to Kings

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation

 

Not necessarily my favorites, but from my own library, I pick these as most influential

The Allman Brothers Band, S/T
The Band, Music From Big Pink
Beatles, Revolver
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
The Byrds, Mr. Tambourine Man
Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced
Led Zeppelin, S/T
Ramones, S/T

 

The first ten that popped into my squirming toad brain are :

Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti (1975)
Jeff Beck, Truth (1968)
Nazareth, Hair of the Dog (1975)
The Hollies, Distant Light (1971)
Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet (1968)
Billie Holiday, Lady Sings the Blues (1956)
Billie Holiday, Lady in Satin (1958)
Billie Holiday, All or Nothing at All (1958)
Billie Holiday, Stay With Me (1958)
Billie Holiday, Billie Holiday Sings (1952)

 

1. The Beatles - Meet the Beatles!
2. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street
3. The Beatles - White Album
4. Led Zeppelin - II
5. Pink Floyd - The Wall
6. AC/DC - Back in Black
7. Jimi Hendrix - Smash Hits
8. The Who - Quadrophenia
9. Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
10. Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy

 

Some cross-over with all time faves. But all extremely influential with me personally:



Beatles Second Album
U2 - Achtung Baby
Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Death Grips - The Money Store
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
Slayer - Reign in Blood
The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

 

Segovia plays Bach
Double Nickels on the Dime
Abbey Road
Rite of Spring / Symphony of Winds Montreal
A Love Supreme
Music for Airports
Remain in light
Music in the Key of Life
Natty Dread
Sandinista

 

I assume you meant Songs In The Key Of Life? That album could have easily made my list.

 

REM - Automatic for the People
Nirvana - In Utero
NIN - the Downward Spiral
The Crow soundtrack
Joy Division - Closer
Green Day - Dookie
Operation Ivy - Energy
Radiohead - Kid A
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Wu Tang Clan - 36 Chambers

 

Dinosaur jr- living all over me . The bunnymen- ocean rain . Half man half biscuit - Back in the Dhss. Jamc - psychocandy . Simple minds - Life in a day . The Cult - Love . Ride - nowhere . The Cure - Boys dont cry album . The wedding Present - George Best . All influenced me as a young man ,still enjoy them and my music addictions still going strong .

 

This was a great exercise. Couldn’t keep it to 10. It got me reflecting (with self isolating rules) on my most significant musical vortex black hole. Started in 1979 (16 yo) and was gone by 1990. All the records, I have a significant recollection of buying it, hearing it and the subsequent ‘influence’. Long live Vinyl

These one’s on release...

Sunnyboys debut EP (The Big Bang Moment for me)
Boomtown Rats Fine Art Of Surfacing
Gary Numan Pleasure Principle
The Church Of Skins And Heart
The Cure 3 Imaginary Boys
R.E.M. Murmur
Rain Parade Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
Paul Kelly Post
Long Ryders Native Sons
John Mellencamp Scarecrow
Townes Van Zandt Live & Obscure
John Hiatt Bring The Family
Steve Earle Guitar town
Suzanne Vega Suzanne Vega
Talk Talk Spirit Of Eden
U2 Joshua Tree

Also picked up these up in the 80’s

The Band The Band
Big Star #1 Record
The Beatles Revolver
Bob Dylan Highway 61
Neil Young EKTIN
Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet
Van Morrison Astral Weeks
Velvet Underground & Nico

 

I forgot all about Seal. My favorite song of his isn't even a hit. If you like Seal, check this out.



Sorry for going off topic. I'll update this post at some point with my own personal list concerning the topic at hand.

 

Among these are some old favorites, others just opened doors for me to other things...
-Neil Young: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
-The Clash: Sandinista
-Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
-U2: The Joshua Tree
-The Rolling Stones: 12 x 5
-Black Sabbath: Vol.4
-The Police: Outlandos d'Amour
-Cream: Disraeli Gears
-CSN&Y: Deja Vu
-Pink Floyd: Animals