I've been listening to this album since I was 3 years old (there is video VHS proof haha). And as I get older the album makes more and more sense and has become the soundtrack of my life. Nothing comes close to this. The fact he was in his early 20's when he wrote the entire thing (mostly on a piano) inspires me to get my ass moving and do something. Hell I'll probably write an entire other note on this album.
2. "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J."--Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
The Boss' first album was one I got into as I was older. That's right HE wrote "Blinded by the Light" NOT Manfred Mann...haha. It's an album where he pours his heart and soul and more lyrics then most bands have in their entire catalog (fearing this would be his only album...)
3. "The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle"--Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Yea there is a reason the Boss is on here so many times, and I'm not done yet. I didn't dive into this album until about high school and what a perfect time too. This is storytelling at its best, and where the E Street Band started to really take shape. "New York Serenade" will send a chill down your spine, and "Rosalita (Come out Tonight)" still makes me smile thinking about the mischief of High School and what the boys would do to impress the girls.4. "A Night at the Opera"--Queen
I mean do I really have to explain this one? There are probably two other bands that hit every nail on the head and fired on all cylinders like Queen did on "A Night At The Opera" (I'll let you fight that one out yourselves as to who you think the two are). It is a show, it is entertainment, it is mind blowing, it is grand and over the top and THAT is why I love it. Oh yea...um..."Bohemian Rhapsody"?!
5. "The Great Southern Trendkill"--Pantera
Some have called this album Pantera's softest album, that's probably only because two songs have a clean guitar tone instead of the usual one or none. But any album that starts with Phil Anselmo screaming his ass off and the guitars bass and drums in a controlled chaos testing the quality of your speakers speaks for itself. This album changed what I thought heavy metal was. It was a statement on what it could be and how it should be. And any album that goes from the haunting acoustic deep vocalized Suicide Note Part I, into the bombarding spastic heavy as all fuck Suicide Note Part II is good enough for me (also it has the greatest head banging riff of all time, Mick I know you know what I'm talking about.)
6. "Master of Puppets"--Metallica
I figured I'd keep the metal alive for a couple numbers, and keep it going with Metallica's masterpiece. This album had me listening to the first track "Battery" for close to a week before I hit the next track button, I was convinced there wasn't anything better...Sweet Lord Almighty was I wrong. Not only was the next track "Master of Puppets" but I ushered in the rest of the tracks that would build the foundation of what I judged every metal album I'd listen to from there on.
7. “Misfits”—Misfits
Ok so this isn’t an actual studio album, but it is the first volume of two chronicling the Danzig (founder) years of The Misfits. This album introduced me to punk, to The Misfits. This is as raw, as brutal, and as politically incorrect as you can get with a slew of 2 minute anthems about murder, death, aliens, bank robberies, relationships gone wrong, movies, and JFK. The production sounds like every song was recorded with a cell phone, but to me it only adds to the messiness and rawness of The Misfits.
8. “Absolution”—Muse
So this is the band that I’ve been searching for all my life…well it’s about time I found them. Radiohead fans leave the criticism at the door. Muse does what most bands wish they could do, and they do it with only three members. The mood of the album is about as happy as a Scorsese picture, but it doesn’t leave you feeling empty after you listened to it. In fact, you feel like you’ve heard something you never thought possible. Imagine Queen of the 21st Century, with new technology and an obsession with the end of the world. There is more to being just extremely talented at your respected instrument (which every member of Muse is); it is also about how creative and fresh you can be as well. Listen to “Butterflies and Hurricanes” if you have any doubts at all. Every single note inspires me, it’s insane. Not to mention they saved my ass with getting through a couple of seminar presentations.
9. “Weezer (The Blue Album)”—Weezer
Pop rock at its best. Rivers Cuomo (lead singer/guitars, founder) showed me a new bread of songwriter. He showed me pop rock could be 1) really good 2) and taken seriously. Not only is he a Harvard Grad, but he has a formula written on how to write the perfect pop song. Obviously 15 years later, it still is relevant and makes sense. As a lowly high school student falling in love with what seemed to be every couple of months Weezer was always there with an anthem or pop jewel to summarize my thoughts. Now as a college student who is trying to figure out his life and what to do next, the songs aren’t on repeat as much as they used to be, but are always available for a quick jump in the nostalgic time machine.
10. “Rust in Peace”—Megadeth
As a Metallica fan, buying a Megadeth album was the equivalent to being a Yankees fan and buying a Red Sox hat. Although I’d never do anything as stupid as buy a Red Sox hat, I am glad I bought “Rust in Peace” a long time ago. At the time I was stuck in a bubble of what I thought metal (mostly the heavy genre) was supposed to sound like. Within the first 30 seconds of this album and its opener “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due” I had to retrace my steps. I had no idea where this album was headed, whether it was a Spanish inspired acoustic guitar fill, harmonic laced thrash riffs, slow brooding chugging guitar riffs, or lightning fast (and I mean lighting fast) guitar solos. If “Master of Puppets” was Metallica’s masterpiece and opened my eyes to metal, Megadeth’s masterpiece “Rust in Peace” held them open Clockwork Orange style to make sure they never closed.
11. “Alive!”—Kiss
I wanted the best and I got the best…the hottest band in the world from 7th grade and beyond is Kiss. This is a live album and one of if not the only album that actually captures what Kiss is truly capable of. There isn’t anything mind blowing, or lyrically earth shattering, and that is absolutely perfect. This is a loud, rockin’ album full of vintage Kiss. Whether it was shouting, “How ya feel?!” or “Rock and Roll!” to the audience, playing a guitar lick from painfully slow and slowly inching faster and faster until it is nothing but feedback and notes being thrown around from speaker to speaker, exploding fireworks and fireballs, or just jamming to a Kiss klassic (I had to do it) for 10 plus minutes. This is a live album that helped me sign my life away to the Kiss army.
12. “The Rising”—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
I had been awhile since I heard any new Boss and hadn’t listened to a lot in the tail end of my high school years. Then after September 11, 2001 the Boss put out an album that only he could have done, but first he needed his band back. This was the first album of all original material with the E Street Band since 1984’s “Born in the U.S.A.”. The reason I love this album so much, was because of two main things…it was a reflection of what we just went through as a country, and how to deal with all the pain, as opposed to singing a song about kicking ass (we’d have plenty of time to do that in the coming years), and because this was an album everyone in the United States could bond with and through. This light a fire under my ass to dig up old Boss cassettes and CDs and start listening again, as well as reflect on the events of that infamous day.
13. “Morrison Hotel”—The Doors
You didn’t think I’d have a list of 25 albums and not have a Doors album on it did you? You got to love Jim Morrison and his legendary ways, the 20th century Greek tragedy. Although it was their first album “The Doors” that had the song that mesmerized me to the speakers (The End), it was this album that summed up The Doors to me. I’ve always believed Mr. Mojo Risin’ had one of the greatest voices in not only rock but music history (Blue Sunday). While their self titled debut got me hooked, it was “Morrison Hotel” that got me stuck. Land HO!
14. “Metallica (The Black Album)”—Metallica
Many years ago, a good friend of mine (Sean my brotha) and I found a cassette labeled “The Black Album” in his house during a jam session, and hit play. Needless to say we sat memorized for the entire runtime unable to comprehend the heaviness of Metallica’s best selling album to date, “Metallica” or better known “The Black Album”. I still remember hearing the drum/guitar intro to “The Struggle Within” and just laughing at how fucking awesome it was. This was the first Metallica album I ever bought, and the first I ever listened too. Where “Master of Puppets” was what helped to set the foundation, and “Rust in Peace” was what renovated it, “The Black Album” was what the entire foundation was based off of. The album will never sound as good ironically enough as it did on that old speaker system off of that old cassette ever again. This one was a life changer.
15. “Reign in Blood”—Slayer
I’ve been shinning the light on Metallica, Megadeth, and Pantera pretty strongly throughout this list, and now it’s time to shine a light on the greatest, fastest, most evil thrash metal band of all time…Slayer…or excuse me…SLAYER! The first time I heard 1986’s thrash masterpiece “Reign in Blood” I couldn’t really understand what was going on, or even sit still, it was so fast that is sounded like Tom (singer/bassist) was rapping and the reason the songs were so short must have been because they couldn’t stay on beat for much longer…Finally I went out and bought the damn thing and sat and just listened from beginning to end, not interruptions…all 28 minutes of it…that’s right 10 tracks…28 minutes. This album is so demented and evil that it got the classic “parental advisory” sticker and only says “fuck” once, I guess chanting “Praise Hell Satan” or “Enter to the realm of Satan” will piss the mothers on the board of censorship off well enough, and did. I wouldn’t recommend this album to just anyone, listen at your own risk, but if you are going to listen, put headphones on and crank it. This album makes Metallica sound like Simon and Garfunkel, and Megadeth like Air Supply. 23 years later and no metal band has come close to defining thrash metal like Slayer did in 1986, and no one ever will.
16. “Pinkerton”—Weezer
Jeez talk about a complete genre switch…Weezer is the exact opposite of Slayer in every way possible, but this album was and is just as big as an influence on me as anything else on this list. This album is probably one of the most depressing albums I have ever heard…here’s the rundown…Rivers (founder/singer/guitarist) wrote the album about basically one girl, every song, and how much he loved her, and in the end she didn’t love him (classic right?)…including a classic about falling in love with the perfect girl only to find out she is a lesbian (only Weezer could pull that off). So needless to say I was feeling like Rivers was living in my brain when he wrote this album, except for the falling for a lesbian part, he hit the nail on the head. This is the album full of anthems you listen to after some nasty break-up or even worse before the damn thing ever got started, and never did. The album is raw and open for all to see, and is one of my favorites of all time.
17. “Born in the U.S.A.”—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Ahh…The Boss is back. I thought it would get boring if I just put every Boss album back to back in the beginning so I had to spread him around. This was my favorite album/thing/anything when I was younger. This was all I would listen too, day in and out, singing lyrics that I didn’t understand, and running around with my plastic guitar mimicking my idol on TV. I know I sound like a complete nutcase when it comes to Springsteen, but this is what happens when something or someone’s music changes your life, at least in my case. I fell under the spell as a young lad thinking the song “Born In The U.S.A.” was a patriotic fist pumping anthem only to find out as I got older, it wasn’t that at all, I’m starting to hear things differently and things are starting to mean more to me now then they ever did, and that is why his albums will always be on my list.
18. “Scenes from A Memory”—Dream Theater
I’m not really sure where to start with this one…it’s one of the most complex album on all fronts that I have ever heard…lyrics, story, and of course music. This is the album that introduced me to Dream Theater (beware fans of the 2-3 minute radio friendly song). Their average songs are 10 minutes, and their longest is 42 (although the suite they are working on stands at an hour and 30 right now and it’s not done). These guys are the best at their instruments, and to have them all together in one band is astounding.
19. “Vulgar Display of Power”—Pantera
I’m pretty sure the title says it all. Not to mention the album cover is a ready and willing fan being punched in the face. If only I knew the foreshadowing the cover would have…This album feels like a repeated punch to the face, and I love it. This is Pantera’s masterpiece and completes the fourth cornerstone of metal albums…along with Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”, Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace” and Slayer’s “Reign in Blood”. There isn’t a single dull song on this album. Even their “love ballad” kicks you in the mouth and asks “what the hell were you thinking?” Not only does this album have its multiple metal classics…it also has one of, if not the most haunting song (not just in the metal genre) I have ever heard…Hollow…I’ll leave it at that.
20. “Sam’s Town”—The Killers
So Brandon Flowers said it was going to be something along the lines of the best album in the past 20 some years and that pissed some people off…mistake? Well maybe he could have just let the music do the talking…While I’m sorry to say it isn’t the greatest album of the past 20 years, it still is a damn good one. This album actually caused me to get off my ass and go get it at midnight the morning it was released, so that has to say something. While “Hot Fuss” gets a very VERY high honorable mention, I have to give The Killer’s “Sam’s Town” the nod as the album that helped me get serious about music again. I’m not talking about writing and trying to become a musician or “artist” blah blah, nonsense…I’m talking about just sitting down and listening to an album again and getting the inspiration going. This is an album that takes you somewhere, and I definitely enjoyed my stay.
21. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”—The Beatles
So I always thought it was interesting that you would get made fun of for liking The Beatles in elementary school and middle school because they were “old” and it was what “my mom and dad listened to”, but as soon as you walked through those high school doors everyone’s favorite band was The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Well I was that nerd who loved The Beatles from the beginning or at least 4th grade. This was my first concept album, and at a time when Korn and Limp Bizkit were ruling the charts and everyone’s walkman, I had Sgt. Pepper’s blasting in my ears (for a little kid that song was heavy as hell, and still carries its weight today). Not a single note is wasted, and the idea of a band playing a band has been used to no greater effect then the masters who did it the first time.
22. “Origin of Symmetry”—Muse
I’m tempted to just say “Space Dementia” and leave it at that…seeing how long this damn thing has become, and letting you discover the rest…but I won’t…I’ll also say “New Born” and “Citizen Erased”…it’s that simple.
23. “…And Justice for All”—Metallica
Soooo Metallica can get technical when they need to eh? If I’m not mistaken this was my second Metallica album, and the first of my little metal buddies to hear it and to explore its uncharted territory. Let me just say I must have had the biggest fucking grin on my face when I heard the opening track “Blackened” for the first time. I wanted to run over to my nearest friend’s house to show them this amazing thing that I had just heard/discovered. I didn’t know riffs could sound that complicated, fast, and clean. This was a Metallica I didn’t know existed. These weren’t the guys who were singing about banging your head, addiction, and H.P. Lovecraft novels…they were singing about the end of the world, political corruption, death, destruction, and dropping an “f bomb”. You see for Metallica at that time, saying fuck was only common during a live show, and for a little kid, having a audio recording of James Hetfield utter “fucking” was awesome. This proved metal could be complex, dark, and smart.
24. “Led Zeppelin II”—Led Zeppelin
If “Led Zeppelin I” was the blues, “III” the acoustics, and “IV” their greatest hits… “II” was their heavy rocker. As a little kid desperately trying to find a band that was heavy, but also still sounded good and talented I ran across the almighty Led Zeppelin. Very stupidly I bought their “Early Days: Greatest Hits” before anything else…stupid…stupid…stupid…never do that with any band. So after that I bought their discography in order, I, II…stop… “II” was exactly what I was looking for back then. It had the heavy chugging guitars, the slick sexy solos (“Whole Lotta Love” is still unreal) and the high whinny wail I wanted in a band at the time. It wasn’t until the last track, “Bring it on Home” that I knew I had found an album that changed my life. Lying on my bed with my headphones reading along with the lyrics for the always important first listen, I was blown away by the sudden change from the bluesy harmonica guitar song I thought I had pegged, into the ROCKIN harmonized guitar drum driven coda. Oh yea and that drum solo?!
25. “Darkness on the Edge of Town”—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Ah the end of the road. And why not end with the Boss? This is the album that when I listened to it all the way through for the first time (many years after it’s release) I knew I was a different Boss fan then when I first started as a 2-3 year old running around my parents house in Germany trying to do exactly what the Boss did on TV. While I couldn’t identify with being married and divorce, and really love at that point, I could identify with the fact that I wanted to do something, but I had to find that something first. That is in essence what every album has meant to me; a puzzle piece to finding that something that will make me truly happy, and feel like I earned my place in this world. It may sound hokie and that’s probably because in all honesty it is. But these 25 albums do mean a lot to me, and there will probably be many more then 25 to come. But to quote the Boss and “Darkness on the Edge of Town”… “Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop, I'll be on that hill with everything I got, Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost, I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost, For wanting things that can only be found, In the darkness on the edge of town”
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