All right!!! Here we go!!!!
OK, so I took a slightly different approach to this thing. I poured through my life’s musical history, and tried to select the albums that had an impact. There are some here that I hear occasionally, some not much anymore, and some I still can’t stop spinning after 30 years. My reviews will be short and sweet for the most part, as I don’t have the music history knowledge that a lot of you cats do, and I really didn’t feel up to researching 50 albums. But if there is something of note to be said, I will say it. I will also be including many live albums, since they played a huge part in my musical upbringing and life today. These are the 50 albums that at one time or another helped shape not only my musical self, but my whole well being.
Music is the background to my life. There is a place of peace that exist in my head that only music can take me to, a place I need to go to often. These are the ways I travel there….
50-Pete Townshend-All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes(1982)
The first of many installments from Pete and The Who. The Who was the backbone of my musical adolescence. Though I went through many phases growing up, they were a steady presence in all of them, and still are today. We each have our specific musicians that speak into our souls, Pete is one of mine. No other band or musician catered to my inner angry teen like he did, through both music and lyrics. This was Pete’s third solo effort, and the first one where he started to experiment in his writing. Songs like Communication and Uniforms have a new wave effect to them, reflective of the times, though the most succesful pieces were the more traditional rock songs like Slit Skirts, Somebody Saved Me, and Stardom in Acton. Also shown well in this album is Pete’s spirituality, something that had been more masked in such songs as Who Are You, takes front stage in The Sea Refuses No River and Somebody Saved Me. He has been a guide to me for most of my life, as will be shown further in the list.
"The sea refuses no river, remember that when the beggar buys a round."
Suggested Songs:Slit Skirts, The Sea Refuses No River, Somebody Saved me.
49-Montrose-Montrose(1973)
Classic rock personified, that’s all I can say about the debut by Ronnie Montrose, and also the debut of Sammy Hagar. Much of my musical taste was dictated by my older brothers, the oldest being a high school radio DJ when I was a mere eight years old. At this young age I was fed the classics of the day, and this was high on that list. Aggressive, pounding, eclectic, and sultry, this album has a taste of everything that makes rock music great.
"And since you've been gone I've been feeling bad, I'd come over to your place but I'm afraid of your dad." Yep, classic 70s.
Suggested Songs:Bad Motor Scooter, Rock Candy, Space Station No.5
48-Demon-British Standard Approved(1985)
Who the fuck is Demon you ask. They were one of the more obscure participants in the new wave of British metal, riding the coattails of the likes of Saxon and Maiden, and like those bands, were staples of my youth. Unlike those bands, they took a major change, mostly influenced by Pink Floyd, and turned prog, not a popular movein the early eighties. When I got this album, I was expecting another series of headbanging tunes, what I found was to me, at the time, sheer brilliance. This was my introduction into the concept album. A cohesive storyline of the working class men aboard a luxury British liner, and the descent into madness of one. Personal and vague, it leaves a lot to be interpreted by the listener, and upon introduction to many subsequent concept albums, it doesn’t hold as well, but I give it it’s due props for introducing me to the prog metal concept album. Also of note is the presence of a great metal voice in Dave Hill.
"Through the cold in the air, I breath the fear you are feeling, break free, catch up with them now."
Suggested Songs: Touching the Ice, From the Outside(but in all honesty,these track can’t be separated, there is no stand alone song on this one)
I got all the write ups done, and pics loaded. Gonna try and do three a day, so try and keep up please......
Topic: lonestar's Top 50 Albums v. The Soundtrack of My Life-Honorable Mentions.... (Read 48650 times)