5 Albums that changed Your Life.....

[Marvellous G]

Chronologically:

Green Day - American Idiot
Metallica - The Black Album
Tool - Lateralus
Dave Matthews Band - Before These Crowded Streets
Radiohead - Kid A

[jonny108]

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV

The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon

Peter Gabriel - So

[tjanuranus]

Dream Theater - Images and Words
Metallica - Black Album
Smashing pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Prince - Purple Rain
Notorious BIG - Ready to Die.

[SPNKr]

Black Flag - Damaged
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Henry Rollins - Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag
Jimi Hendrix - Live At Woodstock
Metallica - Live Shit: Binge & Purge

Just a rough selection I think. Can't really pick 5 but lots of that stuff triggers nostalgia for me.

[Fnejk]

1. Dream Theater - SFAM (Made me listen to more music in general)

2. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (Got me in to metal)

3. Opeth - Ghost Reveries (made me appreciate growls)

4. Slagsmålsklubben - Boss For Leader (The first "electronic" album i loved)

5. Eminem - Encore (first album I bought for my own money)

[Quadrochosis]

In no order

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
Dream Theater - SFAM
PT - Signify
PF - Animals

[Zook]

5 Albums that changed Your Life

In no order

Yes - Tales From Topographic Oceans
Dream Theater - SFAM
PT - Signify
PF - Animals

[ytserush]

Chronologically from the time I heard them (not when they were released)

I guess I'll go with the first 5 that were absolutely mindblowing to me.


Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Welcome Back My Friends From The Show That Never Ends, Ladies And Gentlemen...Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood

Return To Forever - Romantic Warrior

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite

[Orbert]

Chicago Live at Carnegie Hall. My first album, and to this day the definitive live album by any band. The musicianship is unparalleled, the setlist is superb. Chicago taught me about song arrangements, A-A-B-A, when you introduce a C or even a D, multi-song suites, extended intros and outros and how to make them work, and how and when to improvise upon the studio arrangements and when to stick with what's on the album.

Yes - Fragile. I heard "Roundabout" on the radio and I literally couldn't believe what I'd heard on the radio. Acoustic and electric guitars, keys and guitar swapping fours, fast and slow movements, three-part harmonies in counterpoint, all in the same song! I bought this album as soon as I could and was not sorry.

Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends - Ladies and Gentleman Emerson Lake & Palmer. I had no idea. I'd heard "Lucky Man" on the radio and thought Emerson Lake & Palmer were like Crosby, Stills and Nash.  As an aspiring keyboard player, this was very educational. Also interesting was the title (punctuated correctly above) which only works because of the way it appears on the album cover.

Earth, Wind & Fire - Gratitude. I bought this album with my paper-route money in junior high and love it. These guys are amazing, and I love them even more because some of my friends couldn't believe I'd bought an album by a bunch of (starts with "n"). Fuck them. Great music is great music. There are genres of music I don't care for, but I will never write off a band or artist based on stereotype.

Dream Theater - Images and Words. It was 1994, my life was changing and generally in turmoil, and here was this band doing something new, something I could put on and play loudly and let it kick my ass so I could feel better about life, and I thank them for it.

[Tick]

Marillion - Marbles
Rush - Hemispheres
Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Neal Morse - ?
Stevie Wonder - Musicquarium

[jingle.boy]

Really like this thread.  Surprised it's been over looked - maybe because it's hard to narrow it down to just 5 albums.  Had to think about it, because (as I'm sure it is for most) these 5 are different than, say my desert island 5.  Love to see the love for Zeppelin!

Then I got into David Lee Roth when I saw him as my first ever concert at age 13,  then quickly moved to bands like Ratt, Poison, Stryper, and Motley Crue when I was 14.

me too (although I was 15).  DLR with Poison opening (but I digress)

1)  Zeppelin IV (and more specifically Black Dog).  It was '86, and my older brother had just bought a new stereo with a CD player (those were brand new at the time).  He pops in Black Dog, and I'm like wtf with the little wah wah wah wah opening.  Then Bobby Plant chimes in and I'm like  .  Changed my musical tastes forever.  Up to that point, I was a wussy little teenager listening to Madonna, Wham, and all that poppy crap.  Zeppelin is still, and always will be, my favorite band.  Have the four symbols on my left shoulder which makes it so forever.

2)  Rush - Chronicles.  It's '90, and I knew the radio friendly Rush tunes (Tom Sawyer, Closer to the Heart, Spirit of Radio etc ...).   I was working a night shift where I could blast music all night long, so I needed to get some new music in my library.  Grabbed this since they were a good Canadian band, and I liked their music (at least, what I knew of it).  Man was I completely blown away - I'd never really known their earlier, harder, more progressive stuff.  Anthem and Bastille Day blew my mind (plus, I was probably high as a kite when I listened to it).  Within the next few months, I had their discography, and haven`t missed a disc or tour since.

3)  Images & Words.  It's early '97, and this guy I was working with was a pretty big DT fan.  It was actually A Fortune in Lies that piqued my interest.  I couldn't believe the musicianship - crazy time signatures, talent, speed, structure.... everything was unlike what I was used to.  The CD store I went to didn't have WDADU, so I had to grab I&W.  Really glad I did.  Grabbed the rest of the discography by the end of that week, and have been hooked on them since. 

(no DT or Rush tattoo yet, but I will get the Starman/Majesty logo that is Setlist Scotty's avatar someday)

4)  Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet.  Hard to say which 'glam' album really got me first (could've been Look What the Cat Dragged In), but from from the time between `86 and `97, Classic Rock and Glam Rock were the only styles of music that appealed to me.  There were a few smatterings of metal (Maiden, Queensryche, Ozzy), but not much.  I had a Columbia Record club subscription (who remembers those?) and filled my CD collection with Glam discs with everything from Aldo Nova to Winger)

5)  Nightwish - Once (and more specifically, Planet Hell).  I was listening to some online streaming service back in '04, and this popped on.  Wow... combination of operatic vocals + Marco`s coarse (but not grunge or death) vocals, pounding metal and symphonic keyboards was something I'd never experienced before.  It was also the realization that fantastic music wasn't only produced by US/Canadian/UK bands.  With that, my tastes started expanding to non North American bands - Ayreon, Circus Maximus, Blind Guardian, Angra, Freedom Call, Frost*, Vanden Plas etc...

Honorable mentions go to The Wall (intro to concept albums), Operation:Mindcrime (really, my first exposure to prog) and The Human Equation (my first exposure to Arjen).

Anxiously awaiting Jen's 4th and 5th... and yes, 3 is painful.  Hard to believe it`s been over 3 years, he left quite an impact.  Did you ever see this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqFT-_xj3Cw

[Kotowboy]

1.REM - Automatic for the People

2.Green Day - Dookie

3.Oasis - Whats The Story Morning Glory?

4.Therapy? - Troublegum.

5.Mansun - Attack Of the Grey Lantern

[Kosmo]

Stratovarius - Infinite
Dream Theater - Scenes
Chimaira - The Impossibility of Reason
Cypress Hill - Stoned Raiders
Infected Mushroom - The Gathering

[dongringo]

Boston - Boston

Metallica - Ride the Lightning

Scorpions - Blackout

Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy

Dream Theater - Octavarium

[LeeHarveyKennedy]

Chronologically, in order of when they hit me:

Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar
Dream Theater - Scenes From a Memory
Poe - Haunted
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

[DarkEternalNight]

Disturbed - Indestructible
Rammstein - Volkerball
Rush - Moving Pictures
Dream Theater - Live at Budokan
Dream Theater - Train Of Thought

[D_Halco]

In order:

Superman soundtrack on vinyl- My dad played this all the time on vinyl when I was 5 and 6. My first exposure to the magic of film scoring.

Rudy soundtrack- After the movie came out, my dad bought this cd and played it non stop, it was my first exposure to what became a lifelong admiration for composer Jerry Goldsmith.

Star Trek First Contact soundtrack- The first cd I ever bought, loved the main theme and didnt hurt that Jerry Goldsmith composed it (what can I say, I love great film scores!)

Ok Computer- Radiohead- My friend showed me 'Let Down' on the busride home from school and my musical landscape was leveled after that moment, never heard anything like it, and the rest of that album just blew me away.

Vapor Trails- Rush- I knew of Rush but never paid them too much attention until I heard the opening kick drums of 'One Little Victory'. More importantly than anything to do with Rush, it was the album that told me I needed to start drumming, it was what I was meant to do.

These are the first five I could think of but I could rattle off a few more if given enough time!

[Mr. Beale]

^^ Good choice on First Contact. That movie had a great score, maybe the best in the series.

[orcus116]

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Awesome. This album doesn't get enough love.

[Ravenheart]

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Awesome. This album doesn't get enough love.

It's an awesome album. Probably my 3rd favorite after The Downward Spiral and The Fragile.

[sneakyblueberry]

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
 ...even the hideous PC game 'Ed Hunter' ...

Hahaha I hated that freaking game!!! So frustrating!!

[TAC]

Kiss Alive 2- I was in the 4th grade when I got this. I still remember my father taking me and my brother to K-Mart after cutting the grass and using our allowance on it. I was mesmerized with the music, the image, I mean there was so much to digest. And then it was done, I was going to be a hard rock fan for the rest of my life.

UFO-Strangers In The Night- I thought about putting Michael Schenker's 2nd album here, but it was really one track of his, On And On, that really got my attention. I knew he was the guitarist from a band called UFO, so while I was in the 8th grade (81-82) I traded a Led Zeppelin pin that I bought in Halifax Nova Scotio on a hockey trip, to a kid on my team for 2 UFO albums, Strangers In The Night and Obsession. I took to Strangers right away. Schenker rules this album, but it has a great sound and tremendoulsy underrated vocals. The songs were thoughtful, odd, and very endearing. Love To Love, I'm A Loser, and the great Rock Bottom are the standout tracks for me.

Iron Maiden-The Number Of The Beast- Obviously I fell in love with Run To The Hills on MTV, which I had to go to my grandparent's house to watch. I lived in the boonies and we couldn't get cable. Then in August of 82, about a month before I was to enter high school, my grandfather passed away, so my family stayed at my grandmother's house for about 2 weeks after. My father took us to the mall during this time and let me and my brother buy something to occupy us. I picked The Number Of The Beast, and the album stll resonates for me. It is still the essential Iron Maiden album, the one where everyone must start, as far as I'm concerned. 6 of the 8 tracks are classics.

Helloween-Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt1 Around 1983, I was into thrashy music, owning the first Metallica, Anthrax, Talas albums. But then I lost interest in the genre because I thought the vocals and images were not what I wanted to follow. I spent the mid 80's entrenched with bands like UFO, Maiden, Dio.. But one day in the summer of 87 (between my college freshman and soph years) I was at a friend's house and he had an issue of Metal Hammer, with a feature on this band called Helloween. They talked about the speed factor, but they mentioned the great vocals, and the pic of the bands looked like clean cut guys to me, so I made a blind buy of this album. I started listening to it on the way home, and at the end of I'm Alive, I literally pulled into a nearby park, and sat and listened to the rest of the album. I was speechless and immobilized.
This helped open the flood gates to speed metal again for me, as I rediscovered Metallica, Annthrax, and Megadeth.

Dream Theater-Images & Words- When I saw an unknown band called Dream Theater open for Iron Maiden in the summer of 92, I was blown away. I bought their "new" album as soon as it came out and that was it. I found the band that I would listen to the most during my adulthood. It combined the power of Iron Maiden, the thoughtfulness of Rush, and the vocals of Helloween. To me this was the poerfect album and band. I would see them 3 more times on this tour (would've been 4 if not for a blizzard!) and I had my new favorite band.

[nikatapi]

Dream Theater - Train Of Thought (First Metal album i bought)

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire

Meshuggah - Obzen (got me into Djent)

My Dying Bride - The Angel And The Dark River

[King Postwhore]

Kiss Alive 2- I was in the 4th grade when I got this. I still remember my father taking me and my brother to K-Mart after cutting the grass and using our allowance on it. I was mesmerized with the music, the image, I mean there was so much to digest. And then it was done, I was going to be a hard rock fan for the rest of my life.

I remember staring at the inside of the album with the full stage pic and putting on the fake tattoos that came with the albums.  All this while listening to it.

[wolfking]

Ummm....

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Tool - Aenima
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Wasp - The Crimson Idol
Bruce Dickinson - Chemical Wedding

[Kotowboy]

^^ Good choice on First Contact. That movie had a great score, maybe the best in the series.

I love the music on Star Trek (2009) by Michael Giacchino

[Mr. Beale]

The Eagles - Hotel California: First album I bought due to my love of the title track. One of the better albums for a band that was better at singles.

Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky: Here's something different compared to most of the music discussed here. One of the best singer-songwriters of his generation, Browne was one of the first artists I got deep into collecting entire discography, and LftS is the pinnacle of his golden 70s run.

Nirvana - Nevermind: Not a popular band round these parts I see but this is undoubtedly the MOST important album that made me a more serious music appreciater. All the more impressive considering it affected me more than a decade after it's release as I was too young to relate to them back in their heyday.

Metallica - Ride the Lightning: Like many people Metallica was a gateway band to the world of heavy music. Can't really say I'm a fan anymore but still a great listen.

Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: Self explanatory

[Zydar]

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit: Not a popular band round these parts I see but this is undoubtedly the MOST important album that made me a more serious music appreciater. All the more impressive considering it affected me more than a decade after it's release as I was too young to relate to them back in their heyday.

Correction: The album is called Nevermind

[lonestar]

Be tough to narrow it down, but here goes...

Yes- Fragile:  My first love, at age 7.  What can I say, my brothers started me off right.

The Who- Quadrophenia: Taught me that music is more than notes, it is emotion, heart, and soul.  The first album to touch those parts of me.

Marrillion- Clutching at Straws: The album that showed me that music can be not only a feeling, but a teacher and a confidant.

I.Q.- Ever: The first album to make me cry, and it saved my life.  I have made such connections in the 18 years since this album, but this was the first.

Yes- Tales from Topographic Oceans: Gave me the high water mark, that line that all other music will strive to live up to.  Also, the first album to make me cry solely out of sheer, unmatched beauty.

Like I said, it was hard, and I&W is next on the list, for showing that proggressive, beautiful music can have rely on power and strength too.

[toro]

My musical life? ok.
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet/Up The Downstair
Genesis - We Can't Dance/Duke
Opeth - Damnation

Bonus - Santogold/Santogold

[Chrissalix]

Slipknot - Vol.III: The Subliminal Verses - First thing to get me into metal properly. It was 7 years ago now (I was 13 when it came out) but I reckon I still know every word. There's nothing special about it instrumentally, it just works and set the bar for what mainstream metal is today.

Metallica - Ride The Lightning - I fucking love Ride The Lightning. Metallica was my first favourite band and they're still one of them even today. RtL was the first ever full Metallica album I picked up (having heard another band cover Creeping Death) and it remains my favourite album of all time. All the big tunes are on there. The band plays more tracks from it live than any other album these days which is testament to its quality. I think it's overlooked and better than Master of Puppets. Quality LP.

InMe - Daydream Anonymous - The first two InMe albums are rather forgettable pop rock but when a friend gave me this in preparation for seeing their frontman play solo. It really surprised me. I just wasn't expecting it from a band that I'd previously written off as being whiny and terrible. The album has everything I love about music. Great rock songs with hooks and epic melodies surrounded by technical tapping driven guitar riffs. My favourite album ever recorded by a three piece. Seeing it live in its entirety was one of the best things ever.

Dream Theater - Images and Words - I'd just started jamming with a few friends at school and one of the songs we messed about with was Constant Motion which I got to love whilst learning the song. The lead guitarist involved suggested that I pick up this album. I bought it and fell in love with it straight away. I still find new things I like about it even today three years down the line. The definitive progressive metal album that has been ripped off by countless others since.

Linkin Park - Meteora - The first heavy album I bought with my own money. I fell in love with it and fell in love with music at the same time.

[volwrath]

Wow 2 of my 5 are from the list above.  Amazing! 

Anyway, here is mine:

Pink Floyd - Animals
Quinessential album that got played so many times in my youth (and a reasonable amount now) , this kicked off my love for all things Floyd. (saw in concert 1987 &92)

Metallica - Ride the Lightning
My first introduction to Metallica was in college in 1987 or so. A solid album through and through with perhaps the best ending in Call of Cthulu that I have ever heard.  I am still miffed they took Am I Evil off of Kill 'Em All, but I digress

Queen - A Night at the Opera
A few years ago, I listened to this album and realized that this is one of the most complete albums of all time.  This became an instant top 5 album upon first play for me and it has stood the test of time.

Dream Theater - I&W
I have seen DT twice I think: Once in the early 90s, and again in the early 2000s. Both times I was not really a fan, but heard them and thought I should give them a listen.  The first time I think was at a summer festival in Nashville (I knew Pull Me Under) and the second time DT was actually opening up for Joe Satriani in Atlanta.  At that show I decided I needed to give DT more of a listen but didn't.  Finally about 3 years ago, Another Day came on Pandora and I enjoyed it and decided to give I&W a play and the rest is history.

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
I bought FOABP when it came out having heard somemof it on YouTube.  Tha got me to buy insurgentes and deadwing.  For whatever reason, I just couldn't get into other PT. I sat on it for a year or so . I really didn't give it a chance I guess.  I gave  Deadwing a spin about a year ago, and have been listening pretty much nonstop to their entire catalog.

[Mr. Beale]

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit: Not a popular band round these parts I see but this is undoubtedly the MOST important album that made me a more serious music appreciater. All the more impressive considering it affected me more than a decade after it's release as I was too young to relate to them back in their heyday.

Correction: The album is called Nevermind

I knew that