OK, moving on.....
17-Styx-Grand Illusion(1977)
A psuedo concept album about finding one’s true self in a world of illusion, this one was on constantly. No matter how hokie people think Come Sail Away is, to a ten year old kid just discovering rock and sci fi, it was the coolest song ever, and aside from the Contact-esque theme, it is still a great song. Fooling Yourself(The Angry Young Man) is easily in my top twenty song list, maybe top ten. Countless times I looked to that one for hope and inspiration as a kid, or even for a bit of moral support. It is mainly because of this song that this album is this high.
"You see the world through your cynical eyes, you're a troubled young man I can tell. You got it all in the palm of your hands, but your hands wet with sweat and your head needs a rest and you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it."
Suggested Songs:Fooling Yourself, Come Sail Away,Man in the Wilderness
16-Beyond the Bridge-The Old Man and the Spirit(2012)
I had a ton of trouble trying to figure out where to put this one on the list. It’s a new album, but rarely have I had an album own me so quickly and completely. I found this one the same way I found Mechanical Poet, random searching on spotify. Gave it a listen, and bought it by song two. I was floored. It is such a well thought out album in every aspect, and the two vocal performances are legendary. I then wrote a review for obscure’s zine, and through forcing myself to listen to it a bajillion times for the review, it just grew on me more and more. Though simplistic at first, it is actually one of the most complex and layered storylines that I know of in music, with the music, lyrics, and vocal stylings all coming into play to tell an incredible story of a man defining himself in his dying days. With each spin, more evolves out of the story, a lot of the interpretation reflected by my experiences and feelings of the day, helping me find things in myself to work through the day with. I should note that my second review was of this album, and the reception I got from the guitarist Peter, was a special moment for me. To have my feelings of a work of art validated by the artist himself, truly an awakening moment. The review can be read
here (of course, Nem was the one to
see the show front row and interview the band, but I guess that's the benefit of paying the bills, not that I'm jealous or anything
)
"My heart is a wanderer, my soul is a ponderer, it's the edge of a knife, and the difference is love."
Suggested Songs:The Call, Triumph of Irreality, The Difference is Human, The Struggle
15-Grateful Dead-Europe ‘72
I struggled with what to do with the Dead on this list. I don’t own many of their studio albums, and don’t have the collection of bootlegs that many Deadheads are famous for. But considering I have seen them over thirty times, I felt they deserved a high spot on the list. This album to me is fitting, it is a collection of favorites performed in the Dead’s preferred atmosphere, the stage. It is also accesible to new Dead fans who are looking to find out what it is all about. Some real classics on this one, and it is the Dead at their best.
"Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world, the heart has it's beaches, it's homeland and thoughts of its own. Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings, but the heart has it's seasons, it's evenings and songs of it's own."
Suggested Songs:Jack Straw, Brown Eyed Woman, Truckin, China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider, Sugar Magnolia
Topic: lonestar's Top 50 Albums v. The Soundtrack of My Life-Honorable Mentions.... (Read 48859 times)