Albums that changed your life

[Harley]

I'm sure a few of you have listened to a record that has always had a lasting effect on you, got you into a certain genre or whatnot, I'll start:

Blink 182 - Dude Ranch
If it wasnt for this band I'd be a complete 180 to the person I am now, I still remember the day my babysitter made me listen to this album, from that day on this band became the soundtrack of my life.

Blink 182 - Blink 182
This was there last album before going on hiatus, the band grew up with this album and I felt that I was growing up with their music, I remember exactly here I was when I heard they broke up, worst day.

The Holly Springs Disaster - Motion Sickness Love
I first discovered this band when they were opening for Protest The Hero, by the time their set ended, everyone had taken notice, and I had fallen in love, a month later they get signed and release this, it had a major impact on the musical direction I was heading, and I cant get enough of how much they love the chronic.

Protest The Hero - Kezia
This album BLEW me away when I first heard it, If it wasnt for Protest The Hero, I probably wouldnt be as into heavy music as I am now.

Risky Business, heroes of the local scene, the only hardcore band to make it out of Halifax, and become relevant in the rest of the world (touring with the likes of Against Me!, Cancer Bats, Have Heart, NOFX, Comeback Kid and Protest The Hero), they got me into Hardcore and are easily the most important band of my adolescent years, this album and the guys in this band have had the biggest impact on me musically, and in life. Their last show was on Dec. 29, 2007, the weather was terrible, but they played to a sold-out crowd, and it was the one of the greatest performances I have ever seen.

 

[Megatron]

Hmm. I think this thread could have potential, but I really can't tell if you're trolling us by talking about Blink 182 albums actually having an effect on who you are as a person.

 

[Harley]

Best band.

 

[Sheva Alomar]

Well, as far as getting into new genres go, I'm pretty sure Nightwish helped me get into the symphonic metal scene.

Nightwish - Once

Back in my early days of being on the nets, someone recommended this band to me. I can't recall who exactly, but I've definitely been thankful of his/her help in broadening my tastes. This was back when I was 14/15 and was still stuck in all things mainstream and didn't know what music really was.

I think these next two definitely got me really into my electronic tastes in music:

Daft Punk - (no particular album)

Basshunter - LOL

I was maybe 16 when I first heard of both of these artists and ever since I've been expanding my electronica/electro/house/techno/etc library ever since.

 

[Arianna]

Annie - the 1980s version.

Tommorrow

It's a Hard Knock Life

Dumb Dog

(His) Baby

The first two have a great, clearly spoken message. There is (usually) always another day to try again, so don't give up hope; and, it is a hard knock life - taken from the phrase 'school of hard knocks' - as life will rough you up a good deal.

The third one has a great message too - that something other than looks is most important when giving and getting love and care, such as loyalty.

*thumbs up*

... And I had it on, *gasp!* record.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Michael Jackson - Thriller, the album that got me into music.
Pink Floyd - Animals, which probably more than any other record influenced my political views.
Yes - Fragile, the album that reawakened my interest in music at about 13.
Metallica - Master of Puppets, the album that pretty much got me into metal.
Opeth - Blackwater Park, the album that pretty much got me into extreme metal.
Enslaved - Mardraum, the album that pretty much got me into black metal.

that's a fair kickoff selection I think.

 

[Megatron]

Hmm, alright, I'll play then.

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral and Skinny Puppy - Last Rights
Both of these albums presented a seething, dismal view of the world that, in some very dark times in my life, I could relate to and see that I still had a lot going for me, and I was still very far from hitting bottom.

Enslaved - Mardraum
While I had always been a metal fan, this album was the first that really expanded my view of the genre. Not only could metal invoke emotion and energy, it could also be beautiful.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Especially the second half, which was a collection of songs that shared my stance on religion and faith.

Fear Factory - Demanufacture
The tone and theme of this album resonated with me in a personal way more than anything else I've heard to date. Not to mention it was the primary influence of my own musical projects, and was arguably the first album to successfully fuse elements of modern electronica and metal in a meaningful way.

 

[Vendel]

Clutch- Clutch

Metallica- Metallica

Willie Nelson- Red Headed Stranger

Alice in Chains- Dirt

Primus- Pork Soda

 

[CK]

Factory's Archetype. If it wasn't for FF I don't think I would've got so obsessed over metal as I did for 2 years.

Gorillaz- Demon Days
This album will forever hold a place in my heart. This was the first album that absolutely blew me away stoned to the point where I was completely lost in the music. This album is probably my favourite album of all time.

The only other album that had a direct impact on me would've been The Dillinger Escape Plan's Miss Machine. It pretty much broke my obsession of industrial metal and nu metal and moved me enough to get into a lot more progressive music and expand my music taste even further.

I don't think there are any albums that have impacted my life but music as a whole has helped me get through some rough times.

 

[crevaxa]

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It
- The album that got me into music in the first place

Pantera - some best of album
- My introduction to heavy metal, I rarely listen to them now except for their 80's stuff.

In Flames - The Jester Race
- If Pantera was my first metal album, this was the second. My gateway to more extreme music. Too bad they totally suck now.

Death - Scream Bloody Gore
- My first introduction to proper Death Metal.

Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East
- Deserves mentioning because it was my first Judas Priest album, and also the single greatest live album ever recorded.

 

[Carlos]

 

[Mariketsu]

Hmm, I would have to say, two Albums that really had an impact on me, okay well maybe they're not actual "albums" per se but -

Transformers - The Score
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Score

Truthfully, I have never heard such Score Albums that had such a deep impact on my very soul, the Score pieces were all just so incredibly beautiful, I cried. Never had I ever felt so invigorated and so lost in something before. Both of them really got to me. Also, I don't really follow albums too much but I did love Enya's latest album -

Enya - And Winter Came

Has 2 of the best songs she's ever done on it ^^. I loved it and it just really touched me deeply.

If I think of anymore I'll probably repost again but for now, that's it XD.

+ Seeker Of Salvation +

 

[Miscreant]

Swear some people are just listing a few albums that they like with little relevence to an impact on your life.

I can't see modern albums being of any relavance in this thread, how would you know they had an impact if you cant look back on it yet.

Michael Jackson - Thriller, the album that got me into music.

Ditto, Although MJ as a whole got me into music but that was my first album/ music VHS

The Libertines - Up the Bracket
Don't really listen to it anymore but it marks an era for me, being 17/18 all of the lads getting drunk and lairy to it religously. Everyones grown up and gone their seperate ways now but we all still joke about these days when were together, and this album deffinetly gets mentioned.

Blergh I don't think music can change your life, only events and people can do that. But marking eras and remembering good times... Music can do that.

 

[Tetsujin]

Michael Jackson - Thriller, Bad and Dangerous

the album(s) that got me into music.

Also,

John Williams - Return of the Jedi Score

Got me into film music and orchestral/classic music in general.
I don't think I would've become such a fan of movie and game soundtracks if it wasn't for Williams' awesome compositions.

 

[Cthulhu]

I'm gonna shame myself here now, .

Got into generic metal through my brother, who was a big Metallica fan. It never really appealed to me personally though.

Then, Rammstein became big, even on mainstream TV. I recorded my brother's copy of Mutter onto my walkman (yes, ) and listened to that. Rammstein's Mutter got me into metal, pretty much.

After that, both a friend of mine at school and my brother (this was probably when I was 17 or 18 or something) introduced me to, gasp, Cradle of Filth. I must've listened to them hundreds of times whilst doing my paper rounds, which I had at the time. Midian was probably the most influential of that one.

During that time, I also listened a bit to Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child, but of those only one or two albums each. That, and some random stuff, but none had as much an impact as CoF.

Later, there was Emperor, recommended to me through the innernets as the black metal band to listen to. And I had to agree, lolz . In the Nightside Eclipse and Anthems were the ones I listened to mostly. In fact, Inno A Satana is now playing randomly, .

After that, my music tastes widened and deepened, mostly thanks to Aaron's recommendations, . Over the past nine months or so, I've been downloading loads of random stuff, but most of it is shite.

Lately, I've downloaded some non-black metal as well, including progressive and experimental stuff. Also, Ulver, which is made of win . And which got me more into electronic music. Note that I don't think Ulver's black metal albums are all that awesome.

So there.

Edit: Dayum, that's a lot of .

 

[Ⓐaron]

One can never have too much .

 

[Megatron]

One can never have too much .

fixed

 

[Ⓐaron]

Touché

 

[Alex]

Metallica - The Black Album

Notable for being the album that really got me into music in general, not just metal. I was a huge Metallica fan in my youth (even if that passion has dramatically waned in recent years_ and it was all down to this album, specifically The Unforgiven, because it was the first song by the group that I heard. But yeah, for me this was pretty much genesis, I wouldn't be who I am now, or have the tastes in music that I do now if this record hadn't driven me.

Wolves in the Throne Room - Diadem of Twelve Stars

So. Many, many years on from my Metallica craze and many generic metal and punk bands (that I now don't rate very highly at all) later, I arrive here at this band. I'd never heard any black metal before and I'd never been into death metal at all, so this was pretty much my first experience of any extreme metal and it blew me away. I hadn't heard anything like this before ever and still nothing quite matches it for me. It's one of my favourite albums and one of my favourites.

Orchid - Chaos is Me

Because when everything in your life is going rather shit nothing keeps you saner than one guy screaming to take your mind of things. Seriously when I was going through some rather shit times the sound of this record absolutely shredding itself to pieces from the sheer dischord of the music on it resonated for me in a personal way that music just doesn't do anymore. This band needs more respect.

After the Sirens - For What I Have to Give, Let it Be Enough

Pretty much the same as the above but in a more positive light. Whilst Orchid was the soundtrack to irl shit going down, After the Sirens was the positive shunt in the right direction that made me feel a little better about each day.

Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes

This band is incredible, the songs are intelligent and funny, they've never put out a bad record and never failed to deliver on every count. This band means alot to me because of the message they deliver, if ever there was a band that I can connect to with my own level of political cynicism it would be Propagandhi. Honestly, any one of their albums could be on here since its the band more than any one specific record, but I think this is their best album (narrowly) so yeah, this goes here.

Parallax - Mediums and Messages

Aaaaand now we speed right up to this year, where now I listen to such a vast quantity of music that it makes it difficult for any one band or album to stand out on a personal level for me. Parallax is very, very different and hit me like a breath of fresh air and just when I was beginning to tire of music, of too many genres and bands not managing to snare my interest, Parallax grabbed me by the throat and pretty much dragged my interest back into it. I rant on endlessly about this band and why I enjoy it and supporting them so much, so yeah I won't include all that here. Just be aware that shit is good.

Moulin Rouge OST

The soundtrack to this movie and tbf the movie itself was life changing for all the right reasons. I've been a hell a lot more happier since the last time I saw this film and listened to its score all the way through no merit of the music itself (even though it is very very good in its own right) but because of what it marks for me. At a point in my life when I was thoroughly disillusioned with women and relationships and whether or not I'd get to be with this girl I really liked, this movie provided the soundtrack to her and I finally getting together. Truthfully the music suited the moment it all came together so perfectly that you could almost call it cliche. Except that it wasn't and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and the relationship that came afterwards is pretty damn amazing too, and thats why this album is here.

 

[crevaxa]

D'oh. I fail massively for omitting this from my first post:

My first Zappa album. Music's never been the same since

 

[Cthulhu]

Oh fuck, I forgot to mention what I still consider to be the best band ever, Moonsorrow. Whilst it didn't actually change much in my personal preference of music, I do consider them to make the most epic and awesome music I've listened to so far. It doesn't rule out other music or its awesomeness, but I consider Moonsorrow to be almost a complete genre on its own, i.e. I still haven't heard anything like it. If I had to list my favorite album, i.e. the one I'd take to the proverbial uninhabited island, I'd go for Viides Luku : Havitetty. Moast epic album to date that I've heard.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Good call @ both crevaxa and lolthulhu. I should probably throw Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation onto the list for proving to me that dissonant music can still be beautiful, and Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Trout Mask Replica onto the list for redefining the art of composition to me. Godspeed You! Black Emperor also deserves mention for being one of my first exposures to anarchism, though I'd have a difficult time naming a specific album that deserves mention above the others.

 

[Alex]

should probably throw Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation onto the list for proving to me that dissonant music can still be beautiful

This. The album is amazing for me, but not life changing.

 

[Bex]

The Distillers - Coral Fang

‘I sell souls at the side of the road. Would you like to take a number?’

Before I listened to this, I was your standard little pop-rock teenager - filled to the brim with the mainstream and money spun music. Then I heard Hall Of Mirrors blaring from my older sister's room, and loved it. It was so angry and full of feeling, the lead singer had such a strange kind of voice that I'd never heard before.

But after I snuck into my sister's room, stolen the album and copied the CD for myself, that was it. Despite Brody Dale's harsh voice, and the heaviness of music (compared to the shit I used to listen to) it just conveyed so much emotion and above all, the songs actually meant something.

After that I started listening to more punk and general heavier music, like AFI, HIM, Avenged Sevenfold. Enter Shikari, Hidden in Plain View, Silverstein, NOFX and The Dead Kennedys. This was the first album that really radically changed my tastes in music and set me on the path of discovering artists that were under the mainstream radar. Through that different taste in music, I met loads of new people who are my friends to this very day.

Ultraviolet Sound - Fast, Cheap And Out Of Control EP

‘I forever ever wanna get caught up in believing music is my freedom’

This was actually a surprise discovery. While I was away in Germany on an exchange programme, I was picking through my partner’s CD collection. It was all samey samey stuff, until I noticed this bright little EP. She told me it was pretty good, so we slammed it in the hi fi. It was amazing. To me, it was my first foray into Electro music and a bloody good one. Dead on the Dancefloor hit home with this great bass and synth line, it was catchy, so danceable. Nothing like the screamo / hardcore I was listening to at the time, there was such a huge gulf - but Ultraviolet Sound were just so appealing.

It was the first time I had travelled practically by myself, and the start of my A levels with a promise to start up the languages again in my final year (which wasn’t my final year, but still). Basically, it assisted my evolution from naïve teenager to a learned teenager ready to take on the world. Electro is still my key genre even now. Plus, this song taught me to love partying, clubbing and drinking, and isn’t that really what’s important in life?

Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City

‘Our love could have soared over playgrounds and rooftops’

This album made me realise how important my friends are. The sound of Summer 07 when in my life, everything was perfect, and all my mates were together. There were no boys in the way, we’d finished exams and it was time for girly rave time. We were carefree, close friends who had a summer of music festivals and parties ahead of us. It was the best of times for me, all of us were the closest we’d been. It marked the high point before everything went to pot. So really, when I think about my friends, I just think of ‘I Still Remember’ and what a great time we had that summer.

Moulin Rouge - Original Sound Track

‘I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words
How wonderful life is now you're in the world’

Seen as I am listing turning points in my life assisted by music, this is actually a seriously important one. So the story goes, I had recently broken up with my boy friend of two years. Let’s be honest, it was a messy break up, with lots of stuff from the past that really made me question ‘Did he really love me?’ This kind of horrific feeling went on, and I didn’t really know how to distinguish what love was. To me, this movie had always embodied the perfect ideal of love - swept up in a whirlwind romance that evolved into true, complete love. A boy that I had quite strong feelings for came to visit me for a few days in March. It was obvious that we both liked each other, so we went out for the night as we had done before. We got back home at about 4am, slammed this DVD into the computer and got into my bed to watch it.

The film got going, time passed, and then the tune ‘Your Song’ came on, causing me to actually realise how I felt and break into the biggest smile of my life. Then we faced each other and just had the most perfect first kiss of my life, with this song playing in the back ground. If that feeling was anything to go by, it definitely echoed the film - this was the whirlwind romance that has evolved and started a new chapter in my life. This song marked the start of happier times, a stronger relationship and the first time I could believe what love was. So really, thanks to Mr (W)right and Moulin Rouge for defining one of the greatest moments of my life.


AMAGAD autobiographical.

 

[CK]

great posts alex and bex.

Also Orchid would probably fit into my list now. Them and Bucket Full of Teeth and Wolves deserved way more attention than they got.