Five records that changed your life

[kyle]

Yup, another thread full of lists, but this isn't a list of your desert island discs (favorite albums of all time), this is a list of the five records that changed your life, for whatever reason.

Here's mine.

1. Dookie- Green Day- Plain and simple, this is the record that got me into punk rock. I got it for my birthday in the 4th grade (I don't know how old you are in the 4th grade, 9, maybe?). At the time, I didn't know what punk rock was or, but I knew this was cool and I listened to my cassette copy of Dookiemore than anything else. One day my mom read the lyric sheet and took it away from me (curse words are bad, don't you know?). I got my friend to make a copy onto a blank cassette and I kept listening to it without her knowledge. I was raised on radio and rock; as a 4th grader listening to that crap my parents were listening to and then hearing Green Day for the first time it simply blew me away. To this day, I am still a big Green Day fan and am not ashamed to admit it.

2. Lucky- Fifteen- I was born in Texas to pretty Christian/conservative parents. I discovered this record at the age of fifteen and it literally changed my entire outlook on life. I had listened to political punk rock before, but it never made me quesiton the beliefs that I had inherited from my parents (to give you an idea of how young and naive I was, I was rooting for Bush during his first presidential election). This record took everything I believed and turned it upside down. It made me question everything I was taught and I seriously re-evaluated my entire outlook on life. I didn't just accept what Jeff Ott was telling me at face value, I did a lot of thinking and questioning and that helped shape my beliefs today. The record in itself is really good, although not the best Fifteen record ever (Choice of a New Generation takes the cake for me, but its message definitely had a huge impact on my life growing up.

3. Never Ender- Hot Water Music- This was the first Hot Water Music record I bought. I was fifteen and of course I was blown away (15 was a good age for me, it was the year that I drifted away from Blink 182, Pennywise, NOFX, etc. and discovered bands like HWM, Fifteen, The Weakerthans, and other bands that would have a great impact on me that I still listen to today). Before hearing this record I never knew music could be so fucking powerful. It was rough, it was loud, it was beautiful. I fell in love, and HWM is without a doubt my favorite band. I wouldn't rank Never Ender as my favorite HWM record, but as far as impact this one is the most important for me.

4. Mule Variations- Tom Waits- This was another artist I discovered at the age of fifteen. This record freaked me out. Tom Waits' voice and style were totally unique to me and this music got me into a lot of cool shit. This is still one of my favorite Tom Waits records.

5. All Hail West Texas- The Mountain Goats- There's just something really beautiful about this recording. Its very low-fi, recorded on a cheap boombox or something that John Darnielle found in his closet and almost discarded because he thought it was broken. All of the songs are one take. There are annoying buzzes throughout the track. John's voice is very polarizing, its so nasally and off that you either love it or hate it. The songs are simple, but its absolutely amazing. Sure, Bob Dylan did it 40 years before, but The Mountain Goats showed me that you don't have to have a good voice, a pretty face, or fancy recordings to make truly amazing music. This is still one of my all time favorite records.

[/novel]

[monk0nuggets]

I like this topic.

No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

The first record I ever bought myself and it was a mighty fine first choice. It made me feel, at a fairly young age, that music is important.

Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire

It was the first record that contained that much intensity. Great lyricist with great delivery and tons and tons of grooves.

Blink 182 - Enema of the State

My first introduction to pop punk. It taught me the importance of a hook in song writing. It also made me want to pick up a guitar and learn how to play.

Dave Matthews Band - Crash

This record taught me that other instruments can be implemented to greatly expand a songs depth. It also made me want to be able to play guitar at a much higher level than I had previously.

Thursday - Full Collapse

This record showed me that honesty is important.

There are other very important records that have led me to my current taste in music, but these are the big ones.

Other Import records:

Incubus - Make Yourself

This record showed me how ambiance and oddly timed parts can be very interesting when used correctly.

Finch - What It Is To Burn

This was my first introduction to screaming. I had heard screaming in music before, but this was the first time I had accepted it and appreciated it.

[flood]

ok i'll bite.

weird al yankovic - even worse - a quirky mockery of pop culture, without resorting to being pretensious or pretending to be more important than those you were mocking, simply because you saw the error of it all. I'm pretty sure this (and then his entire catalog to that point) cemented my love of counter culture, as well as my love for funny and or gimmic bands.

Dead Milkmen - big lizard in my backyard taking weird al a step farther, the milkmen were stranger, and more scathing towards mainstream pop culture, as well as its politics. Childish, sophmorish, and in some cases downright ridiculous, this album began my love of punk rock, and in later the idea that punk rock doesn't have to comply to a single sound/look/genre.

they might be giants - s/t this album was a severe oddity overall. It was being lauded on Nick Rocks , nickelodeans old music show for kids, and 120 minutes on MTV (if you don't rememeber this show, you missed out.. it was really awesome) as the same time. It was a bizarre album, totally unlike anything that was going on.. in a time where Michael Jackson and Madonna ruled the pop charts, and fashion and excess was everywhere in pop music.. i had this quirky little album by two obvious geeks to sing along too and love. In the years past i have seen this band an obscene number of times, have owned pretty much everything they've ever released on every format (sadly i gave the cassettes away) and pretty much only had serious relationships with girls who loved the band as much as i did.

spring heeled jack - static world view probably influenced me moreso than any other album, it brought me into the local music scene, made me fall in love with ska-punk, and ultimately was the reason i started running shows, and my label.... god knows how many years later... it still sounds every bit as it did back then.

against me - reinventing axl rose this album totally renewed my faith in punk rock, and after years of over produced schlock, and pop punk boy bands... this stripped down, brutally honest lp managed to take the underground by storm. I still love you julie ended up being the first dance at my wedding, and the band/album has been a huge part of my life ever since.

[jhulud]

Loaded question. I have always felt uncomfortable with saying that a record "changed" my life...I'm not downplaying if anyone feels that way though...so I tend to say that there are records that made an impact in my life and I will always hold dear and close to my heart.

1- Pear Jam - Ten - This is the record that exposed me to a world larger than the hardcore and punk rock that I was accustomed to and comfortable in. It was full of melody, emotion, angst, hope, and just plain good music...it also further inspired me to take my bass playing more seriously...I have been a Jeff Ament fan since.

2- Shai Hulud - Hearts Once Nourished With Hope And Compassion - At the time this record came out, my personal life was very tumultous. A relationship I was in was on its last leg and I was in a deep depression. More of an angry depression. I was angry at the girl and the world. The words and music on this record were able to get me through this time...it helped express what I feeling inside and I couldn't put into words. It also gave me a sense of confidence in that I can rise above it all and come out a better person in the end.

3- Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - There is something about Trent Reznor's music and lyrics that resonate with me. I used to think that I was a manic depressive and have these glorious, romanticized thoughts of what being the manic depressed guy was like...this record made me realize that there are people worse off with more intense feelings that always have the option to either get through it or just end it all. The individual has the power to decide. After listening to this record, I am always reminded that there is someone that may feel helpless and alone as much as me, but I have the ability and drive to get through it unscathed.

4- Endpoint - If The Spirits Are Willing - This is what opened my eyes to the melodic side of hardcore and punk. I was thrust into the world of midwest hardcore and its scene of music...to this day it will always be an important period of my life because I was exposed to a lot of the bands that I still listen to to this very day and will always be a fan of. Plus the mixing ot personally and politically-charged lyrics made me open my eyes to a world and impact beyond myself.

5- the god machine - scenes from the second storey - The music was abrasive and angry but yet melodic and introspective and melancholic at the same time. It was a very important record at the time because I was able to find a new world of "heavy" and emotional music beyond hardcore and punk. The words are poetic and resonated with my state of mind at the time. I was in high school at the time and angry at my father and the world...listening to this record was my escape from it all and I was able to immerse in the poetry of the words and find solace in the music.

[ericheartsu]

1. Against Me!-Reinventing Axl Rose-Exactly what flood said, plus it was my gateway band to so many awesome underground bands.

2. American Steel-Jagged Thoughts- this record is so pretty, then so abrasive, then so depressing, and so happy. its everything music should do, with heart and soul.

3. Kid Dynamite- Shorter, Faster, Louder-this record will kill you.

4. Osker- Idle, Will, Kill

5. Minor Threat-Discography

honorable mentions:

Jawbreaker's Dear You

Punk O rama 2 (thanks Kirby)

Survival of the fattest

Latterman's anywhere we go

[amsterdamned]

1. Metallica-...And Justice For All

This is the first CD I got that really blew me away. I was probably 12 years old, and I had never heard something so heavy and so fast in my life. It definitely exposed me to a whole new world of music.

2. Green Day-Dookie

I don't really see a point in getting too in depth with this one, I think pretty much EVERYONE understands why this is on here.

3. Good Riddance-Symptoms Of A Leveling Spirit

Being 16 or 17, and while not being a total loner, but also not having too many friends in high school, this record came along at a really important time for me. I can't begin to count how many times I sat in lunch or study hall, listening to this album on my cd player, and reading the lyrics over and over again. I don't think there was many bands I connected that closely with before then. This record means so much to me, and I still listen to it regularly.

4. The Weakerthans-Left And Leaving

Before hearing The Weakerthans, I couldn't care less about anything that wasn't a straight up punk record or a hardcore record. Granted, there was The Beach Boys when I was young, but when you get into punk rock and the like, it's almost taboo to enjoy that sort of stuff. This record definitely opened my eyes to a lot of new bands; it also gave me a greater appreciation of pop music, and of bands I wouldn't have normally been into, without being embarrassed of it.

5. The Beach Boys-Pet Sounds

This is the first album I have any recollection of ever hearing. I remember being so young, and just being completely in love with so many of The Beach Boys songs. I was a little kid, and obviously pop songs that are this simple and well written appealed to me on the most basic of levels. I feel like, even though I didn't really dive head on into appreciating music until I was a lot older, this definitely laid the ground work for it.

Honorable mention: MxPx-Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo

Say what you want about this band, but were it not for this cd, I wouldn't be posting on this board, or most likely even listening to any variation of punk/hardcore. While Green Day gave me a taste of punk rock, this record shoved me into it, completely. I heard a clip of a song from this record on ESPN, probably skateboarding competitions or something, and I had to have it. Did the whole "listen to every band mentioned in the liner notes" thing, and voila!

[keevhren]

1. Bad Religion - Suffer

- This record first made its way into my cd player when I was in 3rd Grade. My friend's older brother let us borrow his cd case and it was on the first page. I took it home and listened to it in my room probably a good 3-4 times through just sitting there, listening to it and devouring the lyric booklet. Seriously the most amazing thing I had ever heard, I cant even do it justice in my description because of how much this album changed my life. From there I bought their entire discog up to that point and found the glory that was Epitaph records...

2. Faded Grey - A Quiet Time of Desperation

- This was the record that got me into Hardcore. I distinctly recall downloading an mp3 of "New Crusades" off of revhq. I used to go to their distro page and just download every sample they had to find new bands, this was one of the first and I was hooked. Sadly never got to see this band live but it is still probably my favorite hardcore record.

3. Osker - Idle Will Kill

- I found Osker by doing the same thing above just with the Epitaph Website. I really liked Treatment 5 but when Idle Will Kill came out I was stunned at how amazing the record was. It was completely what I wasnt expecting and at the same time it was perfect. I probably listen to this cd at least once a week, and have for years now. Awesome song writing, amazing lyrics, just an all around solid record.

4. Bouncing Souls - How I Spent My Summer Vacation

- Soundtrack to high school right here. The Souls were my first 'real' show other than Warped Tour and are probably the biggest influence on my song writing/playing. This record is perfect from start to finish, Gone is a song that got me through so much shit in life.

5. Strike Anywhere - Change Is A Sound

- This was the first 'local' band that I got into that was considered well known and had notable recognition within the scene. Shows were intense, and they really gave me a good perception of what a level headed band with a great message should be like. Sunset on 32nd is untouchable.

Honourable Mention - Avail - Dixie

This band is amazing. Simply put. Solid live shows, amazing song writing and just all around good guys and a great band. The Falls depicts exactly how I feel about home and my friends.

[mclz]

1. Rancid - ...And Out Come The Wolves - I heard some punk bands before and listened to them, but it wasn't until I listened to Ruby Soho. I fell in the with the song. I bought AOCTW immediately and popped it in the CD player. I heard Maxwell Murder and I was fucking blow away! I kept it in my CD player for weeks and listened to the entire CD over and over and over again. Rancid is what made me the person I am today and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Honestly I love other bands, I mean Less Than Jake is my 2nd favorite world and I fucking LOVE them and they got me into a lot of the bands that I now listened to and shit, but I really don't think any bands' record besides AOCTW would have a big impact on my life except for getting me into other bands and collecting more records which I think is one of the greatest things in the world, but I don't think any of that would be possible if it wasn't for Rancid.

[eddieruckus]

im not gonna get into detail but here it goes

in no order

Mighty Mighty Bosstones-Ska Core the devil and more( so this is what ska is?)

Against All Authority- Destroy What Destroys you ( remember im from south florida, I looked up to these guys ALOT)

Nofx-Punk in Drublic ( Holy Shit! this is good)

Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables( You can listen to music and learn something too? neat)

and within the last 2 years

Paint It Black- CVA ( was into this record for a while, but the life changing came after their fest performance, after going to see live music for over 10 years, nothing will top that set)

[robotnerd]

metallica - master of puppets

mineral - end serenading

miles davis - round about midnight

botch - we are the romans

jimi hendrix - are you experienced?

[chunkrock]

These are in chronological order not in order of importance.

1. The Offspring - Smash - I can't remember if I got this before Dookie or not but they kind of go hand in hand with me. I got them in grade 4 and listened to them all the time. I remember talking to my friends about the Offspring and us always singing 'Bad Habit' when there weren't any teachers around. This helped get me into punk rock, two years later my dad took me to see Rancid and the Ramones.

2. Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner - I first heard this album when I was 8 on a road trip with my dad, it seemed really goofy at first but then I heard Big in Japan on punk-o-rama 4 when I was 14 and remembered this album and grabbed my dad's cd and words cannot describe the feelings I had while listening to this album.

3. Ice Cube - War and Peace vol. 1 - Say what you want about Ice Cube now but when I heard this album when I was 12 or 13 it just seemed so awesome. At that point I was listening to a lot of punk rock: nofx, pennywise, afi, minor threat and a bunch of local bands. Then one of my best friends lent me his cassette of this album and I listened to it non-stop for a week. This was my gateway into good hip-hop.

4 Refused - The Shape of punk to come - I wasn't aware music could be this loud and abrasive and still catchy as fuck. This album rekindled my love of punk rock.

5. Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue - This was the first jazz album I ever bought. I was in an hmv and they had a 2 for $25 deal on cds and I grabbed a Ben Folds cd and was looking for something else and saw this and just decided to check it out. I finally understood Jazz upon hearing this album, it all made sense.

Honorable mentions: Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity and Against Me! - RAR

[jhulud]

I'm a bit wasted right now...but any Metallica album...And Justice For All and prior to that is awesome in my book...fuck yeah!!!!

[sgoodcore]

sunny day real estate - diary

alkaline trio - from here to infirmary

bad religion - process of belief (still say this is their best work since stranger than fiction)

cursive - the ugly organ

planes mistaken for stars - s/t

[adammuzzy]

i hate myself - 10 songs

owen - no good for no one now

texas is the reason - do you know who you are?

jawbreaker - 24 hour revenge therapy

anything by mineral

these all turned me into the depressed fuck i am now.

[cadetapplesauce]

1. Lifetime "Jersey's Best Dancers"

Lots of people say that "Hello Bastards" was their best album, but I heard this one first and I love every note of it. This album is what got me excited about melodic hardcore. Since then it has become a benchmark for all other melodic hardcore albums I listen to, because to me, it reaches a certain level of perfection, that others just can't touch. For example, I can't help but listen to Shook Ones' "Facetious Folly Feat" without thinking of the Lifetime album (most evident in the old record "instructions" on the first track and towards the end of both albums). I love it and was totally caught off guard by it (to put some perspective on this, I heard about Lifetime through Taking Back Sunday, and I was expecting to hear WAY different sounds).

2. Blink-182 "Enema of the State"

This album is the reason why I'm posting on this board today. Earlier in my youth, I would come home, turn on the tv, and just watch it. I watched MTV's TRL. This album really opened the floodgates, for me, to the whole world of punk rock, even though it was essentially, in the eyes of "REAL" punk rockers, one of the less notable or respectable titles.

3. Weezer "Weezer (1994)"

The first Weezer song I heard was "Hash Pipe." I didn't really get it, so I didn't really like it. Then, I heard some of the songs of the Blue album. Don't ask me which, but some of the earlier songs I remember listening to were "No One Else," "In The Garage," and "Undone (The Sweater Song)". And I haven't even gotten started with the album. I feel that this is pop perfection. Kids in the 50's or whatever had the Beatles as the great pop band that everyone idolized. Weezer was that band for me. I love this album and everything it did for me, as far as exposing me to sweet melodies with great guitar solos, aside from every track on this album being just killer.

4. Jawbreaker "Dear You"

I first heard of Jawbreaker through The Ataris' redition of "Boxcar." I was compelled to hear more. I downloaded some songs, and read up on their albums. I remember buying this album, after reading that people hated it, then praised it (see: Weezer's "Pinkerton"). I expected some experimental punk. God was I wrong. The older albums were more experimental to me, as this was my first exposure to the band. This was, as I see it, my gateway into Jawbreaker's music and Blake Schwarzenbach's musical output. Though his brilliance may be subdued at certain moments on this album, I believe for the most part, it got me to expect more. And man, the way Blake writes is just beautiful. "Jet Black," "Million," and "Sluttering (May 4th)" are my most most most most favorite tracks (the first, third, and the "Unlisted Track" having my favorite lyrics on the album).

5. New Found Glory "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

This album did a lot for me. After listening to blink-182 for awhile, their association to Fenix TX led me to buy a Drive Thru Records compilation. On this comp, the first band was A New Found Glory. The acoustic/unplugged strumming and raking of the opening chords of "Hit or Miss" filled my ears with excitement as the music, melody and lyrics just hit me as something catchy and memorable, leaving me to want more. And I did. This album had really really great reflective and self-examining lyrics... Stuff that really speaks to a fifth grader who's beginning to develop crushes on girls and the journey of self-discovery. I loved that album for what it was--a great pop punk record. It was one of my favorite albums then, and it's just as good a listen now. Nothing will change that.

[momentumlost]

This is such a loaded question...let the hazing for me begin...

1. Green day 1039/slappy: I bought this and the presidents of the usa albums @ the same time...first time I EVER bought my own cds...I picked that green day album over dookie (which for some odd reason I still don't own...over 3000 real cds and I don't have dookie) because my friend I was with told me it was better (he really just used me to copy it to tape...but I have to give it up...it was amazing...

2. Korn - follow the leader: I got this my sophmore year of high school when I heard this cool senoir playing it in his car...I asked him what it was and he said " you've never heard korn? Go buy it, now." So I did...and I was blown away...to an angsty teenager this was exactly what I wanted to hear.

3: dillinger escape plan - calculating infinity: this dude mike kept talking about dillinger and botch all the time and he was an awesome dude...I found this first and never stopped listening....I eventually got we are the romans and those 2 records pretty much shaped me musically for most of college.

4: mest - destination unknown: my college roomate downloaded this off napster (yeah napster...I'm old school) and listened to it every night before bed....seans now one of my closest friends and hearing cadalliac brings back all the memories of living with that dude...such a great point of my life...it was the first time I was really me....

5: thursday - the full collapse: this was the disc that introduced me to post punk...from here I discovered the victory catalog (I bought anything with that dog logo until I heard hawthorne heights...then I stopped) I can thank thursday for getting me into: snapcase, tbs, reunion show and countless other bands I love now. I can also thank them for getting me into thrice and coheed...I my 1st thusday show I was able to accutally stay for or even get to was @ roseland in nyc withthem opening...and thrice are one of my top 3 fav. Bands now...thanks thursday.

Honorable mentions:

Fall out boy - take this to you grave: there's a girl I know from long island who is their biggest fan ever...I met her @ a fob show...and I can say she's one of the few girls I've ever been involved with I can say I love...even if she's a lying whore...lol

The juliana theory - understand this is a dream: this album was the first real emo record I got into....from here I discovered the get up kids, braid, jawbreaker and many others....much love for them...and one hell of a live show (r.i.p.)

Lostprophets - thefakesound of progress: these guys are my favorite band. I got to jump onstage and sing part of the chorus to shinobi @ bowery ballroom back in 02...best night of my life.

Dashboard confessional - the places you have come to fear the most: know those girls who stand in the front row of all the northeast dash shows and cry....I dated one of them...and she's my "the one"(you know the girl....that one you dated and no matter how hard you try you never seem to be over her, even when you think you are you hear a bar in a song and everything comes flooding back)...still to this day the most amazing person I've ever met...

There you go!

[altarsofradness]

1. Iron Maiden- Live After Death

2. The Dead Milkmen- Big Lizard in my Backyard

3. Metallica- Master of Puppets

4. Bad Religion- Stranger than Fiction

5. Clutch- s/t

[ps]

1. NOFX - Punk in Drublic I was 13 or 14 and had just moved to a new state and one of my soon to be good friends introduced me to this album, forever changing my listening habits

2. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit Wow. When I heard this it blew my mind. Gave me my first look into "political' punk. Fantastic

3. Avail - Over the James Really all Avail records could be in this list, but this one was so personal that I could "feel" it. Got me thru some tough times

4. Hot Water Music - Forever and Counting This is another record I could "feel" while listening to it. Such a good album.

(tie)5. American Nightmare - Backround Music The lyrics and fury of this album, made this the best modern hardcore album. I love this record.

(tie)5. Against Me - RAR The only reason I chose this in my top 5 is because my listening tastes drastically changed after hearing this.... opening me up to all different styles of music.

[chiefwahoo]

Interesting question, never really thought about this before. But here goes:

1. 50s rock and roll

Didn't change my life so much as it started it, musically. My dad has an insane record collection and his favorites are the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, etc. While I heard music from all eras, these are the ones I heard the most. If I didn't grow up around 20,000+ 45s and 10,000+ LPs, I doubt I'd be into music the way I am today.

2. Styx - Mr. Roboto

I was 6 years old when this came out. I know I was completely obsessed with the video on MTV and maybe my dad noticed because he took me to the record store for the first time. I had no idea I could buy records for all the music I heard on the radio. #1 life changer, haven't stopped buying records since.

3. Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion video

Aerosmith had been one of my favorite bands since 1987 when they released Permanent Vacation. I knew they had old music but never checked it out. This video promoting the Pandora's Box retrospective was an eye opener. I got the box set for Christmas and was blown away by their old stuff. I was 15 years old and completely sick of mainstream music. This box set introduced me to the 70s. I was well versed in the 50s and 60s thanks to dad, I grew up in the 80s, but a lot of 70s rock and roll was foreign to me. I went crazy buying Zeppelin, Sabbath, Deep Purple and The Who albums, amongst many others. It led to my first job at a flea market because I spent so much time at the guy's stand. I'd take my pay in records.

4. Goo Goo Dolls - Superstar Car Wash

I refused to listen to just about anything except 70s rock for a few years. Nirvana was a HUGE deal in 1991 but they were mainstream and everyone was listening to them. I was still more intrigued with digging up gems from the 70s. A lot of my friends were in bands and listened to modern underground bands. I heard Superstar Car Wash in one of my friend's cars and was blown away by how catchy and good it was. That album made me realize that I'm probably missing out on tons of great music by being close minded. Ever since then, I've been listening to as much music as possible in order to find the greats.

No fifth life changer yet. Can't imagine what it would be.

[swankymodes]

1. Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today"

2. Helmet "Meantime"

3. Fugazi "Repeater"

4. Paint it Black "Paradise"

5. Jawbreaker "24 Hour Revenge Therapy"

[punker32]

NOFX "Punk in Drublic"

Lagwagon "Hoss"

No Use For a Name "Making Friends"

the Ataris "Blue Skies..."

Bright Eyes "Fevers and Mirrors"

[monk0nuggets]

I realized I forgot one.

Weezer - Pinkerton

I bought this record and the Blue Album at the same time, around when I was about 12 years old, and I loved them both dearly, but Pinkerton just blew me away. It was such an intimate and strange record to me at that time. This record is my favorite record of all time, and I find that strange, being that I found it at such a young age.

[Guest falloutcollapse]

This is such a loaded question...let the hazing for me begin...

5: thursday - the full collapse:

The only hazing you'll get from me is there's no "the" in the album title. I feel like one of the brothers in High Fidelity.

You got to it first. I was going to ATTACKKKKKK

[lokithelion]

This changes every few months for me (look at my myspace page for part of my last one) but I'll give it a shot.

mxpx - pokinatcha

The band's first record is a mix of late 80's hardcore and super sappy pop punk. I got it in like 4th grade and freaked out to it. Got me into rancid and Nofx (because the band members were wearing shirts for those bands in the liner notes) and started my punk fetish.

Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy

One of the three most important artists in my life is Warren Zevon. He mix of humor, sorrow and melody made him a god in my eyes, unlike Jackson Brown and the rest of the 60's - 70's singer songwriters. When I first started listening to Warren I was five and had never had a drink, but by Jesus I knew what it meant to be hungover just by listening to his songs.

Otis Redding - Pain in My Heart

When I was a little kid (4-6) my mom couldn't play me this record because I would cry whenever I heard the sad songs. Withouth ever having my heartbroken or having any sort of romantic involvement other than "You're my girlfriend for the rest of recess ok" sort of things Otis managed to bring me to tears mourning the loss of this own relationships. This record made me want to sing soul and brought me the love of my life (Otis Redding not the hot tattooed girl.)

Descendants - Everything Sux

I got this with my Christmas money in 96 and it was awesome. This was the first record I bought that pissed my parents off. Great melody, fast beats and lyrics that were a primer for the kind of heartbreak a dorky kid kind of has to expect in High School.

Deadguy - Fixation on a Co-Worker

I bought this used for 3 bucks cause the cover looked cool and the band's name was Deadguy. Holy fuck. I had never heard anything his brutal before and this opened the door to heavier music for me. Great shit to this day.

[sftravis]

I hate making these type of lists. There is no way I can accurately narrow down the records that meant the most to me to 5. Anyhoo...here goes.

In no particular order:

-Fugazi "Repeater"

-Propagandhi/I-Spy "I'd Rather Be Flag-Burning" (which was stolen) I would love a copy.

-Sonic Youth "Daydream Nation"

-Neil Young and Crazy Horse "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"

-Neurosis "Souls at Zero"