This is the 3rd and final part in a series about 15 Albums That Changed My Life. This list originally came from a Facebook post where one of your friends would tag you and you’d have to chime in.
Here was the original “question” that was posed:
“Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you that they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. Go to the tab marked Notes in your profile, and when you finish, tag 15 (or more) including me. Make sure to copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Tag you’re it! Only Rule ~ 1 album per band.”
So here’s part 3 of my list.
Secret World Live – Peter Gabriel
I’m a huge fan of live music. I’m a huge fan of lyrics. Peter Gabriel puts them together in this concert that I’ve listened through from beginning to end probably more than any other album in my collection. From the opening track “Come Talk To Me” to amazing versions of “Solsbury Hill” and “Don’t Give Up” this one grabs me and doesn’t let go. Gabriel does some outstanding things here from a live perspective and he’s joined on stage several times by an incredible cast of voices (specifically Paula Cole) & performers. If you’d like to watch / listen to the entire show you can find it on YouTube here.
I’d be remiss in talking about Secret World Live without mentioning my favorite Gabriel tune “In Your Eyes”. This is probably his most well known song thanks to Say Anything but this version stands above as one that makes my hair stands on end every time I hear it.
Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin
The “1 album per band” rule comes into play big time here. With a catalog like Zeppelin’s it’s tough to pick just one that I’d consider the most life changing or influential but I landed on IV. I may get some flack from other Zeppelin fans as this is probably the most well known and mainstream Zeppelin album, but with tunes like “Black Dog”, “Rock and Roll” and the incomparable “Stairway to Heaven” I was hard pressed to find another album that stands up. Many people may point to one of those tunes as the most well known or their favorite Zeppelin tune, but I look to “When The Levee Breaks” for an example of a tune that you simply KNOW is Zep from the first beat.
Invisible Touch – Genesis
Talk about an albums that captures a time in my life. Invisible Touch is a classic 80’s album that still holds up to this day. The title track reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, the only song from this incredible band ever to do so. This album in particular stands as the one where my personal favorites are tunes that did not get released or receive major attention. Most folks know Invisible Touch for the title track, “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” or the MTV classic “Land of Confusion” but my favorites come later in the track listing. “Anything She Does” is an up tempo gem and “Domino” which was broken into two parts, “In the Glow of the Night” and “The Last Domino” is by far my favorite Genesis song of all time. Mike Rutherford (guitars, bass guitar) is on record as saying “Domino” is “one of the best things” the band has done…. I couldn’t agree more. It’s simply haunting.
Mental Jewelry – Live
When I was coming up with this list I immediately thought of albums that I tended to put on and just listen through from start to finish. Mental Jewelry from Live is one of those albums. This is the first studio album from Live, released 3 years before the band blew up with its second studio effort Throwing Copper. This one holds up even nearly a quarter of a century later. Side note… shit I’m old. If you’re a fan of Live I’m sure you’ve heard this one, but if not I’d implore you to get out and listen to it immediately. When listening, pay special attention to “The Beauty of Gray” and “Mother Earth Is a Vicious Crowd”. Both are tremendous songs full of great lyrics, great rifs and amazing vocals from lead singer Ed Kowalczyk.
Bringing On The Weather – Jackopierce
I don’t blog often about music because quite frankly it’s not often that I’ve got much to say. I stick to my iPod and listen to what I love. That being said, if you look back at my previous music posts, you’ll see quite a few of them are about Jackopierce… and this is the album that started my love affair with the band. If you’re not familiar with this duo, they’re a college band that was formed in 1988 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. This is actually their 4th studio album but it’s the one that got me hooked. It came out in 1994 and got me at time in my life where I needed the lyrical brilliance and acoustic harmonies that Jack O’Neill & Cary Pierce brought to this project. This is probably the least well known of all the albums in this list, but it may very well be THE album that changed my life more than any other. “Late Shift”, “Along For The Ride”, “Iron John”, “Jacob” and “Free” are tunes that spoke to me one way in 1994 when I was graduating from high school and speak to me in an entirely different, but just as amazing way in 2015 now that I’m a father of 3. Truly a life changing album for me that, as silly as it sounds, I’m honored to own and to have listened to time and time again.
So there you have it. The Top 15 Albums That Changed My Life. If you didn’t catch them, check out Part 1 and Part 2.
What do you think of my list? I absolutely love these types of discussions and hearing what others think not only of my list but what they’d put on theirs!
