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Songfacts Albums You Must Hear Before You Die


RockyRaccoon

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Hey everyone,

So I had an idea for something we could do as a site, I got this from another music forum and I thought it would be great for us.

Essentially what we are creating is the "Songfactors [insert number here] Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Each of us will nominate five albums that we each have a deep, personal connection with. Along with each nomination, you will write why you chose that album, what it means to you, why it means so much to you, along with your favorite tracks off the album and maybe even a "if you like this, you may like x". After we've finished, we'll have a nice collection of albums that mean a lot to our community, and we'll probably make it into a post for the website.

Now there are two very important things about this that are very different from what we're used to, and this is the key to this entire thing:

1. This is not like our normal top tens or SF Choice things as there will be no voting on the albums. We're just nominating them and coming up with a conglomerate list of all the albums that mean a lot to us. For example, if we have 10 people participate, each nominating five albums, we'll have the "Songfactor's 50 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". We'll just sort them by decade on the post on the site.

2. These albums should have a deep, personal connection to you. In other words, we're trying to avoid this looking like "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums" list. The nominations shouldn't be "Oh man, you've gotta listen to Sgt. Peppers" just on principle. I want to avoid the obvious, perhaps even cliched, albums on everyone's "must hear" list. Obviously you have to hear "Sgt. Peppers", that's like saying you need to see "The Godfather" before you die.

That being said, that doesn't mean you can't nominate that album. If that album has a deep, personal meaning or connection to you, by all means, nominate it. Instead of "This album is the Stones at their absolute best", I want, "when I was dealing with depression, this album is what really helped me" or "when I had the best summer of my life, I was listening to this album". I want these albums to be personal and special to the people nominating them. I want them to meaningful, because then we'll create a meaningful list.

There are no restrictions on what album you nominate, provided it means something to you. If you are just absolutely wild about Warren Zevon's Greatest Hits and it means a lot to you, nominate it. If an instrumental drum album recorded in Zimbabwe was the soundtrack to the best year of your life, nominate it.

The nominated album are on a first come first serve basis. Once someone nominates an album, you cannot nominate the same album. This is to provide some variety to the list. However, that doesn't mean you can't say something about that album. Say I nominate "Sticky Fingers" and you were thinking about nominating it, you can still add to the description, saying why that album means so much to you and it will not count towards your five albums. The more albums and the more descriptions we can have, the more detailed and meaningful this list can be.

Does this make sense? I think this could end up being really cool. I'm going to go ahead and make my nominations in a few minutes (at least, a couple of them) as an example. You don't have to nominate all five at once, take some time and think about it. Also, if you would like to nominate an album and write a description later, that's fine too. This is something I'd like us to take our time on because if we do, this could be really awesome. As far as a time limit on nominating and stuff, we'll figure that out later, once it's decided on, I'll post something about it. There will be plenty of time to do it.

Let me know if there are any questions! This should be fun.

NOMINATE YOUR ALBUMS :headphones: :headphones: :headphones: :headphones: :headphones: :headphones:

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Blood On The Tracks- Bob Dylan

Track Listing:

1. Tangled Up In Blue

2. Simple Twist Of Fate

3. You're A Big Girl Now

4. Idiot Wind

5. You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

6. Meet Me In The Morning

7. Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts

8. If You See Her, Say Hello

9. Shelter From The Storm

10. Buckets Of Rain

This album means a lot to me. Bob Dylan is one of my absolute favorite artists and I think that this is him at his most honest and most pure. I've personally covered "Simple Twist Of Fate" and "Tangled Up In Blue" at plenty of shows and the rest of the album is something I can never get tired of. The absolute pure beauty of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" and "Buckets Of Rain" is incredible. I never really liked the movie Jerry Maguire too much, it was ok, but when the credits started and "Shelter From The Storm" started playing, I don't know, it just felt perfect. Because everything about this album is perfect. It's beautiful, meaningful, and yet can still be fun. I will never stop listening to this album.

Highlights: "Simple Twist Of Fate", "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go", "Shelter From The Storm", "Buckets Of Rain"

If you like this you may like: the rest of Bob Dylan's discography, The Band, The Avett Brothers, The Tallest Man On Earth, Joni Mitchell

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Here we go!

(My first two albums have the same reason behind them)

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Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

TRACK LISTING

1. A More Perfect Union

2. Titus Andronicus Forever

3. No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future

4. Richard II

5. A Pot In Which To P*ss

6. Four Score and Seven

7. Theme From "Cheers"

8. To Old Friends and New

9. ...And Ever

10. The Battle of Hampton Roads

HIGHLIGHTS

"A More Perfect Union," "The Battle of Hampton Roads"

If you like this, you may like: The Gaslight Anthem (see below)

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The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound

TRACK LISTING

1. Great Expectations

2. The '59 Sound

3. Old White Lincoln

4. High Lonesome

5. Film Noir

6. Miles Davis & The Cool

7. The Patient Ferris Wheel

8. Casanova, Baby!

9. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

10. Meet Me By The River's Edge

11. Here's Looking At You, Kid

12. The Backseat

HIGHLIGHTS

"Great Expectations," "Meet Me By The River's Edge," "Here's Looking At You, Kid"

If you like this, you may like: Titus Andronicus (see above)

These two punk/rock albums basically defined my junior year of high school. I first discovered The Monitor in an article that mentioned it was a concept album about the Civil War (sort-of) and my interest, as a US History nerd, was piqued. I listened to it and many of my fears and worries were addressed by Patrick Stickles. I then heard about The Gaslight Anthem and checked The 59 Sound out and fell in love with the way Brian Fallon writes his music. So, these two albums helped me get through one of the most stressful years of school for me: whenever I felt bad or unmotivated, I'd blast either one of these records and I'd feel better.

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The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Let's Face It

TRACK LISTING

1. Noise Brigade

2. The Rascal King

3. Royal Oil

4. The Impression That I Get

5. Let's Face It

6. That Bug Bit Me

7. Another Drinkin' Song

8. Numbered Days

9. Break So Easily

10. Nevermind Me

11. Desensitized

12. 1-2-8

HIGHLIGHTS

"Let's Face It," "That Bug Bit Me," 1-2-8"

If you like this, you may like: Reel Big Fish, Streetlight Manifesto, Less Than Jake

This was one of the first "modern" albums my father introduced me to before his death when I was in the 5th grade and it instilled in me a love of ska, and alternative music in general, that has stayed with me to this very day

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The Format - Dog Problems

TRACK LISTING

1. Matches

2. I'm Actual

3. Time Bomb

4. She Doesn't Get It

5. Pick Me Up

6. Dog Problems

7. Oceans

8. Dead End

9. Snails

10. The Compromise

11. Inches and Falling

12. If Work Permits

HIGHLIGHTS

"Time Bomb," "She Doesn't Get It," "The Compromise"

If you like this, you make like:fun.'s FIRST album, The Shins

This album was the album of hope for me. We were moving out of the house were my father died into a better house, with a better future. It also was, after "Let's Face It," my first real taste of indie/alternative music.

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Jukebox the Ghost - Everything Under The Sun

TRACK LISTING

1. Schizophrenia

2. Half Crazy

3. Empire

4. Summer Sun

5. Mistletoe

6. The Sun

7. So Let Us Create

8. Carrying

9. The Sun (Interlude)

10. The Stars

11. The Popular Thing

12. Nobody

HIGHLIGHTS:

"Schizophrenia," "The Stars"

If you like this, you may like: Ben Folds (Five)

Time for some more happy personal stories! This album basically defined the summer of 2012 for me. (Notice how NONE of the albums' stories take place the same year the albums come out? Yeah, I'm weird like that) I first downloaded it to listen to in Wildwood for our Indoor Percussion trip, and while it was NOT the winning season we had in 2011, it was a whole lot more fun because we didn't have to stress about winning. I had a lot of fun that weekend and this album surely helped.

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Blow Your Face Out - The J. Geils Band

Track Listing:

"Southside Shuffle"

"Back To Get Ya"

"Shoot Your Shot"

"Musta Got Lost"

"Where Did Our Love Go"

"Truck Drivin' Man"

"Love-Itis"

"Intro: (Looking For A Love)"

"Houseparty"

"So Sharp"

"Detroit Breakdown"

"Chimes"

"Sno-Cone"

"Wait" – 3:44

"Raise Your Hand"

"Start All Over"

"Give It To Me"

This is the album that made me want to be a disc jockey. Leading into "Musta Got Lost," Peter Wolf does this rap about desperation in love, something I had yet to encounter but reckoned must be pretty bad (it was). By the time he was done talking up the song, I felt like I was in the congregation about to witness a miracle. Listening to it over and over, I wondered why disc jockeys didn't talk more about the songs, since a little story leading into it could make it so much better. When I finally landed on the radio, that was my thing: tell the stories behind the songs. This, of course, eventually led to Songfacts.

I later learned that Peter Wolf was a disc jockey on WBCN in Boston, where he called himself "The Wooffah Goofah." One of his little bits that I repeatedly stole was introducing another voice. At one point in his rap, he asks, "what's the name of that chick with the long hair?" and is answered by a band member: "Rapunzel." I liked having other folks in the studio for that purpose, but I never pulled it off like Peter.

Highlights: "Musta Got Lost", "Southside Shuffle", "Houseparty", "Detroit Breakdown"

If you like this you may like: Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen in concert, driving way too fast in a convertible.

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Bridge over Troubled Water

by Simon & Garfunkel

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Released January 26, 1970

Recorded November 1968 – November 1969

1. "Bridge over Troubled Water" 4:52

2. "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" (Daniel Alomía Robles, English lyrics by Paul Simon, arranged by Jorge Milchberg) 3:06

3. "Cecilia" 2:55

4. "Keep the Customer Satisfied" 2:33

5. "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" 3:41

6. "The Boxer" 5:08

7. "Baby Driver" 3:14

8. "The Only Living Boy in New York" 3:58

9. "Why Don't You Write Me" 2:45

10. "Bye Bye Love" (live recording from Ames, Iowa, Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) 2:55

11. "Song for the Asking"

This album has personal significance to me, as Mrs. Belle Simon, Paul's mom, was my 3rd grade teacher at P.S. 164 in 1970-71. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing that album, particularly "Cecilia", which was the hit that fall. The title track, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is still my favorite song of all time, and it stands up today, being covered by Clay Aiken, among others.

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"Sticky Fingers"

The Rolling Stones

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I just don't kow what I can add to what I already said about this album. It's been a milestones in my life. I was 15 when it was released. They talked about sex, drugs and rock and roll. And Mick Taylor with his magic guitar and Keith Richards with his nonchalance were driving my psychedelic dreams...

It's still a bunch of amazing songs that I listen to everyday.

List of songs:

1. "Brown Sugar"

2. "Sway"

3. "Wild Horses"

4. "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"

5. "You Gotta Move" (Fred McDowell/Gary Davis)

Side two

6. "Bitch"

7. "I Got the Blues"

8. "Sister Morphine"

9. "Dead Flowers"

10. "Moonlight Mile"

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The Sad Thing Is, We Like It Here - Shaimus (2009)

Track Listing:

1. Interview

2. Turn The Other Way

3. All The Good Ways

4. Tie You Down

5. Heads Or Tails

6. Don't Want The Story

7. Let Go

8. Like A Fool

9. While We're Young

10. Stuck Around

I first learned about Shaimus from the video game Rock Band. Their song "Like A Fool" was a free song you could download and play, and from then on, I loved them. The entire reason their song was on Rock Band was because two of the members of the band actually worked for the video game company. Virtually no one has heard of them, which is awful, because they're fantastic. Some of the best indie rock I've ever heard. This album has no bad tracks, every song is great. Once I got to know this band, I followed them constantly, from their appearance in the movie "The Roommate", to actually personally interviewing them over the phone on a radio show I had in college. Their great guys and made great music. As of now, sadly, they've decided to part ways after three albums, but this album will always hold a special place in my heart. I actually have the physical CD of this signed by all four members of the band. I love this album.

Highlights: "Like A Fool", "Let Go", "Turn The Other Way", literally every song on this album.

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THE KINKS PRESENT....SCHOOLBOYS IN DISGRACE

(Released Nov. 17, 1975)

Side one

1. Schooldays (3:31)

2. Jack the Idiot Dunce (3:19)

3. Education (7:07)

4. The First Time We Fall in Love (4:01)

Side two

1. I'm in Disgrace (3:21)

2. Headmaster (4:03)

3. The Hard Way (2:35)

4. The Last Assembly (2:45)

5. No More Looking Back (4:27)

6. Finale (1:02)

Personnel

Ray Davies: vocals, guitar, piano

Dave Davies: lead guitar, vocals

Mick Avory: drums

John Dalton: bass guitar

John Gosling: keyboards

John Beecham: trombone

Alan Holmes: saxophones

Nick Newell: tenor saxophone

Pamela Travis: background vocals

Debbie Doss: background vocals

Shirley Roden: background vocals

Written, Arranged and Produced by Raymond Douglas Davies

Engineered by Roger Wake

Liner note from the album

Once upon a time there was a naughty little schoolboy. He and his gang were always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school. One day he got himself into very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and he was sent to the Headmaster who decided to disgrace the naughty boy and his gang in front of the whole school.

After this punishment the boy turned into a hard and bitter character. Perhaps it was not the punishment that changed him but the fact that he realised people in authority would always be there to kick him down and the Establishment would always put him in his place. He knew that he could not change the past but he vowed that in the future he would always get what he wanted. The naughty little boy grew up... into Mr Flash.

IMO:

Perhaps the greatest (yet least heralded) of the rock operas. The first time I listened to this album in its entirety, it immediately became my favorite. It tells the story of a schoolboy who falls out of grace with the school headmaster after being caught in a compromising position with a female classmate.

The story is loosely based on the antics of Dave Davies, who garnered a reputation as being a ladies man at a very young age.

You can tell by listening that Ray was hoping to turn it into a movie. And actually, just a few years back, this was discussed (but has not yet come to fruition), being produced and directed by none other than comedian/actor, Bobcat Goldthwait.

Give it a listen. One of the greatest albums of all time, by one of the greatest bands of all time.

HIGHLIGHTS: "I'm In Disgrace", "Headmaster" - which shows off Dave's true talent as a hard rock guitarist., "Education" - a seven-minute re-telling of the history of education from the Caveman to the present day, and "No More Looking Back" - the man's remembrance after several years out of high school.

:afro: :afro: :afro: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

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The Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd

1973

Tracklist:

1. Speak To Me

2. Breathe

3. On The Run

4. Time

5. The Great Gig in the Sky

1. Money

2. Us and Them

3. Any Colour You Like

4. Brain Damage

5. Eclipse

This album is very, very important to me for a number of reasons. One, it helped me through a very difficult time in my life several years ago. Two, it introduced to me to the band many, many years ago when I first became a fan. The lyrics have a very deep emotional resonance within you the listener, and the beauty about them is that with each passing year, they still stay as relevant as they were when Roger Waters first wrote them. All of us go through periods of not understanding our place in this world, and part of what this album helps to do is not make you feel alone in that confusion. For that by itself, it's utterly invaluable.

Highlights: Time, Us and Them, Any Colour You Like

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Check Your Head

Beastie Boys

1992

Tracklist:

1. Jimmy James

2. Funky Boss

3. Pass The Mic

4. Gratitude

5. Lighten Up

6. Finger Lickin' Good

7. So What'cha Want

8. The Biz. vs. The Nuge

9. Time For Livin'

10. Something's Got To Give

11. The Blue Nun

12. Stand Together

13. POW

14. The Maestro

15. Groove Holmes

16. Live at P. J.'s

17. Mark on the Bus

18. Professor Booty

19. In 3's

20. Namaste

Okay, where to start. For one, I really, really, really love this band. They're so good, it's scary. This album is radically different from the predecessor, Paul's Boutique, which was radically different from its predecessor, Licensed To Ill(which I hate, but that's a different thread). They picked up their instruments again, as the band started out as a hardcore punk group in the early '80s, and they re-discovered their love for funk, 70s r&b, jazz fusion, and most importantly, live instrumentation. It shows the band's ability to be versatile, not just musically, but lyrically. There was a sea change with the group now, their earlier, more frat-boy hedonism being replaced by a slow march toward 30 and the need to grow up....without growing old. The very first piece of music I ever bought with my own money was this cassette when it came out in 1992, and I still have it.

Highlights: Jimmy James, Gratitude, So What'cha Want, Something's Got To Give, Namaste

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Black Cherry

Goldfrapp

2003

Tracklist:

1. Crystalline Green

2. Train

3. Black Cherry

4. Tiptoe

5. Deep Honey

6. Hairy Trees

7. Twist

8. Strict Machine

9. Forever

10. Slippage

I love Goldfrapp. I listen to slightly bit more classic rock/oldies than contemporary groups, but they are definitely in the cadre of contemporary groups I'll sell to anyone, anywhere. It's sparse, minimalistic, yet very, very satisfying to the ear. Alison's voice is syrupy and thick in some spots, light and airy in others. It's not their first album, but it's their first huge commercial success. I got introduced to them back when I was in college, and I've been a huge devotee for 10 years now. Every time I listen to it, it reminds me of riding the train to class every day, and memories like that are precious.

Highlights: Crystalline Green, Train, Strict Machine

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La Luna

Sarah Brightman

2000

Tracklist:

1. La Lune

2. Winter in July

3. Scarborough Fair

4. Figlio Perduto

5. Whiter Shade of Pale

6. He Doesn't See Me

7. Serenade

8. How Fair This Place

9. Hijo de la Luna

10. Here With Me

11. La Califfa

12. This Love

13. Solo Con Te

14. Gloomy Sunday

15. La Luna (Moon River is a hidden track after this song at the 5:16 mark)

Might be a bit odd to see a classical pop/opera vocalist in this list, but she has one of the most beautiful voices ever committed to record. The clarity and tone of her voice is second to none. You don't need to understand the lyrics to understand the emotion, and she's very good at bringing that emotion out. The imagery for this album is also quite stunning, as is the live tour she did to support it. Crystal headpieces, lots of lace, lots of glitter and white light...a true diva moment. I've got all of her albums, each one carrying a different them. The predecessor to this album, Eden, nearly made the cut, but I like this one just a smidge bit more. If you can't fall in love with her voice after listening to this album, you never will. This album, much like all of her others, is really good at being a mood lightener. If you're feeling down about something, throw on some Sarah Brightman, and you'll feel better halfway through the record.

Highlights: Scarborough Fair, Whiter Shade of Pale, Gloomy Sunday, La Luna

As you can see, a pretty varied group of artists from four different genres. I felt it was important to encapsulate the breadth of artists/styles of music that I listen to, rather than just hammer you over the head with the same 60s/70s albums everyone already knows.

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:guitar: I graduated from highschool when the Sticky Fingers album was just released in the Netherlands.

The Beatles had seperated. In weeks of graduation parties the old schism between Beatles- and Stonesfans was conciliated: the Beatlefan half of the class admitted there was only one top rockband.

"How come you dance so good...?"

An additional little triumph for me..... :guitar:

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How long do we have to do this? I have a few albums in mind that I need to write about their connection to me, though they're personal picks that mean something to me, and not something that other SF'ers would necessarily agree with.

As much time as you need, really. I haven't really decided on a time limit yet. As for the second part of your comment, that's perfect. I want this to be albums that really mean something to you, not necessarily just albums that are just good albums. They should have a personal connection to you.

Though this reminds me of something. Anybody who would like to participate in this but hasn't yet, say something here. This way I can get a general idea as to how many people are going to do this, then I can make a judgement on how long to keep this going.

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1 Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding

11:07

2 Candle in the Wind

3:50

3 Bennie and the Jets

5:03

4 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

3:14

5 This Song Has No Title

2:25

6 Grey Seal

4:02

7 Jamaica Jerk-Off

3:41

8 I've Seen That Movie Too

5:58

9 Sweet Painted Lady

3:56

10 The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-34)

4:26

11 Dirty Little Girl

5:03

12 All the Girls Love Alice

5:11

13 Your Sister Can't Twist (but She Can Rock 'n Roll)

2:44

14 Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)

4:54

15 Roy Rogers

4:08

16 Social Disease

3:45

17 Harmony

2:46

Not only do I think this is the best double album ever made, I think it is one of the best albums ever made. This is the work of two brilliantly creative individuals at the height of their powers.

While songs like Benny and The Jets, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting and Candle In The Wind are rock classics, there really isn't a clunker on this whole album.

I was just entering high school when this record was released. I was small, smart and (I must confess) a little nerdy so I was bullied quite a bit. I remember coming home after a difficult day at school and putting this on the stereo. I was just blown away by the quality of the music and the lyrics and it put my troubles in persepective.

I think my favourite track on the whole album is Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Normally, I eschew songs that exceed 5 minutes in length because they lack originality and tend to become repetitious. This song proves the exception to the rule. The song begins with an ethereal melancholy quality and ends up with a hard rocking flourish. I just adore this song.

All in all, this is one of my favourite albums and one I never tire of listening to.

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FULL MOON FEVER

Free Fallin

I Won't Back Down

Love Is A Long Road

A Face In The Crowd

Runnin' Down A Dream

Feel A Whole Lot Better

Yer So Bad

Depending On You

The Apartment Song

Alright For Now

A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own

Zombie Zoo

I was having a particularly hard time in 1990. I was living in Toronto and I had just broken up with my girlfriend at the time and the company I was working for went out of business and I had no job prospects. So like any responsible person, I reacted by going to Hawaii with a friend and renting a small cabin on the north shore of Oahu.

We hadn't brought any tunes with us, so we went to a local music store and bought several albums. One of these was Full Moon Fever, an album recorded without the participation of all of the Heartbreakers.

I couldn't believe how good Petty's first "solo" effort was. From a cover of the Byrd's "Feel a Whole Lot Better" to Runnin' Down A Dream, I was captivated. I listened to this album so many times during 10 days that I drove my friend almost to distraction. What really blew me away happened when I was about 9000 feet above the ocean in a glider. The pilot had a radio with him and one of the songs that was playing that day was Free Fallin'. It just seemed SO appropriate under the circumstances. The scenery was extraordinary and the only sound other than the rushing of the wind was Free Fallin' which was essentially what we were doing.

I have always loved Petty's music, but I still feel this album is as good as anything he did with the Heartbreakers. My favourite song on the record is A Face In The Crowd. I was gratified during a Tom Petty concert when he revealed that it was also one of his favourite songs.

I think I have 7 songs from this album on my IPod playlists.

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Action Figure Party - Action Figure Party

(2000)

Track Listing:

Everybody Ready

Action Figure Party

Pong Baby

Gamera

No Sleep

Clock Radio

Where's The Moment

George & Cindy

Gettem

Green

The Clapper

Flow

I know, right. What is this, and what is it doing on my list of personal connection albums? Well, this was the first CD that was ever sent to me for free. Songfacts had been online for a year or so, getting a few hundred hits a day ("hits" was the measurement standard of the time), but like everything else on the web, was loudly ignored by record companies intent on clinging to their increasingly antiquated business models.

So when this somehow showed up, it meant that somebody out there at some record label was taking notice. And at a time when CDs cost $15 or so, it was a nice little freebie.

I listened to it probably 100 times, mostly in the background as it's filled with delicious grooves that stimulate something in my cortex. Apparently, Action Figure Party is a project organized by Greg Kurstin, who has played on albums by a variety of jazz, rock and pop luminaries. Appearing on the album are Flea, some members of No Doubt, and Sean Lennon.

Highlights: "Action Figure Party", "Clock Radio", "The Clapper"

If you like this you may like: A lounge version of Daft Punk.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds

Track Listing:

1. Annie Waits

2. Zak And Sara

3. Still Fighting It

4. Gone

5. Fred Jones, Part 2

6. The Ascent Of Stan

7. Carrying Cathy

8. Not The Same

9. Rockin' The Suburbs

10. Fired

11. The Luckiest

I discovered Ben Folds at a very difficult, transitional time in my life, and the album that I really latched onto was this one. It was the first Ben Folds album I listened to and it was the one I really connected with.

Some of the songs are really goofy, songs like "Not The Same" which is about a guy who takes a bunch of LSD, climbs a tree and comes down the next day a born-again Christian (which is based on a true story). Those songs along with a few others are really good songs, fun songs, but the songs that really hit me are some of the slower ones. When I first heard "The Luckiest" I said to myself, "This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard", and it ended up being the song I danced to for the first time as a married man with my wife at my wedding. It's become mine and my wife's "song". "Fred Jones Part 2" is a beautifully written, brutally honest story about an old man who gets laid off from a job he's put a lot of years into and gets no credit for it. It's beautiful, and the harmonies done by John McCrea (from Cake) really add depth to it. "Still Fighting It", a song written to Folds' son right after he was born all about how parents have no idea what they're doing and how tough it is growing up (something I could really relate to at the time). It's one of my favorite albums and I absolutely love it.

Highlights: "The Luckiest", "Fred Jones, Part 2", "Still Fighting It", "Not The Same", "Zak And Sara".

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I'm working on mine, I have a hard time putting my thoughts down on paper and don't really know what words to put for my choices. It's hard writing multiple paragraphs for publication on something that is personal to me. My picks aren't albums that other Songfacts members would really listen to either.

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This is the first time I've read this thread. I'll tell Lucky tonight.

Here's a couple in my Top 5 Influential Albums.

I'll fill in the details on my next day off.

1. Hot Tuna - Hot Tuna (1970) (the first album)

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2. Leon Thomas in Berlin with Oliver Nelson (1971)

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Analysis and introspections coming soon along with 3 more choices.

:cool:

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Jar of Flies – Alice in Chains

I discovered this album during the year of its’ initial release and though I didn’t have an immediate connection with it outside of enjoying the music, it grew on me as I was growing up. There were tough experiences throughout my teen years and early adult life and I would listen to this album, which I related to the lyrics. “Rotten Apple” and “Nutshell” display a dark, yet sensible emotion that can be translated into a sense of making changes to better the situation by taking a step forward and forgetting past mistakes and regrets. “No Excuses”, the songs lead single, also deals with the same concept, while the tune itself is more upbeat and catchy in contrast to the rest of the album. Overall this album contains a message of dealing with consequences from past choices and losing connection with people who once mattered then reflecting with isolating oneself from society, a symbolism of the set of circumstances that the album’s audience deals with on a typical basis.

Highlights: No Excuses, Rotten Apple, I Stay Away

I need to re-write this paragraph after I think of more on what I want to say and clarify my previous points. I plan on doing another album or two in the meantime.

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M!ssundaztood – P!nk

This album, which blends pop with alternative-rock, and R&B, came out during a time when I was transitioning through life as a young adult. While some of the songs are a bit tacky, lack depth and are aimed at a teenage female audience, some of the high light songs have deep meaning that relate to the struggle many young adults face in their daily struggles. “Family Portrait” discusses the topic of family issues while wanting a better life at home. The singing protagonist is hoping to mend the troubles at home into a more stable conditioning while labeling her parents as the antagonists. “Just Like a Pill” deals with rehabilitation from an addiction problem and finding clarity in an improved situation, by forgetting about the past and moving on with an independent lifestyle. “Don’t Let Me Get Me” is about the angst of growing up from being a teen to early adulthood and about finding yourself for who you really are, instead of impressing others with an image of false identity and sense of pretentiousness. Other notable tracks, “Dear Diary”, “My Vietnam” and “Misery featuring Steven Tyler” reference self struggles while remaining in isolation from society and getting to understand yourself better by developing an emotion connection with your own thoughts and feelings.

Highlights: Don't Let Me Get Me, Family Portrait, Just Like a Pill

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1. Hot Tuna - Hot Tuna (1970) (the first album)

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The British Invasion brought covers of old blues and r&b American songs that we explored the original artists. What was Blues and R & B all about?

This album is the first for offshoot of the Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Cassidy forming Hot Tuna. They've been friends and jammed together since jr. high. It shows in the way they play off each other. Acoustic fingerpickin' and electric bass. Add in reworkings of classic blues musicians Jelly Roll Morton, Rev. Gary Davis, Leroy Carr and traditionals and this album Always Sounds Fresh with every listen.

2. Antonin Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan (1964)

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I was a classically trained musician growing up, first on Clarinet and then 5 years on Oboe through jr. high and high school. This symphony really expanded my horizons for the appreciation of classical music. I used to follow along and memorize the 2nd movement English Horn solo of Going Home. My Oboe teacher taught me how to make my own oboe reeds, along with my practice sessions.

This orchestra recording is still my favorite version.

3. Leon Thomas in Berlin with Oliver Nelson (1971)

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After the Beatles broke up, I started to branch out and listen to more jazz. When I heard Oliver Nelson's sweet Alto Sax on this recording, I pawned my Oboe for an Alto Sax and wanted to replicate his amazing intonations. Leon Thomas amazes me with his primeval vocalizations.

4. Texas Flood (1983) - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

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I was just blown away back in '83 when I first heard this album! WHO is this!?

Only Hendrix and Clapton commanded my attention just as much. Words can't describe his niche in music history.

:cool:

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  • Carl unpinned this topic

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