Normally, I don’t go for chains or best of lists because, let’s face it: they are hokey, annoying, and enormous wastes of time. No one is going to die, you are not going to receive $1 for every email address sent to, and that child in a randomly selected third world country is not going to be given money for a much needed cancer operation if 100 people receive the message. And I don’t want to read a list created by one of the scores of pretentious know it alls (also known as “music journalists”) who have been within the confines of their respective mediums long enough to have been involved with and negatively influenced by internal politics. The same goes for the outdated publications attempting to maintain their “street cred” by latching on to sub-par bands that are considered to be hip or edgy (usually based on how many albums they have sold), and frequently utilizing these so-called acts to spearhead their own “best-of” lists. So when I began receiving “tags” in notes on Facebook for similar lists, I immediately ignored the messages, believing them to be more attempts at showing hip-ness or musical superiority. But after taking the time to read one particular note from my friend Sybil, titled “15 Albums that changed your Life”, I suddenly found myself thinking very deeply. Reading through her list reminded me about just how important music is to me, and the HUGE role that it has played in my life. Whether it is the first rock album heard (Boston), having fond memories of my teenage band (Fear Factory), discovering DJ culture and Electronica (Oakenfold/BT), realizing the only good thing to come out of a broken relationship (VAST), or discovering that not all singer-songwriters are self-important asses (Sondre Lerche); each of the albums that I have listed represents a milestone of sorts in my life, and allows each to have a truly special place in my heart. So… here goes nothing. And many thanks to Sybil, as without your list, this piece would not have been possible.
1. Boston- Boston (Spaceship cover Album)
2. The Police- Regatta de Blanc
3. BT- ESCM
4. Love and Rockets- Love and Rockets
5. Paul Oakenfold- Global Underground 007 New York
6. Depeche Mode- Violator
7. Sondre Lerche- Phantom Punch
8. Kate Bush- Hounds of Love
9. The The (as Matt Johnson)- Burning Blue Soul
10. Gary Numan- The Pleasure Principle
11. ON- Shifting Skin
12. Leftfield- Rhythm and Stealth
13. David Bowie- Heathen
14. VAST- Visual Audio Sensory Theatre
15. Fear Factory- Remanufacture
Honorable Mentions: Arthur Russell- Calling Out of Context, BT- Ima, Sasha- Xpander EP, Future Sound of London- Teachings from the Electronic Brain, James Taylor- Greatest Hits, Bauhaus- Burning From the Inside, Duran Duran- Greatest, Language Lab- Burning Disaster EP, NIN- Pretty Hate Machine
– Mark B.
Nevermind The Posers 