Next 10 influential albums

1. Les Miserables Broadway Cast Recording (1987) - I missed this one on the first list. I was into musicals in high school, and this is, IMHO, the best musical ever written. I was in love with Frances Ruffelle just based on her amazing performance of On My Own.
2. Chess Original Soundtrack (1993) - Written by the guys from Abba, this applies their songwriting skills without the fluffy pop vibe. One Night In Bankok is outstanding, but Mountain Duet is the one I played over and over: "Nevermind him; I haven't missed him so far!"
   
3. ELO - Afterglow (1990) - Bought at the Ann Arbor street fair when Schoolkids Records sold all albums for $10 each. I bought it for the songs I knew (Living Thing, Mr Blue Sky, Turn to Stone), but fell in love with the stuff I didn't (Telephone Line, Twilight)
4. Sting - The Soul Cages (1991) - Mixed with Q sound. I remember playing the Mad About You bass slide over and over, amazed at the audio effect. But the song grew on me too. All This Time is great, but Why Should I Cry For You? is the stand-out: one of my all time favorites. Fantastic.
   
5. Pet Shop Boys - Discography (1991) - Erasure, Yaz, and Dead or Alive were my introduction to synth pop, but PSB were a level above with great songwriting: Jealousy, Suburbia, It's a Sin, Opportunites.
   
6. REM - Out of Time (1991) - I played this album so much, I thought I might wear it out. Losing My Religion is such a simple song, but really grabs me. But the whole album is simply solid jangle rock.
   
7. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fear (1991) - Scott Sbhili turned me onto these guys, and I thank him for it. They are my favorite band of all time. All I Want got me to buy the album, but Is It For Me turned out to be my favorite song. After this one, I bought every other album they made the day it came out.
   
8. Counting Crows - August and Everything After (1993) - Got this one for free from my half-brother, who was a DJ. Amazing songwriting. Anna Begins, Murder of One, Omaha... really they are all solid songs. Even the one that didn't make the album, Einstein on the Beach, is great.
   
9. Barenaked Ladies - Gordon (1992) - I saw these guys on a special about Brian Wilson where they talked about song craft. I bought their first 3 albums all together right then. All were great, but this was their most solid work. Box Set is just a fantastic song.
   
10. Live - Throwing Copper (1994) - I remember listening to this over and over in my car back when I worked at Claris in 96-97. I loved the build to climax in Pillar Of Davidson: "The shepard won't leave you alone, he's in my face, and I..."
    

Comments

[reinharden]

ELO - Not my favorite ELO album, but a good collection if you don't have their earlier stuff. I'm biased because in high school I had a relationship essentially built around the ELO album _Time_. And as that high school was in a relatively new to me location in the relative backwoods of Arkansas, I was all about songs about isolation, disillusionment, escape, but with the promise of something better -- if only you can get away. But then what high school kid isn't? I'm not sure that that album has, um, stood the test of _Time_; but it's still a fond memory.

REM and Counting Crows, I'm right there with you.

That Live album was fantastic. One of my coworkers at the time had gone to school with one of the guys from the band, so their tour on that album was interesting. And I swear, that first tour, when they performed, you could still feel the anguish during "Lightning Crashes". It was almost painful at times to see and hear that performance.

All very interesting so far... I eagerly await the next chapter,

reinharden