Records that changed your life.

[fenella]

What are they? I don't mean your favourite records, or the records you think are best. But the ones that had such a dramatic impact on you that they literally changed who you are as a person. You may not even like them anymore.

For example, although its not my favourite Smiths album, I can remember the day I bought 'The World Won't Listen' from Woolworths in Wednesfield, a band I didn't really know anything about at the time. I remember going home and listening to it for the first time. My life would never be quite the same again.

When I was eleven I developed a deep and passionate love of my brother's copy of 'Born In The USA'. I listened to it several times a day for several months. Its now not my favourite Springsteen album by a long way, but that album started my deep love of American music and American culture which I'm still mad on today. After Springsteen came Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits, and Sparklehorse, and all the rest - but Springsteen started it all off for me.

And most of all, I doubt I'd be the same person I am today if I hadn't been given a copy of The Beatles' Rock'n'Roll Music Volume 2 when I was about 8. An album I don't even own anymore, but one that started my love of music that stuck with me my whole life. Had I been given the Bay City Rollers instead my whole life, from the person I married, to the clothes I wear, to the books I read, to the films I watch, to the way I cut my hair, could have gone in an entirely different direction.

Anyone else have albums like that?

 

[UEAwolf]

Good thread Fenella, For me it was Born to Run, although it was released way before i was born, it still sounds great today, and the lyrics have that timeless quality which will always make it relevant. Hearing the title track was what first got me into Springsteen and all the other great albums he's got--Tunnel of Love, Darkness, Nebraska, The Wild and the innocent, all albums which influence you at different points in your life. I know it sounds corny, but listening to the album made me want to get out of the small town i was brought up in and made me want to see the world and do something different with my life. Its certainly the most influential record i've listened to. It also got me into Dylan, Young etc, and made me spend a fortune over the past few years on concert tickets and bootlegs!

 

[stuj4z]

for me the first one to have this effect on me was 'don't go away' by oasis. can't remember the song it was a b-side to without looking but it was the first time id actually thought about things properly after hearing the lyrics.

 

[Hereford Wolf]

When I first listened to Led Zep II, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't even know music like that existed.

It gave me a life long love of music and even now I remember how everything changed that day.

I still play it now and again and the shiver still runs up my spine !

 

[PREM.L.L]

Not a rocker or anything really (specially a puffy perm one) but the first time I heard Hysteria by Def Leppard i was amazed at the depth of quality songs on there, not lyrically but the melodies and riffs, right form the off in "Women". A lot of Albums you get even now a lot of the time have 3 or 4 good songs and the rest are nowt special.

But that album, even though it sounds a bit tinny nowadays, has 7/8 class tracks.

Albums as such since? I can only think of Oasis. (Noel wont thank me for that i bet!)

 

[lon chaney jr]

When I first listened to Led Zep II, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I didn't even know music like that existed.

It gave me a life long love of music and even now I remember how everything changed that day.

I still play it now and again and the shiver still runs up my spine !

Same. Bought it from A&S records in Cannock with my paper round money. Bought the others in pretty short time after that. Soon after that I was growing my hair and tromping around in an East German Army greatcoat.

 

[Thread Killer]

(1) Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen. I was 10 at the time and went to buy it from Virgin in Brum. I walked around proudly with the bag that said 'Virgin' on it thinking that there was something vaguely rude about the word but not knowing what...

(2) The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie. I didn't get into Bowie til I was 16 in '83 and this was the first album of his I bought. They also used to play 'Suffragette City' at a club I'd started going to and to me it was a total revelation. It's nowhere near his best album and it's now one of my least favourites of his but it still started a love of his music that's still going strong 23 years later.

 

[Phys Ed Wolf]

Hup-The Wonder Stuff and Inspiral Carpets- Life(?) both set me on the road to indiedom, long hair, bizarre clothing, big boots and festivals.

Fear of a Black Planet- Public Enemy- Opened my mind to the fact that good music wasn't necessarily made by guitars and drums and alead singer.

The Jam -Snap (I know its a compilation but it got me on the way, have since purchased more Jam albums) realised that music from other generations was equally as profound and had something to say about my life.

 

[Ogerp]

Early teens......

Kathy Kirby - Secret Love 1963

Realised that lip gloss and big tits in a woman was the way forward.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Oasis - Supersonic (the single)

Album wise I would guess Morning Glory.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Oasis - Supersonic (the single)

You were only 8 or 9 when that came out. How could it possibly have changed your life? Did you start ordering apple pie for dessert instead of jelly and ice cream?

 

[John]

You were only 8 or 9 when that came out. How could it possibly have changed your life? Did you start ordering apple pie for dessert instead of jelly and ice cream?

 

[UNCLE REMUS]

Kathy Kirby - Secret Love 1963

Realised that lip gloss and big tits in a woman was the way forward.

Not so much a record but an actress did that for me Kim Novak

Favourite records

The Impressions - Big Sixteen

Chicago Soul and Curtis Mayfield at his best

Stones - Neil Diamond

 

[Wombourne Wolf]

Endless Summer by Scooter in 1994
http://trustthedj.trackitdown.net/preview/169574/preview_EndlessSummer.mp3

Introduced me to the world of Happy Hardcore, Dance, Techno and Trance

 

[stever]

For me it was the housemartins debut album. A bloke i worked with was well into indie and got me onto them shortly followed by the smiths. 8 hole docs with purple laces along with all black attire was all I wore until Baggy landed in 89.

 

[SCB]

Elvis Live from Hawaii via Satellite - at the time that was mind boggling.
Supertramp - Even in The Quietest Moments. That was different.
David Bowie - Man who fell to the Earth. Weird in an interesting way.
and the two best
Doors - Morrison Hotel. Just listening to The End changes you.
Jimi! - Anything he did

 

[basher]

Rudimentary Peni - Death Church

I was 18 I think when I first listened to it and it totally changed the way I looked at and viewed the world. It just seemed to strike a chord within. It remains my favourite album to this day.









(Deutsch, sorry if I've mentioned this before????)

 

[lon chaney jr]

Never heard of it Basher.

 

[Malicious Steve]

Rudimentary Peni - Death Church

I was 18 I think when I first listened to it and it totally changed the way I looked at and viewed the world. It just seemed to strike a chord within. It remains my favourite album to this day.quote]

but did it make you a better person??

 

[Malicious Steve]

I do find it hard to comprehend how anyone could have a life changing experience having listened to the Housemartins tho......

 

[Deleted member 3604]

Stand and Deliver by Adam and the Ants is the first tune i can remember chatting about with school buddy's in a critical type manner so maybe that was my first real interest in music.

Life changing perhaps The End by The Doors. Heard if first on Apocalypse Now and thought that's $$$$ing fantastic what is it. Also Screamadelica but that's just because of what i was doing at the time. Good memories. Liquidator for obvious reasons..

 

[MobNet Wolf]

You were only 8 or 9 when that came out. How could it possibly have changed your life? Did you start ordering apple pie for dessert instead of jelly and ice cream?

Yeah, and I wasnt really aware of it when it came out....Just it wsa the first Oasis track I heard, and it put me into them. Musically it was very significant. Along with Tupac Changes

 

[lon chaney jr]

 

[Malicious Steve]

It was the Ramones.....could never understand the appeal of the Beatles tho..

 

[O.W.E.I]

It was the Ramones.....could never understand the appeal of the Beatles tho..

Ohhh you are awful...

 

[O.W.E.I]

Slayed - Slade
Peaches - The Stranglers
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Overkill - Motorhead
Murders In The Rue Morgue - Iron Maiden
Decontrol - Discharge
Reel Around The Fountain - The Smiths
One of Those Days In England - Roy Harper
Brutal Dub - Black Uhuru
Kayleigh - Marillion
Box Frenzy - PWEI
A Handfull of Songs - The Wonder Stuff

Plus a load more from the last 20 years that have all chipped away at my psche and caused changes...

 

[Gold Umbro]

In (roughly) chronological order:

The Riddle - Nik Kershaw(!)
Hammer to Fall - Queen
Telegraph Road - Dire Straits
Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2
Love Vigilante - New Order
Strangeways LP - The Smiths
Tom Verlaine - The Family Cat
Joe - Inspiral Carpets
Once a Prefect - King of the Slums
Holiday Song - The Pixies
Touch Me I'm Sick - Mudhoney
Trigger Cut - Pavement
Jimmy James - Beastie Boys

Got a bit bored/too old for life changing music after 1994ish. Sad I know.

 

[John]

Anyone else have albums like that?

No, and I'm finding it a bit worrying that people can have their entire personality defined by some songs.
George Bush should have formed a band.

 

[BitterBob]

Seeing "Them" live at Dudley Town Hall with Van the man in front singing Baby Please Don't Go and sounding better than the record. First taste of live music by a band who could play.
Moody Blues, "Go Now" same venue, same experience, live music by real musicians.

 

[O.W.E.I]

No, and I'm finding it a bit worrying that people can have their entire personality defined by some songs.
George Bush should have formed a band.

I don't think fenella particularly meant having your entire personality defined by some songs, more songs that made you appreciate different things and opened your ears...

 

[duanepipe]

AC/DC's "Blow up Your Video". I purchased purely because I thought it was more of an instructional manual than rock record but it opened my ears and made me realise that I liked music with loud guitars, big drums and a wailing rock vocal. It took me out of the hell that was listening to, frankly, homosexual music such as Erasure, Bronksi Beat and David Bowie. I thank Angus Young for saving me from that abyss of fruity pop.

As for live performances. Alice Cooper, New York, Haloween 2000. Right place, right time, right man.

 

[fenella]

I don't think fenella particularly meant having your entire personality defined by some songs, more songs that made you appreciate different things and opened your ears...

No, I meant entire personality. Had I not bought that Smiths record from Woolworths as an impressionable fourteen year old and instead bought the Sade record next to it, I would now be a merchant banker living in a 6 bed executive home somewhere in Surrey, would drive to work in Audi TT and would think David Cameron is a "bloomin' good chap". As it is I'm a sad computer programmer living in a 3-bed house in Northampton, drive to work in a Nissan Primera and read the Guardian.

Damn you Morrissey!

 

[BitterBob]

Duanepipe, please tell me that you just happened to be in New York and had nothing better to do so you went to see Alice Cooper, I don't want to hear that you went to New York in order to see him.

 

[duanepipe]

Nope. I saw the man who Bowie ripped his act from in Nottingham in the same year. I was so impressed with the show I deemed it worthy to cross the Atlantic to see him again. Well worth it. Having said that, if it's Van 'distinctly average' Morrison that floats your boat I can imagine the only gigs of interest are the ones with Stannah stairlift access at the venue.

 

[UEAwolf]

Are you seriously attempting to compare Van Morrison with Alice Cooper??!!!

 

[Malicious Steve]

I would now be a merchant banker .

rhyming slang??

 

[duanepipe]

Are you seriously attempting to compare Van Morrison with Alice Cooper??!!!

No, certainly not. Alice is much (much) better in all respects.

 

[BitterBob]

I think you are just showing off because you've been to New York and Nottingham whilst I've only been to Dudley Town Hall.

 

[Malicious Steve]

I think you are just showing off because you've been to New York and Nottingham whilst I've only been to Dudley Town Hall.

don't knock yerself - Ken Dodd was there only last year!

 

[duanepipe]

Nah, Dudley town hall is a way better venue than NYC but I would genuinely rather watch and listen to the black eyed bloke over the brown eyed girl fella. Van 'Clinton' Morrison really bores and music should uplift. Plus, and this is far more important, Van never has a snake on stage with him. Never.