So Here We Go

To be honest, it seems like all of my alternative blog posts come from Facebook, and guess what, this one is no different!

So let's begin:

My Top Ten Most Influential Albums

1. 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Rubber Soul', 'Revolver', 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band','Abbey Road'---The Beatles


The list would much too long if I didn't group all of my favourite Beatles albums together. There really is something good on every Beatles album, but these are a mix of early and late music. Cheesy, psychedelic and mellow. Pick one of these to listen to, I promise you won't be disappointed.


2. 'Thriller'---Michael Jackson
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows of my ultimate dislike for Michael Jackson. To even listen to Thriller today gives me chills. But this album, as much as I disliked it, did help to shape my music world. The only song I sort of liked on the whole album was, "The Girl Is Mine", a duet sung with Paul McCartney. As a small child in 1985, I had no idea who Paul McCartney was, nor who the Beatles were, but I realize I liked The Beatles long before I knew them.


3. 'Tragic Kingdom'---No DoubtI'm am no longer a No Doubt fan, sadly. So let me explain exactly why this is so influential. As an impressionable Junior High student, I read in Seventeen, of all places, that 'Tragic Kingdom' was a must have in any girl's music collection. So taking advantage of a Boxing Day CD sale I purchased this must have album and entered the world of popular music. I was on the cutting edge of the music and friends soon started asking me for music suggestions.

(They stopped shortly after I fell in love with The Beatles. Retro music didn't get the respect it does today. But look who's laughing now.)


4. '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?'---Oasis
The first of my many, many Beatle-esque music that I listened to shortly before, as a friend once said, "skipped the middle man and went straight for the cow". Oasis will always have a place in my heart as that edgy music that turned out to just be not so edgy.


5. 'Navy Blues'---Sloan
I think I love this album just as much, if not more than the first time I heard it, about 12 years ago. Another Beatle-esque band, this album is seriously a hidden gem. Check it out. It's fantastic.


6. 'I Am The Movie'---Motion City Soundtrack
Just like Sloan, this album is another hidden gem that despite being a few years old, is just as good as the first time I listened to it.


7. 'Greatest Hits'---James Taylor
This album just seemed to be in the background of my childhood. It has only been in the past couple of years that I have gained an appreciation for for this mellow music.


8. 'Up To Here'--The Tragically Hip
I have always appreciated both of my brother's musical taste. They are some of the first people I turn to for new music ideas. Thanks to my older brother, I gained an appreciation for The Tragically Hip. Here is another album that start to finish is fantastic.


9. 'More Nights'--Peter Katz
Thanks to my little brother, I realized how fantastic even semi-unknown musicians can be. 'More Nights' gets better every time I listen to it.


10. 'Something To Write Home About'---The Get Up Kids
Thankfully, I have so many music lover friends. I am never in want of new music suggestions, and quite often, I don't even have to ask. A friend suggested I listen to The Get Up Kids and suggested I started with this album. It turned out to be just the thing to fill the musical hole that I didn't even know I had in my life.

So there it is. It was a challenge to narrow down my top albums, but definitely fun to go through my music again. Post your own list!

Good luck to us all. So much to do this week, hopefully good updates to come.

As Always,