1.Beatles-Yellow Submarine-Merely because it was my first album. It was cheap and I found out why. The second side was instrumentals and I wasn't into instrumantals at the time.
2.AC/DC-Back In Black- This was the first album of my teenage years. I was awkward and afraid of this album when it first came out. I wasn't ready to get drunk and stoned but man this album is still great. Of the albums on my list, it's the one I go back to more than any other.
3.The Doors-The Doors- The book "No One Here Gets Out Alive" had come out which piqued my interest in Jim Morrison and the Doors. I buy the album and am blown away and wished I had been a teenager in the 60's.
4.Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti- An old friend had wanted to get rid of all his Zeppelin albums and I bought them at a discount. The one that stood out was Physical Graffiti. The album is phenomenal with the songs Kasmir, Trampled Under Foot, and Custard Pie leading the charge on the first record, and Down By The Seaside, Boogie With Stu, Ten Years Gone keeping your interest years down the road on the second record.
5.U2-Joshua Tree-Widely regarded as U2's best album. It was huge in 1987-1988. Some of their strongest songs are on the album and is a good representation of good 80's music that is still a part of people's lives.
6.Guns and Roses-Appetite For Destruction-Let's face it, with very few exceptions, metal/hard rock in the 80's was lame. The hair bands were boring, cold, and dorky. Then came Guns and Roses. they brought back danger, they gave us kick ass guitar hooks, superior lyrics, and excellent rhythm. It was as good or even better than some of the best the 70's had to offer.
7.The Cure-Disintegration-The ultimate Cure album for those who don't like the Cure.I lived next door to some one who listened to the Cure constantly and I gre to hate them like anything I'm forced to listen to constantly. This album came out around my senior year at SVA. It was even darker than previous Cure albums. Spooky even, maybe that's why I've grooved on it. Lullaby and Fascination Street are standouts. If It's good enough for Beavis and Butthead...
8.Jane's Addiction-Ritual de lo Habitual-The 80's were over and the 90's had arrived. What would be the sound of the 90's? Well, Jane's Addiction came out with this album late in 1990. It's hardcore mixed with funk and punk. It features Dave Navarro before he became a reality show darling. This was a good sign the 90's would rock. It wouldn't be dumb and it wouldn't be cold. Been Caught Stealing was a stand out.
9.John Coltrane-Giant Steps-I was in Tower Records back in the early 90s right before I moved to Seattle. I went upstairs in the Jazz section, avoiding running into an unpleasant individual I knew back in school. They were playing Giant Steps. I loved what I was hearing, I've listened to Jazz as background music. They say music without words is better for doing artwork. And this album inspires a city vibe in my cartooning work. It takes me back to a New York that had a middle class, a New York that was creative, alive and classy. It's great for Saturday night loving.
10.Nirvana-Nevermind- The album that changed it all. I was looking for some truth in 1991 and found it in Seattle. I had been living there for two months when Nevermind came out. It was the first album for Gen X. we were getting tired of the baby boomers and the British. It was the time for good ol' American angst of our generation. The impact of this album can not be overstated. Many a career was made and destroyed by this album. Detractors like Motley Crue and Lita Ford like to them but they just seem to be a bit jealous.
11.Smashing Pumpkins-Gish- This album came out before Nevermind but I bought it in 1992. It was done before Billy Corgan became insufferable. It creates a great mood. I still have great memories of when I first heard this album. It was when I had the best sex of my life in a short relationship. Life was good and this album was too, especially the song Rhinoceros.
12.Alice In Chains-Dirt- Another dark album. It starts off with a bang with the song Them Bones, and gets alternately heavy and moody throughout. a hard rock classic. It's one of the rare post 70's album that demands you listen to it straight through. If not, enjoy the tracks Rooster, Would?, and Sickman. A great "headphones" album.
13.Pearl Jam-Vs.- The Seattle Scene was rolling along for a few years. Pearl Jam was getting bigger than Nirvana when they came out with the follow up to 10. 10 had the better songs but on the whole Vs. is a better album. With this album Pearl Jam stopped making videos so the songs had to be enjoyed on your own. It said to the would the Seattle scene was strong and getting stronger.
14.The Beach Boys-Good Vibrations(Box Set) So, it's 1994, Kurt Cobain blows his brains out, I got fired and moved to a rather dreary town of Federal Way, WA with my girlfriend. I was not a happy person despite the relationship. She tried to cheer me up by taking me to the rather decent libraries that were in town. They had this box set available to borrow. Like many people I've dismissed them as a surf band that had its hey day from 1963-1966. After that, Brian Wilson suffered mental illness, and the rest of the band suffered from poor record sales. This box set enlightened me on some really excellent songs that were released from 1968-1974. songs like Until I Die, Sail On Sailor, and Long Promised Road moved me beyond emotion. It made me become a Beach Boys fanatic and for the most part made me not follow any contemporary music until well in the next decade.
15.The White Stripes-Elephant-The last CD album I ever bought. I went digital after this. I pretty much ignored any new music that came out after 1994. I wasn't worried about being hip because I was in my 30s. A lot of crap came out in the boy band and hip hop genres. I ignored any other sub genre that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s. But some one turned me on to the white Stripes. I bought two of their albums before Elephant came out.Elephant blew me away though. It is the White Stripes at their best. Stand outs include Seven Nation Army.
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