Top 5 Albums That Changed The Way You Hear Music

Five. We'll definitely have to limit this thread to five albums each. By the way, this isn't a discussion of your favourite albums, but what ones were a turning point in your perception of music. So without further ado, here are mine in no particular order.

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles. Before my music class in school had us learn about The Beatles (what awesome teachers), I listened to nothing but Tchaikovsky and Mozart. Sgt. Pepper's was the first album I bought and I am extremely thankful for it.

2. The Doors - The Doors. My introduction to one of the best bands of the late 60s. It was also the beginning of my transition away from the poppy music of The Beatles and into much harder sounds.

3. Arthur (Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks. I had always disliked the idea of concept albums, but this one changed that opinion. It's an amazing journey from beginning to end and it is the first album where I absolutely love each and every one of the tracks.

4. Disraeli Gears - Cream. Well... It did teach me that Eric Clapton isn't an old geezer and really knew how to rock out in his youth. It's an amazing album and was my first introduction to blues-rock, which would allow me to enjoy Clapton's later projects.

5. Procol Harum - Procol Harum. I had always thought of progressive rock bands as being too pretentious but this changed that. They are honestly one of the most underrated bands in history and I just can't get over the wonderful music arrangement, Brooker's voice and Reid's lyrics.

mine are (in no particular order):

thin lizzy - live and dangerous. this album was given to me when i was still just a kid, and i guess turned me frm all that kiddy pop/rock and stuff to a more adult style of music; i reckon thin lizzy first instigated me into rock and blues culture.

blues brothers - the blues brothers. not really an album, more of a movie musical, but i do own the album so . the blues brothers showed me more to music than regular rock and metal, and i developed a love for jazz and blues soon after.

ecliptica - sonata arctica. my friends call this 'norwegian black metal' and tbh i cant rele deny it....but it is one hell of an album. it was much more frantic and thrash than anything i had ever lsitened to and was a great blend of power metal/heavy metal, with an uncharacteristically high singing voice that was unusual....yet cool

welcome to the blakc parade - mcr. now i will be forever branded as an emo, and tbh i never thort id like it myself, but i rele did like mcr's new album wen a friend lent it to me. in the past i hadnt given 'emo' music a chance but it wasnt wat its cracked up to be - slitting wrists, wanting to die etc.

only 4 sry

Originally Posted by Melboy

blues brothers - the blues brothers. not really an album, more of a movie musical, but i do own the album so . the blues brothers showed me more to music than regular rock and metal, and i developed a love for jazz and blues soon after.

The Blues Brothers are fantastic; they brought a whole genre of music back to life that had been forgotten by my generation. Anybody hasn’t seen the Blues Brothers has missed out the coolest music films of the 20th centaury.

My pick would be Queen - A Night at the Opera. The level of detail and the amount of time that must have gone into making songs like the Bohemian Rhapsody and The Prophets Song is staggering. For example Bohemian Rhapsody took over 3 weeks to produce, involved multiple over dubs, layered guitars, layered vocals, ever note was carefully selected by Mercury to produce the right sound for his master piece. I can’t imagine anyone taking 3 weeks to produce one song.

In no real order

1) Led Zeppelin II
This is what got me into the music I listen to today. My brother picked this up, and I remember liking the song 'Whole Lotta Love' after hearing it on Kerrang a couple of times (the shame) so I gave it a go. And it just blew me away. I had never heard anything like it, soaring vocals and incredible guitar. I used to listen to Linkin Park and Slipknot (As any 12 year old boy would), and this completely shifted my tastes.

2) Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
I had heard this on vinyl when I was very young, so I didn't remember any of it. Then I found the record in the attic about a year ago, and decided to give it a whirl on the record player we have. Again, wow. I love everything about it. The crackle before Brown Sugar starts up, the riffage (if that's a word) of Can't You Hear Me Knockin', and the amazing, understated lyrics and vocals of Jagger on Dead Flowers, and that scratch noise the record makes when it's over. This will be by my side when I die.

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I&II
I had Appetite For Destruction, and thought it was great, but I think these albums show the band at their absolute peak. It shows their range, how they could still do the rock, like in Perfect Crime and Shotgun Blues, but have it alongside softer, grander songs, like Don't Cry and Breakdown.
And it's the last album before they went tits up and became the Axl Rose show.

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
It just showed me how a musician is able to reinvent himself, and this just seems like a big '****** you' to the Folk scene, which he was bound to at that time. The opening is no nonsense, straight up bizarre, in the form of "Subterannean Homesick Blues', and most of the album takes a similar path. I don't think anyone knows what it's about, but who cares, it sounds great!

Rory Gallagher - Blueprint
I am the only Rory Gallagher fan I know, and I love that. This album started me on a path to the Blues, as I learnt his influences, and wanted to know who they were. This is how I got into the likes of BB King, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. It's yet another album which expanded my tastes.

Also, they're all good.

Metallica - Metallica

It's the album that made me into a metalhead. Before that I was just a rap/techno guy. So that's a very important album to me even if it wasn't very good.

Dimmu Borgir - Spiritual Black Dimensions

Got me into extreme metal. Also kicks major ass still.

Bathory - Hammerheart

The album that created Viking Metal. And is really the first album that I heard where I could really hear the emotions put into the music. You can really hear that Quorthon put everything(like he did with every album) into the music.
So the music becomes a image of his emotions.

Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame

Another epic metal album based on Tolkien's work which is also very emotional. But I put it on the list because it has a very clear influence of classical music in the way it sounds and how the songs are arranged.
Each song pretty much always builds up before it reaches it's climax.
Very sweet.

Raison D'être - Requiem for Abandoned Souls

A non-metal album but it once again it hooks into emotions.
The album is really a journey into a human being's mind.
But it does so without the use of lyrics, singing or any advanced music.
Just simple melodies done by keyboard and it is so effective at it at the same time.
I recommend listening to it in the dark for best effect

metallica - master of puppets
the album that saved me from years of pointless hip-hop and introduced me to heavy metal. plus, it kicks ass!

system of a down - hypnotize
the album that taught me to apreciate simple, fun, fast metal, and not just serious stuff.

megadeth - rust in peace
the album the made me realise that megadeth doesn't suck

blur - the best of

Made me change all the music i listen to, and my opinions about music
It also introduced me to Britpop and i realized that the UK has the best music of the whole dam world.

Suede - Dog Man Star

has one of my favourite songs on it - The Wild Ones, this song means alot to me

blur - Modern Life is Rubbish

the best album ever, an unparalled masterpice (in my opinion of course )

Made me strangely patriotic also

also the source of my name

Kraftwerk - Minimum - Maximum

Althought this album isnt mine, it introduced me into Techno and changed the way i think about music

Gorillaz - Gorlliaz

the first album i bought, not a particularly good one, but i fell in love with Damon Albarn's voice

Good thread BTW

Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins

This is my favourite album ever. Simple. On the instrumental level, its not particularly complex, bar the odd use of extended technique, but is distinctly good. Hard to explain in words really. Lyrically, its entirely flawless in my eyes. Vocally Corgan oozes emotion. Perfect production tops it off. This album is as close as you can get to nirvana in musical form. It's basically set the standard for music in my ears.

Appetite for Destruction - Guns n' Roses

Simple: The album that got my musical listening started.

Self Titled - Rage Against the Machine

Okay. I lied. Appetite for Destruction may have been the first album I really sat and listened to, but the first time I actually thought to myself, "hey... this ain't half bad".

Dirt - Alice in Chains

Admittedly, and rather shockingly, I've only actually owned this around 3 months. Given my love of all things grunge, thats gotta be blasphemy. Dark, haunting and moody, Dirt is one of those albums I can sit and lose myself in.

Adore - The Smashing Pumpkins

Adore is a thing of beauty. When I first bought it, I didn't really appreciate its subtle intensity. Once again, Corgan's lyrical and vocal style is something of an acquired taste, but perhaps far more mature and complex than the earlier Smashing Pumpkins material, but draped in the emotion the band is famous for. I don't particularly like every song on here. But it is quite simply a spectacular release.

Honourable mentions:

Lateralus - Tool
Velvet Revolver - Contraband
Pearl Jam - Ten
Soundgarden - Superunknown
A Perfect Circle - Mer der Noms
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
King Crimson - Red

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

1: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The first concept album I ever heard, and incidentally the first Beatles album. In fact, Sgt. Pepper's was the first album I ever listened to and some of the first music I ever listened to. Before it, I was closed to music; now I can't get enough of it.



2: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Morning Glory introduced me to Britpop and '90s music in general and became my starting point into launching from classic rock into gradually harder and newer stuff. The huge classic rock influences and Britpop revolutions of Oasis opened my mind to the fact that yes, there has been good music since the '80s dawned upon the world.



3: Highway to Hell

This album introduced me to hard rock and got me interested in more modern and harder forms of rock and metal. Well, this album and Black Sabbath, but mostly this. The pure and unalderated awesomeness of AC/DC is difficult to describe or relate.



4: Dark Side of the Moon

Anyone who doesn't think DSotM isn't the greatest psychedelic rock album ever is clearly kidding themselves. This album introduced me to psychedelia and some of the more "far out" aspects of classic rock. "Time" is one of the greatest songs ever written. Ever.



5: Abbey Road

To me, Abbey Road was the musical end of the '60s. I'm sure some great albums crammed into 1969 after it, but Abbey Road brought closure to the greatest decade of music the world had yet seen, and a fitting end it was. John Lennon's contributions explore further into the world of real rock-and-roll than any other Beatles record, Paul's songs form the greatest medley ever (the second being Pink Floyd's The Wall), and "Here Comes the Sun" is one of the best songs ever written.

Spoiler tags due to large album covers.

Muse - Origin of Symmetry

The first Muse album i ever heard, and which set me onto the path to Muse fanboyism.

The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

The first really 'indie' album i ever owned, and helped change my music tastes to more indie/alternative

The Fratellis - Costello Music

Cemented my love of indie/alternative music.

Arcade Fire - Funeral

Taught me why i should listen to my sisters adivce on good music.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

My favourite album ever.

The following albums are in chronological order:

Showbiz (Muse):
Relates moments of my life and the saddest parts of it.

Origins of Symmetry (Muse):
Relates moments of my life and describes my deepest feelings.

Hullabaloo Soundtrack (Muse):
Relates moments of my life and tells me how to act.

Absolution (Muse):
Relates moments of my life and threw me into the world of music.

Black Holes and Revelations (Muse):
Relates moments of my life and ideals like the concept of Demonocracy, which I follow.



Real

Wow, an even bigger Muse fanboy. You ever seen them live?

Allright, here ya go:

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Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon


Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory


The Beatles - Abbey Road


Deep purple - Machine Head


Deep Purple - In Rock


Rainbow - Rising


Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (or the Symbols Album, whatever you like)


Queen - A Night at the Opera

Sorry, can´t put just 5 albums here

Alkaline Trio -- Good Mourning

This sort of began a large shift in the music to which I listened. This occurred at the beginning of seventh grade, approximately.


Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1

I actually heard about the album because Alkaline Trio, my favorite band at the time, had a song on it. I bought it and it led me to a lot of new bands, admittedly mostly punk ones. Some of them turned out to be ****, like Anti-Flag, but some turned out to be great, like Bad Religion.


Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- Shake the Sheets/The Tyranny of Distance (Two albums, but they were part of a single musical experience.)

This started my looking into more indie music and started to expand my musical taste. And it was just amazingly good.


The Weakerthans -- Left and Leaving/Reconstruction Site

I listened to this stuff all last summer. It was sort of a precursor to Ted Leo. It was probably the first indie music I got into and it was generally different from the rest of what I listened to.


R.E.M. -- Automatic for the People

The first R.E.M. album I listened to consistently and often. It led me into more R.E.M. music, which led me to even more. R.E.M. is a veritable world of music itself, really.

What's with all the Muse fanboys here?

In order of discovery.

No Need To Argue-The Cranberries
This helped me tranistion from 'Ring Around The Rosies' to greater forms of music. I still listen to it today.

Adore-Smashing Pumpkins
Amazing album. See Stalins Ghost's post for why, he nailed it on the head. This shifted me towards current rock music as opposed to the blues my parents listened to a lot.

Boheme-Deep Forest
This album made me open to different kinds of music. It's a great album with a very worldly feel. Because, well, it is worldly.

Good News For People Who Love Bad News-Modest Mouse
While not a great album overall, it led me to better releases and more indie bands.

Siren Song of the Counter Culture-Rise Against
I discovered this after hearing 'Give It All' on the radio as part of a program on new music to watch, I believe it was the 'Rock Against Bush!' version. I got the album the day it came out, all my friends found out about them through me....and it led me to find more Punk bands and towards heavier music.

Other mentions:
Sing the Sorrow-AFI---> enjoyed some 'emo' music here
Blues Brothers (can't recall the title)---> led me on a way to appreciate good Blues
Kill Them With Kindness-Headlights--->shoegazey goodness, after seeing them by chance I try to make it to every indie show in the neighborhood

Originally Posted by The Fuzz

What's with all the Muse fanboys here?

Given their last 2 albums sold several million copies combined in the UK, and the rather large number of fanboys amongst their fans, there were bound to be a few of us. i know of at least 3 more Muse fanboys on this forum, probably more out there.

Originally Posted by Lusted

Given their last 2 albums sold several million copies combined in the UK, and the rather large number of fanboys amongst their fans, there were bound to be a few of us. i know of at least 3 more Muse fanboys on this forum, probably more out there.

I'm a fanboy too, you people converted me.

1 Public Enemy - It takes a nation of million .....

Made me think of music as expression of thought ( I was only 14 when I first heard it )

2 Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden

Showed how raw could be beautiful

3 Pink Floyd - Piper at the gates of dawn

first 60's album I ever heard,thought beautiful electro started with the Tubeway Army

4 The Fall - 50000 fall fans can't be wrong

Genuis doesn't appear always in the charts

5 ELO - Discovery

Short but very sweet

Originally Posted by The Fuzz

I'm a fanboy too, you people converted me.

Ditto

anyway mine would be...

Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
Probly the best album ive heard in a long time.

Muse - Absolution
Got me more into Muse

Pearl Jam - Self Titled
A continuation of my fav american band

Pearl Jam - Ten
What got me into listening to music

sorry only four i could think of atm.

I don't think I'll be able to make 5, but here goes...

Chronologically...

1) Some Vivaldi CD of my dads - that and Rhapsody in Blue are the first songs I can remember (excluding like, rock-a-by baby and ring around the rosie)

2) The Cat Empire - Self-Titled - The first real CD I ever bought, and my favourite band for a long time, not anymore sadly

3) Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George - Jack Johnson - The first CD I bought after you-know-whating the music, certainly changed the way I listening to music

4) The Sickness - Disturbed - Technically it wasn't this album that changed the way I listened to music, it was the circumstances under when I recieved it. I was doing work experience at Triple J (an alternative radio station in Australia) and one of the women there gave it to me when I picked it out of her collection to listen to while we worked (she had two). It was that generosity, and the whole experience (which the album no reminds me of) that started me listening to radio (almost exclusively Triple J) which broadened my horizons vastly in terms of the music I listen/ed to.

5) In Time for Spring on Came the Snow - SubAudible Hum - First CD I bought without ever hearing any of the songs on it, a gamble if you like, but it payed off, they're now one of my favourite bands

Ha! I did make five - what do you know, I wonder how many I'll be able to make in 70 years time...