It's Meme-in' time!

[tikistitch]

From kittytoes, I wasn't tagged or anything, just in a blabby mood....

List five albums that really influenced your life. And give a short reason for how or why.

Beatles - The "Red" Album Literally one of the first two albums I ever owned (along with Simon & Garfunkel's greatest hits). It was gifted to me along with one of those old-fashioned record players with the arm so you could stack albums up, or at least get them really scratchy. This started a lifelong passion for Beatles music (Mr. Tiki is a Beatlemaniac as well), but also started to spring those terrible collecting tendencies. Having the Beatles greatest hits, I soon branched out to find the albums, and then wouldn't rest until I'd located the original British versions of all the albums, plus a few singles, just so I could have terrible B-sides like "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number" in my collection.

Elvis Costello - Armed Forces This album came into my life during a period of musical "dormancy." I was a kid during the 70s, and basically, hated the music. Never warmed up to disco, thought Peter Frampton was a punk, had no truck with ELP. It was seeing a brief snippet of Elvis sneering "Watching the Detectives" that suddenly launched me out to a record store. He looked so pissed off about something! And, hey, I was pissed off about.....something, too!

REM - Radio Free Europe God, how much did I love these guys? What was Michael Stipe singing about anyway? Who knows, make up your own words.

Nirvana - Nevermind I probably listen to Pearl Jam more nowadays, but I can't forget how bracing it was to hear this music back in 91. One time, one of the local DJs drummed up some controversy about how the name "Nirvana" was supposedly in dispute, and he'd been ordered to cease playing the group until it was resolved. Instead, he decided to play Smells Like Teen Spirit over and over and over and over, maybe for a half hour, maybe for an hour. I was in grad school at the time, blasting KNDD over a little red boombox in my lab, dancing, and not caring who the hell saw me.

Guided by Voices - Isolation Drills One of those times in my life when music pulled me though. I spent a horrible year working for a fascistic clothing company, and after a day of having my boss scream at me, I'd slip this CD into the little Walkman thingie, plug that into my Honda Civic's cassette deck, and then Chase Heather Crazy all the way across the 520 bridge.

Comments

[hooverdam.livejournal.com]

When you say Radio Free Europe, do you mean Murmur or the actual Hib-Tone single?

On Nevermind: That was the album in 10th grade that was always on when it was time to go run around town with my friends. The following year, my best friend and I had a falling out, and she dropped out of school for the "alternative" high school. In April of my senior year, I was leaving the parking lot for the day when I drove past her, and I wondered if she saw the sticker in the car window, newly placed to tell the world to which college I was headed the following year. I got home from school and turned on the news, as was my habit, to hear the top story on CNN: "Geffen Records has announced the death of Kurt Cobain."

That was it--more than class day or graduation still to come, that was the one thing that meant high school was over.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

When you say Radio Free Europe, do you mean Murmur or the actual Hib-Tone single?

Yups, you right, though I probably have the single around somewhere. I have *everything*. Though I wasn't quite as bad as the friend who bought Oh OK albums because Michael Stipe's sister was in the band.

[nitasee.livejournal.com]

I have to ask, do you have the "Red" album pressed on red vinyl? I have that (she says smugly) and the "Blue" album pressed on blue vinyl. They're shiny.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Don't have that one, but somewhere down in the spidery basement is the White Album on white vinyl.

[nitasee.livejournal.com]

I have that one too.

Why, yes, I am a Beatlemaniac

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Me too. Mr. Tiki has even gone to a Beatlefest.

[spazzygirl19.livejournal.com]

I think Michael Stipe *still* makes up the words when he sings.

What?!? Let's Active wasn't a major influencer? ^_^