5 albums that changed your life.....

[Leaping Lindner]

Well LL, you'll love mine then (but would you expect anything less from me? )

INXS- KICK - just cos it's INXS
Guns n Roses - Lies or Appetite for Destruction, elements of both that I admire..
Def Leppard - Hysteria
ABBA - ABBA - First album I ever listened to that wasn't Patsy Biscoe

Don't know about the 5th one... maybe History by Michael Jackson..

Hey FC remember how you are coming to Melbourne next week? I'm suddenly busy!!!!

[The Dark Knight]

Foo Fighters- The Colour and the Shape
Metallica-Ride the Lightning
Pearl Jam- Ten
Dropkick Murphys- The Meanest of Times
Black Sabbath- Paranoid

[Booney]

Led Zeppelin - IV - Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop. My brother listened to this over and over and over, and when he was finished with the LP and moved out, I pinched his stereo and I listened to it over and over and over.

Pearl Jam - Ten - Loved it from the first time I heard it and still to this day rate Porch as one of my favourite all times songs. The start fires me up quick smart.

GNR - Appetite for Destruction - Who didn't like this album upon its release? No surprise many in here rate it.

Powderfinger - Internationalist - I began to enjoy some more mellow moods and realised not all tracks needed to get my blood pumping. Also made me appreciate some more Australian music than I ever did before.


The next I cant split and wont elaborate.

Metallica - Metallica
David Gray - White ladder
RHCP - Californication
Grinspoon - Guide to better living
Van Halen - 5150

[Gingernuts]

David Gray - White ladder

Good call Booney, great album.

[saintal]

5 most influential albums as far as introducing me into new genres/styles of music: (excuse the self indulgent reminiscing)

Smashing Pumpkins- Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Heard bits and pieces of the pumpkins during my younger years, but never really delved into them too far. Heard 1979 on the radio one night and grabbed MCIS as a result. Loved the diversity of the album and Corgan’s song writing, and introduced me to that early 90s alternative/grunge genre that I was too young to enjoy at the time.

Metallica- S & M

Was watching Rage one night around 2001 and The Unforgiven and NEM videos came on. Shortly after I picked up S&M as it was their most recent release, and being a compilation considered it a good place to start. Metal had never really interested me to this point, but was floored by the power and beauty of the album. My taste for metal had grown.

Dream Theater- Awake

Had read a lot about “prog” bands whilst getting into heavier music around 2001/02. Dream Theater seemed to be either loved or hated. After bizarrely hearing an obscure song of one of their side projects on community radio one night, I went out and purchased Awake. The musicianship was like nothing I’d heard. Not a band I listen to a heap anymore, but they introduced me to another sub-genre of metal/rock.

Opeth- Blackwater Park

I used to see plenty of “Opeth” t shirts around Uni. Cool logo I thought, but doubted it was the type of music I’d be into. Downloaded some of their music one day, finding it hard to ignore the constant praise I read online. The harsh vocals took a while to grow on me, but again the musicianship and the contrast between light and dark in their music drew me in. Powerful band.

Explosions in the Sky- The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

Found myself listening to the instrumental tracks of already liked rock/metal bands more and more around 2006/7. Wanting to test my attention span, I picked up this Explosions…album, having read that they were one of more respected instrumental/post rock bands around. A genre that many would call tedious and repetitive at times was thankfully introduced to me. Such a varied genre which can suit any mood.

[Booney]

Metallica- S & M

Was watching Rage one night around 2001 and The Unforgiven and NEM videos came on. Shortly after I picked up S&M as it was their most recent release, and being a compilation considered it a good place to start. Metal had never really interested me to this point, but was floored by the power and beauty of the album. My taste for metal had grown.

Beauty and power, perfectly put. Love this too.

[southee]

Duran Duran - Arena
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Kiss - Destroyer
The Church - Starfish
The Beatles - Abbey Road

Just out : Died Pretty - Doughboy Hollow

[CK]

Living In The 70's - Skyhooks. Heard this very early in life and it shaped a major part of my listening tastes for the rest of my life. One of the first Australian albums that didn't channel the United States, but instead, was proud to use Australian references and situations. Still love it dearly.

Kick - INXS. A soundtrack to high school for me. It still stands up brilliantly today in all facets and while there was some criticism it was too "commercial", it's still damned catchy and has a lot of meaning for me. Can think back to very good times when I hear these songs

Crowded House - Crowded House. The first time I heard the opening bars to "Mean To Me", I knew this was a band I had to hear more from and this album was one of the first vinyl albums I owned. Too many highlights on this one to name, but for sheer lyricism, "and I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart" is one that still sends a shiver up my spine. Genius music from a genius songwriter in Neil Finn.

Achtung Baby - U2. I adored "The Joshua Tree" and "Rattle And Hum" when they first came out, and the first time I heard this one, buying it the morning it was released, I just didn't know what to think. The second time, I was hooked in completely. "Zoo Station" should have been a single from it, it starts off the album perfectly and dragged them right away from what had been a little schmaltz at times of repeated listenings of "The Joshua Tree" (which I don't play nearly as much nowadays, it's worn thin with me over time"

Johnny Diesel and The Injectors - Laugh, for sure, but this one really opened my eyes to bluesy rock for the first time, and it was also the first concert I went to by myself (Thebby Theatre 1988). Every time I put this on, it still goes at full blast - great idea in a car - and has stood the test of time far, far, far beter than any subsequent release of his. .

I couldn't narrow down just one Little River Band album, unfortunately

[JK]

Metallica- S & M

Was watching Rage one night around 2001 and The Unforgiven and NEM videos came on. Shortly after I picked up S&M as it was their most recent release, and being a compilation considered it a good place to start. Metal had never really interested me to this point, but was floored by the power and beauty of the album. My taste for metal had grown.

Beauty and power, perfectly put. Love this too.

I agree, such an apt description, well said mate, one of my fave albums of all-time

[Wizard of Oz]

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

AC/DC - Back In Black

Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

Iron Maiden - Powerslave

[Dogwatcher]

REB - I agree that RHCP's Oone Hot Minute is vastly under rated. I really, really loved the album. The start of Warped is fire and brimstone rock. Aeroplane, funny and funky. I still have the t-shirt which I got when I purchased this album the day of its release.

[whufc]

David Gray - White ladder

Good call Booney, great album.

100% agree

David Gray babylon has special meaning for me and my now wife, is both one of our favourite all time songs and have had special moments to it

[smithy]

More of a top 5 for me.

midnight Oil - 10-1
Led Zeppelin - remasters
Deep Purple - Anthology
G'N'R - Appetite for Destruction
Iron Maiden - Number of the beast or DK - Give me convenience or give me death - Can I put both onto the 1 disk ?

[whufc]

The Mars Volta- Inertiatic ESP
Oasis- Whats the story morning glory
Pink Floyd- Dark side of the moon
David Gray- White Ladder
Hilltop Hoods- Left foot, right foot

[Strawb]

1. You're 13 You're Beautiful and your mine - Cold Chisel. I got this with Chisel Gold I became a Chisel freak after listening to this album.
2. The White Album - The Beatles. It is just one of those albums that I have always enjoy listening to.
3. Disraeli Gears - Cream. Awesome Band My dad played this for me as a teenager and it started me listening to alot of Eric Clapton. I did get picked on alot at high school for listening to this music.
4. Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood Sweat and Tears. I loved the big band sound with the music. I wished I had lived in that era because of the music that was played at that time.
5. See What You Want to See - Radney Foster. I heard a song by the Dixie Chicks called Godspeed and I ended up getting this album off Itunes and onto my ipod. I am not a big country fan but this album made me like country music and it got me into country.

[Jimmy_041]

Led Zeppelin - LZ IV - parents gave me $$ for winning a scholarship & I bought this - My first ever record - I still listen to the CD
Skyhooks - Living in the 70's
Hush - Aloud "n" Live
Slade - Alive
Chisel - East

[Mr66]

Kiss - Alive!
Led Zeppelin - IV
Sarah McLachlan - Mirrorball
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Nirvana - In Utero
Tool - Aenima

...yeah, I know it's six...so sue me

[Pag]

Nirvana - Nevermind
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Powderfinger - Odyssey Number 5
Silverchair - Diorama
Crowded House - Woodface

[zipzap]

As a kid in the 80s I really was a 5AD pop listener (Duran, Frankie, INXS, Countdown, The Superchart, Clarkie and Disie's Top 5 at 5 etc) before evolving to SAFM 'pub rock' (Oils, Hunters and Collectors, U2 etc). I had dabbled with what was then called 'alternative' music but wasn't until 89/90 and the transition between high school and Uni that my ears began picking up weird and wonderful frequencies from beyond the mainstream. Whenever I make a top 5 list of favourites they almost always come from this period.

The Chills - Submarine Bells (it flows along with a nautical theme yet every track is its own little entity and the lyrics still give me goosebumps. I get weepy just thinking about how good this record is. Stunning)

Pixies - Doolittle (I know purists will rate Surfer Rosa ahead of this but at the time I had never heard anything so pure, vicious, weird, dirty and beautiful. All at once. The definition of life changing)

Do Re Me - Domestic Harmony (No longer a massive favourite but one of those records that opened my eyes up a little bit back in the days of The Morning Zoo etc. I felt very daring buying this)

REM - Green (I'd cottoned on to REM around the time of Document but essentially missed out on their more humble indie beginnings. This was the album that did it for me. Every song is perfect, World Leader Pretend still floors me and Shiny Happy People was a few years away yet...)

The Chipmunks - Chipmunk Punk (I feel like I've mentioned this before somewhere here, but this album was a life changer because it was the first album that was mine-mine-mine and I dissected it from cover-to-cover. It may have been a cheesy kids novelty album but by God, it was the best one ever made)

[zipzap]

Achtung Baby - U2. I adored "The Joshua Tree" and "Rattle And Hum" when they first came out, and the first time I heard this one, buying it the morning it was released, I just didn't know what to think. The second time, I was hooked in completely. "Zoo Station" should have been a single from it, it starts off the album perfectly and dragged them right away from what had been a little schmaltz at times of repeated listenings of "The Joshua Tree" (which I don't play nearly as much nowadays, it's worn thin with me over time"

Following on from my post above this album came in that time of transition when for me at least, the mainstream collided with 'alternative' and bands like Nirvana could suddenly headline festivals and go number 1. Unheard of! JJJ was on the rise and was similarly bridging that divide. So this was U2's 'alternative' album, lots of experimentation and messing with their well established and much loved template. A lot of U2 fans didn't like it and probably still don't. Like Nirvana it was very influential and not always in a great way - at the time you couldn't escape the hoary old dinosaur bands like INXS, Hunnas, Oils, Noiseworks who were spooked into 'going indie' or risk extinction, with programmed drums and industrial clanking sounds and of course remixes aplenty. "Y'know, there's always been a dance element to our music..." was a catchphrase of the times.

I went to the midnight first release of this album, came back home and stayed up all night listening to it in absolute awe. From the opening notes of Zoo Station to the defeated / euphoric fade out of Love is Blindness ... I loved it then and still do now. I've always had a love/hate thing with U2 but together with the Unforgettable Fire, this album has them at their artistic peak, where the music soars and tells the whole story, rather than Nobo blathering on with gobfuls of shite.