My Favorite Albums of All Time

I don't think I'm too far off stating that the music industry has become a little bit stale over the past few years. The formula to making a 'successful' album is easily found on most pop records these days and this formulae has really dried up a lot of the truly great song-writers, musicians, and bands. Catchy lyrics, 4-chord progressions, a great melody, and anything not written by the actual performer are probably all goods starting points to writing a hit song. American Idol has re-popularized listener-friendly friendly pop music and the media's glorification of material possessions, sex, and women have even made the most terrible songs into hits because of content their lyrical content alone. And, the means of attaining music these days have become another problem; downloading an album over the net (whether free or not) have taken over CD sales and is causing a massive decrease in album manufacturing. So, to find truly original and undeniably great music you've really gotta search for it. The popularity of "indie" music, "brit-pop", and "the underground sound" have taken over, but most of these albums cannot be attained over the internet.

So, lately, I've been finding myself going back into my catalog of music and reintroducing myself to some of the most impactful albums on my life (both musically, instrumentally, and even spiritually). I'd be comfortable in saying that most musicians can recite some of their favorite albums of all time. I can only assume that some musicians can even remember the time/place they first heard 'that song' or 'that album'. Certainly, for some of these albums listed below, I can remember just those times & places. Whether it was a great solo, a great guitar tone, a catchy lyric, a melody or a moving chorus, the following albums have had everlasting impact on my musical development over the years. Yes, I'm sure there'll be others over to comes, but I believe it's also important to pay homage to those albums that have brought music to where it is today. So, here're my favorite and most inspirational albums of all time. These albums are in no particular order since they're all from different genres, eras, styles, and content. Feel free to comment with your Fave Albums in the comment section: I'd be interested to hear own opinions & styles. Enjoy:

• "Ten" by Pearl Jam (1991)
  
  - while I could have easily put Nirvana's "Nevermind" in place of this record, I chose "Ten" because of it's coolness factor as a guitar player. Stone Gossard and Mike McCready have some amazing guitar tones, riffs, and solo parts. While Nirvana started the grunge movement, this album opened the flood-gates wide. With Eddie Vedder's charismatic vocals, a tight rock element, subtle use of guitar effects, and a purely raw sound, Pearl Jam's "Ten" is one of the most successful and profound debut albums of all time. when I first learned my pentatonic guitar scale, I practiced it over the solo section in "Alive" for hours and hours (no lie). I learned licks from that 2-minute solo section and applied them to my own style that started me on my "lead guitar" journey.
  Must listen: "Alive", "Black", "Even Flow"
  
  
  
• "Any Given Thursday" by John Mayer (2003)
  
  I debated whether to include this album or not for two reasons: it’s a live album and it’s not my favorite John Mayer album. But, when I was living in Calgary I probably watched this DVD two or three times a week. Mayer was probably one of the first singer/song-writers I really got into. At a time when I was only listening to loud, heavy music I heard an acoustic version of “Neon” and was blown away. I checked him out and eventually got this live album & DVD. It really took me out of my shell and immersed me into a different kind of music. Even my guitar playing changed since, at that point, every solo I could play was shred. I stole a lot of licks, progressions, and structure from John’s playing and was introduced to a very important part of lead-guitar playing. “feel” and “emotion” (listen to “Lenny/Man on the Side” and “Covered in Rain”). You don’t get much feel when you’re shedding through a Metallica song, but John’s definitely got some SRV & Slow-Hand touch here. I even had a new-found respect for song-writing and acoustic playing (see “Neon” and “Message in a Bottle”).
  Must listen: "Covered in Rain", "Lenny/Man on the Side", "Love Song for No One"
  
  
• "The Alchemy Index: Volumes I, II, III, IV"" by Thrice (2007/2008)
  
  - this one is another difficult album to include because it's a 4-CD, 2-Volume concept manifesto. But, the way it’s made, produced, and conceptualized makes it one of my favorite volumes of music. “Concept albums” have always been sketchy with me, but this one really worked for me. It really showed the breadth and depth of Thrice’s musicality. Each volume is an interpretation of an element of the alchemist’s index; Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Fire is a raw, loud, heavy. Water has lots of flow and groove to it, with some digital aspects. Air is rock, but melodic and vibrant. Earth is very down-to-earth, honest, and mostly acoustic. This manifesto covers many genres, styles, and tones of music and I invite any music lover to immerse themselves in this collection. It’s absolutely amazing.
  Must listen: "The Arsonist" (Fire), "Digital Sea" (Water), "Daedalus" (Air), "Come All You Weary" (Earth)
  
  
• "OK Computer" by Radiohead (1997)
  
  - As I stated at the beginning of this blog, music has become stale and formulaic. Every now and then, though, an album comes out that totally redefines that era’s music and reinterprets what music is to the artist. Radiohead’s OK Computer did just that in 1997. Although I enjoyed many songs from that record back then (I remember learning the tab of Paranoid Android from Guitar World way back then), it wasn’t until a few years ago that I was re-introduced to this album. It had as much impact on me 2 or 3 years ago as it did to the music industry back in 1997. Odd chord progressions, off-time beats, cryptic sounds, Thom Yorke’s muttering, eclectic guitar sounds, and electronic ambiance makes this album a staple for the music-lovers collection.
  Must listen: "Paranoid Android", "Airbag", "Exit Music (for a Film)"
  
  
• "A Collision" by David Crowder Band (2005)
  
  - as I mentioned in a previous post, the David Crowder Band is probably my favorite “Christian” band; furthermore, he may be one of my 3 favorite worship song-writers and the band has an immense amount of musical talent and creativity. Before this record, I wasn’t crazy over them. But, my friend Sunny persisted and I really dug this album. The use of rhythmic guitar textures, loops, and yet simple 4-chord progression worship songs really got me hooked. The simplicity of song-writing and worship meets the intricacies of rhythms, sounds, and digital syncopation. I was curious as to how DCB would relate this to a live situation and I was even more blow away when I saw them in November of 2007 in New York City. Their live sound was pristine and was almost identical to their studio records.
  Must listen: "Here is Our King", "Come and Listen", "Do Not Move"
  
  
• "Achtung Baby!" by U2 (1991)
  
  - U2 make great albums. Everyone knows that. But to pick a favorite from their illustrious 30+ year career and 12-album collection is quite the task. I pick Achtung Baby because it, like OK Computer, set a new bar for music at its particular moment in time. Achtung Baby mixed U2's unique rock sound with a dance sound and yet still stuck to their formulaic guns to make pop hits that garnered many #1 hits (One, Mysterious Ways, Even Better than the Real Thing). The Edge experimented with unheard of guitar sounds and made them work which really caught my ear. The envelope-filtered "Mysterious Ways" riff, 12/8 syncopated tremolo of "Acrobat", whammy-driven opener of "Even Better then the Real Thing", and industrial-thick distortion of "The Fly" make Auctung Baby the bar for guitar soundscapes and industry-changing albums.
  Must listen: "Mysterious Ways", "The Fly", "Until the End of the World"
  
  
• "Long Line of Leavers" by Caedmon's Call (2000)
  
  - the first time I heard this album, I was driving to Toronto to go see a John Mayer concert with friends, Sunny & Marc. Between the three of us, our 17-hour drive consisted of many different albums. Marc happened to pop this one in and although it wasn't my favorite "styles" of music at the time, I had never heard such an emphasis on great melody and relevant, honest lyrics before. I bought this album shortly after and really dove into it. Lyrical depth and unforgettable melody made this my favorite folk-rock/sing-songwriter albums off all time. This also lead me to be a big fan of controversial Christina song-writer, Derek Webb (check out his album, "The Ringing Bell". Fantastic).
  Must liten: "Dance", "Love Along", "Prepare Ye the Way"
  
  
• "mutemath (self-titled)" by MuteMath (2006)
  
  - as millennium rolled on, pop-music was becoming more and more a carbon copy of itself and was hard to find original and musically enriched artists... that is unless you were looking under the covers (or "the underground" as the kids call it). Using MySpace as a stepping stone, MuteMath came from out of nowhere and blessed everyone with a new and fresh sound. Mixing rock, psychedelic, neo-pop, and dance, MuteMath was the new sound everyone was waiting to hear. After their 5-song EP garnered some attention and their extravagant & energetic live performances garnered even more attention. When their self-titled album came out (produced by famous produce, Tedd T), MuteMath used MySpace as their only means of marketing and became an overnight (and underground) success. There hasn't been a keyboard/piano as a lead-instrument since Toto, and lead singer Paul Meany plays it to a tee. The ultra-talented band could make unbelievable music using spoons, a chair, dental floss, and a toilet. Using loops, pads, mega-tight drum & bass grooves, guitar-created soundscapes, a delayed-out Rhodes, and powerful vocals (all melodically, vocally, and lyrically) this album takes the listener on a cinematic journey over a musical one.
  Must listen: "Chaos", "Break the Same", "Noticed"
  
  
• "Re-Load" by Metallica (1997)
  
  - when 1996's "Load" came out, Metallica got into a bunch of heat from their fans for "selling out" because the album wasn't as "metal" as 1990's hugely successful "Black Album". Oh, and because they cut their long hair. But, Load had a few gems and the purest of fans embraced the new sound. Originally, the album was supposed to be a 2-CD collection, but the label pressed them into releasing it as one album and re-releasing the "rest" of the songs as a B-Sides item. Evidently, "Load" didn't fair so well so on the charts or with most fans, so they decided to try releasing the B-Sides as "ReLoad". I'm not one to say whether it was more or less successful than Load, but to me, it is one of my favorite guitar albums. Some of the riffs, though simple, are memorable and I spent hours with the tab book learning every song in and out.
  "The Memory Remain", "Fixxer", "Prince Charming"



• "Jesus Freak" by dc Talk(1997)
  
  - I'm pretty sure this was the first CD I ever bought. Sure, the song 'Jesus Freak' was the Christian song of its day, but this album has a few gems that were hidden in the shadows of the hugely successful title song; "Mind's Eye", "So Help Me God", and "Like It, Love It, Need It" were all great rocks songs with some very powerful riffage. Then, there are some "softer" tunes like "What if I Stumble?" and "In the Light" that really caught the listener's ear and, more importantly, heart. Strong lyrics, vocals, and plethora of styles really makes this an inspirational album, both spiritually and musically.
  Must listen: "Mind's Eye", "So Help Me God", "What Have We Become"
  
  
• "In Loving Memory" by Big Wreck (1997)
  
  - Ian Thornley is one of the most underrated guitar players ever. His riffs are awesome, his chops undeniable, and tones are my favorite of any guitar player. Oh, and he's the front man and does it all while singing fantastic & complicated melodies. His band were mega-tight and ultra-talented as well, but Ian obviously stole the show. This was especially evident after Big Wreck (unfortunately) broke up in 2002. Ian, however, went on to create his own solo rock-band, Thornley, in 2004 (I also recommend the album "Come Again" by Thonrley). Ian Thornley has a way of making his guitar sing louder than his piercing tenor & falsetto voice. He has some of the most amazing guitar tones and is a master at making guitar effects work )see #1 hit "The Oaf", "That Song", and "Blown Wide Open"). There's also some great slide-guitar tidbits on songs like "Look What I found" and the solo on "Under the Lighthouse"). You can probably find this CD for $3 on your local pawn-shop shelf. I recommend you start looking.
  Must listen: "The Oaf (My Luck is Wasted)", "Under the Lighthouse", "Blown Wide Open"
  
  
• "Scenery & Fish" by I Mother Earth (1996)
  
  - I neglected to put this album in since it's closely related to the Big Wreck album (after all, Canadian Rock of the mid-90's sounded too similar). But, then I played this album again and noticed a lot of sounds & grooves that weren't found in the Big Wreck, Our Lady Peace, and Finger 11 sounds of its day. Rather, Scenery & Fish is very rhythmically driven with Stuart Copeland-like drums, Tower of Power-percussion, lightning fast bass grooves, and Jagori's high-gain Hendrix riffs. For a a trio of musicians, they really beef up the sound and have a rock sound unlike any other band with their mix of R&B, Funk, and ethnic styles of music; all with a pop-sensitive attitude of melody and rock.
  Must listen: "Pisser", "Used to Be Alright", "One More Astronaut"
  

Other honorable mentions:

• "Albertine" by Brooke Fraser"
  
• "Not to Us" by Chris Tomlin
  
• "Morning View" by Incubus
  
• "Twenty Something" by Jamie Cullum
  
• "With Arrows, with Poise" by the Myriad
  
• "About a Burning Fire" by Blindside
  
• "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" by Copeland
  
• "Black Holes & Revelations" by Muse
  
• "Access:d" by Delirious
  
• "Falling into Infinity" by Dream Theater
  

Guitar Solo of the Week: "Invincible" by Matt Bellamy of MUSE

I couldn't find a video of just this guitar solo, so you'll find it between 4:30 and 5:01. But, I absolutely love this whole song so the solo really is the icing on the cake.
The solo isn't too difficult or fancy, but I find it really creative and expressive. Using a whammy and some delay, Matt Bellamy uses hammer-ons for the legato parts (with the whammy pedal heel-down) and then taps a single note (the melody) while pushing the Whammy pedal toe-down. Since this is a live version, it's not as clean as the album's solo, but still pretty neat. I highly recommend you check out this album by MUSE called "Black Holes and Revelations". It's a good'n.

Guitar Hero: Worship Leader Edition

I’m sure many of you have seen this concept before, either as a Facebook group or maybe even through email. Most of the ideas expressed in the following are taken directly from the “Worship Hero” Facebook group but, as a worship leader/musician, I thought it’d be appropriate to edit, organize, and repost it for all to see. The truth is both true and funny so take it with a grain of salt. I present to you...


Guitar Hero: Worship Leader Edition

Your Mission:
You are a musician with a call to lead God’s people into worship on a voluntary (or, God permitting, vocational) basis. The first level starts you off leading worship at a small church building your spiritual gifts and efforts up by making your way through many ministries and churches to the ultimate goal of becoming a worship leader at a prestigious mega-church.

Your Purpose:
To become a multi-million dollar worship leader (see "rock-star") while still giving all glory, honor, and praise to God through music.

Rules of (Spiritual) Engagement:

All worship sets must include a minimum of two hymns, one Chris Tomlin song, and one 80’s/90’s worship chorus. In addition, tempo transitions must start out fast, followed by medium-tempo songs, ending with slow tempo songs.

All songs must follow the following map: Verses, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. Deviation from this order can result in excommunication and mass confusion of instrumentalists.

Some levels will require you to conduct certain stage designs which must incldue particular realistic touches to your environment such as tacky plastic foliage, inspirational banners, or plexi-glass pulpits.

You must maintain your team's dress-code during services. This code excludes skrits above the knee, open-toed shoes, hats of any kind, ripped/torn/faded jeans, and t-shirts. Any choice of "inappropriate" clothing will result in an uprising of old congregationalists and threatening elders.

Every so often you, as the leader, will take it upon yourself to demand an acoustic set which will face great and silent opposition from your keyboard players and drummers who are forced to play percussive instruments. No matter how boring this is, no one is allowed to or will ever complain because we all know that we do not come to church to be entertained. Inproper balance of this level is dangferous as you may experience higher than normal level on the FHLI (False Humility Level Indicator) and you may also lose some youth at the next service.

You, as the worship leader, must conduct the entire congregation. You will not keep tempo however. You must force the band to follow your seizure-like speed changes.

Games Modes:

Practice Mode: as worship leader, you must direct, practice, and rehearse your worship band on a weekly basis. This mode will always be fantastic and include many elements foreign to Sunday mornings (ie: drum fills, shots, accapellas, interludes, worship, and the Holy Spirit) and every song's tempo will be increased by 30bpm with fluctuations in anxiety levels

Service Mode: You must develop a repertoire of worship songs. Instrumentalists are permitted to experiment with solos, but take caution: any excessive soloing will cause an uproar amongst some of the elder. Your transposition and arranging skills must be honed to make sure that every song has no more than four chords (the fewer, the better) and must not deviate from the keys of G, E, or D as they are the easiest for guitar players to play.

Your Band & Instrumentalists:
you must recruit a band on a weekly basis composed entirely of Churched individuals who think they are skilled in their instrument.

Your worship team must have a minimum of:
-at least three guitar players (bass, acoustic, electric)
-at least four singers
-at least one keyboard player
-two percussionists: one must be a drummer while the other must consist of a musician who cannot play any instrument or sing but still wants to be on the worship team; you provide them with a triangle, bongos, djembe, or tambourine.

Guitar players:

electric guitarists must play 94% of what the acoustic player is playing. Any derivation should be dealt with by turning the amp down

guitar amps must be run through a DI Box. Do not mic the amp. Heaven forbid you have good tone

guitar players must not have their amps turned up past 0.5 on the volume knob. Failure to do so will result in dissension from the sound techs and the elderly.

occasionally, one of your guitarists will require a capo. This will result in utter chaos as you will now have two sets of chord sheets which will inevitably be mixed up and none of your band members will know which key to actaully play in

any and all guitar solos must begin with the melody of the song's chorus. Derivation from this will be allowed (but not recommended) after 4 bars

Drummers:

drum kits must be fully engulfed by a plexi-glass wall. No one will know or ever understand the reasoning for this but failure to do so will result in dissension from sound techs and the elderly

drummers must resort to "Hot Rods" and/or plastic sticks because wood sticks make too much noise

even if volume of a song is only going from soft to mind-blowingly loud in half a measure, your drummer requires only one skill: and that is to build

Bass players:

bass players must go direct through a D.I. (direct input) and musn't use amplifiers larger than one 10" speaker. Failure to do so will result in dissension from sound techs and the elderly

you will lose points if your bass player is making any use whatsoever of the subwoofers provided by the church's sound system

bass players will always be the only member of the band with actual talent. To ensure that no one hears them, make sure he is turned down at all times except for simple, one-note intros

Keyboard/Piano/Organ:

every song (fast or slow) must have a keyboard pad as the background. The keyboardist must work hard to make it look like they are contributing. This is usually achieved by dramatic facial expressions, swaying, or yelling in between pre-choruses and choruses

the final slow song must be dominated by an angelic synth sound. This activates the Holy Spirit.

Vocalists:

75% of your vocalists must sing the melody. A maximum of two harmonies are allowed which must be at 50% the volume of the melody

any vocal harmony must be dragged out longer than the melody to allow the congregation to hear them

POINT STRUCTURE:

points are awarded if you or any band member shouts “Jesus!”, “Yes, Lord!”, or other indistinguishable noises between choruses

points are awarded for getting your band-mates to properly execute map and tambre changes using any means necessary including leg-lifts, dirty looks, frantic arm waving, and/or yelling

be sure not to leave more than 4 seconds of awkward silence while transitioning songs, as the Holy Spirit Level Indicator (HSLI) will take a sudden drop. If the HSLI remains in the red for more than 15 seconds, your team will be asked to leave the stage, and you will be told gently that there are other teams who would like to use their gifts for God as well

bonus points are awarded if everyone in your band (including vocalists) shows up on time. However, double MINUS those points because the sound techs are MIA

points will also be lost when you request "just the voices" and your drummer or guitar player keeps playing

points will be lost when the vast majority of the congregation raises their hands and sings only during the chorus while staring blankly at you or the projection screen during the verses

points are lost if you say, "God is good" and no one replies "all the time"

at the end of a set (level), a middle-aged woman who knows your name but doesn't introduce herself will say, "You are SO anointed!" Your FHLI (False Humility Level Indicator) will blink indicating the false humility you're about to use to respond with. 5000 extra points and a free set of in-ears if you can figure out how to respond well

Guitar Solo of the Week: "Little Wing" by Monte Montgomery

This week's guitar-solo is not necessarily a solo, but a song in general.
It's "Little Wing" ; written by the great Jimi Hendrix, perfected (and perhaps bettered) by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and imitated by practically every good guitar player in history. Hendrix had a knack for writing guitar part that not only created chordal structure tot eh song, but included melody in the same arrangement. So, most of the time it sounds like two guitars. Originally written for the electric, Monte Montgomery rocks this out on an old beat-up acoustic. While still sounding like the original, Monte really fancies this version up a bit (maybe a bit too much at times) but throws in a few different flavours (including classical, jazz, and a bit of flamenco).

Beware: this clip is about 10 minutes long. While the whole song seems to be a solo and certainly worth watching, the "payoff" for me comes somewhere between 5:20-6:30. Wowzers

Thx to Sunny for introducing me to Monte Montgomery. Enjoy.

Guitar Solo of the Week: "Answers" solo by Steve Vai

Guitar solos aren't necessarily a lost art, but good, original, creative solos certainly aren't as common either. While I believe in some musical cases, the "solo" has been replaced by cool riffs, great melody, and Macbook-powered/Appleby-driven loops & sequencing, it's so refreshing to hear a creative/original solo every now and then. Thus, every week I'm going to post a "guitar solo of the week" video. The first solo I'm going to post is not the solo I ever heard, but certainly the first solo I ever "felt" or "experienced". Here it is in all it's shred/glory...

Back in '98 or so, when I had first met my friend Tim Heerebout, he got me into this guitar virtuoso concert thing called "G3" starring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. I had never heard of any of these players before as I was still into my "only-listen-to-metal" stage of adolescents. But, Tim got me hook on these guys and I remember going gaga over this solo section at the end of Vai's song called "Answers". The whole thing is pretty neat, but about 0:39 seconds in, he goes into this part that boggles my mind: he sweep-picks on the way down, taps the fretboard on the way up, and does a whole bunch of hammer-on/pull-offs in between; not only that, but it sounds so perfect and "beautiful".
Now, this version is from the DVD, though he has a different version on the CD (which I prefer as he adds a bit of whammy bar in it). Anywho... check it out. It really took me back. Enjoy:
Guitar - Steve Vai
Rhythm/Keys - Mike Keneely
Drums: Mike Mangini
Bass: Michael Tait from dc Talk?