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
  

Top 5's of 2008

New Year has never been anything particularly special to me in the past, but the one thing I consistently love each year is watching "Top-10" or "Best Of..." lists. Whether it's the best in the years' sports clip, plays, music, movies, or car accidents, I love to see how certain things are categorized. It's probably because I've got a knack for things that're organized and listed. So, as I do every year, here is my Top 5 albums, movies, and websites of the year. Enjoy.

Top 5 Albums of 2008:

“With Arrows, With Poise” by The Myriad – about half the songs from this album are on my iPod’s “Most Played” playlist. I saw them open for David Crowder in New York and they blew me away and stole the show (imo). Fantastic sound and some great grooves & textures.


“The Alchemy Index: Vol. I-IV (Fire, Water, Air, Earth)” by Thrice – this 4-volume manifesto explores music that reflects the four elements; fire, water, air, and earth. Each elements uniquely defines and shapes teh music. In Volume I (Fire), Thrice burn it up and show where they’ve come from with some heavy/loud/fiery songs while Volume II (Water) shows Thrice’s penchant for the digital & organic side of music. (“Digital Sea” may be one of my favorite songs in a long time). Vol. III (Air) takes you on a musical flight and takes your breath away with textured sound-scapes while Earth sees the band get down-to-earth with an acoustic and scaled-down audiophoria.


“New Surrender” by Anberlin – although Anberlin has become less hard-rock, lyrically and musically they’ve become much more defined and exploratory while keeping a lot of their post-punk/post-hardcore beginnings. This is a great follow-up to their previous album, “Cities”.


“Where the Light Is: Live in L.A.” by John Mayer – I’ve never been shy to promote my love for John’s music. Although I think he’s a bit full of himself in reality, this live show gives him a million reasons to be. He does 3 different sets in this concert (acoustic, blues trio, and full-band) and there’re gems in each one. John’s virtuoso tag takes off with plenty of solos & band jams, as well as some great renditions of his Grammy-award winning songs like Daughters (which, sounds fantastic with Robbie McIntosh’s slide/resonator guitar playing).


“Hello Love” by Chris Tomlin – there weren’t many fantastic worship albums that came out this year, but Tomlin’s Hello Love topped them all on my list. Yes, most songs are carbon copies of Tomlin’s previous church anthems, but there are a few songs on this album that really have hymn-like and traditional vibes to them. I feel Tomlin turned it up a bit on this album and it pays off.

On the bubble:

“The Bright Sadness” by Charlie Hall – not worshippy, but great writing, arranging, and producing
“Play: The Guitar Album” by Brad Paisley – I don’t like country enough to fully enjoy this album, but some of the best guitar work I’ve seen ina long time.
“Viva La Vida (Death and All His Friends)” by Coldplay – this might have made my Top 5 list if Coldplay hadn’t ripped off Joe Satriani’s song “If I could Fly” for their hit-single “Vida la Vida”. Satriani is now suing Coldplay for their stealing his art & creativity. Click here to read more about the lawsuit. Also, click here to hear the difference/similarities in the two songs.

Disappointed:
“Kingdom of Comfort” by Delirious – not their worst effort, but what’s most disappointing about this album was that it was their last record before officially disbanding.
“Death Magnetic” by Metallica – yes, it was an improvement from “t Anger”, but it’s obvious that ‘tallica tried far too hard to go back to their metal roots.
“Drastic Fantastic” by KT Tunstall – there’re some great songs on the album, but aren’t as strong as the songs from her folk-rock gem “Eye to the Telescope”




Top Movies of 2008:


The Dark Knight – everybody and their dog loved this movie. Heath Ledger’s posthumous role aside, the directing, cinematography, and writing are all fantastic. It was a non-stop roller-coaster ride leaving you wanting more. The only down-side of this movie is Christian Bale’s “voice” as Batman; he sounds like he has throat cancer.


Iron Man – even as comic-geek when I was growing up, I’m surprised my top 2 movies of the year are both super-hero movies. Iron Man far exceeded my expectations and I liked this movie a lot. Lots of action, great story (with enough background and pre-text to dismiss any terrible prequels), and great casting.


Wall-E – when I went to the theater to see The Dark Knight for the third time, the only seats that were left were front row. I can’t watch a movie from the front-row, I don’t care how good it is. So, when we decided to go see something else, the Pixar-animated “Wall-E” was the only thing yet to play. Surprisingly, I absolutely loved it and thought Pixar’s take on global warming & materialism in a child’s animated feature was outstanding. This is a buyer for me and will go beside “The Incredibles” on my DVD shelf.


Cloverfield – I may get some flack from some, but since I was a faithful follower of all the Internet hoopla & build-up for this movie, so it made it all the more special for me. I loved Monster movies growing up, and this is a well-crafted take on a Godzilla movie taking place in NYC. The constantly-moving camera took some getting used to, but the large movie screen helped. I loved this movie and bought it the day it came out on DVD. Sure, the acting wasn’t fantastic, but the story and efx were great and it’s really entertaining.


Street Kings – ok, so this is a Keanu Reeves movie, but although it wasn’t a block-buster in the theaters, it made for a great rental and kept me really entertained. It wasn’t the caliber of Scorsese’s “The Departed”, but it was a great dirty-cop/internal affairs movie that kept you guessing.

On the Bubble:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – I haven’t seen this yet, but I imagine it’ll be great and garner some Oscar nods.
Step Brothers – because of it’s crass & tasteless jokes, constant innuendo, and dirty language, I couldn’t put myself up to putting this on my Top 5 list. But, it was freakin’ hilarious. Funnier than most recent Farrell movies, but the story was kinda weak. But funny.

Disappointed:
007: Quantum of Solace – this wasn’t a bad movie at all, but it was a bit disappointing since it didn’t live up to Casino Royale’s hype. It was a bit confusing, especially if you don’t recap Casino Royale before-hand. Less gadgets, less girls, and less cars makes James a dull boy.



Top 5 Websites:

www.stuffchristianslike.net - Jon is a fantastic wirter and blogger. He's got something interesting, funny, and spirtually fulfilling everyday.
www.hockeybuzz.com - the internet's best place for hockey rumors and stories
www.facebook.com - Facebook overpowers MySpace now. Although, I'm sure, Facebook will fizzle out in 2009, I will create the next best networking site: FaceSpace.
www.blogger.com - I raelly got into blogging this past year. Ienjoy reading them as much as I do writing them.
www.tsn.ca/nhl - I've become particularly enthralled with hockey these past two years. This is where I go for all my scores, news, and highlights.