5 albums that changed your life

2006-01-25 - 4:07 p.m.

A meme on 5 albums that changed your life made me think. The ones I chose aren't necessarily the same ones I'd give were I asked for my favorites, but each was transformative enough to earn a place.

The best thing is that there are a pile more that could go on the list. A lot of music really changes my life in some way and there's a heck of a lot of genre-bending in that list for sure. But here are the five I put down and the reasons why.

1. Marillion - Misplaced Childhood. The beginning of a long, strange trip. This was one of those albums that was the soundtrack of riding around in my friend/boyfriend's car in high school, aimless, seeking something. It was background music at first and then I felt like a truck hit me when I realized suddenly one day that I was in love with the music. The love affair with Marillion has never ended (much to the amusement of many friends), though it has changed substantially over the years. I also have met some of the best people in my life through my love of Marillion. Album was also instrumental in the transformation from friendship to relationship for my ex-hub and I.

2. John Wesley - The Emperor Falls
So much of this album is positively stunning and wrenching and really gets you in the gut. This album of his in particular though because of one song that reached down and pulled me out of a dark hole I never thought I'd climb out of. Thank you, Wes. You're one of the reasons I'm here today.

3. Jeff Buckley - Grace
Shook me like a Christmas present and when it put me down I wasn't quite the same anymore. First I heard it was on a gorgeously blue day driving in the country with some warm-hearted people who were kind enough to share this with me. Damn, we lost a beautiful soul and talent way too early. And that cover of Cohen's Hallelujah? Well, hallelujah and holy hell it's one of my all-time favorite songs.

4. Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks
Got turned onto this one by a guy that shook me up in 10th grade. He was the first one to show me how to carve out a space for myself and step away from the herd. He was all heart and, even when that heart was a little misdirected, I learned a lesson of independence from him that's served me ever since. I really wouldn't be me had I not met him. This is the soundtrack of that time and marked the beginning of my search for what was really buried deep inside. And yes, I had a Sid Vicious poster (and poem, cough) on my wall that I mooned over. Shut up.

5. White Ladder - David Gray
Free and beautiful. This album was my move to PA. It was my standing on my own. It got me through the rebuild after the fire. It's heartbreak and wonder and the warm comfort of home.

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Pretend it's 10th grade. Leave me a note.

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