MUSIC IS AWESOME

So a friend of mine on Facebook asked me to list ten albums that stuck with me for a while and I did.  They were as follows:

1. Grant Lee Buffalo-Mighty Joe Moon
2. Fear Factory-Demanufacture
3. Nine Inch Nails-Pretty Hate Machine 
4. Ice Cube-Death Certificate 
5. Fleetwood Mac-Mirage 
6. Type O Negative- World Coming Down 
7. Smashing Pumpkins-Siamese Dream 
8. Deadmau5 - Random Album Title 
9. Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here 
10. Armin Van Buuren - Mirage 

And after I did this, I thought to myself, there are a hell of a lot more.  So basically, why did these stick with me?  I can explain...

Grant Lee
The second track of the CD is a wonderful track called Mockingbirds which I fell in love with the first time I heard it.  It also got me into an XRT phase for a while because I worked at an Olds dealership when I was 19 or 20, and I heard this song and was hypnotized by it.  Just loved the music, the sounds, the lyrics.  It compelled me to ask for the album on Christmas and I loved the album.  Still to this day I listen to it quite a bit.







Fear Factory

Demanufacture is one of my top 5 albums hands down bar none, and it should be one of the top 20 greatest metal albums of all time.  Burton C Bell is the first singer I can ever think of who took that death metal growl and mixed it up with the melodic voice he possesses.  One of the best set of pipes ever.  Soul of a New Machine was the one that got me, but I absolutely LOVE this album.  The lyrics that reek of anti establishment and rebellion.  Every track on this album kicks your ass.  Obviously the title track, Self Bias Resistor which just knocks you back to the floor, Replica is the anthem, and it closes out with the somber Therapy for Pain.  I LOVE THIS ALBUM.  

Nine Inch Nails
No one does it like Trent and his debut album I listened to like 100 times when I first got it.  One of my friends freshman year told me about Pretty Hate Machine and I was a fan of Ministry at the time, said to me "you can't listen to Ministry without listening to Nine Inch Nails."  So I did. and I killed the CD because I listened to it so much in 1992 (yes I was a couple years late to the party as I am with everything else in life) and I must of killed the speakers of the stereo my parents got me for Christmas. 





Ice Cube

1991 Tony Montana.  At the time, I was hanging out with people who really enjoyed gangsta rap and this was Ice Cube's follow up to Amerikkkas Most Wanted.  Way before Ice Cube was asking "are we there yet?", he was "steady mobbin."  I loved this album and it was like my thing for the last few months I spent at Elk Grove HS.

Fleetwood Mac
I was working at a place called Absolute Exteriors at the time during the summer of 1996. and I owned a 1979 Cadillac Coupe De Ville which I lived out of for 2 weeks before living with my grandmother.  There was no stereo in the car, so I bought a boom box from K Mart.  I listened to so much Fleetwood Mac that summer and for some reason I was listening to Mirage constantly.  Although Rumors without question is my favorite Mac album, Gypsy, Wish you Were Here, Only Over You, and Hold Me, always hit my heartstrings.  I was once again a missing link in my life at that point and Mac brought me back along with my angel.

Type O Negative

Peter Steele, rest in peace.  Once again not my favorite by this band but my life was very complicated and this album helped to sink it in.  For one, I lost my Mom and just after this album came out with the song "Everyone I Love is Dead."  And I remember at one point I was sitting in my apartment just listening to the title track over and over and over again.  I think my surroundings were not helping as well.  An honorable mention album I did not mention during this period was "Portishead" self titled album as well.  However, you have to give the nod to Type O because "White Slavery" the first track turned out to be the opening theme for SRTV just to give you an idea of how sucked in I was.  And the next year, they were the first band I interviewed on that very show.

Smashing Pumpkins
I would like to say a disclaimer that the Pumpkins are not one of my favorite bands, however this album was a transitioning part of my life.  It was when I went to a new school, had a new way of life, new friends, and of course, that special woman I met that still puts up with my shit to this day.  The Lemonheads, 10,000 Maniacs and The Cranberries were also very prolific at that time, but Today was the greatest day I ever known.





Deadmau5

The guy with the mouse head who came up with haunting beats.  When I first got Sirius radio in my car, I also was switching jobs.  The station I listened to more than anything was Area 33 because I had a love for electronic music.  I was totally into trance, techno, house, mixes, etc, etc.  When I first heard Deadmau5, I was on my way to the office late at night because people called in.  I heard this little ditty "I Remember" and I fell in love.  Other tracks like "Brazil" "Alone with You" "Faxing Berlin" and "Not Exactly" were played on a regular basis.  This was my first official modern EDM album.  Then there's this video with Tommy from Snatch.

Pink Floyd
When I was a teenager, I first heard Shine On Your Crazy Diamond.  Not only did I think it was the longest song I have ever heard, it was one of the best. My junior year of HS, I went to sleep to this album every night.  By the way, you bastards better come back to Chicago sometime soon. I had the tickets, but couldn't go.







Armin Van Buuren

Not too many people know him but he is one of the best trance producers today.  His album Mirage (two albums called Mirage, hinky) has some of the greatest tracks I have ever heard.  The opening for Mirage is unbelievable and is very motivating to me.  The first time I really heard it was when I took on my new position and business started blowing up for me.  The song goes right into a track called This Light Between Us. It is such a flawless transition and other tracks on the album like "Drowning" "Feels So Good" "Not Giving Up on Love"  Check out the video


Some other albums that I can name that are honorable mentions are Metallica, And Justice For All, Pantera Cowboys From Hell, Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet, Dido No Angel, Lords of Acid Lust, Bethoveen 9th Symphony, Garth Brooks Ropin The Wind, 2 Live Crew As Nasty as they Want to Be, Sacred Warrior Masters Command, Anthrax Persistence of Time, there are more but these were the important.

So what are your ten best? I would love to know.

Mike C