20 Albums

Another meme is going around. I was tagged by Oliver. So here goes.

20 albums that changed my life. In something like order of importance, or at least autobiographical order.

Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan
“Ballad of a Thin Man”
“Highway 61 Revisited”
“Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
“Like a Rolling Stone”

After the Goldrush – Neil Young
“Tell Me Why”
“After the Gold Rush”
“Southern Man”
“Don’t Let it Bring You Down”

Rust Never Sleeps – Neil Young
“Powderfinger”
“Thrasher”
“Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)”

Revolver – The Beatles
“Tomorrow Never Knows”
“She Said, She Said”
“Eleanor Rigby”

(And then The Beatles in general. They were so omnipresent on the radio as I was growing up it was difficult to not be completely swamped by them. Other standout songs: “Come Together,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “A Day in the Life,” “I Am the Walrus,” “Helter Skelter,” etc.)

The Best of Leonard Cohen
“Suzanne”
“Famous Blue Raincoat”
“Take This Longing”

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young
“Cinnamon Girl”
“Down By the River”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots – The Flaming Lips
“Do You Realize???”
“Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1”
“Fight Test”

The Soft Bulletin – The Flaming Lips
“Waitin’ for a Superman”
“Race for the Prize”
“Feeling Yourself Disintegrate”

Fisherman’s Blues – The Waterboys
“Fisherman’s Blues”
“A Bang on the Ear”
“World Party”

Trace – Son Volt
“Tear Stained Eye”
“Drown”
“Ten Second News”
“Out of the Picture”
“Windfall”
“Live Free”

Remain in Light – Talking Heads
“Once in a Lifetime”
“Houses in Motion”
“The Overload”

Kerosene Hat – Cracker
“Low”
“I Want Everything”
“Eurotrash Girl”
“Nostalgia”
“Sick of Goodbyes”
“Get Off This”

OK Computer – Radiohead
“Karma Police”
“No Surprises”
“Lucky”
“Exit Music (for a Film”

Automatic for the People - R.E.M
“Drive”
“Nightswimming”
“Everybody Hurts”
“Man on the Moon”
“Find the River”

Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
“Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
“Lake Charles”
“Greenville”

Changes One – David Bowie
“Changes”
“Heroes”
“Space Oddity”

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – Wilco
“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”
“Jesus, Etc”
“Radio Cure”
“Kamera”

Don’t Tell a Soul – The Replacements
“I’ll Be You”

Rumors – Fleetwood Mac
“Go Your Own Way”
“The Chain”
“Gold Dust Woman”
“Don’t Stop”

Bachelor No. 2 – Aimee Mann
“How Am I Different”
“Deathly”
“Driving Sideways”

Time (the Revelator) - Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
“The Revelator”

History: America’s Greatest Hits
“A Horse with No Name”
“Sister Golden Hair”
“Ventura Highway”

Jazz addendum:

Misterioso – The Thelonious Monk Quartet
“Blues Five Spot”
“’Round Midnight”
“Evidence”

Time Out – The Dave Brubeck Quartet
“Take Five”
“Blue Rondo a La Turk”
“Strange Meadow Lark”

Blue Train – John Coltrane
“Blue Train”
“Lazy Bird”