Life Through Music Meme - Part The First

Longtime readers will know I'm not a big fan of memes. In fact, I've never been a big fan of posting anything on this site except church signs. In the past, this has been relatively easy what with my ability to guest-post frequently on the Snark or Clay Pigeon or whatnot. Well, with my guest-posting opportunities somewhat few and far between these days, when I find something besides church signs to write about I'm kinda out of luck. So I figure I'll save it for weekends here on CCS.

Anyhow, Rickey from one of my favorite funny blogs "Riding With Rickey" recently did the "His Life Through Music Meme", where you pick your favorite album from every year you have lived. (You can see Rickeys here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). It sounded like fun, so I sorta started playing around with it. Before I knew it I was halfway done, so I figured I'd finish and post it. I only read Rickey's Parts 2 and 3 after I finished my entire list, but there are some interesting similarities (and differences). So first off: Thanks to Rickey for the idea.

You should know that I'm a bass player. I originally moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music. It was so successful that I've been a teacher for close to 10 years. You should also know that this post isn't really intended to be funny, like most of my writing (though I could still use your vote on humor-blogs if you like it :).

Anyhow, here's the first half of my life. I'll do part two tomorrow:

My Life Through Music

1976: The year I burst onto the scene. Obviously I don’t remember much music from these days, but one of my earliest musical memories is hearing “More Than A Feeling” on the radio (At the time, I was probably only 4 years old and thought it was called “Walkin’ Away”). That makes my album choice for 1976 Boston (Self-Titled). For my money, it seldom gets better than when the acoustic guitar busts in and carries “Peace of Mind” for a measure or two.

1977: Year two of my existence, and a lot of great albums from which to choose. I could have easily gone with The Clash’s self titled debut, or a seminal album by the Sex Pistols. I’m going to go with something less known but equally groundbreaking: The Talking Heads : 77. I was late on the scene in appreciating David Byrne’s group, but they were decades ahead of their time (and, apparently, decades ahead of me) in terms of style and creativity. By the way, if you get a chance to see a rerun of Byrne’s Austin City Limits appearance, don’t pass it up.

1978: Only a couple choices here, really. I thought about going with The Cars, but Ric Ocasek will get his due in a different way here in about 15 years or so. So, my choice for 1978 is Outlandos d’Amour by The Police. “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing” get all the attention, but the punk undertones of “Next To You” and the desperation of “So Lonely” make them my favorite tracks from this album. I’m making this up year-by-year, but don’t be shocked to see the Po-Po again on this list.

1979: Obvious choices include London Calling by the Clash or Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. Personally, I’m going with Bob Dylan’s Slow Train Coming. Who knows if Bob really meant any of it, but I’m always a fan of artists expressing their Christian beliefs in an artistic manner that doesn’t feel heavy-handed or forced (Unlike for example a band like Creed, who reminded me a bit of Robert Tilton. How much of it is sincerity and how much of it is marketing?) In my mind, this Dylan album is one of the best examples of the opposite of that marketing gimmick.

1980: So far, most music critics would at least not puke over any of my choices (well…maybe Boston). Sadly, that’s all about to change. While 1980 offers great albums by Joy Division, X, Talking Heads, etc., I’m going to have to go with Back In Black by AC/DC. Purists will hate me for this, but I actually like Brian Johnson’s voice better than Bon Scott’s. And while half of any AC/DC album is ridiculously innuendoed tripe, the other half is what carries Back in Black. “Back In Black”, “Hell’s Bells”, “You Shook Me…”: all classic guitar riffs.

1981: I really hate to repeat artists on this list, but in 1981 I had no choice. Most of the albums I want to pick are actually single songs. The only reason I would pick Journey’s Escape is for the fist-pumping limburger of “Don’t Stop Believin’”. The only reason I would pick Moving Pictures by Rush is for “Tom Sawyer” and because I’m Canadian (Every Rush fan in the world now hates me with an indescribable passion). Anyhow, I’ve gotta go with Ghost In The Machine by The Police. Cool album cover, too. OK, no more repeat artists. Maybe. At least for a while.

1982: As much as I would love to avoid being obvious here and not pick Michael Jackson’s Thriller, I really can’t . I distinctly recall sitting in my fourth grade classroom, not wearing a Michael Jackson shirt, and being in the minority. Like, 12 out of 20 kids had that shirt of him with the baby tiger. This was a strong year, as Prince’s 1999 and Duran Duran’s Rio were in the running as well. But who beats Thriller? Seriously?

1983: Pyromania by Def Leppard comes in second here, but there’s no doubt that U2’s War wins this year. And with this choice, I realize that 1987 is coming up soon and there’s no way that I avoid repeating another artist, as U2 will surely win that year as well. Shoot…am I really this narrow in my musical tastes?? Another repeat so soon? Anyhow, U2 takes it for much the same reason that Dylan took 1979.

1984: So here is my dilemma for 1984: Either I pick another U2 album (The Unforgettable Fire, which will ensure 3 U2 albums at least), or I look like an utter cheeseball. The reason? My other two choices would be 1984 by Van Halen or Reckless by Bryan Adams. Yeah, I know. But please don’t stop reading. Here’s the thing: Out of the songs on those albums, “Panama” by Van Halen is my favorite song. (How much love can one band have for a hat? I digress.) My problem is that everyone in Van Halen has always had such an ego (even by rock star standards) and I have a hard time choosing them just for that. Plus, their bass player has always sucked (So that Eddie could shine through even more: Ego, remember)…and I love good bass playing. So, I’m going to be true to my Canadian roots and pick Reckless by Bryan Adams. “Summer of ’69” was absolutely inescapable in my childhood, due to Canadian radio stations propensity to play Canadian artists’ music more. My music cred just took a huge hit, but there it is…

1985: I’m breaking the rules here, and choosing two albums for 1985. I’m going with Songs From The Big Chair by Tears for Fears as my first choice. Two of the benchmark “New Wave” hits of the 80’s in “Shout” and “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”. My second choice is Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits. I’m not sure either of these albums would have come out on top in any other year, but they’re both good, solid choices. I guess?

1986: Now in 1986 I’m faced with 4 choices that are all better than my two choices in 1985. Wow. I could go with Crowded House’s self-title album. For the hair-metal cheese factor, I could run Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi. My initial thought was that I would almost for sure go with Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys, and most people who know me well would have thought so too. But I’m not. My choice for 1986 is Raising Hell by Run-DMC. The duet with Aerosmith gets all the press for its groundbreaking fusion of rap and rock, but my preference is for “Peter Piper”, “My Adidas”, and especially “It’s Tricky”. Have no fear, Beastie fans, I can’t imagine getting through the 80’s and 90’s without picking at least one of their albums.

1987: The Joshua Tree by U2. End of story. Sorry, G n’ R, you might have taken any other year. But not the year that the best album ever was released. I can’t imagine any 4-song start to an album better than “Where The Streets Have No Name”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “With Or Without You”, and “Bullet The Blue Sky”. I just can’t. Ok, NOW I’m done picking repeat artists. Momentarily.

1988: The musicianship on Vivid by Living Colour is undeniably brilliant. My former band successfully played covers by Rage Against The Machine (not an easy thing to do), but the wheels completely came off when we tried “Cult of Personality”. If you play guitar, bass, or drums, just listen to that song carefully. It’s insane. I really believe the rise of rap music (and later grunge) derailed a potentially enormous career for these guys (They’ve done well, but I’m talking historically huge if rap and grunge hadn’t dominated the 90’s). The Travelling Wilburys Vol. 1 gets an honorable mention in this year.

1989: Another really, really difficult year. Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty is a strong choice, as is Disintegration by the Cure. However, this is where the Beastie Boys get their due with Paul’s Boutique. The Boys themselves get credit for the creative, often hilarious, rhymes. I’m not sure who gets credit for the ridiculous amount of samples contained in the album. Is it Mix Master Mike or the Beastie Boys or The Dust Brothers (producers) or is it a collaboration of all three? At any rate, it’s brilliant.

1990: Honorable mentions here go to They Might Be Giant’s Flood and Facelift by Alice in Chains (…which was released a year before Nirvana’s breakthrough Nevermind, you’ll note. “Man In The Box” was my intro to grunge, not “Smells Like Teen Spirit” ). However, my fave album from 1990 is Depeche Mode’s Violator. “Personal Jesus” is the most recognizable song on the album (and it’s great), but my personal favorite is “Policy of Truth”. The beat is more reminiscent of NIN than it is of the 80’s New Wave movement from which Depeche Mode emerged. Seriously…listen to “Policy of Truth” and imagine Trent Reznor covering it. It’s not a stretch.

1991: Nirvana’s Nevermind is the easiest choice here, and it certainly deserves all the attention that it gets. 90’s alternative rock is my fallback genre of choice, so it’s kind of surprising to myself that I’m not picking it here. In fact, 1991 is the most difficult year to pick so far. On top of Nirvana, I could easily choose Pearl Jam’s Ten, Metallica’s Black Album, Achtung Baby by U2 (I know, I know…), or Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden. Instead, I’m going with another important 90’s band. My favorite 1991 album is Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea is such a great bass player (leave it to him to make the ballady “Under The Bridge” one of the more difficult bass lines to learn. Aren’t ballads supposed to be easy for bass players?). I love Chad Smith’s drums (Check out the garbage can chorus on “Breaking The Girl”), John Frusciante has some very unique guitar playing, and Anthony Kiedis is a great front man. I still think this is their best album.

1992: I had to consider R.E.M.’s Automatic For The People and Stone Temple Pilot’s Core. However, I can’t ignore the raw power of the breakthrough album by one of my favorite bands musically: Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled debut. I say “musically” because I can’t say I agree with many (any?) of their revolutionary/communist lyrics. But I love the way Zach De La Rocha delivers them, shotgun-style. I’ll let Tom Morello’s amazing guitar playing speak for itself, but don’t sleep on bassist Tim Commerford. There’s more to bass playing than quick fingers. He always plays the right part, and more importantly he always has the right tone. I read an article that said he often makes his own effects pedals and such, just so he can get the perfect tone he hears in his head. You’d be amazed at how different RATM would sound with a different bass player who didn’t take such pride in his craft.

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OK, that's the first half of the list. I'll post '93 through '08 tomorrow.

Let me know what you think in the comments section. Even should you hurl insults and epithets, I won't change my mind (Well...maybe about '84 and '85, but not the others.)

Have a great weekend!

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