Personal Top 10: my most listened to, most influenced by records

vaporlanes · 2022-06-15T10:47:25.111Z

Interesting note (for me anyway): in the process of making this top 10 list and listening to standout songs from each album in a playlist, I’m coming to realize that my own music doesn’t sound at all like any of my most influential albums/artists. I’m no sure what to do with that information. Since I was a teen I always really prioritized finding “my own voice” creatively and working within that. I’m still not sure I’ve totally succeeded (it’s incredibly hard to be unique and original when there’s such a sheer mass of music of all kinds out there, and at a certain point if you overprioritize uniqueness it becomes an affect rather than your true self). Charitably, I could say that I took various inspirations and admiration of elements from each of my favorite artists and synthesized them in the service of expressing something unique to myself without ever copying or being derivative. Uncharitably, you could say that my talent and work ethic are SO far below my favorite artists and the sweat / mental effort that they put into their peak records, that I couldn’t even try to get close - derivative would’ve been an improvement on where I’ve landed, lol. I like to think that good music is (to some extent) less about the time and discipline you put in, and more about things like your outlook on life, how you think critically about music/sound, the sense of energy you bring in, and what you’ve decided your approach will be. But on the other hand if someone leveled that criticism at me, I’d be like “sure, no doubt, ADHD gonna ADHD; also as the child of broke but hardworking Asian immigrants, I was pushed toward and eventually chose a cushy career with actual money over the scary chasm of not having a full-time job and going fully into prioritizing personal creative work, for better or for worse, and most days I think it’s probably been the right choice because ain’t no trust fund or support network here, and ain’t no money in pretentious noise twaddle”

bambrose · 2022-06-15T11:18:33.466Z

No way (you were at same event) that’s quite a conincidence mental

I don’t want to hear it (the recording)
And I ignored when they toured again because
My memory of that gig is just perfect. I couldn’t believe that they could reproduce the record perfectly . I was Absolutely gobsmacked

They were so good… saw them a year or so later when they returned got another tour and they were amazing then too

But i really don’t want to revisit now…some things are best left where they are… sealed in aspic or whatever.

eocyte · 2022-06-15T11:18:50.009Z

Very similar taste in music .

Struggle · 2022-06-15T12:01:30.895Z

Manuel Gottsching - E2-E4
New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies
Steve Hillage - Rainbow Dome Musick
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Eno - Another Green World
Beatles - Abbey Road
Kraftwerk - Computerwelt
Global Communications - 76:14
Larry Heard - Sceneries Not Sounds
Detroit Escalator Co - Black Buildings

NeonMelk · 2022-06-15T14:33:40.881Z

Wolf-Rami:

Rollins Band - The End Of Silence

Best record for Christmas family reunion, birthday parties and first dates.

Dataflu · 2022-06-15T14:52:35.171Z

Aphex Twin - Drukqs
Autechre - Untilted
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
Faith No More - Angel Dust
Herbie Hancock - Head Hunter
Mils Davis - Kind of Blue
Mr Bungle - Mr Bungle
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy
Voivod - Nothingface

Wolf-Rami · 2022-06-15T14:56:11.433Z

Saved by the bell. I read the list through one by one and thought ”Well these are all kinda ok albums. I like most of them too.”

But then came the crescendo and the climax. Voivod’s Nothingface. Can’t even remember any of the other albums mentioned before it. That is one perfect ten out of ten album and for that reason I give your whole list full points.

Wolf-Rami · 2022-06-15T14:57:23.573Z

To be fair Nation Of Millions was my first hiphop album ever and would still qualify as the most important album in that genre ever.

Dataflu · 2022-06-15T14:59:57.621Z

The order is alphabetic
I’m glad that my list touched you

Dataflu · 2022-06-15T15:02:47.719Z

Nation Of Millions was my first sonic choc. Like, I didn’t knew something like that could exist.

ammanuel · 2022-06-15T15:08:24.125Z

I had the tape.

NeonMelk · 2022-06-15T15:20:26.883Z

This one and (especially) “Fear of a black planet” sonic experiences are like having two brains to sync without manuals.

Sherelle · 2022-06-16T03:26:21.113Z

Jon B./Bonafide
Jon B./Cool Relax
Ohio Players/Gold
Earth Wind & Fire/Gratitude
Earth Wind & Fire/Spirit
Rufus Ft. Chaka Khan/Rufus Ft. Chaka Khan
Jean Luc Ponty/Civilized Evil
Stevie Wonder/The Definitive Collection
Adele/25
Aretha Franklin/GreatestHits

Clancy · 2022-06-16T14:30:50.238Z

Can’t do the list. Too personal!

But these two Public Enemy tracks changed everything

M.P.E.
Public Enemy No.1

Tchu · 2022-06-16T21:51:01.107Z

Omission from my list : Elvis Presley.

MurkyFreddery · 2022-06-21T14:09:04.530Z

This is so hard! And it changes with the wind. If I was jetting off to a desert island tomorrow, I’d maybe pack these:

New Order - Closer
Kleiber - Beethoven’s 5th
Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Buena Vista Social Club - ST
The Meters - ST
Bob Marley - Exodus
Black Sabbath - ST
Seahorses - Do It Yourself
Pixies - Doolittle
Verve - A Storm In Heaven

EDIT: Just realised that’s 11. You can take the Meters, but you’ll have to fight me for it.

Claid · 2022-06-21T14:29:41.276Z

The Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium
Faith No More: King for a Day
Rob Dougan: Furious Angels
Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1
Skee Mask: Compro
Between the Buried and Me: Colors
Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma
Devon Townsend: Ziltoid the Omniscient
Jaga Jazzist: What We Must
Biosphere: Substrata

So many more amazing albums that didn’t make it to the top 10:

MF DOOM: MM… FOOD
King Gizz: Nonagon Infinity
Tera Melos: Patagonian Rats
Weather Report: Heavy Weather
Alice in Chains: Dirt
Porcupine Tree: In Absentia
Kamasi Washington: The Epic
Gang Gang Dance: Eye Contact
Mouse on the Keys: An Anxious Object
Red Sparowes: Every Red Heart Shines…
Ween: The Mollusc
Hidden Orchestra: Archipelago

Hans_Olo · 2022-06-22T13:44:25.334Z

Manuel Göttsching - E2E4
Various Artists - Headz 2 (Mo’ Wax)
Level 42 - Running in the family
Nightmares on Wax - Smokers Delight
Talk Talk - It’s my life
Joy Division - Closer
Various Artists - SOMA:50
Carl Craig - More songs about food and revolutionary art
Various Artists - Totally Wired (Acid Jazz)
The Style Council - Café bleu

Python · 2022-06-22T15:09:08.265Z

There was a time when I listened to nothing but De-Loused in the Comatorium. I’d definitely also put it on my top 10 if I ever get around to trim the list down to only 10.
The Mars Volta are back together and also dropped their first single in 10 years yesterday (and its really good). Didn’t expect that, I thought they were done for good. Exciting times!

Claid · 2022-06-22T15:30:13.366Z

Same here, once I heard De-Loused it spoiled all other music forever. If you’re a bit obsessive like me, you can spend years deciphering the lyrics.