15 Albums That Shaped My Life Part 2

Wrapping up my musical influences as I saw them in 2009

Sep 27, 2023

woman laying on bed near gray radio — Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

In part 2 of the 15 Albums That Shaped My Life, one of those Facebook list challenges from the late aughts (or noughties for those across the pond), I share the eight albums that rounded out my list when I compiled it in 2009. Once again, to preserve the posterity of my initial thoughts, my comments are reproduced verbatim from the original source. A final reminder: the albums are listed in the order in which I was introduced to them, not chronologically by release date (and certainly not ranked).

I’ll be following up at some point with a final article including my observations on the list, whether the albums have stood the test of time and still resonate with me, and whether I’d add anything else to the list or, god forbid, remove something!!

Here’s the brief again: "Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that, no matter what they were thought of musically, shaped your world. When you finish, tag 15 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it."

In the now infamous (and much loved in our household) words of Joury Raaphorst: “Okay, let’s go!!”

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Barenaked Ladies - The Yellow Tape (1991)

I was disappointed when I first saw these guys in September '89. As a heavily-under-the-influence freshman during Frosh Week I saw a sign on campus advertising "Bare Naked Ladies", which certainly sounded appealing. Needless to say, it was not what I expected. In fact, I have no recollection of what they sounded like (or how long I even stayed at the show). What I do remember is how phenomenal their third indie tape release was. They spent $2,000 to $3,000 on this demo tape and sold it at shows after being unable to garner any studio support. It went on to become the first indie release by any band to achieve platinum status in Canada. Only 5 tracks, but a real cracker of a quick listen. Love their version of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" with Jim Creeggan banging on that standup bass. Four of the five songs found their way onto their first full-length "Gordon" which I was pretty close to putting on this list. But The Yellow Tape was what started it for me - I just wish their later albums had been better.

Counting Crows - August & Everything After (1993)

University days - this album brings back a ton of memories and emotions of what was going on in my life at the time. I thought this was a spectacular album from start to finish and it has stood the test of time. Unfortunately for the Counting Crows their first effort was, by far, their best and (in my opinion) only good album. For me, there's really not a bad track on this album and it's one of those discs that's a very easy full length listen.

Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (1994)

Another interesting time in my life - there was a brief period (a year or two) in the early 90's when Cablevision carried a music video channel called "The Box", which played a weird and wonderful selection of all genres of music. A lot of less-than-mainstream stuff showed up on there (Henry Rollins, Whale and Skunk Anansie spring to mind). "Undone - The Sweater Song" saw some decent exposure on "The Box" and I immediately went out and bought the album. A phenomenal debut and quite different than what was out at the time. I was pretty disappointed when they disbanded after the first album and a couple members went on to form The Rentals (which are still around in some form). Well they (most of the members) did get back together and have released some pretty decent albums (enjoyed a fair bit of Pinkerton) but for me this is their best.

Portishead - Dummy (1994)

Trip Hop, Downtempo, Chillout. Whatever you choose to call it, this intro to what was coming out of Bristol at the time, opened a whole new universe of music for me. There are at least 3-4 dozen albums in my collection that would likely not be there if I hadn't heard this album. Certainly one of the most influential albums of the 90s.

Ani DiFranco - Dilate (1996)

While I had been aware of bits and pieces of Ani's music through the early 90's, this was her first album I owned. "Napoleon" was featured in a CMJ New Music Monthly Sampler and I quickly went out and grabbed the album. I wasn't disappointed and shortly thereafter had her 7 previous albums. A very talented poet and songwriter, strong feminist, very political and not afraid to keep it real. I can only describe her as frenetic and manic onstage - her concert in Albany, NY in March 1999 is one of my top 5 concerts. haven't kept up with her recently (probably not much this decade) which is a shame because I really enjoy her music and was enjoying her stylistic evolution. Note to self: download some of her recent albums.

VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theatre (1998)

I knew I was going to buy this album before I ever heard it - I saw the poster in a San Francisco music shop and said to myself, " don't know what this will sound like but I know I'II love it". After listening to it I knew that Tina would probably love it even more (and she did). Wow, what an incredible album - so many influences in here. If you haven't heard of this guy (essentially a one-man band), do yourself a favour and give this album a listen and also try the later album Nude (avoid Music for People). Rich textured walls of sound, layered with diverse instrumentation, chants, industrial backdrops and fantastic vocals.

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)

Although this album hasn't stood the test of time as much as I thought it would, it's certainly still a great listen. It was very influential in my listening habits and led to a whole batch of numetal on the CD shelves - Incubus, Sevendust, Disturbed, Godsmack, Chevelle, Staind, Puddle of Mudd and a bunch more in the collection are there due, in large part, to LP. In fact, Hybrid Theory opened me up generally to harder and heavier music in rock, rap and hip hop overall.

Scott Walker - Scott 4 (1969)

Only heard this for the first time a couple years ago - one of the tracks appeared on Air's iteration of the phenomenal compilation series Late Night Tales. This guy has a very interesting story - born in Ohio as Noel Scott Engel he had some solo albums in the States and then found success in The Walker Brothers who were apparently huge in Britain. After the band's breakup in 1967 he had 4 albums (Scott 1 thru 4) in rapid succession. This album, while the least commercially successful of the four, is by far the best. I'll admit, it's a guilty pleasure - that syrupy baritone crooning out melancholic easy listening tunes - but I'm not alone in my admiration. In a recent documentary Eno, Sting, Allison Goldfrapp, Johnny Marr, Jarvis Cocker, and members of Radiohead revealed how Walker's music inspired them. He was essentially a recluse for much of the 80's but has had a few (kind of scary) experimental type albums since the mid 90's.

And here’s the full list:

The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
Men at Work - Business as Usual (1981)
The Cure - Japanese Whispers (1983)
The Lover Speaks - The Lover Speaks (1986)
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)
Bob Marley - Chances Are (1981)
Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said (1991)
Barenaked Ladies - The Yellow Tape (1991)
Counting Crows - August & Everything After (1993)
Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (1994)
Portishead - Dummy (1994)
Ani DiFranco - Dilate (1996)
VAST - Visual Audio Sensory Theatre (1998)
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)
Scott Walker - Scott 4 (1969)

And a Spotify playlist (my first in the JITJ Playlist Series!!)

Please drop a comment and let me know what you thought of my selections. Let me know a few albums that would be on your list (or go crazy and throw out the full 15!!)

Until next time, happy listening!

Joy in the Journey