Monthly Music PART II

[crankyoldman]

Alright, I realize I typically stick up AN ENTIRE MIX for the Monthly Music Post, and since I'm in a weird mood and I've whined enough, SECOND PART. Only now with more older stuff.

Basically, favorite albums from when I first started listening to music with words, which meant when I was about twelve. I was pretty stuck on classical until then. Because of that, I'm not including Vanessa-Mae's The Violin Player, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ, or whatever else I used to ease myself out of just instrumentals and movie soundtracks. Also, no Madonna, even though I liked her, because I didn't have any of her albums, I just watched her on MTV.

Yes, I was influence by pop radio at first, can't you tell?


Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen

Yes, I was pissed off a lot and hadn't discovered Industrial yet. I mean, JUNIOR HIGH. Who didn't just want to strangle people sometimes? Hush, you ALL did. Ben Folds understood this. Ben Folds also understood that I'd end up dating a gay guy named Stephen later in life and gave me the appropriate "oh god I hate my ex" song, as well as the perfect song for my friend G, who would come over to my house and complain about the girl he'd end up on and off date throughout the course of his puberty. Ben Folds knew my pain, and he used a piano. Ben Folds was deep and snarky. With the opening piano riff, my mom totally knew that I was going to be surly at dinner, and likely to start talking about rayguns (don't ask me how it's relevant, it IS). If Dr. Horrible doesn't own this album, then he's missing out.

Examples:
Smoke
Steven's Last Night in Town


Tal Bachman, Self-Titled

Most of you probably remember the song, "She's So High" from back in the late 90s. Well, I didn't actually like that song, but, I did however like Tal's voice, so I figured I'd check out the rest of his stuff. After some awkward internet searching (back when the internet WAS NOT USER FRIENDLY), I found some samples and decided I needed his album. Closest I came to the heart-throbby types (unless you count Ben Folds as a heartthrob, WHICH YOU SHOULD) at the time, because I kind of didn't like boy bands (even if my relatives bought me some... I'm afraid they died some awful deaths). Good mix of "aww, isn't that romantic" and "omg you're an awful bitch". SCHIZOPHRENIC.

Example:
I Wonder


Third Eye Blind, Self-Titled

Is it wrong to admit I never ever bought another album of theirs, or wanted to? To me, this album is perfect alt-rock. I loved (and still love) every. single. song. Which is rare. Nothing quite got the sense of ennui and angst and whatever else that these guys did at the time, and when I listen to them now, I get the feeling that if I just scream for a little bit, it'll all be ok. My favorite song was "Jumper", and inevitably when friends would be like, "hey, sing something!" because we were hopped up on sugar, I'd sing this one. That's when I realized I was just a tad morbid. But hey, that song was perfectly in my range, plus, it always stuck with me. Now this tends to be the song when the gang has all had a few beers and someone thinks it's hilarious to ask me to sing, I start singing it.

Example:
Jumper


Sheryl Crow, Self-Titled

Wow, lots of self-titleds in there. Never noticed that before. Anyway, I thought Sheryl Crow was like, So Hardkore, judging by the cover of this album. I didn't realize that she was really a lot more tame. Anyway, this is kind of the beginning of my obsession with female pop vocals (until Britney came along and kind of replaced sensuality with blow-up doll obviousness... sigh). This album was like a collection of stories, in a way, of crazy and low-down, and sometimes funny people. This is also the first album that got me writing (poetry, I hadn't worked up to stories yet). Particularly my "gritty" Iris Walker (ha ha, get it?) phase. Using alter-egos to tell stories is something I STILL enjoy in music/poems/whatever.

Example:
Maybe Angels


Natalie Imbruglia, Left of the Middle

Oh god, I had have the biggest crush on Natalie Imbruglia. She looked so unreal and she sounded like some kind of sprite to me. I was pretty sure she was some kind of fairy for the longest time. I was also crazy. This is an album I STILL find pretty good. There's some dance influence, a little jazz, a little rock. Her voice floats pretty well above a lot of random backup music. My favorites were "Leave Me Alone" and "Impressed". The former because it sounded like it was from an old movie, and the latter because it was great dancing around the room in your underwear music.

Examples:
Leave Me Alone
Impressed


Styx, Kilroy Was Here

My dad got this for me so I wouldn't keep stealing his CDs. What can I say about this album. Cheesy wonderful fun. I don't care if some of it is awful, I REALLY LOVED THIS. I was into dystopians from an early age, and this was pretty much about some paranoid anti-rock culture and robots, and Tommy singing REALLY FREAKING HIGH. I thought Genesis was still a little weird (I know, I WAS INSANE) so dad figured I'd like Styx, particularly that I'd get "Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)" (he even put it on my "going to college" mix CD... my family is great. I got my dad into Green Day and Evanescence, which may sound awful, but it's kind of charming). I particularly liked that this album had a song where I could shout "SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL!" reeeeeallly loudly too. Because I was clearly Hardkore.

Plus mom's taste in music was too hippie (except for Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" oh lord, I used to hijack dad's sound system to hear the part where the marching band came in...)

Sample:
Just Get Through This Night (there is something very comforting about this song, and a little slashy. hrm)

Honorable Mentions (mostly because they're not on my computer because my parents or sister stole them):
Meatloaf, Bat Out of Hell ("Would you give your throat to the wolf with the red roses?" Oh god, that STILL MAKES ME TINGLY, that bit. I didn't actually ever listen to the song that went with that, just the intro convo)
Jethro Tull, Thick As A Brick (the hippie music I DID like)
Aqua, Aquarium (WHO DIDN'T HAVE THIS?)
Chumbawamba, Self-Titled (ditto)
Savage Garden, Self-Titled (OMG THE GAY... HOW COULD I HAVE NOT KNOWN?)
R.E.M., Monster (very jangly and I liked that)

~Cendri

P.S.

1. that there, that's not me, I "How to Disappear Completely" - Radiohead
2. under blue moon I saw you"Killing Moon" - Echo and the Bunnymen taekwonangel
3. hello, hello, are you out there "Hello" - Poe taekwonangel
4. transformers, something evil's watching over you "The Tranformers (Theme)" - Lion
5. can't keep runnin' away, can't keep "Runnin'" - Visioneers
6. white on white translucent black capes "Bela Lugosi's Dead" - Nouvelle Vague
7. I know you just want to "Need to Say Goodbye" - VAST
8. won't you come see about me "Don't You (Forget About Me)" - Simple Minds
9. I think I smell a rat "I Think I Smell A Rat" - The White Stripes
10. hello baby got news for you "Backbitin' Woman" - Chubby Newsome
11. she's over there over there he "In Middle of the Night" - The Soviettes
12. I can't get this pressure point"Pressure Point" - The Zutons safety_caesars
13. the sirens are screaming and the "Bat Out of Hell" - Meatloaf
14. hey boy take a look at "Queer" - Garbage
15. everybody's gonna love today, love today "Love Today" - Mika taekwonangel
16. see the great white star over "New Killer Star" - David Bowie
17. you see the world through your "Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)" - Styx
18. white riot I wanna riot, white "White Riot" - The Clash safety_caesars
19. think of me as programmable soda "Programmable Soda" - Tori Amos
20. the more that we take, the "Love Is Not Enough" - NIN