I got tagged by my high school pal Linda in a meme. Since I’ve been suffering from writers-slash-motivation block lately, I figured why not?
The rules: Don’t take too long to think about it – choose fifteen albums you’ve heard that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag fifteen friends, including me, because I’m interested in seeing what albums my friends choose. (To do this, go to your Notes tab on your profile page, paste rules in a new note, make your fifteen picks, and tag those friends you want to hear back from.)
*cracks knuckles* All right, let’s see.
I get into these phases where I can listen to various music, but I wind up always coming back to the same album over and over and over again. Here are the ones I can remember off the top of my head:
U2—Achtung Baby
This was one of several high school soundtrack albums. Some of them were albums I listened to because others did, but this was one that I genuinely liked. And I drove four hours to Pittsburg to see them in concert at Three Rivers Stadium. Granted, the seats were so far away we needed binoculars, but whatevs.
Johnny Clegg & Savuka—Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World
Another high school album. I found Johnny Clegg in Spain, but then I discovered the secret underground of white people who enjoy activist music recorded by artists who live in places with real problems. We would sit around and commiserate about the problems of faraway places together and congratulate ourselves on being Involved. I’ve seen Clegg twice—once in Columbus, once in DC. He puts on an awesome show. And “Dela” is an under appreciated classic song on the early 90s as far as I’m concerned.
Roxette—Joyride
Powerpop for the masses. Brings me right back to 1990. Say what you will, but it’s a well-crafted album that has stood up well over time.
Peter Gabriel—Us and So
Peter Gabriel is a classic. Honestly, what’s not to love? The summer before I went away to college, I saw the Us tour at Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland. Still one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.
Sarah McLachlan—Fumbling Toward Ecstacy
College soundtrack album #1. As far as I’m concerned it’s pretty much the pinnacle of Sarah’s career. I’ve seen Sarah a couple of times, too.
James—Laid
When I was living in DC, every so often in the summer months we would pile into Frankie’s car and drive over to the beach in Delaware, and it was always James. Always. I have fond memories. Saw them at the 9:30 Club in DC. I was so ill I don’t remember most of the show.
Concrete Blond—Recollection
I know I’m probably cheating by listing a greatest hits album, but this was honestly the only Concrete Blond album I owned until the age of Napster. This one was a constant companion in my young professional years in DC and then in grad school, and I still put it on every once in a while.
Nacho Cano—Un mundo separado por el mismo dios
Ignacio “Nacho” Cano is one third of the (now former) Spanish supergroup Mecano, probably the most widely known face of the Madrileño movement. I was introduced to them on a high school trip to Spain in 1990. Nacho put out a couple of really experimental albums, the first of which was the entirely instrumental Un mundo separado por el mismo dios (A world separated by the same god). I remember it because it was one of the albums that I played over and over again while writing my master’s thesis—it had no words to distract, and really helped me focus. I don’t think I could name a single song off of it.
Dido—No Angel
Her first and best album, before anyone knew who she was. Another grad school album. Saw her at La Zona Rosa here in Austin before she took off for a much less interesting career.
Crowded House—Recurring Dream
Another album that I listened to a lot in grad school. A lot. I got to see them at ACL a couple of years ago. I don’t think Ray was as into it as I was.
Per Gessle—Mazarin
Per Gessle is probably best known as “the guy from Roxette.” I got this album on import from Sweden and took it with me on The Big Trip in 2003: 8 cities in 5 countries on 3 continents in 19 days. It helped keep me sane. It’s a bit dated now, but I still like a few of the tracks that aren’t overplayed in my head.
Eros Ramazzotti—9
I found this one a few years ago on one of those legal music sharing sites that doesn’t exist anymore. It just fits—even though I don’t really understand Italian, I really like it.
Imogen Heap—Speak for Yourself
Ray likes stuff that’s more experimental than I do, and he found Frou Frou early on. I wasn’t that drawn by Frou Frou, but when Imogen Heap went out on her own, I found Speak for Yourself more approachable and I really like it. We’ve seen her twice, and she’s incredible live. I wasn’t that impressed by her follow-up, Eclipse—I don’t actually think I’ve listened to the whole thing in one go—but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
La Oreja de Van Gogh—Lo que te conté mientras te hacías la dormida
I found La Oreja de Van Gogh through Eros Ramazzotti’s greatest hits album (he did a duet of one of my favorite songs of his with LOVG’s then-lead singer Amaia Montero). Although I have their greatest hits, too, it turns out that most of my favorites are all off of this album (the title means “Things I told you while you were sleeping”). Another one I can just put on replay over and over and over …
And that’s it. I don’t believe in tagging others, so if you want to do it, do it. If not — well, there ya be.
