Muso's corner!

Three albums that changed my life.

I was having a shite the other day, and I knew I was going to be a while (big lunch) so I brought in my iPod and prepared for my sit in.
Whilst I was there, a few songs came on that made think, "jesus, what would my life be like if I had never heard that tune" and so on.
So I got to thinking, you should name 10 albums that changed your life and stick it up on the oul' blog - and I couldn't - but nearly instantly these three jumped up and said "me!, me!"

Graceland - Paul Simon.

I have a very early memory of me actually dancing around my living room to you can call me Al. I loved everything about that record, My da had bought it on vinyl and as I was only 6, I didn't really have any particular leanings on the whole music thing, but I was made up everytime he played this record, so made up infact, that I still have the 12" record and I've had 3 different copies of the CD because I play it so much.
The title track itself is my favorite song, but looking at it now, it's certainly the tribal african type rhythms and such that got me going as a kid.
Maybe I'm half pygmy?
I can honestly say, that with the exception of the other 2 albums on this list, there is not another album to step up to this - song for song it's incredible.
The funny thing is, as I grew up, I spent a good while convinced, that Paul Simon was the dude from Caddyshack!
(shame)
This record changed my life in the sense that I strongly believe it set me down the good path in terms of music, and music appreciation. I'm not saying I've never bought a bad album but this certainly set the bar for all my other music store purchases.

Appetite for Destruction - Guns n Roses.

Taken off me because of the throwaway use of the word "fuck" and the volume at which I played it, this album was my first step into teenage rebellion, (at the tender age of 9).
I will always remember gurning with delight when I heard Axl Rose shout "fuck off" during "it's so easy" and thinking the lyric "take me down to the paradise city , where the grass is green and the girls are pretty" was the banner with which I was going to live my life.
It's a weird thing as a 9/10 year old, knowing full well that your idols are totally on drugs and are named "the most dangerous band on the planet". And being ok with that at 9 years of age is amazing. Again, I bought 3 copies of this on tape - 1 being stolen by a def leppard fan in the schoolyard. (the cunt.) and 2 copies on CD, which I listen to still on a regular basis.
Appetite for Destruction also holds (for me) the best guitar solo of all time in "Sweet Child o' Mine".

And Finally - Small Change - Tom Waits.

Zoo Be Za Be Zee Be Za Be Zoo Be Zie Yay. Zoo Be Za Be Squeeze A Zay A zeed ee aye ay.

Introduced to me because of that line in the song "Pasties and a G-String". (thanks JK).
I borrowed the album off the big man, and whilst I don't think it's Toms best album, it set me on the road to getting into all of Waits' music.
In saying it's not his best work though, it is one of my favorite albums, Tom Trauberts blues is simply mind blowing as a song, and the title track itself is brilliant.
This sort of changed everything for me, I had been at a bit of a loss to be honest, throwing my weight behind bands like Spacehog/Supergrass and so, bands that will never really set the world alight, not knowing if the next album was going to suck eggs or not, however, upon being shown the body of work that Waits had accomplished at that stage and then his change over time from ragged troubadour to insane professor I quickly realised that whilst not wanting to become either of those two characters, I could certainly now, listen to music with old and new sounds and not bother with any other stuff.

Of course, I've been lucky enough to hear these albums at times in my life where I needed to hear them, other albums I've loved like Dire Straits communicado or the Police's Outlando's d'amour, but consistantly, throughout time, it's always come back to those three.

That's my lot!

Let me know if any albums have done that to you!

El Voyce.