My 25 "significant" albums

BigLicks67

TTony said:

The walls of my new office were looking rather bare, and so I did a couple of canvases of "things" that meant something to me.

One was guitar-related, and another was music (CD) related.

A 5x5 matrix of album covers that have been "significant" to me during my life in one way or another.  Not my "best" or "favourite" albums, not even the ones that I play most often, and certainly not anything that wins trendy or cool points, but probably my "desert island" albums.  It's the music that has most meaning for me.

Each one has a significance, a whole series of memories, for different events in my life that I now see as significant.

Having done that, I thought that perhaps we get too caught up in what's technically good, what's popular, what the critics say we should be listening too, and none of that is really the point of music.

The point should be what it means to us, individually.

Just thought I'd share, but not sure why!

Nice to see Gladsome, Humour & Blue on there. 

BigLicks67

I can whittle it down to 4 most significant albums.

In order :  

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Van Morrison - Into the Music
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
Wilco - Being There

TTony

You must have played those 4 a lot @biglicks67!

Gladsome was the album that really got me into Martin Stephenson, although Wholly Humble Heart was the track that did it.  I'd heard that on a compilation album (Rainbow Warriors IIRC) and then hunted out Martin Stephenson to hear some more.

BigLicks67

TTony said:

You must have played those 4 a lot @biglicks67!

Gladsome was the album that really got me into Martin Stephenson, although Wholly Humble Heart was the track that did it.  I'd heard that on a compilation album (Rainbow Warriors IIRC) and then hunted out Martin Stephenson to hear some more.

Yep, I particularly love the feel of side 2 of that album. I remember seeing them at the Ritz in Manchester and thinking Martin Stephenson would give Tom Waits a run for his money as an in between songs raconteur.

Philly_Q

TTony said:

Gladsome was the album that really got me into Martin Stephenson, although Wholly Humble Heart was the track that did it.  I'd heard that on a compilation album (Rainbow Warriors IIRC) and then hunted out Martin Stephenson to hear some more.

Apropos of nothing much, I didn't recognise that album but when you mentioned Martin Stephenson... I only know the name because I saw him and the Daintees acting as support, and then backing band, for Roy Buchanan many years ago.

TTony

For anyone still thinking about creating a  real canvas from their image compilations, my-picture.co.uk are running an 80% off offer atm, which means a 100cm x 75cm canvas for £20. 

Which seems cheaper than a cheap thing.

Neill

TTony said:

The walls of my new office were looking rather bare, and so I did a couple of canvases of "things" that meant something to me.

One was guitar-related, and another was music (CD) related.

A 5x5 matrix of album covers that have been "significant" to me during my life in one way or another.  Not my "best" or "favourite" albums, not even the ones that I play most often, and certainly not anything that wins trendy or cool points, but probably my "desert island" albums.  It's the music that has most meaning for me.

Each one has a significance, a whole series of memories, for different events in my life that I now see as significant.

Having done that, I thought that perhaps we get too caught up in what's technically good, what's popular, what the critics say we should be listening too, and none of that is really the point of music.

The point should be what it means to us, individually.

Just thought I'd share, but not sure why!

This is something I think more about as I get older, I wonder sometimes if we ever enjoy music just for its own sake.  What I mean is that if you take something out of its time and place context, does it have the same emotional power?  In a lot of cases the effect is very subtle, in others it will be fundamental, but your reaction to a piece of music is always coloured by where you were, who you were with, what you were doing, what mood you were in what drink/drugs you were taking... etc etc, at the time. 

This of course is the reason why when someone raves about a particular band and you just don't get it.  And the same reason why you feel embarrassed about some of your musical tastes from the past. (Steeleye Span anyone..?)  

There's at least two of your choices that would be on my own canvas, - "On the Level" and "Secret Combination".  Aside from Randy Crawford's voice, has there even been a better bass line, or a guitar solo for that matter, than on "You Might need Somebody"?  

Winny_Pooh

richardhomer said:

Right, I’ll have a go:

67-70 ‘Blue’ album - The Beatles
Rubber Soul - The Beatles
Naturally - J J Cale
Five - J J Cale
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Communique - Dire Straits
461 Ocean Boulevard - Eric Clapton
No Reason to Cry - Eric Clapton
Frampton Comes Alive - Peter Frampton
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Grace and Danger - John Martyn
One World - John Martyn
Sunday’s Child - John Martyn
Moonflower - Santana
Daring Adventure - Richard Thompson
Across a Crowded Room - Richard Thompson
A Walk Across the Rooftops - The Blue Nile
Hats - The Blue Nile
Rattlesnakes - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
The Colour of Spring - Talk Talk
The Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk
So - Peter Gabriel
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
Hejiera - Joni Mitchell
Gaucho - Steely Dan

For a list of things that ignore the 1990's & 2000's it's pretty good.