You Could Be My Silver Springs, Blue-Green Colors Flashing, I Would Be Your Only Dream, Your Shining Autumn, Ocean Crashing
--"Silver Springs (cover)", Stacy Dupree
Recently Janet from The Art of Getting By sent me a note through Facebook on her "15 or More Important Albums". These weren't her favorite albums--just the ones she felt a strong connection to or the ones for which she has deeply attached memories.
Normally I don't involve myself in memes or lists one is meant to pass along, but when it comes to music putting a list together like that I thought would be a challenging exercise. I mean--much of my history like many people out there comes with a soundtrack attached. For me the only problem would be how to narrow it down to fifteen or so albums and coming up with reasons why these particular albums resonated with me.
Some of these picks are obvious, some not so obvious, but in their own different ways each one hold a piece of my history.
----
1. Legend - Bob Marley & The Wailers This is the one album I closely associate with DeAnn. It especially brings out memories of those three years when we were together as a couple and living out in Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana. I still can't listen to "No Woman, No Cry" without thinking of DeAnn.
2. Songs of Innocence and Experience - The Blake Babies True story--I bought this album for ninety-eight cents at the local Blockbuster Music before they closed down. Apparently, they had mispriced this album and were forced to sell it to me for the sticker price. I still consider the best album I've ever bought for under a dollar. It was the first album I could remember where I loved and not just liked every track. Every track speaks to me about different things and each track has a whole different sound than the previous one. If there's one album that encompasses the gamut of human emotion, this is it.
Plus, "Rain" is still one of my favorite tracks by anyone. If I ever make a movie "Rain" will be the track that I open it with, that's a promise.
3. Take-Offs & Landings - Rilo Kiley My favorite album by my all-time favorite band--how could it not be on the list? It wasn't the first Rilo Kiley album I ever bought and it certainly wasn't the first Rilo Kiley album I ever liked, but it's still my favorite. Great lyrics, great musicianship, and the delight of discovering a kick-ass band just coming into their own.
It was because of this album I started going to Rilo Kiley concerts. Without that the last six years would have turned out vastly different for me. I wouldn't have met all the people I've met because of Rilo Kiley and I would have travelled the country about half as much. Most of the new cities I've visited I went to go see Rilo Kiley and check out their baseball team.
And, yes, "Pictures of Success" is my still my favorite song of all-time.
4. Staring at the Sea - The Cure The first CD I ever bought. The Cure was the band I listened all through high school and I knew that when I bought my first CD player, this would be the album I would be getting first. I still play it every now and again because so many of my high school memories have a Cure song attached to them.
5. Rock Spectacle - Barenaked Ladies Tara's recommendation to me and a band that still holds up till now. "Jane" and "Life, In A Nutshell" are two songs I must have played a thousand times while she and I were together. "Jane" especially is a beautifully written song with lyrics that deeply affect me because they might as well have called that song, "Tara," because the lyrics still fit how I think of her... when I think of her.
6. Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown Ah, 7th and 8th grades at St. Rita's, where I went for elementary school and junior high. I listened to a lot of different music in those days, but for some reason the whole New Edition/Bobby Brown musicscape come to mind when I think of those days. Plus, I think this is where I think my affinity for R & B started from.
7. Pop! The First 20 Hits - Erasure This album reminds me of the time at USC, more specifically of the times hanging out with Dan and Peter whenever they were back in town. I really only have two periods in my life where I went to concerts all the time. One of them was the 2004-2008 when Rilo Kiley was touring all the time and the other was 1994-1998 when I would just travel all over Southern California with Dan, Peter, Tom, and some other guys from Crown Books.
Erasure still was my favorite concert of that time period, though.
8. Hi-Five - Hi-Five I must have sang this whole album to Breanne over the phone at one time or another. If you ever want to hear cheesy singing at its best just put this album on anywhere near me. I get downright unhearable when I'm belting this album out. You haven't lived until you've heard my rendition of "I Like The Way (Kissing Game)".
Of course, that all changes when I'm singing "I Can't Wait Another Minute" for or to her because that will always be our song. I don't know--when I think of love songs that's the song I think of. It's so heartfelt and true that I can't imagine anyone else coming up with a song that speaks directly about how it feels to be so lost in someone that you just can't stand it.
9. Their Greatest Hits: The Record - The Bee Gees
Breanne's favorite band so they're my adopted favorite band too. It's simple; I think Bee Gees, I think Breanne.
10. Blue - LeAnn Rimes The first country artist to get me to like country. Breanne tried for years to get me to warm up to country music, but I resisted. That is, until a little song called "Blue" stole my heart. I had never heard such pretty song tied to such a simple melody. It was all downhill from there.
I wouldn't say Country is my favorite style of music, but it's right up there with all the other genres I listen to.
11. She Like Electric - Smoosh After I went through my bankruptcy and period of unemployment, "But Now I Know" was the song that rang true for me. It's message that we all have to grow up sometime and that it's impossible to protect ourselves from being hurt every second of the day is one that I still reflect on to this day. A great song from this great album.
12. Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson There's a very specific period in my life where my brother Francis and I literally went to our cousins' house every week to spend the weekend or where they would spend the weekend at our house. For some reason I remember hearing a Debbie Gibson every time we rode there or every time we rode back. I don't know the year; I just know what was playing on the radio.
13. Biggest Bluest Hi Fi - Camera Obscura Camera Obscura are currently my second favorite band right now. And for good reason. Not only do I think of Tracyanne Campbell as one of the prettiest voices in music today, I also consider Camera Obscura to be the best working music group currently still playing music.
When I moved down to the South Bay this is the one group that I remember being a big part of it. Whether it was playing this record when I was looking for apartments or going to see them in L.A. within months of moving down here, Camera Obscura is the music that has pretty much defined my time in Harbor City and Long Beach.
14. Team Boo - Mates of State Toby's favorite group and the album that pretty much sold me on them. I'd heard of Mates of State for a few years, but I never had an opportunity to listen to them. Then Toby sent me this album with its delicious harmonies and almost whimsical lyrics, and I was hooked. Every time I listen to them I feel compelled to just sigh and let out a little, "Gosh," in honor of my youngest friend.
15. 50 Number Ones - George Strait Another country album and another doozy. This was the album that I got a good listen to when Breanne and I were in Chicago. In fact, I clearly remember "The Dance" as being one of the songs that I played the night we had the meeting room to ourselves at the Sheraton and danced for what seemed like ten hours.
Then I remember listening to it again when we were taking the L back to our hotel on one of our last nights in the city while she slept on my shoulder.
George Strait is a golden god among men and 50 Number Ones should be the soundtrack of everyone's life. For a week there I know it was mine and my friend's.
Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers
Recently Janet from The Art of Getting By sent me a note through Facebook on her "15 or More Important Albums". These weren't her favorite albums--just the ones she felt a strong connection to or the ones for which she has deeply attached memories. Normally I don't involve myself in memes or lists one is meant to pass along, but when it comes to music putting a list together like that I thought would be a challenging exercise. I mean--much of my history like many people out there comes with a soundtrack attached. For me the only problem would be how to narrow it down to fifteen or so albums and coming up with reasons why these particular albums resonated with me.
Some of these picks are obvious, some not so obvious, but in their own different ways each one hold a piece of my history.
----
1. Legend - Bob Marley & The Wailers This is the one album I closely associate with DeAnn. It especially brings out memories of those three years when we were together as a couple and living out in Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana. I still can't listen to "No Woman, No Cry" without thinking of DeAnn.
2. Songs of Innocence and Experience - The Blake Babies True story--I bought this album for ninety-eight cents at the local Blockbuster Music before they closed down. Apparently, they had mispriced this album and were forced to sell it to me for the sticker price. I still consider the best album I've ever bought for under a dollar. It was the first album I could remember where I loved and not just liked every track. Every track speaks to me about different things and each track has a whole different sound than the previous one. If there's one album that encompasses the gamut of human emotion, this is it.
Plus, "Rain" is still one of my favorite tracks by anyone. If I ever make a movie "Rain" will be the track that I open it with, that's a promise.
3. Take-Offs & Landings - Rilo Kiley My favorite album by my all-time favorite band--how could it not be on the list? It wasn't the first Rilo Kiley album I ever bought and it certainly wasn't the first Rilo Kiley album I ever liked, but it's still my favorite. Great lyrics, great musicianship, and the delight of discovering a kick-ass band just coming into their own.
It was because of this album I started going to Rilo Kiley concerts. Without that the last six years would have turned out vastly different for me. I wouldn't have met all the people I've met because of Rilo Kiley and I would have travelled the country about half as much. Most of the new cities I've visited I went to go see Rilo Kiley and check out their baseball team.
And, yes, "Pictures of Success" is my still my favorite song of all-time.
4. Staring at the Sea - The Cure The first CD I ever bought. The Cure was the band I listened all through high school and I knew that when I bought my first CD player, this would be the album I would be getting first. I still play it every now and again because so many of my high school memories have a Cure song attached to them.
5. Rock Spectacle - Barenaked Ladies Tara's recommendation to me and a band that still holds up till now. "Jane" and "Life, In A Nutshell" are two songs I must have played a thousand times while she and I were together. "Jane" especially is a beautifully written song with lyrics that deeply affect me because they might as well have called that song, "Tara," because the lyrics still fit how I think of her... when I think of her.
6. Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown Ah, 7th and 8th grades at St. Rita's, where I went for elementary school and junior high. I listened to a lot of different music in those days, but for some reason the whole New Edition/Bobby Brown musicscape come to mind when I think of those days. Plus, I think this is where I think my affinity for R & B started from.
7. Pop! The First 20 Hits - Erasure This album reminds me of the time at USC, more specifically of the times hanging out with Dan and Peter whenever they were back in town. I really only have two periods in my life where I went to concerts all the time. One of them was the 2004-2008 when Rilo Kiley was touring all the time and the other was 1994-1998 when I would just travel all over Southern California with Dan, Peter, Tom, and some other guys from Crown Books.
Erasure still was my favorite concert of that time period, though.
8. Hi-Five - Hi-Five I must have sang this whole album to Breanne over the phone at one time or another. If you ever want to hear cheesy singing at its best just put this album on anywhere near me. I get downright unhearable when I'm belting this album out. You haven't lived until you've heard my rendition of "I Like The Way (Kissing Game)".
Of course, that all changes when I'm singing "I Can't Wait Another Minute" for or to her because that will always be our song. I don't know--when I think of love songs that's the song I think of. It's so heartfelt and true that I can't imagine anyone else coming up with a song that speaks directly about how it feels to be so lost in someone that you just can't stand it.
9. Their Greatest Hits: The Record - The Bee Gees
Breanne's favorite band so they're my adopted favorite band too. It's simple; I think Bee Gees, I think Breanne.
10. Blue - LeAnn Rimes The first country artist to get me to like country. Breanne tried for years to get me to warm up to country music, but I resisted. That is, until a little song called "Blue" stole my heart. I had never heard such pretty song tied to such a simple melody. It was all downhill from there.
I wouldn't say Country is my favorite style of music, but it's right up there with all the other genres I listen to.
11. She Like Electric - Smoosh After I went through my bankruptcy and period of unemployment, "But Now I Know" was the song that rang true for me. It's message that we all have to grow up sometime and that it's impossible to protect ourselves from being hurt every second of the day is one that I still reflect on to this day. A great song from this great album.
12. Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson There's a very specific period in my life where my brother Francis and I literally went to our cousins' house every week to spend the weekend or where they would spend the weekend at our house. For some reason I remember hearing a Debbie Gibson every time we rode there or every time we rode back. I don't know the year; I just know what was playing on the radio.
13. Biggest Bluest Hi Fi - Camera Obscura Camera Obscura are currently my second favorite band right now. And for good reason. Not only do I think of Tracyanne Campbell as one of the prettiest voices in music today, I also consider Camera Obscura to be the best working music group currently still playing music.
When I moved down to the South Bay this is the one group that I remember being a big part of it. Whether it was playing this record when I was looking for apartments or going to see them in L.A. within months of moving down here, Camera Obscura is the music that has pretty much defined my time in Harbor City and Long Beach.
14. Team Boo - Mates of State Toby's favorite group and the album that pretty much sold me on them. I'd heard of Mates of State for a few years, but I never had an opportunity to listen to them. Then Toby sent me this album with its delicious harmonies and almost whimsical lyrics, and I was hooked. Every time I listen to them I feel compelled to just sigh and let out a little, "Gosh," in honor of my youngest friend.
15. 50 Number Ones - George Strait Another country album and another doozy. This was the album that I got a good listen to when Breanne and I were in Chicago. In fact, I clearly remember "The Dance" as being one of the songs that I played the night we had the meeting room to ourselves at the Sheraton and danced for what seemed like ten hours.
Then I remember listening to it again when we were taking the L back to our hotel on one of our last nights in the city while she slept on my shoulder.
George Strait is a golden god among men and 50 Number Ones should be the soundtrack of everyone's life. For a week there I know it was mine and my friend's.
Yours Swimmingly,
mojo shivers
Labels: anecdotes, influences, Memories, music, Stacy Dupree
posted by mojo shivers @ 2:35 AM
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