the 25 bands who had an impact on my life are....

[Thorngrub]

~congrats strat-0 on your self-acquital-! Pull the book on them DAs and they never know what hit em.

~That writeup on The Strokes patten reminds me of my college days, when we'd drunkenly rabble rouse to THE REPLACEMENTS each time they staggered through town. I never have checked out the Strokes -- am only just now catching up with the White Stripes: Just got Elephant on vinyl for meself. 'Tis good.

~Nice inclusion of Eno, skvor. I finally completed (more or less) my 20-yr obsession with collecting all of his works, by having at long last found THURSDAY AFTERNOON in mint condition, last Thursday afternoon, in fact, in the used bins! Some hapless "music lover" must've felt shortchanged . . . Whereas lucky me, I finally get to own what I consider the HOLY GRAIL of my ambient collection.

[skvorisdeadsorta]

That record is really good. Man! What a score! Seriously, Patten....good write up. I have always been a champion of the Strokes myself.

[melon1]

Yeah, thorny. I was noticing that you hardly recorded any Eno fer me. But goshdarnshucks, I wouldn't want you to make me yet ANOTHER tape. I guess that album you posted is the one to start with. Or should I start with Another Green World?

[Thorngrub]

Melonius said:

Yeah, thorny. I was noticing that you hardly recorded any Eno fer me. But goshdarnshucks, I wouldn't want you to make me yet ANOTHER tape. I guess that album you posted is the one to start with. Or should I start with Another Green World?

Aw, man: that is the question, isn't it? Where to start with Eno. Heh heh.

My advice is to first divide Eno's catalogue into 2 categories: Alterna/pop and Ambient.

So, Thursday Afternoon is Ambient whereas Another Green World is one of his "gospel" (i.e, "first four") of Alterna/pop, or whatever you wanna call it.

Me, I'd start more or less chronologically -- or, at the very least, with one of the first four Gospels of Eno:

1.Here Come The Warm Jets -- His first album. Good as any place to start.
2.Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy -- 2nd album. Great, legendary stuff on here. The original version of "Third Uncle" - which many have covered since. And "Put a straw under baby" -- you'd get a kick out of this (I think...)
3.Another Green World (arguably Eno's "DSOTM") GREAT place to start, actually . . .
4.Before And AFter Science (arguably his greatest work...and the last of the first four gospels of Eno.

As for starting in on his ambient works . . . actually Melon, I'd save Thursday Afternoon until you've developed a healthy and sincere appetite for Eno's ambient works. I.E, I consider it an "Advanced" album -- not a "Beginners". I think you should work your way up to it. I'd start with one of the following earlier ambient works:

~Music For Airports. Absolute classic -- unrivalled to this day

~On Land ("Ambient 4") -- Essential

~Discreet Music --- The "definitive" Eno ; plus, it contains three Variations on Pachebel's Canon in D Major -- pieces which comprise the most unearthly beautiful music I've ever listened to

~Music For Films -- A good intro to Eno's ambient stuff. Variety of sounds and melodies on this one.

- - - - -

That being said, I honestly believe that ANYthing with the name "Brian Eno" as artist on it, is tantamount to having a certified stamp of genuine high quality craftsmanship. In other words, you just can't go wrong with any single one of eno's various works. However, you can certainly stumble across an obscure one which might not "do it" for you, off the bat. (Such as '93s "Neroli" -- his most minimalist ambient work next to Thursday Afternoon. I'd save those for if and when you become a "high level", advanced Enophile.

Happy hunting, Melon . . .

[Thorngrub]

Oh, another thing to keep in mind:


Some might like/appreciate his "alterna/pop" albums yet feel nothing towards his huge ambient catalogue.

Whereas someone else might totally dig on the ambient stuff, but turn their nose up at the first 4 alternative albums.

ME: Hell, I can't get enuff of EITHER~! It's 'All Good' as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to Eno.

[Thorngrub]

PLUS, Eno has collaborated with many artists on some essential recordings, not to be missed:


HEROES by David Bowie. This is, effectively, an Eno/Bowie album. Absolutely priceless.

LOW by David Bowie. Another Eno/Bowie effort. Priceless.

OUTSIDE by David Bowie. The 3rd Bowie/Eno release; highly overlooked album IMO, and a sonic masterpiece that sounds like the Smashing Pumpkins covering Bowie in a futuristic goth club in outer space. Totally amazing in every way, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

THE UGLY ONE WITH THE JEWELS and other stories by Laurie Anderson -- These are selections taken from "The Nerve Bible" tour, which I saw live - - - Laurie Anderson may be an "acquired taste" -- but this album is a soothing series of tone poems and little stories Laurie recites to a backdrop of distilled Eno ambience. Quite lovely and able to be appreciated by anyone who understands English.

NO PUSSYFOOTING by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno -- the first of 3 mandatory albums by these 2 audial wizards. Contains two songs: "the heavenly music corporation" on side one and "swastika girls" on side 2. You've never heard anything like it -- experimental electric guitar fusion ambience that reaches for the stars and makes it.

EVENING STAR by Fripp and Eno -- their 2nd album, released around 1974 or so. If you could bottle the light of one star low on the horizon and sell it, it would sound like this. Sheer beauty enough to raise goosebumps. I'm getting them now just thinking about it.

THE EQUATORIAL STARS by Fripp and Eno -- Just released last year -- 30 years waiting for this and believe me it's worth every penny and every second. If you could bottle starlight and sell it, this would be what it sounds like. The beauty this music represents to me is so off the scale, nothing I say could even come close to the genuine article. Perhaps my single most coveted recording at this time -- ahead of Thursday Afternoon, even.

ROXY MUSIC by Roxy Music (self titled, debut) -- Eno is on this, and it is a classic of modern rock pre-alternative music. ROXY MUSIC is one of the greatest bands that ever lived -- anyone can tell you that. Essential.

FOR YOUR PLEASURE by Roxy Music -- Their second album, and Eno's last with them. My favorite Roxy Music album, period. This one album outweighs an entire decade's worth of crappy modern pop shit music released anywhere throughout the 80's, 90's, till today. This is music made by REAL MEN, not lil boyz. (Also get Stranded and Country Life for examples of Roxy Music's height of decadence, even though Eno had left, in many ways Bryan Ferry and company elevated the band to it's supreme avatar of exemplary music with Stranded . . . must have music)



Yeah I'll make you another mixtape someday melon -- no worries

[Adam]

I'm a little too late on this thread, but better late than never. Great lists, by the way, everyone:

1. U2
Arguably the first band I paid full attention to. The Joshua Tree album is, to my memory, the first rock album I ever bought. A friend of mine in elementary, whom I never saw after 2nd grade, always remarked about the Rattle & Hum album, asking me if I had heard it. I didn't know what the hell he was talking about and felt a little dumb about it, too.

2. Metallica
...And Justice For All was in heavy rotation at the pool hall in my hometown. Not just "Blackened," "One," or the title track but the whole fucking thing. Then my friends can't get enough of them (this is just after the Load/Reload album period, so we're way behind) and I had to conform because I agreed. Heavy metal was so easier to accept after listening to these knuckleheads.

3. Nine Inch Nails - Bought The Downward Spiral a week before The Fragile was released. I timed it just right.

4. Smashing Pumpkins

A song on the 2nd disc of Mellon Collie owned me: Through The Eyes of Ruby. There was so much mystery, grandeur and intensity in that one song that I felt I needed more of it. And, eps and singles aside, I own all of what they released commercially. Not all bands leave a thirst unquenched for a long period of time and get a way with it.

5. Tool - Never before had deciphering a band's work been as rewarding as listening to it.

6. Pearl Jam - My Greatful Dead.

7. Sepultura
During my second job (which I had till college ended), I quickly made friends with another clerk in the meat dep. who was a heavy-metal fanatic. The unbearably intense pile-driving bands, like this one (and picks 8, 10 and 23) gave me windows to vent in a non-violent manner whenever school or work left me with feelings of discontent. While I'm still not ruling out world music (and I need to brush up on it), this is, for better or worse, my first taste of it. Totally primal and no filler at all, until Max Cavalera quit.

8. Slayer

I thought "NIN was just a warning sign. Surely listening to this would send me to Hell." Curiousity led to admiration (Reign In Blood is THE juggernaut) and possible damnation, but when you're pissed, this helps.

9. Radiohead

10. Pantera

Forget feeling better here. Vulgar Display of Power and Far From Driven makes me want to beat the shit out of someone.

11. Nirvana
12. Korn

Never in my wild imaginations would I imagine listening to them. It took an open mind and a longtime classmate to accept them while in college, not to mention the enthusiasims of one Thorngrub (or whatever variation of his name).

13. Meshuggah

Fucking unbelievable. I can't get my head around time signatures changed at the drop of a hat, gatling-gun riffs, and a singer whom I can't understand half the time. But there is something more important going on here, like a math equation only one or two people in the world could solve. This is intelligent metal by intelligent musicians operating on a plateau separate from everyone else. "It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma."

14. Opeth
15. Guns N Roses
16. Red Hot Chili Peppers
17. Pavement
18. Sonic Youth
19. Alice In Chains
20. Jane's Addiction
21. Massive Attack
22. Portishead
23. Deftones
24. Sigur Ros
25. System of a Down

[Rit]

13. Meshuggah

Fucking unbelievable. I can't get my head around time signatures changed at the drop of a hat, gatling-gun riffs, and a singer whom I can't understand half the time. But there is something more important going on here, like a math equation only one or two people in the world could solve. This is intelligent metal by intelligent musicians operating on a plateau separate from everyone else. "It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma."

hmm.
it's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma? and you call it intelligent, operating on a plateau different from everyone else?

hmm.

you need some Iggy Pop in your life, brother.

[maarts]

I'd listed Eno at number one in my list too but this is about bands.

I see music in my life as a nerve net intersecting, passing over and crossing underneath each other. My favourite bands are the crossroads from where all these various threads start off from. So many bands influence others, so many bands incorporate influences that I decided to check out, which lead to more crossroads and more paths to follow....

The bands that influenced me the most:

1. Dead Can Dance
I admire bands who subtract themselves from trodden paths and explore avenues withing the musical spectrum that usually are met with a lot of stoic indifference. The difference between their first, titleless album and Spleen And Ideal couldn't be bigger. Reviewers threw terms like 'mal-de-siecle', gothic splendour, ethereal beauty and such at this LP but outside all these melancholic references there was an album that just radiated. I had never heard something as beautiful as this before (close to it came It'll End In Tears by This Mortal Coil, which put me on the path of DCD).
On later albums the band used references to the works of Stravinsky, sacred litanies, Medieval/Italian, Asian and Arabian music. Their use of many unusual musical instruments like the y'ang t'chin, dulcimer, hurdy gurdy and tonnes of percussion as well as the combo of Brendan Perry's rich baritone over the wordless cantatas of the almost operatic schooled Lisa Gerrard make one hell of a strange, yet intoxicating combination. I started listening to anything from Arvo Part, Ravi Shankar to Orlando Di Lassus and Monteverdi. So much more to hear outside the pop/rock idiom. And this was the band who pointed me in all sorts of directions.



2. Joy Division
3. Pixies
4. The Smiths
5. Pink Floyd
6. Tangerine Dream
7. Talking Heads
8. My Bloody Valentine
9. U2
10. Porcupine Tree
11. Talk Talk
12. Nine Inch Nails
13. Kronos Quartet
14. Bopol
15. La Bottine Souriante

[pissin2]

Everyone needs to get up off their ass and go buy a fucking Bouncing Souls cd.

[maarts]

No thanks.
I'd rather get more Black Flag.

[Adam]

Rit said:

hmm.
it's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma? and you call it intelligent, operating on a plateau different from everyone else?

hmm.

you need some Iggy Pop in your life, brother.

He is, via 3 Stooges albums (Fun House is one of my top 10) and one of Pop's solo efforts, Lust For Life.
Why isn't he or that band on the list? Well, sticking to the rules, a lot of bands that have impacted my life existed well before my birth in 1980, including that one.

And I managed to quote a Joe Pesci line from JFK while in the throes (sic?) of describing my admiration ("It's a mystery..."etc.). That's my fault, but its there anyway.

[pissin2]

Black Flag is good too.

[RocDoc]

La Bottine!

[maarts]

Yeah, La Bottine...

Just for the sheer energy during live-concerts...
The perfect amalgamation of Celtic folklore, Michel Fugain Et Le Big Bazaar and everything a live-band should incorporate to bring a tent full of revellers down on their knees.

I love a whole variety of world music. There's a joy that's been brought in their performances that just eclipses rock music. Anything from Habib Koite, Orchestre National De Barbes, Bopol, Fanfare Ciocarla, Olla Vogala, Kodo, Huun-Huur Tu, Les Yeux Noirs, Ozomatli, Grupo Niche, Kanda Bongo Man or Trans-Global Underground/Natacha Atlas to Australia's own Cat Empire, they get you moving and really involved with the music.