I can relate to the overly neurotic protagonist, Rob. His self appointed music geekdom helps him to assess his past relationships while comparing and contrasting them to various music. He makes lists. I would be lying if I said that I do not partake in the same obsessive activity. Music lists help to lay it all out, they seem to make life more understandable. I guess.
I think it was accurately described by Courtney E. Smith in the first chapter of her book Record Collecting for Girls titled ‘Top Five Lists’ when she says:
“Music nerds everywhere delight in making Top Five Lists of obvious, obtuse, and obscure records tailored to every categorization of music you could possibly imagine. I am one of those nerds.”
When I say “obsessive activity”, I really do mean obsessive. Obsessive to the extent that once one begins crafting the aforementioned lists it seems nearly impossible to stop; top 5 songs for driving, top 5 albums that remind me of my high school experience, top 5 albums for the fall… obsessive.
True to Rob form, I have compiled many Top 5 lists. Here is my Top 5 Albums list. It has taken me many hours to create and has been revised many a time, and will be revised many more I’m sure. But for now, I think I have settled on the Top 5 best, most significant albums… to me at least. This week.
5. The Beatles, Abbey Road (1969)
Despite the tension within the band, the Beatles were able to create an important album that the world needed to hear. Although they were having different ideals of where they thought the music should go, a real message was still able to prevail from their slow demise. The A side and B side are two completely different feels. Where side A was a raw and unabashedly honest ebb and flow including a look into where the Beatles stood both politically and as a band, Side B offers the best post exasperated sigh. Side B starts off with the light ‘Here Comes to the Sun’, and moves into the perfection of ‘Because’. It is an excellent explanation to an almost confusing side A. This album, in my opinion displays the Beatles at their best. Plus, Ringo had his time to shine with ‘Octopus’s Garden’. Which to this day is probably still his greatest success.
4. The Black Keys, Rubber Factory (2004)
Chosing a favorite Black Keys album is like picking a favorite child. Not an easy task. At the time that this album was released I was not yet a Black Keys fan. My musical tastes had not yet matured. And, I am thankful that I did not know who they were just yet. Discovering the Black Keys was during an important time in my life. It was a time where I was learning about myself and entering into adulthood. At this time I could really understand this band, where they were coming from, and what their music was about. The first song that really resonated with me was ‘Act Nice & Gentle’. Though originally by the Kinks, performed by the Black Keys it carried so much more weight. Rubber Factory is so dirty, so raw. It’s the type of album that consumes you whole with the power to take you higher or spit you out.
Though worshiping Robert Plant for years, and succumbing to the obvious perfection of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ I had actually never sat and listened to Led Zeppelin IV from start to finish. I luckily found a rare copy in one of my towns oldest record stores a few years ago. The owner expressed to me how fortunate I was and I couldn’t wait to get home to indulge. Right from the first chords of ‘Black Dog’ I was taken to another planet where rock n’ roll ran free. I was so easily scooped into the arms of Zeppelin’s mystical prose. A place I would never leave. Around this time is also where I began to fantasize about going back in time just so I could experience this glory first hand. I still cannot pin point what it is exactly about this particular Led Zeppelin album that will forever have me squirming.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Californication (1999)
I was only eleven years old when this album was released. It spoke to me at eleven. It spoke to me at sixteen. And it still speaks to me now at twenty-four. This album is timeless. In my opinion, it is undeniably the best work by RHCP. Here is where the band balances an excellent alternative rock sound while maintaining their original funkability. The reason this album has the ability to affect me at so many different stages in my life is because there is a steadiness to Californication that is so special. While the album plays mostly as an epiphany, it is still so infused with energy.
1. Wolfmother, Wolfmother (2005)
You just know when an album will be a perfect fit. It’s like going on a first date. Most times, you know immediately. I knew immediately that Wolfmother and I were in it for the long haul. I can’t remember when I first heard Wolfmother but I would guess that it was ‘Joker and the Thief’ that caught my attention. I could not get enough. To me this self titled album is the reincarnation of the works of a rock n roll, flower child, super god sent out to woo me. This album makes me nostalgic for a heavy psychedelic rock sound that I never even knew. The lyrics are transcendent, employing a meaning that many bands of the like had never done before. In a word, it’s awesome.
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