Five albums that changed your life

Pink Floyd's the Wall
Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime
Ayreon's The Human Equation
Savatage's Streets: A Rock Opera
Devin Townsend's Terria

These five albums shaped my musical tastes the most.  Fun to note that four of the 5 are rock operas. And Terria...

These albums invoke the most emotional responses from me. I've cried to these albums, I've screamed with these albums, I've danced and jumped around, and drifted off to sleep with these albums. They shock me, emotionally, and are possibly my absolute 5 favorite albums of all time.

Great Thread

for me:

Creedence Clearwater Revical. Cosmo's Factory
Alan Parsons. The Very Best Live
Pink Floyd. The Wall
Magma. MDK
GY!BE. Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven

In chronological order:

The Decemberists - Picaresque
Pretty much got me into music in general. I'd been listening to things casually but this album made music as important as it is to me today, caused me to reevaluate the medium as a whole. Also led me on a search for better music that inevitably led me here.

King Crimson - Red
My first exposure to progressive music, and sparked my interest in things that weren't easily 'accessible'.

Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
My intro to the massive catalog of Uncle Frank, and still my favorite of his. This album still has an effect on me that few others do. My subsequent foray into his catalog changed everything I knew about music, and got me into live music hardcore. Also had a profound effect on me as a musician.

Caravan - In the Land...
The album that really got me into progressive rock, and ravenously searching for more and more great music like never before.

Eyedea & Abilities - First Born
Probably rather unknown here, but its a rap album with very philosophical lyrics and metaphors peppered throughout, which resonated deeply with me and changed the way I look at things for the better. At a time when I really needed some guidance.

cacho wrote: #1  My first purchase from the Purpes, even if it didn't blew me away in the instance, having consider it very heavy, I was completely wrong. Such awesome riffs, stunning vocals, and great solos. The album that introduced me to all the Heavy stuff. #2 Not a favorite album of mine anymore, but the movie, the album that introduced me to Prog in a certain way, just blew my away, the moment I saw it the 25th of December in 2005. Simply changed my perception of music, and surely 'art'. Any catchy Pop single at that moment that was released I cared less from then onwards, they couldn't show me such brilliance this movie had showed me. #3 On consequence of having loved The Wall, 1 year later, my brother was really into The Who, and my dad purchased the movie of Tommy. Once again it blew my ears off, fell in love with The Who, and surely also added a big part of my nowadays love of Prog and 70's/60's Rock. Tommy and The Wall movies just blew all the Pop I was listening, they really changed my music life. While Come Taste the Band, changed my perception of Heavy Rock, and from then onwards love the band, and any band with some fierceful hammond.

OK, I'll make them 4:


Totally changed my thoughts about where music could go. After this, most of the Zappa albums my dad has, confirmed these thoughts...

Elliott Smith - XO

Jethro Tull - Aqualung

Edited by why-do-i-bother - April 13 2009 at 19:20

Nov wrote:

King Crimson - "In The Court of the Crimson King"


King Crimson - "Lizards"


Yes - "Close to the Edge"


Black Sabbath - "Heaven and Hell"


Camel - "Moonmadness"


Rare Bird - "Rare Bird" (love "As your Mind flies by" too)