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3.01.2009
Think of 30 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. When you finish, tag others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it!

In no particular order:

1. The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks. Possibly *the* album that turned me on to "classic rock" and away from the top 40 of the late '80s. I couldn't count the number of times I recorded this to tape (and later CD-R) in an effort to produce the best sounding version. I often drift from the Stones but always come back.
2. The Who - Who's Next. I still remember laying on my bed and listening to this for the first time, with headphones. Of course, I had heard many of the songs on the radio before, but it was somewhat of a revelation to hear them all together. "That's on here too?!"
3. The Who - Tommy. My mom got really sick of Tommy. "Listen to something else!"
4. The Byrds - box set. I remember knowing a few of the hits from oldies radio and thinking The Byrds were kind of an unhip "oldies" act. I felt slightly embarrassed checking out the box from the library, but quickly discovered that, hey, this was good stuff.
5. Mason Proffit - Come & Gone. I had heard the "hit" 'Two Hangmen' on the radio a number of times and had always liked it, but could never remember who sang it. Then one day on the bus during Western Field Studies Kori Sustachek started singing it, and after hearing it on the radio shortly after getting back I ran to Best Buy and actually found a copy, which was somewhat rare at that time. Loved the whole album. And now I'm kind of obsessed.
6. Train - Train. One of my scattered forays into current/modern music. January, 1999, going over to my cousin's house shortly before school started again, WIIL played 'Free'. I immediately had to have it, and (as usual) ended up liking most of the album.
7. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin. A staple of bus rides to and from sports meets in high school. Somewhat ironic, considering Greg Lesnjak had tried to turn me on to them a couple of years earlier without success.
8. The Doors - Best of the Doors. Another high school staple, and another one popular with Greg. Failed attempt at impressing Sara Busarow freshman year when I made her a cassette copy.
9. Pete Townshend - Scoop. I was already a big Who fan at that point, but I can't remember what prompted me to go and buy it from the Exclusive Company on State Street, early during freshman year of college. I think Zach got sick of Behind Blue Eyes.
10. Buffalo Springfield - Again. Got hooked on 'Bluebird' after hearing it on the radio, and played it when *I* went on the radio. The album got me hooked on Buffalo Springfield in general.
11. Jimi Hendrix - The Ultimate Experience. Another one heavy in the rotation from late middle school/high school.
12. Sam Cooke - Keep Movin' On. Prior to my last year in college I didn't own any Sam Cooke, but picked this up on a whim for fairly random reasons. Sam is amazing.
13. Paul Butterfield - An Anthology. I can thank Blues Brothers 2000 for this one. Memories of the second half of freshman year in college, some good, some not so good.
14. Eric Clapton - Crossroads. I'm pretty sure this came from a trip to the Exclusive Company in Greenfield, before a visit with Gordon and Susan (where I got my first listen). I knew *of* Clapton before this, and certainly knew some songs, but Crossroads got the ball rolling.
15. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend. Another foray into "modern" music, about 15 years after the fact. I had heard the title track on the radio when it was released (again on WIIL), but for some reason I thought Matthew Sweet must be "uncool" until I saw Zach Moneypenny had it freshman year of college. It still took me another 8 or 9 years to actually get a copy, which I quickly started playing over and over.
16. Matthew Sweet - Goodfriend. Shortly after getting Girlfriend I found this and, you guessed it, started playing it over and over..
17. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois. I had seen the name online before, but didn't pay any attention until a You Tube search for clips by the band Chicago led to an acoustic performance of the song 'Chicago', which (surprise, surprise) I quickly became obsessed with.
18. Derek and the Dominos - Layla. Oddly enough, I don't remember this one having a huge impact on me when I first heard it (as part of the 20th anniversary box set), but it has become a standard with me.
19. The Who - Live At Leeds Complete. I almost forgot to mention this one. Many thanks to Pam, from which I got an original copy. Fixing it up, meeting Pam at Madcity upon coming to Madison, the Madison Who Mob...the list goes on.
20. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin. From which I learned country music doesn't have to be scary.
21. Otis Redding - The Ultimate Otis Redding. As with Sam Cooke, I got this very late in the game, relatively speaking. But thankfully I eventually did.
22. The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music. Yet another foray into "modern" music. Love it, love the Jayhawks.
23. Harvey Danger - Little By Little... An album (and band) I likely would have never come across had it not been for Nikki getting me to read her review of it. Thankfully she did!
24. Harvey Danger - Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? See above. While I had no conscious knowledge of this when it was actually a hit, listening to 'Flagpole Sitta' somehow takes me back to a time and place I may never have been.
25. Badfinger - Straight Up. Pop perfection. While I knew 'Day After Day' and 'Baby Blue' from the radio, I first heard the album via the gold CD in college. It became an instant classic with me.
26. The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Despite my earlier accolades for the Byrds' box set, I apparently didn't pay much attention to the tracks from this album, nor did I play much attention when I got the expanded CD in college. A year or two later I pulled it out again, though, and it immediately clicked.
27. Eric Clapton - Eric Clapton. I had owned the album for years, and while I liked it well enough, it didn't really click until I got to hear Clapton's own (and still unreleased) mix. Let It Rain indeed.
28. Magic Sam - West Side Soul. Memories of going to the Rose Bowl (and getting sick!) and more down times in college.
29. T-Bone Walker - T-Bone Blues. One of a handful of albums I can (and will) pull out and enjoy when nothing else sounds appealing.
30. Buddy Holly - From The Original Master Tapes. Made me realize that Buddy Holly was in fact *cool*.

Ok, there's 30, take them or leave them. Some seem like lesser choices, but they bring back very distinct memories for me. Others are more "core" albums for me, but aren't linked to anything in particular. Some feel like a stretch, and it seems like I must be forgetting others. Yet for better or worse, these are the 30 I came up with this time. Enjoy.

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Vital stats:
DOB 2/16/79. I'm a web developer at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. I like lots of old music, including The Who. I spend a lot of time working with computers. And my favorite TV show (when I actually decide to watch TV, that is), obviously, is The Simpsons.

Education:
In May 2002 I officially graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BS in computer science. In 1997 (man that seems like a long time ago) I graduated from Washington Park HS. Yes, I know, that site isn't very impressive, and no, I haven't touched it for several years.

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WFS:
One of the best experiences I have ever had was on a trip called Western Field Studies. This is a 33 day adventure throughout the western United States. Students travel on a school bus to national parks, monuments, forests, and places of historical interest and camp out (in tents or under the stars). I was a part of trip 25, which took place in the summer of 1996. A first for WFS was we took along a laptop computer and kept up a web site. That link will take you to the 1996 site, where there is a link to the current site.