5 albums that changed your life.....

[southee]

Duran Duran - Arena
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Kiss - Destroyer
The Church - Starfish
The Beatles - Abbey Road

Just out : Died Pretty - Doughboy Hollow

Just to expand :

Duran Duran - Arena : Saw "The Reflex" on a late night music TV show and went out and bought the live album Arena (The Wild Boys the only studio track) This was 1984 and I was 10 years old. Life as we know it changed. Their image, the songs....the closest thing to The Beatles for people in the 60's. My room then became a shrine of all things Duran Duran. I was obsessed!! This album takes me back to that time. Its a real good live album and you can really hear Andy Taylor's guitars come out in this...which I love!! He rocks!! A band that does not get the credit for their music.....it's actually very smartly written.

Def Leppard - Hysteria : Bought this to school in 1987 on tape ( I was in my 1st year of High School!!) I got laughed at...."Def who?" one mate said. A year later ....my friends were asking me for a copy. So many catchy hit songs (think 7 top 10 singles). Well produced and written....."Its all killer with no filler". Not a note out of place and the record just flows. I never skip a track. It was the start of my "metal" years.

Kiss - Destroyer : They were superheroes to me. Larger than life. This album kicks off with Detroit Rock City and it just blew my mind with that intro. Many years locked in the bedroom with this on the turntable. My friends never got my KISS obsession but I felt I belonged to a "select" group that really knew what it was all about. Still my fav KISS record.

The Church - Starfish : Under the Milky Way is my all time fav song. Got into this after high school.....it opened my mind to realise there is more music styles out there than heavy metal at the time. Wonderfully written and always takes me to another place....The Church are still if not my all time favorite band as each listen to their records you tend to discover more. Starfish to me was their commerical peak and still love it with each listen.

The Beatles - Abbey Road - Side 2 is just amazing. My fav Beatle record. Well written and George Martin produced a cracker last record. Love the songs but when i hear side 2 and how it just flows through....just gives me shivers down my spine. Some of George Harrisons best work and wish he could have got more songs on their records (Something, Here comes the Sun).

[zipzap]

Duran Duran - Arena : Saw "The Reflex" on a late night music TV show and went out and bought the live album Arena (The Wild Boys the only studio track) This was 1984 and I was 10 years old. Life as we know it changed. Their image, the songs....the closest thing to The Beatles for people in the 60's. My room then became a shrine of all things Duran Duran. I was obsessed!! This album takes me back to that time. Its a real good live album and you can really hear Andy Taylor's guitars come out in this...which I love!! He rocks!! A band that does not get the credit for their music.....it's actually very smartly written.

I love that album and still have a much cherished copy on vinyl but I always wondered if it was 'really live' or doctored in the studio. The crowd noise fades out really sharply in places. But the glossy sheen of it adds to its 80s charm somehow - and you're right, I remember being taken aback as a kiddie that it rocked out as much as it does (esp Careless Memories, New Religion)

[Hondo]

I love that album and still have a much cherished copy on vinyl but I always wondered if it was 'really live' or doctored in the studio. The crowd noise fades out really sharply in places. But the glossy sheen of it adds to its 80s charm somehow - and you're right, I remember being taken aback as a kiddie that it rocked out as much as it does (esp Careless Memories, New Religion)

I saw a documentary about the Kiss "Alive" album where the guys admitted after many years of denial that it wasn't truly live. They had taken parts of the live recording and fixed up the mistakes and enhanced it in the studio.

The implication was that very few of the big selling so-called live albums were truly live.

I remember a similar controversy about the INXS Live Baby Live CD.

[zipzap]

I remember a similar controversy about the INXS Live Baby Live CD.

Ah yes, that was Molly Meldrum who spilled the beans on that one IIRC... he wasn't well liked in the INXS camp there for awhile after that

[southee]

I love that album and still have a much cherished copy on vinyl but I always wondered if it was 'really live' or doctored in the studio. The crowd noise fades out really sharply in places. But the glossy sheen of it adds to its 80s charm somehow - and you're right, I remember being taken aback as a kiddie that it rocked out as much as it does (esp Careless Memories, New Religion)

I saw a documentary about the Kiss "Alive" album where the guys admitted after many years of denial that it wasn't truly live. They had taken parts of the live recording and fixed up the mistakes and enhanced it in the studio.

The implication was that very few of the big selling so-called live albums were truly live.

I remember a similar controversy about the INXS Live Baby Live CD.

The KISS "Alive" albums are actually NOT live but "tweaked" quite a bit in the studio. Ace used to hit "bung" notes especially when he did solo's and they actually hired studio musicians to come into the studio to "patch up" the mistakes.

ZZ, I do think Arena has been "tweaked" a fair bit but as you say - it adds to the charm of it all. Just loved to hear Andy Taylor turn it up a bit on the record as I know the rest of the band always tried to turn him down. A doco called "Sing Blue Silver" will show a bit of tension on the USA 1984 tour with Simon not to happy with Andy cranking up the guitar a bit in sound check

[zipzap]

There once was a time I was a bit of an anally-retentive music tragic (no, really) and I wrote a letter (gee that takes me back) to the Oils' office in Glebe, complaining that is was a bit mischievous that they had spliced Peter Garrett's 'People of Australia' intro to Dead Heart onto Beds Are Burning to make it sound live on Scream in Blue. To my surprise they wrote back denying they had done such a thing and that it was indeed live as recorded - even though I had the original recordings in other forms.

I think the Beach Boys Party album is another instance of dodgy 'live' records - supposedly someone took a tape deck to a spontaneous beach side party and hit record, when the whole thing was recorded in the studio with background noise added later

[brod]

In no specific order

Ill at Ease - The Mark of Cain (Clear first)
The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
Grace - Jeff Buckley
Rated R - Queens of The Stone Age
Death Certificate - Icecube

[Pidge]

I wouldn't say changed my life, but these are probably my 5 favourite albums;

Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
The Rifles - The Great Escape
Birds Of Tokyo - Universes
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not
Karnivool - Sound Awake

[Q.]

Offspring - Smash : was about 11 yrs old when this was released and exploded onto the mainstream charts, and it was probably my first affinity for that punk sound. Thrashed the cassette on the folks' tape deck. Ended up in the Principal's office after playing 'Bad Habit' at a primary school function.

Frenzal Rhomb - Not So Tough Now : bought the album after reading (Massive???) an interview with the band. A piss-taking bunch of funny pricks and I loved their brand of 'short, fast & loud'. One of the first few bands I went and saw live, falling in love with the sweaty mosh pit. They always put on a great gig and are still one of my favourite bands.

Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar : An odd fit here, but an important fit. Early high school years and resonated well with a brooding young teen. Was also my first ever band t-shirt, the first of what has ended up being a proud collection of band t-shirts. Apparently I was a wierd prick for listening to a bunch of dudes dressed like and named after chicks (not even an original concept), so in many regards this album kinda taught me to not give a shit about other kids' opinions of myself.

Punk O Rama Vol.2 : $5 at Verandah Music. Thrashed the shit out of it and I couldn't believe I got so many quality songs all for the low, low price of five bucks. Was the trigger for me to seek out the entire back catalogue of all punk music ever made (ha!) and therefore seminal to my being!

[Dogwatcher]

I remember a similar controversy about the INXS Live Baby Live CD.

Ah yes, that was Molly Meldrum who spilled the beans on that one IIRC... he wasn't well liked in the INXS camp there for awhile after that

He did that on Hey, Hey, didn't he?

[Dogwatcher]

Like Nirvana it was very influential and not always in a great way - at the time you couldn't escape the hoary old dinosaur bands like INXS, Hunnas, Oils, Noiseworks who were spooked into 'going indie' or risk extinction, with programmed drums and industrial clanking sounds and of course remixes aplenty. "Y'know, there's always been a dance element to our music..." was a catchphrase of the times.

You sure about including the Hunnas in that list? I thought they'd always had an industrial/arty sound, including using pipes and old hot water systems live and in the studio.
I've almost always felt that the fact they had any chart success, was an aberration.
Great band but always just a little bit too different for sustained significant success.
I think they did well to get the chart success they did.

I could be wrong though.

[Leaping Lindner]

Like Nirvana it was very influential and not always in a great way - at the time you couldn't escape the hoary old dinosaur bands like INXS, Hunnas, Oils, Noiseworks who were spooked into 'going indie' or risk extinction, with programmed drums and industrial clanking sounds and of course remixes aplenty. "Y'know, there's always been a dance element to our music..." was a catchphrase of the times.

You sure about including the Hunnas in that list? I thought they'd always had an industrial/arty sound, including using pipes and old hot water systems live and in the studio.
I've almost always felt that the fact they had any chart success, was an aberration.
Great band but always just a little bit too different for sustained significant success.
I think they did well to get the chart success they did.

I could be wrong though.

I thought after "Human Fraility" they went very vanilla.....so do a lot of band members.

[zipzap]

Like Nirvana it was very influential and not always in a great way - at the time you couldn't escape the hoary old dinosaur bands like INXS, Hunnas, Oils, Noiseworks who were spooked into 'going indie' or risk extinction, with programmed drums and industrial clanking sounds and of course remixes aplenty. "Y'know, there's always been a dance element to our music..." was a catchphrase of the times.

You sure about including the Hunnas in that list? I thought they'd always had an industrial/arty sound, including using pipes and old hot water systems live and in the studio.

I thought after "Human Fraility" they went very vanilla.....so do a lot of band members.

You're both spot on of course. But I think it was their album Cut that went crazy for the programmed beats and loops that were de rigueur for rawk bands aiming for some indie cred in the early 90s

[zipzap]

I remember a similar controversy about the INXS Live Baby Live CD.

Ah yes, that was Molly Meldrum who spilled the beans on that one IIRC... he wasn't well liked in the INXS camp there for awhile after that

He did that on Hey, Hey, didn't he?

Yep I think so. Didn't they sue or threaten to? Up until then he was totally sycophantic towards Hutch & co.

[Dogwatcher]

There was a complete hullabaloo wasn't there?
Funny.
Was about that point I stopped listening to INXS' new stuff.

[Hondo]

There was a complete hullabaloo wasn't there?
Funny.
Was about that point I stopped listening to INXS' new stuff.

Same here

I recall INXS were very dirty on Molly and claimed his comments hurt sales of the CD

Maybe they should have just admitted to it on the basis that few of the other live albums were truly live as we have discussed.

How many more "live" albums like this were released afterwards? I can't think of many. Nowadays artists are so careful about the quality of the music they release they revert to miming and pre-recorded music at concerts it seems.

[BFG]

1. the Killers- Hot fuss
favourite album with some of my favourite songs on it.

2. Kings Of leon- aha shake heartbreak
before they sold out they were an amzing mix of rockabilly and country. saw them just before they decided to get all mainstream at BDO and they blew my freaking mind.

3. karnivool- Themata
australias best metal type band, although softer and more melodic. ian kenny's voice is incrediable on this album opening track cote gets me up and about before a game.

4. Limp Bizkit- significant other

the soundtrack of my early teens, many people will laugh at me for putting this in there but it gets a gig because of the sheer amount of times i played it.

5. Bloc party - silent alarm

their first but still their best, came close with their follow up but i loved this album and played it continuosly for two years.

[MatteeG]

Punk O Rama Vol.2 : $5 at Verandah Music. Thrashed the **** out of it and I couldn't believe I got so many quality songs all for the low, low price of five bucks. Was the trigger for me to seek out the entire back catalogue of all punk music ever made (ha!) and therefore seminal to my being!

Gold selection on that one. Thought "Code Blue" was the most offensive song I could play at that stage

[Q.]

Punk O Rama Vol.2 : $5 at Verandah Music. Thrashed the **** out of it and I couldn't believe I got so many quality songs all for the low, low price of five bucks. Was the trigger for me to seek out the entire back catalogue of all punk music ever made (ha!) and therefore seminal to my being!

Gold selection on that one. Thought "Code Blue" was the most offensive song I could play at that stage

Not a song I went around singing aloud!

Favourite song from the album is easily Poison Idea's Just To Get Away.

[Pidge]

1. the Killers- Hot fuss
favourite album with some of my favourite songs on it.

2. Kings Of leon- aha shake heartbreak
before they sold out they were an amzing mix of rockabilly and country. saw them just before they decided to get all mainstream at BDO and they blew my freaking mind.

3. karnivool- Themata
australias best metal type band, although softer and more melodic. ian kenny's voice is incrediable on this album opening track cote gets me up and about before a game.

4. Limp Bizkit- significant other

the soundtrack of my early teens, many people will laugh at me for putting this in there but it gets a gig because of the sheer amount of times i played it.

5. Bloc party - silent alarm

their first but still their best, came close with their follow up but i loved this album and played it continuosly for two years.

One of the best modern day musicians.
He's soo good that he's in two bands!
Quality live too.
Cote is their best song IMO.