Filler: Music is a Safe Kind of High

So there's been another thing on Facebook floating around that has people commenting on the 15 albums that have changed their lives. So, naturally, I have to do it. This isn't my favorite albums of all time, although that may come at a later date.

Outside of the first 3, this is in no particular order

1. Please Please Me by The Beatles
The first album I can remember listening to. Throwing on the vinyl my dad brought over from England when I was maybe 5 or 6. I was hooked, singing 'Love Me Do' from dusk till dawn. Singing so much, my mother, the biggest Beatles fan I've ever met, even told me to stop. Of course, this may have been due to my pre-pubescent voice. I'm pretty sure I'd want my kid to stop ruining my favorite album too. None the less, this album started me on my oldies trip, which still stands to this day.

2. Definitely Maybe by Oasis
This was the album that finally got me into modern 'popular' music. I still remember the first time I heard this album. I was at school early in 5th grade for Patrol Guard duty (the kids that helped you cross the street before school), and Vernon Smith told me he had the 'New Beatles.' A rather unknown British band called Oasis. When the first track played, Rock n' Roll Star, I was done. It was a sound I had never heard before, and I liked it, I wanted more of it. I started listening to Q101 when I got home and making mix tapes from my favorite songs on the radio.

3. The Lucy Ford EP's by Atmosphere
The album that turned me onto underground hip hop, and turned me onto an entire new world. Up until I heard this album in winter of 2000, my hip hop consisted of Ludacris (who I still love), Big Tymers, Cash Money Millionaires and the like. I had no idea there was hip hop out there that was actually insightful, and wasn't about the typical drugs, guns, and murder. I started searching for new rappers that I'd never heard of, and it turned my world upside down. This record turned me onto so many other great MC's and inspired me to read up on the history of hip hop. Every hip hop artist who's album I've bought since 2000 can thank Slug. This is definitely in the top 10 of my favorite albums of all time.

4. Interrupting The Scenery by NOViCE
These guys had a new sound (pattern here?) that I absolutely loved. I wasn't big into the whole 'emo' and 'my life is so much worse than yours' scene, and I'm still not, but these guys did it differently. It was... so much better. My roommate at the time, and my current boss Evan found out about these guys from a relatively unknown website called MySpace. So not only is this an awesome album, but it got me into MySpace, which lead to Facebook, which apparently leads to Blogspot.

5. The Slim Shady LP by Eminem
The first time I heard this album was the spring of '99. I was in England of all places on a school trip and I was hooked. I never thought music could be so funny/vulgar/cruel. This album had everything. It had tracks to make you laugh, make you cringe, and make you wonder 'What the fuck was that?' This album really opened me up to more hip hop, got me into Dre, which got me into Snoop, and so forth.

6. Indecent Proposal by Timbaland & Magoo
Not to say this album really changed my life, but I was always associate this album with the England Christmas trip I took with my family in winter of 2001. You know when you listen to something so much during a span of time, that it will always remind you of that time? That's what this is. I put this album on and immediately think of myself walking across the Stray to the shops in Harrogate. So it did change my life in the sense that I will never not listen to it and not think of England, which is fine by me.

7. 40th Anniversary Collection by James Brown
My dad grew up on The Hardest Working Man In Show Business, and he made damn sure I did too. So I was already heavy into old soul music when I got this album, but I played the shit out of this record non-stop for most of my middle school years. To this day, whenever I'm feeling a little down, I'll put on some James Brown or...

8. Live at the Wetlands by Robert Randolph & The Family Band
There are 2 live albums I've come across that do justice to the band's performance. Live at the Wetlands is one of them. Back in '03, a couple buddies and myself went to the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, which stands to this day as being the single greatest show of my life (Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Talib Kweli, The Roots, OAR and NERD for 10 bucks? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?). They put on the 3rd most energetic and amazing performance I've ever seen (following #1 Mute Math and #2 The Roots). And this album is just as energetic, and it's so damn happy! If you don't move around or put a smile on your face when listening to this... you are one miserable fuck.

9. The Roots Come Alive by The Legendary Roots Crew
It saddens me that The Roots have become Jimmy Fallon's house band, but at the same time, that's freaking awesome. Anyway, this is the other live album that does justice to their performance. You really have to listen to it, it's got to be up there on the list of 'best live albums of all time.' I had already liked The Roots a lot by the time I heard this album, but it made me appreciate live-hip hop even more (the whole instrument thing, no produced beats). ?uestlove is too dope.

10. Mute Math by Mute Math
As soon as Typical starts playing on this record, the energy doesn't slow down. Even their slow songs are relatively up tempo (for slow songs)! I'll say this album changed my life in the sense that I'll never look at another live show the same way after seeing these guys live, and I saw these guys live because I fell in love with this album. So thanks for ruining every concert experience I'll have from now on guys. Thanks a bunch. And fucking come out with your album already!!

11. Final Straw by Snow Patrol
I can say that Snow Patrol are a band that I found about, by myself. Most bands I listen to these days have been recommended to me by various people. But this one I found out about (and before anyone else did, which I take great pride in). I remember the first time I heard 'Run,' I was sitting in Richard Mack's studio, helping him with his new book (plug!), and I had Virgin Radio UK on, it came on and I was floored. Such a nice chill vibe but with a build up towards the end.

12. Class Clown by George Carlin
Never said it had to be music albums did we? I remember the first time I got my hands on 'The 7 Things You Can't Say On Television,' my buddy Matt and I must've listened to it 6 times in a row, crying because we were laughing so hard. I started to suddenly care about comedy and actually look for new comedians.

13. That Thing You Do Soundtrack
Don't even get me started...

14. Spice by Spice Girls
The first album I ever bought with my own money. Yup. I said it.

15. Original Pirate Material by The Streets
Another artist I can proudly say I found out first and by myself. The Streets opened me up to the UK Hip Hop scene, and even became some inside joke fodder for me and some of my friends.