31 Most Influential Albums

I read this note on Barabara Samuel's blog, and it seemed like something fun to play with here, too. It was great thinking of these albums and remembering events related to them all afternoon. Post your favorites in the comments, and let’s reminisce together.

Think of albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at life. 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, emotion.

Here's my list...

1. "Funkytown" from Mouth to Mouth by Lipps, Inc (my first intro to pop music)
2. Please Please Me by The Beatles (high school)
3. Moving Pictures by Rush (college, first love)
4. Wolf Tracks by Los Lobos (summer of 1988)
5. Achtung Baby by U2 (early '90s summers with my brother)
6. Best of Kodo (graduate school)
7. Spirituals in Concert by Kathleen Battle and Jesseye Norman (#6, start of choral singing)
8. Requiem by Mozart (#6, choral concert, second love)
9. Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (#6, symphony summer sings)
10. Time and Tide by Basia (software engineering career)
11. The Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon (#10)
12. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (#10)
13. The Best of Sting (#10)
14. Queen Greatest Hits (#10)
15. Gipsy Kings Live (#10)
16. Memory of Trees by Enya (#10)
17. Music of the Andes by Indian Mountain Folks (street musicians at Pike Place Market)
18. Live at Carnegie Hall by Mikhail Pletnev of Moscow Virtuosi (an orchestra could be sublime)
19. Sound Magic by Afro Celt Sound System (friend who passed away)
20. Pride & Prejudice, soundtrack by Dario Marianelli (start of love affair with the Regency)
21. The Book of Secrets by Loreena McKennitt (WOMAD, adoration of world music)
22. A Toda Cuba le Gusta by Afro-Cuban All Stars (#21)
23. Missing You by Baaba Maal (#21)
24. Edda, Myths from Medieval Iceland by Sequentia (#21)
25. Vengeance by Garmarna (#21)
26. Rimfaxe by Gjallarhorn (#21, new friendship)
27. La Kahena by Cheb i Sabbah (#21)
28. Singing Bowls of Shangri-la by Thea Surasu (difficult summer of 2006)
29. Music as Medicine by Nawang Khechog (#22)
30. "Nessun Dorma" from The Best of Luciano Pavarotti (when Pavarotti passed away)
31. Come Away With Me by Norah Jones (the difficult summer and fall of 2008)

Let’s hear your favorites, too. It’s so much fun to remember!