Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 10

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
or hold significant meaning for you. 

Day 10 - “Moondance” - Van Morrison (1970) 

I discovered this album very late in the game. I think it was 1978, again during my first semester at FSU. I was still living with my parents and the drive made it necessary to find places on campus to kill time or study when I had large blocks of time between classes or rehearsals. This was before portable music so I would go to the music library where I could listen to albums while studying. However, at the time, they didn’t have much to choose from for rock music. But I found “Moondance”, and I didn’t seem to have much of a choice anyway. I am so thankful I did. To me this is like a greatest hits album. Every single track is pure aural gold. There is pure soul in both Morrison’s voice as well as the songs. To listen closely one can hear instruments slightly out of tune or not quite playing together. But somehow it all works. 

 Favorite tracks: "Moondance", "And It Stoned Me", "Into the Mystic", and "Brand New Day". 

 This is the last of my 10 albums, but there are so many more. Who knows, maybe I’ll do a “Part 2” sometime. Please comment with your albums that changed you. Questions are also welcome.

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 9

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

 Day 9 - “War” - U2 (1983) 

 In the late 70s and early 80s, I spent a lot of my time playing in a rock band. Much of this time I was also attending worship at the FSU campus ministry, Campus House. A the time there wasn’t any commercial contemporary Christian music that interested me. All I heard was the super-sweet pop style or the real heavy rock style. I never heard anything in the middle and these didn’t interest me. The conflict of playing secular rock and being a Christian was always in my mind. One day I visited my friends, Tripp and Joann Andersen. Tripp was really into hard punk music. It was not a genre that I liked but our friendship transcended that difference. Tripps was one of the most beautiful souls I have ever met. Anyway, while there he put on a new album he just got. U2’s “War”. I was not familiar with it but he just let it play. As it played I started getting into the sound. After it finished, he played it from the beginning a second time with the sounds turned up a little more. The opening track is “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and I listened to the lyrics that described the horror felt by Bono if the troubles in their home in Northern Ireland. It was very powerful. But that’s not what caught my attention. At the end of the song, just before it faded out, Bono sings, “And the battle’s just begun to claim the victory Jesus won on [Sunday Bloody Sunday]. This was the first time I’d heard rock music with a Christian message without the band being a “Christian Band”. They were rock musicians that were Christian. Since then U2 has mostly drifted into a more “humanist” approach to Christianity. But at this time, they were more direct in their faith. I loved their music, but they helped me to believe that whatever I do as a career, even music, I can be an outspoken Christian too. I loved their first five albums before their style wandered into another direction. 

 Favorite tracks: "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", "Two Hearts Beat as One", and "40".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 8

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

Day 8 - “English Settlement” - XTC (1982) 

This one was a HUGE discovery for me. Once upon a time, there was a record store named The Record Bar. And like most record stores at the time, they would play albums on the store-wide sound system. I used to just go and casually hang out just drifting through the record binds and listen to what they played. Normally it wasn’t anything earth-shattering but I liked the environment. One day one of the store employees put on this now-classic. The first song, “Runaways”, caught my ear. I liked it very much. As I hung out, I listened to the entire album. The songs were very different from one another but were still wonderful. Needless to say, I walked out with the album (purchased, not stolen). My ear had been irrevocably changed for the better. 

Favorite tracks: "Runaways", "Senses Working Overtime", "Jason and the Argonauts", and "No Thugs in Our House".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 7

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

Day 7 - “Outlandos d’Amour” - The Police (1978) 

“Roxanne”. Possibly the catchiest of all new wave classics. I had just graduated from high school. I was in the middle of my first catastrophic semester at Florida State University (that’s another story). I’m sitting at the dinette table in my parent's house with the radio in the window. Suddenly the song begins to play and everything seemed to stop. I don’t remember if the DJ said anything about the song or not. But it stuck in my head and I couldn’t wait to check the record store for it. My love for The Police wained with each passing album, but their first three albums will always have a special place in my heart. 

Favorite tracks: "Roxanne", "Hole in My Life", and "Born in the '50s".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 6

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

Day 6 - “Born to Run” - Bruce Springsteen (1975) 

Some may be familiar with my story of how this album kept me from “giving up” on pop music in 1975. At a time where most of my access to music was commercial radio, the airwaves at this time were becoming more and more dominated by disco and terrible soft rock and pop. Even Elton John at this point was losing his “edge”. I was getting increasingly discouraged and wanted to, literally, just give up on music. So, talking to God about it, I said, “I’ll make a deal with you. I’m going to turn the radio on, if I like what is playing, I’ll stay with music. If I don’t like it, I’m chucking the radio and giving up.” Yep, I said that. So, with nerves humming, I turned on the radio. Coming through the speakers was the first time I’d ever heard the title cut to Born to Run. It completely grabbed me. After the song finished playing, I said to God, “Ok, I’ll hang on with music.” At least I knew there was something else out there. I just had to find it. 

Favorite tracks: "Born to Run", "Jungleland", and "Night".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 5

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

5. “Yessongs” - Yes (1973) 

My first real dive into progressive rock. Their first live album, I actually bought it out of sheer curiosity. The fact that it was three discs long was part of it. And whereas the recording is not exceptional technically, the performance certainly is. Composed largely of material from their two most recent albums (“Fragile” and “Close to the Edge”), it features the most iconic of Yes’ many member lineups. Yes is still, by far, my favorite progressive rock band to this day. 

Favorite tracks: "Heart of the Sunrise", "Close to the Edge", and "Starship Trooper".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 4

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

 Day 4 - “This Year’s Model” - Elvis Costello (1978) 

Elvis Costello’s second album came out just months before my high school graduation. It was my introduction to the new wave genre which, at the time, could only be found played college radio stations at the time (WFSU, anyone?). My late must mentor at the time, Skip Parvin, played this album for me to show off his massive component stereo system. The album and sound system blew my mind. Always in search for new and different sounds in music this pointed me in a whole new direction. A direction I pursued vigorously for decades to come. His early catalog continues to be a favorite of mine. 

 Favorite tracks: "Pump It Up", "Hand In Hand", and "Lip Service".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 3

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

Day 3 - “Aja” - Steely Dan (1977) 

Originally given to me by Jeanie Begley (if I remember correctly), it slowly blew my mind. I’d never heard jazz incorporated into rock in this way. It didn’t grab me instantly, but I couldn’t help but play it over and over, peeling back the layers with each listen. Like other artists, Steely Dan is one of my top 10 favorite artists ever. And this is them at their best. 

Favorite tracks: "Aja", "Peg", and "Home at Last".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 2

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You 
 or hold significant meaning for you. 

“Who’s Next” - The Who (1971) 

This one was discovered alongside on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, listening to it late at night on AOR radio. It was my first introduction to The Who, of whom I have been a strong fan of to this day. And this is my favorite of all their albums. Arguably, it includes their best and strongest songs ever. 

 Favorites: "Behind Blue Eyes", "Won't Get Fooled Again", and "Bargain".

Ten Albums In Ten Days - Day 1

Ten Albums In Ten Days That Changed You
 or hold significant meaning for you.

“The Dark Side of the Moon” - Pink Floyd (1973)

This album needs no introduction to any one of my generation, whether you like it or not. Mine was in high school from a new AOR radio station at the time. During a particular summer, I would spend the night at my friend Bobby’s house, his parents had one of those huge record cabinets. We would set up a pallet on the floor in front of it to sleep and listen to the station all night. One of the best things about the AOR format was they would play entire albums or sides of albums at a time. TDSOTM was one of those albums they frequently played this way. And to those of us that love the album, that’s the only way to listen to it. Absolutely mesmerizing.

Some Favorite Debut Albiums

I've been listening to music for over 50 years now. There have been so many artists, bands, and styles during that time. As most people, I suppose, as I've gotten younger, there is less "contemporary" music or artists that I like as time passes. And even though I keep searching, I usually end up going back to the "good stuff".

I've always loved discovering new artists. Especially when they break on to the music scene with am incredible debut album. Listening to such an album always fills me with hope and anticipation for future musical goodness from the artist. Many have fulfilled that expectation, but many have not.

But here are but a few of those albums over the last half a century. The order is alphabetical rather than by preference. Rating them would be almost impossible. Please list some of your favorites in the comments.

Amy Winehouse - Frank (2003)
Bad Company - Bad Company (1974)
Barenaked Ladies - Gordon (1992)
Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973)
Bruce Springsteen - Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield (1966)
Chicago - Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Cream - Fresh Cream (1966)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)
Crowded House - Crowded House (1986)
Danny Wilson - Meet Danny Wilson (1987)
Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)
Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
Dire Straits - Dire Straits (1978)
Donald Fagen - The Nightly (1982)
Elvis Costello - My Aim is True (1977)
Elton John - Empty Sky (1969)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970)
Heart - Dreamboat Annie (1976)
Jackson Browne - Saturate Before Using (1972)
Jefferson Airplane - Takes Off (1966)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced? (1967)
Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (1979)
Kansas - Kansas (1974)
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969)
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I (1969)
Michael Hedges - Breakfast in the Field (1981)
Paul Carrack - Suburban Voodoo (1982)
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life (1976)
Phil Collins - Face Value (1981)
Pink Floyd - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967)
Pretenders - Pretenders (1979)
R.E.M. - Murmur (1983)
Steely Day - Can’t Buy a Thrill (1972)

Stephen Stills - Stephen Stills (1970)
Talk Talk - The Party’s Over (1982)
Talking Heads - Talking Heads: 77 (1977)
Tears for Fears - The Hurting (1983)
The Alarm - Declaration (1984)
The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band (1969)
The Cars - The Cars - (1978)
The Doobie Brothers - The Doobie Brothers (1971)
The Doors - The Doors (1967)
The Fixx - Shuttered Room (1982)
The James Gang - Yer’ Album (1969)
The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967)

The Police - Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
The Producers - The Producers (1981)
The Sundays - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (1990)
The Vapors - New Clear Days (1980)
The Who - My Generation (1965)
Three Dog Night - Three Dog Night (1968)
U2 - Boy (1980)
Van Morrison - Blowin' Your Mind! (1967)
Yes - Yes (1969)

Again, let me know some of your favorite debut album in a comment. More content coming soon.