Some Kind Of Muffin

I was watching a documentary on the making of the first Doors album recently. Perry Farrell was talking about how it’s one of the albums he’ll hand to his kids to listen to. That got me thinking about what I would want the two smallest Muffins to be exposed to. The criteria for me is really “What albums touched me or made me appreciate music differently?” This is not a “Best Of” or “The Top Albums to…” list. This is very personal, and as I see it there are no wrong answers. So here we go…

The Beatles-Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band: Too obvious? Whatever. It’s a great album with great songs and it stands as a hallmark to what musicians can do without radio-friendly constraints. The older Muffin already owns The Beatles 1 CD and loves it. The younger muffin is digging it too.

Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin IV: Yes another obvious one. I don’t think I can properly explain what this album did to my 6th grade brain when I first listened to the whole thing. Amazing highs and great mellow bits. Great musicianship all around. And did I mention iconic?

Psychotic Waltz-Into The Everflow: A little known, but almost huge, progressive metal band out of San Diego, CA. I believe this is there strongest and most well structured album. The guitar alone is worth it, but there are soaring vocals and complicated drum beats melded well with a solid bass sound.

Metallica-Master Of Puppets: Another seminal album. Metallica has done a lot of good, but none shine like this bad boy. Plus it’s the last album with Cliff Burton, who will always be the best metal bass player ever. Ever.

Teenage Fanclub-Bandwagonesque: I didn’t get hip to this one till quite a few years after it came out. It is a perfect album from start to finish and shows what great songwriting should be. The tonal structures of the guitar parts are awe inspiring.

Ben Folds-Ben Folds Live: This is our man on his own pounding the keys and singing his heart out. The best part? Hearing the harmonies Ben gets out of his audience. And the lyrics to his songs are some of the best you could ever hope to emmulate.

The Streets-Original Pirate Material: Not familiar with Grime? UK hip hop. This is one of those that changed me when I first heard it. The beats, the loops, the very personal lyrics, and placement in a specific time and location are just brilliant.

Well, I think that’s good for now. But this is definitely a list I will revisit. Look for future entries.