AngryYoungDem's 25 Albums for The Album Project

Angry Young Dem's contribution to The Album Project.

A Mistake is asking friends to share their top 25 favorite albums of all time. Like the Tao of FAU I was reluctant to do this because my taste in music is decidedly uncool. Typically, when I took about my tastes in music, i open myself to derision. But the more I thought about it, A Mistake isn't just asking for cool people to post their cool top 25 albums. At the center of what he is saying is that musical tastes help define who we are. Certainly, there is a lot to be read into most of my choices that made my list. So, without further ado (Angry Young Dem):

1.Turnstiles - Billy Joel (I have two anthems to my life, "James" and "Angry Young Man" both come from this album)
2.Live/1975-1985 - Springsteen (what can I say, I am from NJ. Thunder Road and The River live are amazing as is the rest of the album)
3.Glass Houses - Billy Joel (One of two tapes that was always playing in my car throughout highschool)
4.Bat Out Of Hell - Meatloaf (I don't care what people think. Every song on this album is a classic to me)
5.The Stranger - Billy Joel (his best album, IMO, but not as meaningful to me as the two others)
6.Essentail Bob Dylan -Bob Dylan (didn't pick this up until senior year of college. I had been missing A LOT)
7.Cold Spring Harbor - Billy Joel (his first album and the other one that was always in my car)
8.Appetite for Destruction - GNR (very popular around my Bar Mitzvah and one of the few times I had "cool" taste in music)
9.Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chilli Peppers (seee directly above and replace "bar mitzvah" with 10th grade)
10.Elton John's Greatest Hits Volume 1 - Elton John (c'mon, I had 4 Billy Joel's in my top 10, did you not think there would be an Elton too?
11.Innocent Man - Billy Joel (one of the first albums I remember buying (and I learned about sex but not enough) (although I never made it with a red-head girl in a chevrolet))
12.Piano Man - Billy Joel (terrific album, but draws attention away from some of his better stuff)
13.Chicago IX - Chicago (Their first greatest hits album. Still listen to it all the time.)
14.Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty (His first solo album (i think). My brother introduced me to him)
15.Love Songs and Negotiations - Paul Simon (take a look or listen at this album it has to be in everyone's top 15, it just has to)
16.Achtung Baby - U2 (I remember listening to this in my friend Archit's basement. Best of memories)
17.Ten - Pearl Jam (again, the whole "cool" thing. Plus very angry which was me in high school)
18.Time Pieces - Eric Clapton (so hard to choose one Clapton over another, but this is the one I owned and listened to as a kid)
19.Hot August Night - Neil Diamond (again, i don't care if people mock me. This album is amazing)
20.Throwing Copper - Live (Davidson Dungeon, Freshman year. trying so hard to fit in. It didn't work, but I found my place anyway!)
21.1 - The Beatles (I knew I needed to know more about the Beatles and this was a logical place to start)
22.Almost Famous - Soundtrack (I love this movie and can listen to this album over and over again)
23.Garden State - Soundtrack (just coincidence that 2 soundtracks back to back. Introduced me to some great bands that I wound not have listened to otherwise)
24.Wildflower - Tom Petty (another solo album. I have goto albums when I need to relax and this is one of them)
25.Daylight Again - Crosby Stills & Nash (I learned about this album in summer camp when I was 11 or 12 and for some reason Southern Cross just stuck with me)

I can't say that I would listen to all these albums today and it would have the same impact on me. Outside of the Billy Joel albums, Springsteen, Dylan, Chicago, Almost Famous and Wildflower, I probably haven't listened to one of these albums start to finish in at least 10 years. I chose them because either it represents my music or an important point in my life. Other artists who just missed the cut include: Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Jay and the Americans, and Stevie Wonder. I hope you enjoy this. Flame away.


Thank you so much for this, and please tell your friends, family, enemies and people you know that are in the WPP to contribute!