Tracy’s Top 10 Most Influential Albums
Quantifying a list of my most influential albums is a harrowing experience. I feel like my musical interests have morphed and course-corrected many, many times over the last few decades. What follows is a culmination of several, sometimes competing, influences. What albums, in my mind, have had an impact on my world, even in some micro sense? What albums do I appreciate because of how they influence my understanding of music or music theory? What albums were the gateway drug, the doorway of discovery for other influential albums or artists? What albums have I simply enjoyed because they introduced something new for me as a listener?
In the broadest sense, I’ve attempted to trace the evolution of these albums to the most nascent examples possible. While influential bands such as Talking Heads, Nirvana, Kraftwerk, Led Zeppelin, Black Flag, Autechre, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, Radiohead, and Prince have all been impactful on me and definitely worthy of this list, music’s influence on me can be traced back to some of the albums hidden down side streets and dark alleyways that really changed things. With that said, this is a very personal list. After much wringing of hands and hours upon hours of re-listens, the list (in no particular order) still isn’t complete. It will never be. And, although it is reasonably accurate for me, my opinions are certainly not meant to apply for anyone else.
Pink Floyd – Animals (1977)
As Pitchfork said, “It begins somewhere for everyone. There’s the first song that grabs your attention and seizes the imagination, the first album that demonstrates such overall strength and originality that it becomes something more for most listeners, just as there is the first kiss that awakens the soul and forever changes the vision.” Pink Floyd’s Animals is a massive part of my musical DNA. A cohesive concept album, Animals is as brutal as it is beautiful. For me, Animals was the beginning of the beginning.
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew (1970)
What didn’t Miles teach me with Bitches Brew? It’s an album that repays curiosity with a master class on the push and pull of improvisation. It’s an unveiling of the elements of music that have been repeated (shamelessly ripped off) by a multitude of history’s most respected artists. This album, almost singularly, defines “groove” and proves that the harmonic landscape and structure of a song can be bent and combined in non-textbook ways.
The Cure – Faith (1981)
While this album is a melancholic masterpiece, I completely realize that Faith isn’t for everyone. Contrasted with Pornography, a cornerstone of unrelenting nihilism and darkness, Faith is an affecting and poignant album for me, with less anger and much more lushness. When I first heard this album, I had no idea music could sound like this. Faith feels musically and lyrically unapologetic and honest, seemingly unaware that this naked, atmospheric darkness is the recipe that goth-y bands will try to emulate for decades to come.
David Bowie – Low (1977)
One of the most creative albums by one of the most iconic and creative artists, Low was the first in Bowie’s Berlin trilogy. Sometimes Eno, sometimes Zeppelin, but always Bowie, Low was a positive move away from top 40 for the artist. It is an atmospheric, futurist trip in which the spaces between the music carry an incredible weight and define the sound of much of the music that follows in Bowie’s body of work.
Underworld – Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1994)
Although most of the world was introduced to Underworld through their music on the Trainspotting soundtrack, this third release by Underworld is considered their proper debut. Not quite as jarring as Ministry’s dalliances with synthpop, in this album, Underworld clearly exhibits a maturation following their first two tepid full-length releases. Dubnobasswithmyheadman is comprised of loops, samples, and layers that form epics, not just songs. It deftly incorporates samples woven into a tight-knit subgenre of gritty, pulsating, ethereal, and intricate dance music. In a crowded musical environment of artists selling their contrived “beats,” Underworld stands tall as one of a handful of dance music luminaries.
Gene Loves Jezebel – Immigrant (1985)
When I worked as a disc jockey at a couple of Top 40 radio stations, there were two bins of records that were most critical for me. In the days when radio stations were actually spinning vinyl, the bin of long-play 45-rpm “bio-break” records was sometimes a necessity when you were the only hands on the board (or in the building). The other bin, however, was much more interesting. It contained off-chart records that either did not fit the playlist of the particular station or were deemed unsuitable for airplay for some reason. This “Do Not Play!” bin was irresistible for me and a goldmine for someone who was in the most active soaking-up-new-music-like-a-sponge stage as I was at the time. At these stations in the ’80s, the off-limits bin contained music from supposed avant-garde bands of the day such as INXS, Belouis Some, New Order, Depeche Mode, XTC, Public Image Ltd, The Fall, The Chameleons, Peter Murphy, Faith No More, R.E.M., The Sisters of Mercy, Hüsker Dü, Prefab Sprout, and Gene Loves Jezebel. These artists would later become the primary content for MTV’s 120 Minutes, an incredibly satisfying rabbit hole of alternative music, grainy band footage, and some notoriously creepy interviews (see the amazing 120 Minutes Archive).
It was because of the “Do Not Play!” bin that I discovered Gene Loves Jezebel and the absolute gem of an album that is Immigrant. I think this album actually sounds better now than it did when I first heard it. Frenetic, raucous, hyperactive, brooding, gentle, moody, and romantic, it feels ragged, loose, and atmospheric yet somehow very efficient and well constructed. This album is definitely more angular and less Duran-ified glam (sorry, Ron) than later Gene Loves Jezebel releases, which contributes to its engaging, timeless feel.
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992)
As with my first listen of The Cure, I had no idea that music could sound like Aphex Twin when I first heard this album. Although it is not the most ambient of ambient albums, the palette of sounds on display here are unencumbered by vocals and serve as a cornerstone of electronic music. It’s the kind of album that will still sound futuristic in the future. Selected Ambient Works serves as a background soundtrack for my memories and also shines in the forefront, inviting dissection through a really good set of headphones. I’ve been exploring it for decades and I feel like I’ve still only barely wrapped my head around it.
Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (1979)
Choosing Unknown Pleasures as one of my most influential albums seems like a bit of a cheat to me. First, it is an absolute masterpiece from the first sound to the last. It has an intensity that buzzes and pops like uncertain electrical charges trying to find their way home. Unknown Pleasures is a perfect example of creating an environment that invites listeners to work a little bit and use their imagination. This has always been the most interesting, creative, and rewarding type of music for me. Second, by choosing a Joy Division album, I don’t have to choose from several New Order albums that are absolutely stellar for completely different reasons, plus I do not have to choose from the many deserving punk albums that would not exist were it not for Joy Division.
Killing Joke – Killing Joke (1980)
Killing Joke is certainly the blueprint for bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Front 242, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, Coil, Pig, Ministry, and Nitzer Ebb. While many attribute pop music’s Industrial Movement to the three founding fathers—Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and Einstürzende Neubauten, it feels to me like Killing Joke is arguably more authentic and less formulaic than these three. This is best exemplified by the fact that Killing Joke is still producing powerful, sneering, and supremely creative music today. Killing Joke will always stand tall as my personal antidote to the cringe-worthy saccharin that characterized much of the airwaves of the ’80s.
Bauhaus – In the Flat Field (1980)
The reach of Bauhaus genealogy is extremely deep. Spawning various iterations and solo projects of Bauhaus including Tones on Tail (the real pick of this litter), Love and Rockets, and solo efforts by Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, and David J, the genesis of gothic rock itself can be traced back to this superlative, extremely intense, umm, kick in the eye. In the Flat Field is one of those rare albums that doesn’t really have a low point. (Okay, maybe “Small Talk Stinks” is a slight break in cohesion.) Daniel Ash’s soaring guitar and the unassailable dramatic and magnetic baritone vocals of Peter Murphy form a perfect marriage across the frequency spectrum. The only downside to In the Flat Field is that everything I listen to since has to be compared to this nearly flawless album.
Now for honorable mentions. Some of these albums are here because I managed to wear out multiple copies and they’ve become part of my mental fabric. Some are tied to specific times, places, or people. And still others are shiny, found objects that have managed to stay in my pocket, constantly reminding me of their existence over the course of time.
Black Sabbath – Vol. 4 (1972)
The The – Mind Bomb (1989)
Meatbeat Manifest – Storm the Studio (1989)
Clan of Xymox – Twist of Shadows (1989)
Sisters of Mercy – Floodland (1987)
Ministry – The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989)
Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
Oingo Boingo – Good For Your Soul (1983)
Front 242 – Front By Front (1988)
The Sugarcubes – Life’s Too Good (1988)
So, what does it sound like when two friends with voracious musical appetites (see Ron’s list here) create their own music? Gothic, industrial, glam-rock, synthpop, alternative, electronic, atmospheric concept rock and ambient styles all coalesce into something completely different. We are proud of Second October’s latest EP, STATIONARY NOMAD and hope you enjoy it and find pieces of your own musical influences within.
A quick shout-out and thank you to our official editor-in-chief Marjorie Metts for making the above more readable and hopefully more enjoyable for you!
There are no comments yet, add one below.
Leave a Reply