My Top Ten Albums

Does anybody listen to albums anymore? As a music lover, it doesn’t do much for me to listen to just one song from an artist. I want to hear more. I need to delve deeper into his/her/their psyche. I have to know if that artist is capable of more than one great song. I need to see creativity. I miss the days when people treated albums (be they cassettes, CDs, or vinyls) with such personal significance, even considering them to be treasured and/or cherished items. Sure, not all the songs in an album might be deemed great, but that’s the beauty of it. You get to see another person’s soul; the beauty, the ugliness, and everything else in between, and you take them all in.

I miss the days when conversation among friends would revolve around which song in an album made the most impression, when even though we didn’t agree much on what song is an album best, we all knew that what mattered most was that we discovered something that only we can share. I miss even the naiveté of being considered cool if you were the first to discover and introduce a previously unknown artist or album to your peers. Music has always played a large role in shaping who I am, and the albums I love have influenced me more so in ways that could probably match a William Vollman novel. In no particular order, here’s a list of my all time favorites (kudos to Vic Narciso for the inspiration).

1.Crash (Dave Matthews Band) - This album was a bit hard to digest at first. You see, I came from a prog-metal background and I didn’t quite dig the “improvisational jam” type of music. But it grew on me like a fungus, and boy did it grow. It’s the albums that take a while to appreciate that end up taking a long time to get over. Comparable to a great lover, this is one I soaked up to saturation. And like any great lover, I miss its company on some days, so it tends to make a sporadic but always appreciated appearance on my player.

2. Wish (The Cure) – Yeah, sure. “Disintegration“ is a better album. What else can I say? I like the songs on this one better. When I first bought this album, I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I even lent it to my bandmate Robert without worrying if and when he’d return it. What made me want to listen is when Robert would play these seemingly divine melodies on his piano that I end up asking what songs were they from and who sang them. Of course, he’ll answer matter-of-factly, “From the Cure album I borrowed from you. Haven’t you listened to it before you lent it to me?” Well, I wouldn’t take any more of that smug look on his face, no sir. So I got the album back and this time, I did listen. What continually breaks my heart is that among us bandmates, it was only Robert and I who appreciated the ethereal beauty and the catharsis we experience from listening to The Cure.

3. Flipped Out in Singapore (Chainsaw Kittens) - I can’t believe I am unable to obtain a copy of this gem of an album. It makes me kind of sad when it seems none of the people I know ever heard this one (that would make me immaculately cool).I’ve tried playing the tape and recording to my computer. I’ve tried asking around for a copy. I’ve tried downloading it. All I get are bits and bytes of incomplete music. Believe me when I say this is a GREAT album. Every song is a pop masterpiece capable of causing LSS for days on end.

4. Toxicity (System Of A Down) - The first time I listened to a System Of A Down song was through their music video for “Toxicity”. I could only count a handful of times when a music video blew my socks off (a few that come to mind, “Helena“ by My Chemical Romance, “Let Forever Be” by The Chemical Brothers, and “Hurt” by Johnny Cash). I felt compelled to buy the album, and again, I was blown away. I was giddy as a child that I would bring along my CD player and make anyone listen to all the songs, even my ex who writes off distorted guitars as mere noise.

5. Waiting for the Punchline (Extreme) - This is the album when Extreme finally got down to “biznizz”. They’ve been accused before of having no signature sound. One time, they be prog rockers. Another, they be folk singers. Lounge acts be the next. But this time around, there’s just a guitar, a bass, a drum and a band that just wants to rock. Nuno’s playing here has influenced me more than he has in the past. My favorite guitar lines can be found on the tracks “Hip Today”, “Naked”, “Shadow Boxing”, and “Midnight Express”. Come to think of it, every song contains a favorite guitar line. One of the few albums I could play on the guitar from start to finish, this one.

6. Yano (Yano) - It’s hard to pick a local album that I hold most dear. There’s Francism’s “Freeman”, Eraserheads’ “Cutterpillow”, also debut albums by Wolfgang and Datu’s Tribe. But from the perspective of a songwriter and a guitar player, I think the greatest local album of all time would have to go to Yano. Nothing can trump this one if for Dong Abay’s sheer lyricism and Eric Gancio’s sublimely innovative guitar parts alone. But alas, that’s not all this album has to offer. There’s the perpetually relevant social commentary, the deceptively simple song arrangements, the romance, the angst and the great stories. Once again, I declare this as the Philippine’s musical magnum opus. ‘Nuff said

.7. Greatest Hits I (Queen) – The only album I know that is universally appreciated:young or old, man or woman, rich or poor, smart or stupid alike. The songs are so ubiquitous that part of me is ashamed of it and wants to deny ever liking it. But then who am I to argue with what all of us already know? That this album was, is, and forever will be, a classic.

8. Rubber Soul (The Beatles) – Arguably, the Beatles’ “White Album” and “Sgt. Pepper” are way much better in terms of lyrical or artistic merit. But this one I first heard when I was four. This is the album that made me want to listen to music. And probably the only good thing my father introduced to me.

9. The Bends (Radiohead) - Before this album, everyone (myself included) dismissed that Radiohead would be just a one-hit wonder. Well surprise, surprise. The band has a vast reservoir filled to the brim with what’s left for them to offer. Listening to this album, I voyage through a cornucopia of emotions. Happy, sad, mad, paranoid, pensive, drained, and finally, numb. Still, if each and every successive listening means careening through these emotions again and again, it’s a price I would gladly pay.

10. Blind Melon (Blind Melon) - Roots. Funk. Blues. Rock. Four of my favorite words and they’re all in this album. Shannon Hoon summed it best what I’ve always thought but have been unwilling to admit: “I only wanted to be 16 and free.”

Honorable Mentions:I have a lot of other albums I wish I could include here, but I chose to leave them out mainly because they have similarities in one form or another with the albums above (and thus would be redundant). Still, they own a huge chunk of quality time on my playlist. Again, in no particular order, so below.

Dirt-(Alice In Chains)/ SuperUnknown-(Soundgarden)/ Empire-(Queensryche)/ Achtung Baby-(U2)/ Automatic for the People-( REM)/Ten Summoner’s Tales-(Sting)/American Highway Flower-(Dada)/Electric Ladyland-(Jimi Hendrix)/With Teeth-(Nine Inch Nails)/Blood Sugar Sex Magik-(Red Hot Chili Peppers)/Siamese Dream-(Smashing Pumpkins)