March 1, 2012

Greg’s Top Ten Albums/Songs That Have Influenced My Life (1-5 Today, 6-10 Tomorrow):

1. “Ordinary World” by Duran Duran - There wasn’t a doubt what would make the top spot on this list. It’s a song that hasn’t been with me as long as some of the others on this list, but words can’t explain how powerful it has been. The lyrics have gotten me through some pretty painful times in my life and helped me enjoy some pleasant ones, too. The lyrics are somewhat somber and optimistic at the same time and are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard.

2. Album “1984” by Van Halen - By the time high school rolled around in 1991, I knew who Van Halen were. I’d seen their videos on MTV for years and thought they were the epitome of cool, but had never really taken the time to listen to their catalog of music. In my freshman year of high school my friend Joshua Hess let me borrow his cassette copy of Van Halen’s classic record “1984” which featured the hits “Jump”, “Panama” and “Hot For Teacher.” I was totally blown away and became infatuated with the rock genre - a love affair I’m still enjoying to this very day.

3. Album “Thriller” by Michael Jackson - I’m guessing this might on a few people’s top tens. It’s one of those records that is flawless from start to finish and was my first real introduction to music - my mother had a copy on cassette when I was in the first grade. The songs were played frequently at my home, on the television and radio...it was everywhere. I can listen to it any time of day and it reminds of what a massive influence Jackson was on the music industry. No matter what you might think of Jackson as a person or what type of music you are into, there’s no denying the power and influence of his landmark album.

4. Album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” by Public Enemy - When I first bought the record in 1987, unbeknownst to my mother who would one day throw my copy away, I didn’t really listen to what frontman Chuck D was saying on each track. I just thought it was the coolest thing I had ever heard. Only later did I realize the message he was conveying in his songs about the struggles of African-Americans. There’s a certain anger in his message that just grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. I love that he was totally fearless in his approach and although I’m not a black man, a large Caucasian fan base emerged for Public Enemy after that record debuted. I believe Public Enemy’s sound crossed racial boundaries because we can all relate to the emotions he was expressing.

5. “One” by Metallica - Van Halen was my introduction to rock. Metallica took me to an entirely different level of the genre that has a massive influence on me to this day. There’s an anger in metal that I’ve never heard in any other genre of music and “One” by Metallica was my introduction to it. So many raw emotions come from the sounds generated by Metallica in the song “One” that express rage and chaos. It’s one of those songs that constantly builds until it reaches a violent climax right around the four and half minute mark. If I ever need to access my own rage I need little more than to listen to metal in order to find it.