Crass-The Feeding of the 5000
This is the album that got me into Crass. Being a fan of Crass has changed who I am, what I believe in, and how I live my life many times since then. If pressed to choose a favorite band, I'd probably go with Crass. Though these days I tend to prefer Penis Envy or Christ-The Album, The Feeding of the 5000 will always be my favorite. No more really needs to be said about the mighty Crass, does it?
Propagandhi-Less Talk, More Rock
The Canadian activists' second album is a furious, clever, intelligent, talented and wonderfully produced effort that is obviously quite influenced by Crass, but done so uniquely with their own flair that I often find myself referring to this era of Propagandhi as the "90's Crass". Less Talk, More Rock, is one of those albums that you read more than you listen to. Of course, the title is tongue in cheek, as this band loves lengthy "political" rants and stuffing their records with radical literature. Much like Crass, Propagandhi have had a large part in shaping me into who I am today, even though I can't really get into much of their other other material. This is an amazing album, don't let your previous conceptions about this band get in the way of checking it out if you haven't already.
New Order-Power, Corruption & Lies
New Wave/Synth Pop/Etc. was my second big love after punk. I used to listen to Ultravox records on my crappy, stolen portable record player alone in my room and hope that none of my friends would unexpectedly come over and walk in on me. High school is tough when you're too punx for everything. Now, of course, I have no shame regarding any of my musical tastes and can openly say that I absolutely love this band and most of their catalog (everything pre-2000's). Power, Corruption & Lies is their best known LP, iconic for the time and genre and incredibly influential. It's also one of the few albums that I always come back to in my life, regardless of where I'm at or what mood I'm in.
Soft Cell-Non Stop Erotic Cabaret
The same that I said about P, C & L goes for this album. Very influential, very representative of their time and place in music, and also one of the albums that I find myself always listening to. At first, when I was younger, I got into it because I was amazed at how sleazy and strange it sounded, and would pick the needle up and replay songs like, "Sex Dwarf" a few times in a row. As I get older I can appreciate all of the intricacies involved into making this brilliant collection of songs. NSEC is a lot more than just "Tainted Love". The opener, a monster of a song, "Frustration", is the real hit here. These songs are cheeky young man blues played on synthesizers that throw the listener into a denser, darker, and much more seedy world.
The Replacements-Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash
Their first, and punkest album. These songs are more jangly, thrashy, sloppy, and altogether raucous and aggressive than their later material. The Replacements hopped up on amphetamines rather than The Replacements drunk on cheap beer and liquor, is how I like to describe this album. Midwest garage noise, fast paced, careless fireball rock and roll, before they became famous and known as a "college rock" band.
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