seventeen albums that changed my life

This list concept is absolutely and shamelessly ripped off of the brilliant and beautiful Summer Anne who, in turn, ripped it off of Patton Quinn. Being a lover of lists myself, I couldn't resist. See both of their blogs for disclaimer.

1. Billy Joel -Piano Man

Mom introduced me to Billy Joel at the ripe old age of 6. Well, she didn't sit me down like the sister in Almost Famous and ask me to light at a candle, it was more like osmosis. Piano Man was one of those albums in the air at our house, like stuff by Bread or Chicago. This one stuck, the title track in particular. 20something years later, this is my mom's favorite song to hear me sing. I don't know if there are too many lines that hit me the way "they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone" does.

2. Jackson Browne -The Pretender

This was another of those "something in the air" albums, although my dad was a tad more intentional with it. Where Piano Man served almost like the background music of childhood, The Pretender got turned up whenever it was on. Turn it up, sit back, and quietly sing along. This was dad's way of saying "Pay attention. This is important."

3. Johnny Cash -At Folsom Prison

Grandpa is actually more of a Merle Haggard guy (he loves that "love it or leave it" sentiment), but Johnny was a close second, and much more my speed. Where Merle was funny until you realized he was serious, Johnny was funny and serious in exactly the way he meant to be. Some of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking music I have ever heard.

4. Tom Waits -Closing Time

Ask my cousins which album they turned their nose up at as kids that they now count as a favorite. They'll all say Closing Time. My Uncle Norm plays this album at the end of every road trip and it is the soundtrack to any vacation up north. This is the sad peace of togetherness put to music.

5. U2 -The Unforgettable Fire

What? You thought I was going to say Joshua Tree? Yeah, it's amazing, but Unforgettable Fire is a superior album and my introduction to U2. This was one of those albums that was about something, it was political in the kind of way that I associated with Jesus more than I did with Reagan. I know that "political" is one of the reasons a lot of folks despise U2, but it was the initial draw for me. At 13, I was looking for someone to give me permission to be serious in a passionate way.

6. Public Enemy -It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back

While my parents were initially concerned about my brother introducing me to hip-hop, I could not have been more grateful. Still looking to be serious and passionate at 14, this was one step further in both directions. This was angry. "You know who they're angry at?" he said, "You." That didn't matter. People had been angry at me before. It sounded like they might have a good reason. It sounded like I should listen.

7. Nirvana -Nevermind

When I was 28 and had been working with teenagers for a number of years, one of them came over to the house, checked out my music collection, and exclaimed, "Nirvana? That's my music!" He was wrong, of course, but he was right. Nirvana always feels like your music when you're 15 years old. It's just that I was 15 in 1991.

8. Bruce Springsteen -Nebraska

Anyone who knows me at all was wondering when Bruce would make the list. Strangely enough, I came to Springsteen kind of late. He had always been my dad's music, but at a stage when that didn't make him appealing. So instead of jumping in early like I did with Jackson Browne, I was 16 before I really gave the Boss a chance. Paul Merino and I were walking through a record store when he picked up a copy of Nebraska and said, "you're a Bruce fan, right?" I responded in a withering tone, "No. My dad is." "Then your dad's got better taste than you do," he retorted, "Buy this idiot. If you don't love it, I'll buy it from you." Needless to say, he was right.  Bruce Springsteen became my favorite recording artist ever, and Nebraska will always be my favorite album.

9. Bob Dylan -Blood On The Tracks/Neil Young -After The Gold Rush

OK. OK. 18 albums. But these came together at summer camp when I was 16. This kid in my cabin (Mark?) had made a tape that had Bob on one side and Neil on the other. This was mindblowing. This was everything I loved about every album I had ever loved. I simply could not believe how good this was and how strange it was that Bob Dylan had always been background noise and Neil Young non-existent. What were my parents thinking (actually dad is only a nominal fan and mom doesn't care for their singing voices. She likes a real singer. Like Billy Joel.)?

10. Jeff Buckley -Grace

There are few performers who can manage to be perfectly controlled and completely exposed in the same breath. Buckley is one of them. This album represents that shift from high school to college that meant just a little less Nirvana and just a little more Radiohead. And not enough Jeff Buckley. But what he gave us in that little time was more than most singer/songwriters do in a lifetime.

11. Radiohead -The Bends/Ben Harper -Fight For Your Mind

Go on. Say it. 19 albums. But these came together as well. David and Max were two older college guys whose opinions on what was cool could not be questioned. In this case, they shouldn't be. Before Harper became a sort of sellout, he had a raw and wild quality that made it possible for him to cover Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye without irony. And Radiohead simply was the college band for anyone in college in the early 90's. That's OK. They earned it.

12. Ben Folds Five -Whatever and Ever Amen

And if Radiohead was the band for serious college students, BFF was the band for the not so serious. And I was a bit of both. Ben Folds Five was the soundtrack to my senior year, when we were all just a bit too witty and ironic. Still, there was no irony in that piano powered pop, which is why we let Ben slide.

13.Rich Mullins -A Liturgy, A Legacy, and A Ragamuffin Band

Rachel had some initial concerns about the fact that I refused to listen to Christian music and I was equally concerned that she didn't. I'm pretty sure Sandi Patty and Twila Paris wouldn't have spanned the gap. Rich Mullins did. Simply one of the most flawed and honest Christian songwriters ever. All the "rah! rah!" stuff that I had rejected from Christian subculture was absent from his music. This was a guy just stumbling towards Jesus and knowing he'd never make it if Jesus didn't run towards him.

14. Lyle Lovett -Joshua Judges Ruth

I was introduced to Lovett's music in Abilene, TX. I had just made the claim that there was no longer such a thing as "good country music" and my friend Blake assured me I was wrong. I asked him to prove it. He did.

15. Neutral Milk Hotel -In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

There was one good record store in Abilene and it was like something out of High Fidelity, which means it didn't stay in business very long (curse you Abilene!). However, it was there when I needed it and it was where I heard Neutral Milk Hotel for the first time. I remember asking the owner what it was and him handing it to me with a smile and saying, "Buy it. It'll change your life."

16. Elvis Costello -Get Happy!

If it took me awhile to get to Bruce, it took me forever to get to Elvis. In fact, my buddy Mark was pretty shocked to discover that I had yet to discover Costello's music. Dumbfounded. Like finding out your college English professor has never heard of James Joyce. Get Happy! is, quite simply, the greatest punk album ever recorded.

17. Okkervil River -Don't Fall In Love With Everyone You See

BookPeople. Where the only thing better than the books is the people. And not just because they introduce you to music you'd have missed sitting in an office somewhere. Still, that is a plus. When Summer and I started trading mixes, Okkervil River's "Listening To Otis Redding At Home During Christmas" was a standout track. One of the many times on this list where I asked, "What is this?" and was changed as a result.  Thank. You. Summer.