25 Albums.

Back in 2009, there was a Facebook thing going around where you list your top 25 albums. This is my post from February 2009. This would be a little different if I did it today, but it would have been different in January or march 2009. I stand by what I said.

This isn't a list of the BEST 25 , just the 25 that come to mind first. You'll see an improvement as the gin works its way through me.

1. Beck - One Foot in the Grave.  This one made me want to record, any way that I could. I still have not replaced the copy I gave away years ago, but don't regret it either.

2. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary. There is no describing how I feel about this one. I am just amazed and inspired every time I hear it.

3. Black Flag - Damaged. I could have listed ANY Black Flag release, or ALL of them, but this is the first I ever owned. Greg Ginn and his band have inspired my listening, my playing, and my work ethic.

4. John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillun. Amazing live album by an amazing performer. This one has John Lee Hooker alone, just the man and his guitar.

5. Jim Croce - Live: Final Tour. The album that got me into Jim Croce, and if you ever seen me drunk enough, you've prolly seen me half passed out, half singing Jim Croce. Thanks Dad.

6. Circle Jerks - Gig. I still remember how it sounded the first time I heard it. To this day, this is the live album all other live albums are judged by.

7. Jimi Hendrix - The Jimi Hendrix Concerts. Not the best collection of live recordings of his, but the one that got me really into Jimi. Again, thanks Dad.

8. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill. A car staple. Rhymin and Stealin, No Sleep, Slow and Low, etc... Many road trips would not have been the same. And the guitar riffs... I mean FUCK...

9. June Of 44 - Engine Takes to the Water. There is no comparison, this album is a stand alone classic. Thanks Aaron O.

10. Rollinghead - Daddyhorse. One of my first favorite bands. I saw them everytime they did an all ages. From Music Express in-stores to Music on the Mall. Still one of my all time favorite bands.

11. The Pogues - Red Roses for Me. This album is a perfect frame for my own alcoholism. Everything Shane touches is pure gold.

12. Painkiller - Buried Secrets. The CD that got me into John Zorn. Amazing, brutal, scary, and raw. Thanks Becky!

13. Motorhead - Any. NO list of music is complete without Lemmy. Best metal bands, best hard rock albums, best classical composers, best boy band. NO list is complete without Lemmy.

14. Hayden - Everything I Long for. This is an instant classic. If you don't know you won't know.

15. Desmond Dekker - Rockin Steady: Best of. This is the one that got me into Desmond Dekker, and ska/rocksteady/reggae in general. Fantastic collection. I still have the copy Moira left me at 303. Sorry, Moira.

16. Nirvana - Bleach (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). Raw and overlooked. Even if you don't like their later work, you need this one. I traded my first copy for some shrooms. Issac and I used to record School (rather badly) after bribing little Derek to leave us alone.

17. Body Count - Born Dead. Ice mother fucking T and heavy motherfucking metal! Come on people!

18. New Kids On The Block - New Kids on the Block. The one before Hangin Tough. An-gel, girl you make my dreams come true, an-gel, spend my whole life loving you, an-gel, baby you are the one for me, an-gel... that's right, from memory. I went there. You want more... A, is cause I'm always gonna love you, N, never gonna leave you, G, is for your good good loving, E, is for your ever lasting love, L is cause I love you, really really love you. From memory while listing to other music. Bitches.

19. ACDC - Back in Black. I should have Bon Scott material listed here, but Back In Black kind of has the best of both worlds, the band they were with Bon, and the band they would become without him.

20. Mano Negra - Puta's Fever. Get this. Get this now. I first saw Mano Negra on a recording of the Japanese TV show All Nite Fuji, which ended up the name of my band with Benny. This album is perfect beginning to end. Mano Negra may in fact be the best band worldwide, ever.

21. Minor Threat - Complete Discography. I first heard Minor Threat on a mixtape that Jeremy made for PJ that PJ gave to me. The same tape (there may have been two) got me into Black Flag, NOFX, Misfits, Dead Kennedys and CRASS (among others). Thanks Jeremy... Anyways, Minor Threat got me into the whole DC harDCore thing, which was a tremendous influence on both my songwriting, musical work ethic, and lifestyle. Its funny that this drunken mess used to abstain from intoxicants.

22. D.R.I. - 4 of a Kind. My first D.R.I., one of the best. This represents one of my ideal guitar sounds. My ten year old son is now a D.R.I. fan. Fuckin' A!

23. Willie Nelson - Countryman. Willie does reggae. It really doesn't get better than this. Just don't buy your copy at walmart, the edit out the pot leaf on the cover. Toots sings on a few tracks. That's right, Toots Hibbert AND Willie Nelson. Sounds like something out of a dream.

24. CRASS - Best Before. It just feels wrong without CRASS. I picked Derek up after work and rushed up to Music Express before they closed for the night so Derek (who still has my copy of Penis Envy) could buy a copy, before a night at Big Boy, before the dark times, before the Emperor...

25. Flee The Scene. This may be the most important album here, cause it is the one I put out. I was inspired by Dischord and SST to start my own label. Which I did with this CD. I got to work with such legends as The Freeze, Dropdead, and Berwer. Even though we ended after one more release, I still did it, and that's what counts. My compilation has been sold around the world and has been called a punk orgasm. Anyone who doesn't have one can drop me an address and I'll mail you one, or a dozen.

I should have put some others, Urban Riot - A Mile In Our Shoes (the other release I put out), Misfits, Green Day - Kerplunk, Exploited - Punk's Not Dead, Bob Marley - ANY/ALL, The Clash, I Hate Myself - 10 songs, David Allan Coe - Penitentiary Blues, Skrewdriver - All Skrewed Up, Dead Kennedys - In God We Trust Inc., The Animals, Manowar - Battle Hymns ...