Top 15 albums that will always be important to me

I stole this from Jon Ozaksut on facebook, so all credit to him. I'll make this go from 15 to 1, and I'll try to make the entries short enough.

15: Green Day American Idiot: So let me start out by saying, yes, a lot of my albums aren't going to be the coolest. That being said, this album resonates. I bought American Idiot when it came out, and it helped lead to my political changing. I grew up a Republican idiot and changed when I grew some brains and formed my opinion. It's a good album, I go back every now and then and I should go back to it sometime soon.

14: The Clash London Calling: Or, how I got into punk rock of the 70s. So many good songs here, and I always forget how many good ones there are until I go back and listen to it again.

13: Barenaked Ladies Stunt: Sometimes you want music that will make you think, and sometimes you want to have fun. This more falls into the have fun, but I always enjoy In The Car. Fun and peppy, it's what I think of on car rides with friends.

12: Beatles A Hard Day's Night: This is so low not because I like it least, but because while it resonates and was one of the first ones I listened to, it led to me getting more Beatles albums because this one was so awesome. The boys know how to rock and expressed so much in so few words. Plus, come on, Can't Buy Me Love.

11: Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler Best of: When I bought this, I only wanted Brothers in Arms because of that West Wing episode. I barely ever listened to it, until I threw iTunes on shuffle. Then songs started popping up, and those songs were good. Going Home, Money For Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, so many that are great. It has definitely taught me that when I buy a CD, listen to the whole damn thing. There will be some other good ones on there; this is also why I buy CDs still instead of singles a lot, but they better be good CDs.

10: Van Halen Best of Both Worlds: Everyone loves Van Halen. If you don't love Van Halen, you haven't listened to enough. They exemplify the 80s to me, power ballads and stadium anthems. The news that David Lee Roth is a part of the band again and is making a new album incredibly excites me.

9: Marvin Gaye Best of: My dad in the 70s had a lot of music that you wouldn't expect a stuffy white guy to listen to, like the platters, temptations, foundations, Marvin Gaye, all sorts of stuff. Kids used to act him, "Mr. Zuidema, why do you have those bands? They don't seem like something you would listen to." And he always told them, "It's about the voice, and the music." Same with Marvin Gaye. The man knows what he's talking about, and I love me some 70s soul. This is also why I really love Cee-Lo's F*** You.

8: AC/DC Back in Black: Sex, drugs, rock and roll. They have been singing about it for years, and this album is always fun to blast while driving in the suburbs. Angry, anthemic, and awesome, I love every track on this album. This album was probably one of the major reasons I love hard rock.

7: Stevie Wonder Best of: I love Stevie Wonder. His songs just always make me feel awesome and happy. If I'm having a downer day and I want a pick me up, I just turn on this CD and start rocking out and singing along. Every song on here just makes me peppy.

6: Paul Simon Graceland: Jack gave this to me sometime at U of C, I want to say around or after one of the California trips. I initially liked a few of the songs on it but I've been listening to it a lot since then. Every song on there makes me feel groovy and has definitely fueled a lot of my love of what can best be described as easy listening. The man knows his music and has such great song writing abilities. I need more Paul Simon cds.

5: John Denver and the Muppets Christmas Album: To me, I can't fully get into the Christmas season unless I hear this CD. There's so many memories attached to this CD, rides in the car to and from my gramma's place on Christmas Eve. Wanting to stay up for Santa and never getting to. Decorating a Christmas tree and fully getting into the Christmas spirit. Every Christmas I can never find the CD, and every Christmas I burn a copy of it to listen to. I hardly ever listen to it between New Years and Thanksgiving, but that one month? Oooh, over and over again.

4: Queen Greatest Hits: More memories here. Every time our family went to Minnesota, Mom and Dad threw this on. My sister and I grew up knowing the words to Bohemian Rhapsody, Somebody to Love, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love. I have to believe two things. First, my parents used to be cool until we came along and ruined it, and they chose Queen because they needed something that was the anti-Raffi to listen to. I still listen to this CD all the time, because Freddie Mercury knew how to rock. The man could move everyone and it's a shame he's no longer with us.

3: Motion City Soundtrack Even if it Kills Me: I listened to this CD all the time on the way back and forth from Purdue these last 3 years. I grew to enjoy every one of these songs as they hit that perfect mix of expression and rock for me. It seems like a buddy comedy to me at times, and a romantic movie at others. Whatever I need at the time, it's there.

2: Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith London 1975: This is a live concert at London. This is also the most rocking thing I own. It's essentially live versions of the first 3 CDs worth of songs (Greetings from Asbury Park, The Wild the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, and BTR), and it's incredible. This CD was the reason I went to a concert 3 years ago, and it was one of the best nights of my life, even including that stupid ticket for blowing through a red light i insist was yellow. I have to go to another one sometime soon, as it's a transcendent experience. The man knows how to put on an amazing show and if he ever has another tour, I'm going on it. Everyone should go see one of their heroes sometime, and time is running out for me.

1: Bruce Springsteen Born To Run: I got this CD from Edmund during a math meeting. And it may be the greatest CD I own. I read somewhere once that while Bruce has a voice on par with Brian Williams, he has the greatest expressive ability of any singer out there. This was the third CD he made, after Asbury Park and E Street Shuffle. He was going broke and about to be out of the music industry, so he threw everything he had into this album. The result was magical. If you want a recommendation, try Thunder Road and the title track and Jungleland. You will not be disappointed.

And hey, at least this post was happyish?