20 Days, 20 Albums

I was recently challenged on Facebook to post, over 20 days, 20 albums that have influenced me, but without any explanation. You know me better than that! To be passionate about something to voluntarily participate in a Facebook trend and not say anything about it?! Hah! You may as well tie me up and place one of my wife’s snowball cookies, warm from the oven, inches from my mouth but never let me have it!

#1 – Eye in the Sky – The Alan Parsons Project – I first heard this album in Rodney Chandler’s light blue Volkswagen beetle somewhere in the mid-1980’s. It was unlike anything I’d heard to that point, including my sisters’ “controversial” music like Bread and Bachman Turner Overdrive. This was introspective, almost introverted music compared to the pop music of the day, and sometimes with orchestral backup. I was astounded. I was hooked. I believe this may have been the very first album I loved enough–and dared to risk Mom’s displeasure over–to actually buy for myself. Up until then I’d gladly leeched off my older brother. And while many of their hits do go mainstream, they always seemed just enough outside the mainstream to be a bit edgy, a bit indie. I believe this was the very first step I took in defining my own musical tastes, and I own most every album the produced from the late ’70’s into the early ’90’s.

#2 – Moonlighting – The Rippingtons

I probably shouldn’t have discovered The Rippingtons. I first heard their music in Australia while I was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our mission president had somewhat lax rules on music, but I’m not sure if he would have agreed with Elder Frederick that the Rippingtons were spiritually uplifting. But he had several of their albums, we had a common interest in music, and we were in Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The Rippingtons, or at least this album, will always be connected in my mind to soft tropical evenings, drinking root beer or eating Frenzy Cones on the Cairns Esplanade. This was my first introduction to Jazz, and I was hooked. I branched out into some of the other artists on this album, like David Benoit, and my exploration has continued ever since.

#3 – Gloria – John Rutter – I was a music major in college, mostly singing in choirs. We performed the Rutter “Gloria” once with the full orchestration. It’s a wonderful piece, and very fun to sing, but the middle movement, “Domine Deus” is a masterpiece; majestic, powerful and moving. It’s probably one of the reasons why I decided I couldn’t be a professional musician. I get too emotionally invested in the music and get all choked up. Not good when you’re expected to be making beautiful sounds.

#4 – Chess: The Musical (Original London Soundtrack)- Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, Bjorn Ulvaeus – One of the greatest musicals I’ve never seen. Perhaps it’s still this way today and I just don’t notice, but the 1980’s seemed a golden age of Musicals getting airplay outside of London or New York. Or maybe I was just plugged into the musical scene back then. In any case, this musical hit while I was in my teens. It was totally cool: centered on chess players, the Russian was actually the good guy, the music was emotional and powerful, and it even got a song or two on the Top 40! It was also….very depressing. No one ended happily. I understand they changed it a lot when it actually came to Broadway and I’ve never bothered to listen to the “Americanized” version. For a long time, though, the London version was my go-to album for getting out of depression. I’d put it on my headphones, crank it, and wallow in the passion until I couldn’t stand it any more. Then I’d pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to life.

#5- Upright – Philip Aaberg – I first experienced Philip Aaberg as a school assignment. As a music major, I had to attend so many concerts per semester besides my own. He happened to be giving a free concert at the University, so I went. I soon wondered if I’d made a mistake. This was when New Age was hitting its peak, and all the yuppie intelligentsia were there. And then Mr. Aaberg came on stage in a black tux jacket airbrushed in pastels. But then he sat at the piano and began doing things to it I had no idea was possible for only two hands. He put his heart and soul into her performance, and the music was amazing. He was considered New Age but you really can’t pin him into a genre. His career as a studio and tour musician took him in all sorts of directions, and it shows. I bought and loved several of his albums, but then came “Upright” and blew them all away. Part Jazz, part boogie, part soul ballad, he continues to beat the snot out of a piano and make it wonderful. His solo piano version of his song “Slow Dance” was worth the cost alone.

#6 – Fresh Aire III – Mannheim Steamroller – When my older sister was in college she discovered this odd new album in the Music Department’s listening library. She brought it home for the family to listen to, and before long someone had bought their own copy. I was a young punk at the time, and remember then being more excited about the up-beat, rock-like songs, but over time I grew to appreciate the slower, more nuanced pieces and the sweeping orchestral compositions. Today I have Fresh Aire I – VII. I didn’t continue past that, as by that time Chip Davis had gone solo, electronic, and commercial (something that started around VI and VII). There is still much to love in I – V, and I’ll get them out and dust them off every so often.

# 7 – Nights from the Alhambra – Loreena McKennitt – I’ve been a fan of Loreena McKennitt from the moment her “Mummers Dance” first hit the radio in the late 1990’s. Her spin on old folk music and traditional songs are terrific, and her own compositions are very well done. She’s a true musician, and her vocal style is both unique and eloquent. I cheat a little with “Nights from the Alhambra,” though not entirely. This is a live concert album, which presents a cross-section of most of her albums so I don’t have to pick a favorite album. At the same time, being a live concert, musical moments happen here that don’t on some of her album cuts and songs I never cared that much for before gain a new power. For example, the live version of Caravanserai never excited me until I heard the live version, and now it’s my favorite song of hers.

#8 – Revolutions – Jean-Michel Jarre – I stumbled across this album in Australia as well, probably on Elder Fredrick’s recommendation again, though I believe he only recommended Jarre in general. I just happened to find this one in a used music store and picked it up on the cheap. I love this album primarily for the Industrial Revolutions suite and the incredible mood it sets. Months later I was in an area with a laser tag arena where we could play unlimited games for two hours for $10, or something as ridiculously cheap. The proprietor would let us bring our own background music, and I’d get him to play this as often as I could. It fit so well. The piece is a wonderful example of the musicality of sampled noise, and how to heighten the drama by layering motifs and rhythms, instrumentation and pitch ranges. The rest of the album goes very much in a different direction, and didn’t excite me as much, but those first sixteen minutes of music remain some of my favorites.

#9 – Happy Together – The Nylons – The Nylons burst on the scene in 1987 while I was in high school, and their hit “Kiss Him Goodbye” made them instant fans across the country, to say nothing of the choir room where I spent most of my time. But my best memory was when they came to Boise, Idaho during the Boise River Fest. For the cost of two tanks of gas I could sleep on my brother’s couch and see The Nylons for free! They most certainly did not disappoint. Of course a couple of long-time singers like my brother and me couldn’t resist, and on the shuttle bus ride back to his end of town we got an impromptu vocal concert of our own going–and enough other riders joined in no one dared toss us off the bus! I think that was the start of many happy trips to Boise for the River Fest.

#10 – Ted Yoder – Ted Yoder – I was first introduced, musically and personally, to Ted Yoder in my brother’s front yard. Ted was on a tour of the West and had agreed to do a couple concerts in Utah, one of which being at my brother’s house. I’m sorry to say the crowd wasn’t as big we’d have liked, but this was before the Great Conjunction of hammered dulcimer, raccoon and Tears For Fears made Ted a viral, household name. Ted is about the nicest guy you’ll ever know, and a fine musician. His “Yoderized” covers are excellent, but his own compositions are possibly even better. He manages to get a lot of notes out of one instrument with two hammers (“And some of them are even correct!” he’d probably say), and his music manages to be upbeat and relaxing simultaneously. I was pleased to see him playing to much larger house last year when he came back through. The man deserves his success, and I hope it keeps coming.

#11 – Bretonne – Nolwenn Leroy – This is one of my first departures into foreign language artists. I discovered Ms. Leroy on YouTube. I believe she was a EuroVision Song Contest winner in younger days, but while her catchy pop tunes were…catchy…it was a couple videos from this album that really caught my attention. I took a bit of a risk and bought the entire album, and I wasn’t disappointed. She has an amazing, versatile voice, applied with artistry uncommon among pop singers. The gets the art of subtlety. Incidentally, I did a review of this album around eight years ago which, while not my most popular post, was as close as I’ve come to going viral. A Nolwenn Leroy fan site found it and linked, and for a few days I was very popular!

#12 – Come On Over – Shania Twain – When my wife and I were courting she introduced me to Country music, starting with Shania Twain. I started broadening my horizons a bit and soon realized that there was even better stuff out there. Colin Raye, Terri Clark, Phil Vassar, Martina McBride, George Strait, Lonestar–for a while I was into Country in a big way. I still have some favorites I have to revisit now and then. Terhi kinda abandoned me after awhile, and I lost interest, as I always do when my need is fed by radio. They focus on the same songs over and over for months to where I get sick of hearing the same stuff all the time. Since then Country seems to have gone even farther afield, which is unfortunate. I haven’t listened to anything new in a long time.

#13 – Solar Echoes – Nigel Stanford – Like a lot of people, I was first introduced to Nigel Stanford by the Cymatics video on YouTube. I liked it enough I bought the album, and we took it with us on the family vacation to Grand Teton National Park. Though the album is space themed, it really fits well with driving through epic landscapes. It remains one of my go-to background music albums, and when Stanford released his second album (Automatica) I was all over it. That one proved to be more of a vocal album than I was expecting, and Solar Echoes is still may favorite.

#14 – Áššogáttis – Sofia Jannok – A few years ago I became interested in joik, a traditional song style of the Sami people of Northern Scandinavia, and YouTube served up several interesting examples. Sofia Jannok was one of them. After sampling several of her songs I decided to buy an album. She’s got a fascinating mashup of styles; part joik, part pop, part Jazz. She’s also got a great, versatile voice. I haven’t picked up any other albums yet, but she’s on my list.

#15 – Wintergatan – Wintergatan – I imagine just about everyone has seen the Marble Machine video by now. That’s how I discovered Martin and his amazing talent for music and engineering. Then I discovered a few more of his songs. Marble Machine was not even his best stuff. So I bought the album. And I watched patiently as he began designing the Marble Machine X, the new-and-improved model that he planned to take on tour. It’s now 128 episodes of Wintergatan Wednesday later and the MMX is still not done, but Martin is also building a new studio, so one way or another we might get some new music soon. I’m getting impatient. The machine is cool–way cool!–but I want more music already!

#16 – She – Harry Connick, Jr. – I was first introduced to Harry Connick, Jr. in his big-band phase, with albums like “We Are In Love.” Then “She” came along, and I really had no words to categorize it. It’s eclectic, it’s funk-y, it’s poetic, it’s…”She.” I had no idea just how much lyricist Ramsey McLean contributed to that album until they had their artistic differences and went their separate ways after this album. The next ones just lacked something. I wish they could have worked it out and given us at least one more in the same vein, but…no. At least we got “She.”

#17 – The Dream of the Blue Turtles – Sting – I had barely heard of The Police growing up, so I’m not sure what possessed me to pick up Sting’s solo debut. I suspect filling out my Columbia House record club initial purchase may have had something to do with it. In any case, though I don’t always follow him closely, that began a musical infatuation that has lasted 35 years. The man is a musical storyteller extraordinaire. Every song is alive with imagery and bursting with narrative. He can take Renaissance madrigals, insert himself into the period, and somehow sound more authentic than any other renditions I’ve heard. He takes old Police quasi-punk ballads and turns them into sensitive art pieces. He is equally at home with French rapper and old English folksongs. I hesitate to call anyone a musical genius, but he may well be one.

#18 – Invincible – Two Steps From Hell – I believe I have my friend Matt Martin to thank for this wonderful find. He introduced his daughter, who introduced my daughter, who introduced me, and that was it. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people who write movie trailer music would suck me in. They specialize in setting emotions and moods with just a few notes, and they do it amazingly well. Thomas Bergersen, one of the two founding members, has begun breaking out into–I don’t want to say “solo” work for some reason, but that’s what it is. Anyway, he’s branching out into longer works, and has learned to paint with an emotional palate that I can’t get enough of. I probably own more albums by TSFH or Thomas Bergersen than any other group or artist–even Sting!

#19 – The Piano Guys – The Piano Guys – I was a little late to the “Piano Guys” party, but got fully on board once I found them. The quality of their videos on YouTube really helped sell me, but their music is also wonderful by itself. I love the cello, especially, and Steve Sharp Nelson gets the most wonderful sounds out of his quiver of instruments. He also looks like he’s having the time of his life in every video, which after an entire day shooting is no easy feat. Their arrangements are amazing, and I particularly enjoy their mashups. They’ve helped introduce me to other great artists like Lindsey Sterling, Alex Boye, and Lexi Walker. Perhaps of late they’ve become a little too famous and are starting to leave me behind a little, but I will always enjoy the heck out of the albums I have.

#20 – Star Wars – John Williams – Star Wars would not have been Star Wars without the John Williams score. Those opening bars still thrill me to this day. Thanks to Williams, I discovered the joy of movie soundtracks at an early age, and still check the credits of every movie to see who did the music. We have a new guard of top composers these days, but for quite a while any movie worth watching was scored by Williams or James Horner. I didn’t realize it at the time, but while feasting on Star Wars I was laying the groundwork for my love of classical music at the same time. In many ways, the Star Wars soundtrack was one of the first significant pieces of music in my life.