Hey everyone.  Over the next few weeks, we are doing a series on the records that most influenced the four of us individually.  So, to kick it off, here are my five most influential records:

5. Isis - In The Absence Of Truth (2006)

Isis had been a band whose name I had heard tossed around several times before I ever got around to listening to them.  Their 2006 release, In The Absence Of Truth, was the first record I ever purchased of theirs.  I was instantly blown away by the level of detail in their music.   This is a band that takes the concept of music as an artform and does a phenomenal job of executing it as such.  While the mix of soft and delicate with loud and heavy has been a tried and true dynamic for decades, suddenly other bands just seemed plain clumsy about it.  Isis’s songs manage to be unpredictable without seeming extravagant or at all forced.  The composition moves in an organic fashion from moment to moment while continually evolving.  Songs like Dulcinea, Holy Tears, and the finale Garden Of Light serve as high points in the record for me - managing to establish so much drama and tension, and climax in a way that is some how simultaneously beautiful and brutal.

While their latest record (Wavering Radiant) might arguably surpass Absence in its creativity and execution, it was this record that both introduced me to the band and made me reevaluate what it means to challenge myself creatively.

4. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

I bought a lot of shitty albums when I was 15.  There, I admit it.  If don’t agree to this statement you are probably either lying to yourself, or still 15.  And periods like often require something really special to break your out of that rut. Like so many other great records, I remember finding this album in my parents basement.  And while instantly recognizing the iconic cover, I was pretty much unfamiliar with the music.  I fell in love with it, and copied the record to a tape that I listened to endlessly for weeks.

Spending so much time listening to 2 minute songs played at blistering tempos had given me musical ADD, and this record cured that for me.  More than anything, I fell in love with David Gilmour’s guitar playing.  The way his leads seemed to soar over the music was astonishing at the time, and left a permanent impact in the way I play my instrument (not to mention leading to the beginning of my obsession with the Big Muff).

3. U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

Discovering this album was something that truly changed my life.  I can’t say exatly how old I was, maybe 6 or 7, but I have an extremely vivid memory of sitting on the couch in my parents living room, listening to this CD on headphones.  I had never known how much there could be to music.  It was as if until then, I heard songs, but never really comprehended how music can create an entire sonic landscape for the listener. It was that exact moment that I wanted to become a musician.

I still have a similar reaction whenever I listen to this album.  The depth and  textures are incredible, and the way the band is able to create such a vast, spatial image is astounding.  Not to mention the quality of the song writing on the album. The first side of the record is, in a word - perfect, and contains what I believe are the two best songs in U2’s entire catalog - Bullet The Blue Sky and Running to Stand Still. Years later, I still turn to this record for inspiration.  Specifically, in how The Edge, despite being the only guitarist, can step out of the picture structurally.  Some of the best moments of this record are made by letting the bass and drums play “the song,” while The Edge simply paints over the entire picture with subtle, delicate fragments of a guitar line.  I think this record is the reason I will be forever infatuated with digital delay.

2. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970)

If you were to leaf through my record collection, I think a good chunk of  the music I own can have its roots traced to back to one album.  It’s impossible to mention some of my favorite bands like Sleep, Electric Wizard, Earth, Saint Vitus, Acid King, or even Iron Maiden, without acknowledging that every one of these great bands is in its own way, an homage to Black Sabbath.

As a guitar player, there’s really nothing better than a good riff.  And  Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut record is the blue-print for every great riff driven metal record ever.  Tony Iommi’s playing has had a huge impact on how I view the guitar as an instrument.  To this day, the opening eponymous track is one of the darkest,  most bad-ass pieces in rock history.  And while there are so many great records in the classic-era Black Sabbath’s discography (Master of Reality is probably their heaviest, and Paranoid is probably their most consistently classic), as far as sheer influence, it is their debut that stands alone for me.

1. The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

Like most fans of music, I grew up on a steady diet of The Beatles records.  And, like most Beatle fans, over any given span of months I might change my mind a handful of times as far as what record was my favorite.   Records like Help! showcased the band consistently producing perfectly crafted pop songs , while later albums like Sgt. Peppers and the eponymous “white album” demonstrated a level of progress that I think every musician (and music fan) admires.  But in the end, I always come back to Revolver.

And with good reason, too - it’s just a great record  The entire album shows The Beatles at what may arguably be their peak.  From its opening with classic such as Taxman and Eleanor Rigby, to its closing with one of their most innovative pieces ever (Tomorrow Never Knows), the songwriting is consistently great, and undoubtedly unique.  The record also contains what I feel might be the best songs written by Lennon / McCartney (respectively) - I’m Only Sleeping and For No One. This is one of those records that as a musician helps force you to push yourself to be better.

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