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Monique –
1. Mark Deutrom – The Silent Treatment:
Probably the greatest album you’ve never heard, and it’s a damn shame you’re only finding out about it now. This record by ex-Melvins’ bassist (a.k.a. Mark D) and Bellringer front man is a masterpiece. 16 songs that span a range of sounds from early ZZ Top, to Beck, to Swans and back. It hasn’t left my playlists since I added it well over a year ago. It leaves me wondering, is there anything Mark CAN’T do when it comes to creating vast, vibrant soundscapes. https://markdeutrom.bandcamp.com/album/the-silent-treatment
2. King Crimson – Thrak:
Everyone seems to have a favorite era of Crimson. The double-trio of the mid-90’s drew me to follow KC much like some would follow the Grateful Dead. I saw several shows on this tour. There is a heavy, dark, apocalyptic vibe to this record that stands out from their previous work, and it’s Crimson: the playing is outstanding of course. https://www.discogs.com/King-Crimson-THRAK/release/402613
3. Queens Of The Stone Age – Songs For The Deaf:
Still my favorite of everything they’ve done. Brilliant lyrics, production. This is my “Zeppelin 4”. There isn’t a bad song on this. This record features a brilliant cast of characters: Mark Lanegan, the late Natasha Shneider, Alain Johannes, Troy Van Leeuwen, Dave Grohl, Gene Trautman, and Nick Oliveri.
https://www.discogs.com/Queens-Of-The-Stone-Age-Songs-For-The-Deaf/master/3239
4. Japan: Quiet Life –
The record responsible for my taking up the fretless bass when I was a kid, and why it remains my primary instrument today. This may be the record that began the whole “New Romantic” trend in new wave of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Where punk meets disco (That might be dumbing it down however). Rarely do I find such intelligence and sophistication in music that is also danceable and hooky. There’s something infectious about Mick Karn’s syrupy bass and reed playing, over layers of analog synthesizers. David Sylvian’s crooning, similar to Bryan Ferry and Scott Walker, has also been a big influence on me throughout my life.
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5. Morphine – Cure For Pain:
This is the record that introduced me to Morphine and the 2-string slide bass. I heard several of these tracks for the first time in a film called “Spanking The Monkey”. They were a trio of slide bass, baritone sax, and drums that was minimal, and at the same time expansive, ambient, and groovy. I was instantly hooked. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the record changed my life. It was only days after seeing the film that I went out and bought up everything they had done at that time, along with tickets to my first Morphine concert in Philadelphia. After running backstage and introducing myself to Mark Sandman everything had changed. You can still hear these songs performed live by Vapors of Morphine, a trio with original Morphine members, drummer Jerome Deupree, and saxophonist Dana Colley, fronted by Jeremy Lyons on slidebass . https://www.vaporsofmorphine.com
Michael Howard:
1. The Beatles – Hard Days Night:
My neighbor turned me on to that record. I found it to be infectious even at 7 years old. I would watch his band practice and when they took a break I would put his guitar on and pretend to play along. I’d jump around and look at myself in the reflection of the sliding glass door. They would all laugh but I was like ”Fuck you! I’m Rockin’ out over here!” I knew then I wanted to be a musician.
2. Led Zepplin – III:
First heavy album I ever heard. It wasn’t just heavy, but it went on to explore all these different moods and styles. That set the tone for my personal tastes in music, and introduced me to Bonzo!
3. Rush – Moving Pictures:
This one introduced me to Rush and then all the other early records which I completely devoured! They taught me more than any band ever! Basically how to play drums, bass and guitar.
4. Black Sabbath – Paranoid:
Which led to all the other Sabbath records that also taught me how to play. I even love the Dio stuff and the Ian Gillan one, Born Again. The screams on that are the best! The songs are great too. Awesome driving music. I’m not into the later stuff, and I wouldn’t purposely listen to 13 (Out of protest). Bill Ward is one of my favorite drummers. He should have been on that record. Oh yeah, Ozzy, You should give Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake the credit they are due. Damn it!
5. Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures:
Finally, after 15 or so years of nothing that seemed to touch a chord, this record came out. I was beginning to lose faith in music but this was fresh. It came out of QOTSA, which came from Kyuss who I love because they came from Sabbath, and then there’s John Paul Jones in there. There it is, in a nutshell. Sorry I can’t mention all the others that have inspired me. There are so many.
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