15 May 2007

100 Records That Changed The World

Mojo magazine recruited a panel of musicians to nominate the records that moved the earth for them and published the top 100 which I have reproduced below.

In the style of the 100 Books meme, copy the list to your own blog, bold or highlight the records you have in your collection or your iTunes library, then add a record that changed your life that didn't make the list. After you've finished come back and leave a comment, it would also be nice if you linked back to here from your post.


100 Gnarls Barkley : Crazy : single
99 The Stone Roses : The Stone Roses : album
98 Iron Maiden : Iron Maiden : album
97 Television : Marquee Moon : album
96 Donna Summer : I Feel Love : single
95 Green Day : Dookie : album
94 The Libertines : Up The Bracket : album
93 Nina Simone : To Be Young Gifted & Black : single
92 The Strokes : Is This It : album
91 Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five : West End Blues : single
90 Phuture : Acid Tracks : single
89 Oasis : Definitely Maybe : album
88 Queen : Sheer Heart Attack : album
87 Radiohead : The Bends : album
86 The Animals : The House Of The Rising Sun : single
85 Sonic Youth : EVOL : album
84 The Shadows : Apache : single
83 The Cure : Pornography : album
82 The Jesus & Mary Chain : Psychocandy : album
81 The Band : Music From The Big Pink : album
80 The Smiths : This Charming Man : single
79 Pixies : Surfer Rosa : album
78 Nick Drake : Five Leaves Left : album
77 Gang Of Four : Entertainment! : album
76 Big Youth : Screaming Target : album
75 R.E.M. : Murmur : album
74 Carole King : Tapestry : album
73 T. Rex : Get It On (Bang A Gong) : single
72 Bruce Springsteen : Born To Run : album
71 Public Image Ltd : Public Image : album
70 The Kingsmen : Louie Louie : single
69 MC5 : Kick Out The Jams : album
68 Brian Eno : Discreet Music : album
67 Billie Holiday : Strange Fruit : single
66 Love : Love : album
65 Joni Mitchell : Blue : album
64 David Bowie : Low : album
63 Marvin Gaye : What's Going On : album
62 Can : Tago Mago : album
61 N.W.A. : Straight Outta Compton : album
60 John Coltrane : My Favourite Things : album
59 The Upsetters : Blackboard Jungle Dub : album
58 Fairport Convention : Liege & Leif : album
57 The Byrds : Sweetheart Of The Rodeo : album
56 Pink Floyd : Arnold Layne : single
55 John Lennon : John Lennon : Plastic Ono Band : album
54 Chic : Good Times : single
53 Neil Young : Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere : album
52 Buddy Holly : That'll Be The Day : single
51 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band : Trout Mask Replica : album
50 Stevie Wonder : Innervisions : album
49 The Doors : The Doors : album
48 The Rolling Stones : Sympathy For The Devil : album track
47 Sam Cooke : You Send Me : single
46 Joy Division : Unknown Pleasures : album
45 The Ronettes : Be My Baby : single
44 The Who : My Generation : single
43 Miles Davis : Kind Of Blue : album
42 Various : Nuggets : album
41 Link Wray : Rumble : single
40 The Beatles : Revolver : album
39 New York Dolls : New York Dolls : album
38 Lonnie Donegan : Rock Island Line : single
37 Jeff Buckley : Grace : album
36 The Stooges : Fun House : album
35 Davy Graham With Alexis Korner : 3/4AD : EP
34 Bob Marley & The Wailers : Exodus : album
33 Michael Jackson : Thriller : album
32 Jimmie Rodgers : Blue Yodel #1 (T For Texas) : single
31 David Bowie : The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars : album
30 Hank Williams : Move It On Over : single
29 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five : The Message : single
28 Patti Smith : Horses : album
27 Nirvana : Smells Like Teen Spirit : single
26 Charlie Parker : Koko : single
25 Black Sabbath : Black Sabbath : album
24 The Clash : London Calling : album
23 Howlin' Wolf : The Rocking Chair Album : album
22 Ramones : Ramones : album
21 The Beach Boys : Pet Sounds : album
20 Led Zeppelin : IV : album
19 The Rolling Stones : (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction : single
18 Aretha Franklin : I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You : album
17 Bob Dylan : Like A Rolling Stone : single
16 The Beatles : Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band : album
15 James Brown : Papa's Got A Brand New Bag : single
14 The Jimi Hendrix Experience : Purple Haze : single
13 Woody Guthrie : Dust Bowl Ballads : album
12 Chick Berry : Johnny B. Goode : single
11 Frank Sinatra : In The Wee Small Hours : album
10 Sex Pistols : God Save The Queen : single
9 Ray Charles : What'd I Say : single
8 Various : Anthology Of American Folk Music : album
7 The Velvet Underground And Nico : The Velvet Underground : album
6 Robert Johnson : King Of The Delta Blues Singers : album
5 Kraftwerk : Autobahn : album
4 Bob Dylan : The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan : album
3 Elvis Presley : Heartbreak Hotel : single
2 The Beatles : I Want To Hold Your Hand : single
1 Little Richard : Tutti Frutti : single

A personal life changing track that didn't make the list is:

Sex Pistols : Anarchy In The UK : single.

I was 16 when this was released and had to order the single in specially via the Helensburgh branch of John Menzies. I had seen the growing articles in the music press about this new thing called punk and wanted a chance to hear for myself the key players in the movement.

I still remember the looks I got in the shop after I conned the girl in the record department into playing the single "to check its ok" as the thunderous guitar riff thundered round the shop floor followed by Mr Lydon's sneering vocal it was like a noise from another planet invading sweet suburbia.

I loved it, took it home and played it to death.

From that point my life was changed, and the prog rock that up until then had been the norm for mid 70's teenage males was kicked into the back seat. The floodgates had been opened and new music, played with a new attitude came pouring through....

6 comments:

Groanin' Jock said...

I've posted my version of the 100 list, and my missing record, at Groanin' Jock. Although mine wasn't a groundbreaking single from a band of punk pioneers....

the tomahawk kid said...

Excellent. It is interesting how such a variety of different music gets into people's psyche and affects their lives in different ways.

Unknown said...

I'll do a piece on this on my blog over the weekend TK. These lists are interesting but the omissions are glaring. From a personal point of view I remember Back in the Night by Doctor Feelgood as it was the first blues/R&B record I ever bought, I played it with my first band and actually still have it in my band's set today over 30 years later (!)

The glaring omissions I'd say from records that changed popular culture are Rappers Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, The Sountrack from Saturday Night Fever and Kraftwerk's The Model.

I'm not saying it's right just that it's a fact!

Unknown said...

P.S.

The presence of the Pink Floyd single and the emission of either Dark Side of the Moon/Wish You Were Here, is equally mystifying.

Unknown said...

Oops!

make that omission

The Tomahawk Kid said...

Seems great minds think alike!
I have ALSO been the Tomahawk Kid on Blogspot since April 2006

http://the-tomahawk-kid.blogspot.com/

The record that changed the world for ME would have to be the Beatles WHITE ALBUM - there have been many since of course, but thats what started it for me!

I have a band in New Zealand called BRILLEAUX
Started out playing Dr Feelgood style R&B, and now have 3 original albums of Kick-ass modern progressive Rhythm and Blues
see: www.brilleaux.orcon.net.nz

you can contact me at: brilleaux@xtra.co.nz

Great blog - we even chose the same template and fonts!

Best regards
Graham