Alltime favorite albums you say? Impossible.

Click for list official participants & info on joining in! See the playlist above for a taste of what's to come!

As blasphemous as this may be, especially considering the task at hand, I must begin by confessing that I don't really "do" albums. Even in the days of yore, when I actually bought albums, an entire play-through was a rare occurance. I cannot defend this. I know that there are many, many, many, rock-your-world, change-your-life, wet-your-pants wonderful albums out there. All I can tell you is that it is the almighty mix disc that gets my engine purring. The challenge of it, the art of it, thrilling! And kinda hot.

That said, below lies my list of all time fave albums ... for what it's worth.


CHILDHOOD (in order of earliest memory)
Music during this phase of life included heaps of oldies, a bit of classical (that would be the mom's doing), oodles of pop radio, and a generous serving of prog rock.

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon - I am forever indebted to my step-dad for this one; he was way into the dark, heady stuff.

Motown Record's 25 #1 hits from 25 years - Volume I - This would be my bio-dad's influence; he loved him some oldies ... and Yanni ... and Jesus Christ Superstar. Yikes, I know BUT it's likely the reason I now have such an open mind toward music.

Michael Jackson's Thriller - My first official rock god. How the times have changed.

Madonna's Like a Virgin - Oh how this made me long to be a teen/not a virgin.

Transition (angry with the world phase begins to rear its ugly head)
Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion II - First album I bought with my very own, hard-earned allowance. I actually bought Nirvana's Nevermind, Metallica's Black Album, Pearl Jam's Ten, and Red Hot Chili Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magik at the same time, but G n' R come out on top.


TEEN-ANGST-HOOD (literally my "hoodiest" phase)
Only rap, hip-hop, and R&B were welcome here. In fact, it got pretty extreme - not long before the transition I was on a heavy diet of Houston's finest - Screw and Watts.

Dr. Dre's The Chronic - Big fan of the chronic. And the album was great too.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's E 1999 Eternal - The flows were ill.

Mariah Carey's Music Box - Her self titled album hooked me and then this album came along and delivered (endless hours of boy-centered daydreaming).

Boyz II Men's II - There was once a time when I could not imagine a world without their music.

Transition (because thug life wasn't easy)
Third Eye Blind's Blue - If you went to high school in the late 90s then you know there was no escaping this. Plus, I really wanted to fit in.


ADULTHOOD (also known as, "When am I gonna feel like an adult already??")
Absolutely *anything goes from here on out. Which is why mixes are where it's at! They cover the big ones (a la Dylan), the little ones (remember The Hidden Cameras?), and all those in between (Solomon Burke, Nick Cave, etc.). They span genres, decades, and life phases.
Anywho, as the title of this post indicates, I believe it to be impossible to make a favorite or best list. The albums mentioned up to this point have been included because they shaped me, for better or worse. The albums listed below are simply the ones that somehow someway ended up on repeat and are now forever etched in my mind. They're solid for sure, but not the best.

Modest Mouse's Good News For People Who Love Bad News - For bonding with the homies.

Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - For all-night makeout sessions.

The Beatles' 1967-1970 - For walks around town.

Nick Drake's Pink Moon - For the perfect start to any day.


Obligatory shout-outs
As any fan of Tarantino or Anderson knows, soundtracks can be the shit! So in that vein, a list of the bestest.

Vanilla Sky - This is the one that made me wake up and smell the soundtracks.

Garden State - And this little piggy made many others wake up and smell the soundtracks.

Amelie - Three things going for it -- 1. It is French (judge if you want but I'm sticking to my guns, this country makes my favorite non-english music). 2. Yann Tiersen (he only does EVERYTHING right). 3. The phenomenally beautiful movie to which it is attached.

Dirty Dancing - As a child I remember thinking, "Whoa nelly, music can be sexy."

The Sound of Music - Um, because it's THE SOUND FREAKING OF MUSIC and my heart isn't made of stone!


Honorary mentions
My first mix cd - It had to be said. Yes, mix tapes came first but let's face it, hoping to catch a record-button worthy song on the radio was hit or miss business. And forget about arrangement.

Putamayo Records - International music mixes!? I think so.

Brazos' A City Just as Tall - Absolute favorite local artist.


Post Script: A big thanks to Jessica for inviting me to join in this endeavour and map props to Sarah for being the brain-child.

Check please!