It seems that everyone is expressing a similar annoyance with the “100 Influential Albums List” that’s been circulating around Facebook. Being among the annoyed, but using their list as a starting point, I’m taking a stab at my own personal top 100. Put me up to the task tomorrow, and I bet I’d come up with a different set of records, if for no other reason, because100 is just not enough to touch all the bases.  In no particular order, here is a list of records that most influenced me and changed my lifefor the better:

• David Bowie – Hunky Dory
• Television –  Marquee Moon
• The Notwist –  Neon Golden
• The Kinks – Village Green
• Pink Floyd – Meddle
• Leonard Cohen –Songs of Leonard Cohen
• Roxy Music – Roxy Music
• The Band – Music From Big Pink
• Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
• Massive Attack – Mezzanine
• The Stooges – Funhouse
• The Jam –All Mods Con
• King Crimson – Discipline
• Radiohead  – OK Computer
• Horace Silver –  Song For My Father
• Portishead – Dummy
• Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um
• Failure –  Fantastic Planet
• Velvet Underground and Nico
• NoMeansNo – Sex Mad
• The Beatles – The White Album
• Cream – Disraeli Gears
• Sonic Youth – Bad Moon Rising
• Yes – Fragile
• Sleepytime Gorilla Museum –  In Glorious Times
• Talking Heads –  Remain in Light
• This Heat – Deceit
• Brian Eno – Another Green World
• The Birthday Party – Prayers on Fire
• The Wipers – Over the Edge
• XTC –  Drums And Wires
• Cheap Trick – S/T
• Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
• Killing Joke – S/T
• Au Pairs –  Playing With A Different Sex
• The Cars –  The Cars
• Tool – Ænima
• Wilco – Summerteeth
• Elvis Costello – Armed Forces
• Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds of Fire
• Gang of Four – Entertainment
• Wire – Chairs Missing
• Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson
• Frank Zappa – Waka Jawaka
• Au Pairs –  Playing With A Different Sex
• Buzzcocks – A Different Kind of Tension
• Los Lobos – Kiko
• Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left
• Led Zeppelin – III
• My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
• Cocteau Twins – Blue Bell Knoll
• Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
• Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
• Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda
• Bauhaus – In the Flat Field
• Jeff Buckley – Grace
• Nirvana – Bleach
• Mogwai – Mr. Beast
• T Rex – Electric Warrior
• Big Star – Third/Sister Lovers
• Groundhogs – Thank Christ for the Bomb
• Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
• Scratch Acid – S/T
• José González – Veneer
• Sweet – Desolation Boulevard
• The Weakerthans –  Reconstruction Site
• Alice Donut – Bucketfuls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life
• Weather Report – Mr. Gone
• The Who – Quadrophenia
• Psychic TV – Dreams Less Sweet
• Pixies – Surfer Rosa
• Genesis – Selling England By The Pound
• Dead Can Dance – Aion
• Echo & The Bunnymen –Heaven Up Here
• Blur – S/T
• The Specials – S/T
• Metallica – Master of Puppets
• David Grisman Quartet – S/T
• Elliot Smith – Roman Candle
• The Gun Club – Fire of Love
• Drive Like Jehu – S/T
• Byrne/Eno –My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
• PJ Harvey – Dry
• Atmosphere – Seven’s Travels
• Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade
• Meat Puppets – Up On The Sun
• Sir Douglas Quintet – Sir Douglas Quintet + 2 = [Honkey Blues]
• Heatmiser – Mic City Sons
• Santana – Abraxas
• Oliver Nelson – The Blues and the Abstract Truth
• Tuxedomoon – Desire
• Aerosmith –Toys In The Attic
• Richard & Linda Thompson – Shoot Out the Lights
• Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters
• John Coltrane – Giant Steps
• Fugazi – Repeater + 3 Songs
• Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians
• Henryk Górecki – Symphony #3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)
• The Pretenders –S/T
• Minutemen –Double Nickels On The Dime

Please feel free to comment, even if it’s just to say that this list is shiite. What would your essential life-changing list include?