I recently received this email in regards to my previously posted iTunes/Myspace survey whatever thing:

Hi!

A.

And then the always entertaining Hillary asked us Flickr people what songs ripped our hearts out (in good and bad ways).

While I let both ladies know some good tunes, I decided to fill you in on the top five albums that have shaped the music I love today.

To begin with, I have loved music my entire life. My parents were passionate about music and I cannot remember a time when there wasn’t a radio or cassette or record playing somewhere in the house or car at all times. We made games to test our music knowledge. My mom would dial the number to radio stations so I could request songs. I edited tapes to create my own radio show (WHAL -wassup?).

That being said, I lost my virginity to Lenny Kravitz’s Greatest Hits album. Dude, I still get turned on every time I hear “I Belong To You.” But I use this as a forewarning that not every album I list is what you would consider “inspirational”. But that’s okay! What’s important is that whatever you like is something that touches you in a way nothing else can.

1. Eagles – Their Greatest Hits 1971 – 1975

This album, along with the dual-disc set of Queen’s Greatest Hits, was played on repeat for a week as my dad drove my sisters and me across the country one summer. Before that trip, I could only imagine what the southwest was like by listening The Eagles the way someone could imagine California beaches by listening to the Beach Boys. And now, thanks to that album and that amazing trip, I can transport myself back to the painted deserts every time I pull out that record.

If you like this you’ll like: Wilco’s Summerteeth or My Morning Jacket’s Acoustic Citsuoca

2. More Dirty Dancing : Various Artists

Forget “She’s Like the Wind.” The additional soundtrack to the classic film touched my young heart like no other music had yet to do. I remember propping my Sesame Street record player by my bed and my mom turning this on before I went to sleep each night. The music was something neither of my parents really listened to; it was my first brush with artists like Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, and the Shirelles. I have this album to thank for introducing me into what would grow into a deep love for Motown groups and soul singers.

If you love this you’ll like: James Carr’s You Got My Mind Messed Up or Wilson Pickett’s If You Need Me.

3. Weezer: The Blue Album

Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I remember a four-hour roadtrip to Disney World one Thanksgiving and this being the only cassette for my Walkman. Truth is, it was the only album I needed.

The Blue Album showed me what an album could be. I loved every song. I loved every word. I poured over the liner notes and claimed them to be my favorite band. As a seventh grader, this album made me cool.

If you love this you’ll like: Phantom Planet’s self-titled album or Nada Surf’s Let Go.

4. Whiskeytown – Pnuemonia

Okay, yes, Ryan Adams and I will one day make beautiful babies together, but until then let’s talk about his arguably best album. Not only did it make me fall in love with him, but the album taught me how to love, period. The lyrics are heartfelt, the songs are beautiful, and it showed me that country is not always about hunting dogs and tractors.

If you love this you’ll like: Ben Kweller’s On My Way or Band of Horses’ Everything All the Time.

5. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism

Ah, 2003, you were so good to me. A freshman in college and in the first awkward months of what would be an impactful relationship, I sat in the passenger seat as a my boyfriend started up “Title and Registration.” We laughed at the first few lyrics and wondered how this came from the indie-poppy Postal Service.

Little did I know that the album would be just as important as that college romance. I began to search out similar bands. I began to correlate songs with people, with moments in time, with feelings. I began to realize how music could truly affect you, and to this day I still cannot listen to this album. The lesson is, however, that it did what music should.

If you love this you’ll like: Interpol’s Turn On the Bright Lights or Beck’s Sea Change.