I was recently nominated to name the “10 Albums That Most Shaped My Life.” As much as I would love to figure out a way to narrow it down to ten, I had already come up with a list of fifteen several years back for what I recall was a very similar — if not identical — challenge. Even then, I still couldn’t bring myself to remove five albums from the list. It still rings fairly true today, just as it did when I first wrote it several years ago. Any “Notes” you see are additional commentary on my original review or reflections on whether my opinion has changed in any way since then.

Original Title: “My Top 15 Albums Of All Time”

Something like this is much harder for me to put together than a list of films. The reason is that certain albums are so personal to me that it’s difficult to even describe how they’ve affected my life emotionally. Also, it’s hard for me to simply give a list without offering some kind of explanation or personal insight for each one.

1. Ten | Pearl Jam

The quintessential album of the 1990s. I can’t even remember the first time I heard this album, but it soon came to embody everything about high school and how this specific genre of music, known at the time as “grunge,” seemed to speak to my generation. Pearl Jam has yet to ever trap lightning in a bottle again as they did with this recording, although their sophomore follow-up, Vs., came pretty close.

Notes: Upon reading this again, I still stand by this as my #1. Probably always will be. However, regarding my comments on Vs., I now feel I may have been a little too optimistic in my evaluation and would probably put Vitology in its place.

2. OK Computer | Radiohead

I didn’t really care for Radiohead when they first hit the music scene with their single “Creep.” It wasn’t until about three years after this album was released that I was reintroduced to Radiohead by my then-new coworker and friend, Dave Nelson. I bought the CD, popped it into my deck as I drove home, and didn’t really care for it at first. But then something happened. I kept listening to it over and over again. Before I knew it, I had to force myself to listen to something else. This was, in my opinion, the perfect example of Alternative Rock.

Notes: My comments regarding the album still stands. I don’t absorb Radiohead like I used to, however, the desire to place Kid A on this list now is much more evident than I’ve felt before. I’m pretty certain which album I’d kick off in order to make room, but I’m not sure if I feel comfortable having three Radiohead albums here, so I’ll keep the list as-is for now.

3. In Loving Memory Of… | Big Wreck

Sometimes the best finds are the ones you get for free. My friend Brandon gave me a copy of this CD when I was working with him several years ago. He told me it was one of the best-produced albums he had heard recently (I really didn’t understand what that meant at the time). Since its introduction to my collection (with a legitimate copy, I might add), I’ve still found the album thoroughly refreshing. Too bad the Canadian band didn’t get much airplay down here in the States before they broke up.

Notes: I still don’t completely understand how an album is produced, but I have a better understanding of it now than I did back then. Additionally, Big Wreck reunited in 2010 and has put out two more albums (one of which I just found out about right now).

4. Achtung Baby : U2

This was, if memory serves me correctly, the first Compact Disc I ever bought. It was back when they were still packaged in the long cardboard boxes used as some kind of theft deterrent. U2 seemed to be one of the few music artists of their time capable of reinventing themselves, and they did just that with this album. It was such a departure from what they had done in the past that it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. I was taken with it almost immediately.

Notes: Upon further examination of the “long cardboard boxes” comment, I came to the realization that the packaging was two-fold: they could sit side-by-side LPs records that were still being sold as well as to deter shoplifting. I still believe this is U2’s best studio album.

5. Train of Thought | Dream Theater

Dream Theater was another band that took some time before I truly enjoyed listening to them. I recognized their talent almost immediately, but I wasn’t yet familiar or comfortable with their style. It took several years and many revisits to certain CDs before I fully appreciated them. This album, however, spoke to me immediately, and I feel it is their most accomplished work.

Notes: I also came to the realization soon after becoming a Dream Theater fan, that there were very few friends that I knew who either didn’t know who they were, or didn’t care for them. Looking back now, I’ve also discovered that this was their last decent studio released album.

6. Crash | Dave Matthews Band

I was never on the inside track when indie and college campus artists first started hitting the scene. I knew a few friends who enjoyed Dave Matthews Band and loved them before they were all over mainstream radio. However, once they broke through, I couldn’t get enough, and this, to me, is their best recording, while Under the Table and Dreaming is a close second. I also gained a new appreciation for this album when I started dating my wife.

Notes: Dave Matthews Band still remains a favorite, but I tend to only play about three (maybe four) of their albums, this one obviously is included.

7. The Bends | Radiohead

I purchased this album along with OK Computer. Both albums had the same effect upon their first playing: I didn’t like them. But they eventually grew on me, and now I can’t imagine ever being without this CD in my collection. Either Radiohead was ahead of its time musically, or it simply took some time before I matured in my musical appreciation.

Notes: I still believe in that statement.

8. American Idiot | Green Day

Political themes aside, I was blown away the first time I listened to this album from beginning to end. I had been a Green Day fan for close to a decade when they released this back in 2004. It made me realize how much Billie Joe Armstrong had matured as a lyricist as well as a musician. While most believe that Dookie is their unsung masterpiece, I will always point to this album first.

Notes: I still get hung up on the last track on this album, “Whatsername” and end up playing it over and over and over again whenever I load it onto my iPhone. If you love this album, then I would highly recommend checking out My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade.

9. The Dark Side Of The Moon | Pink Floyd

My best friend Ryan started listening to Pink Floyd soon after high school, but I wasn’t having any part of it. It wouldn’t be until much later that I learned to appreciate the brilliance of David Gilmour and Roger Waters. However, I still have a hard time connecting with anything released involving Syd Barrett. I am sorry to admit, however, that I have yet to play this album simultaneously while watching The Wizard of Oz.

Notes: Still true. This album is brilliant and I have yet to sync it to while watching The Wizard Of Oz. Additionally, I rarely ever go back and listen to this album, and if push came to shove, it’d probably be the first once I would kick off of this list.

10. Abby Road | The Beatles

My good buddy Travis turned me on to listening to The Beatles, and while I greatly enjoyed the brilliance of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, I really connected with Abbey Road. Each song plays like a mini masterpiece, showing the depth and range of each member and how what they brought to the table contributed to the uniqueness of every track.

Notes: “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” sometimes gets stuck on repeat. On purpose.

11. Third Eye Blind | Third Eye Blind

I almost gave this CD away upon its first listening to a coworker. Fortunately for me, I never got around to bringing it in to work, and it eventually found its way back into my CD player a few years later. I was never an angst-ridden teen, but if I had been at that time, this album would have spoken to me in so many ways. Instead, I just appreciated the way Stephan Jenkins could take themes like teen suicide and make them feel personal without sounding heavy-handed.

Notes: I still love this album, but if push came to shove, I’d easily remove this and put something else in its place. However, I didn’t want to really think about it, so at this moment, it’s staying.

12. Rage Against The Machine | Rage Against The Machine

When I was driving to work back in 1992, “Killing in the Name” played on the radio, and suddenly rock music never sounded the same again. This was the first CD I had ever purchased that had the “Parental Advisory” sticker on the front (this was also before retailers were forced to check IDs). As if the album cover wasn’t shocking enough, the pure and unfiltered rawness of Tom Morello’s guitar mixed with Zack de la Rocha’s vocals was something I had never heard before. It changed how I looked at life and my country, at least to a degree. The album isn’t vulgar, but it is profane. The “Explicit Content” sticker is justified, as Zack drops the f-bomb throughout nearly the entire album, save for the last track.

Notes: No notes needed… other than maybe it needs to be higher on this list.

13. Empire | Queensrÿche

I think I wore the tape out on this album, only skipping past the overplayed “Silent Lucidity” that plagued MTV in 1990 (back when MTV used to play music videos). Queensrÿche had the ability to walk the thin line between rock and heavy metal, making Empire very accessible to the general public without feeling overbearing. They also seemed like the first “hair metal” band that had a lead singer who actually possessed a great voice and knew how to use it.

Notes: Another selection that I’d probably remove just to put something else in its place. Again, not sure what, so it’s staying here for the time being.

14. The Joshua Tree | U2

I was familiar with U2 for several years. My sister had followed them throughout most of the 1980s, but I never really dug into their back catalog until after graduating high school, when I came across this gem. Everyone had said it was a fantastic album, probably their best, but as much as I enjoyed the singles from that record, I didn’t fully learn to appreciate it until much later.

Notes: I feel that I’ve done disservice to U2 by placing this album so close to the bottom. Upon re-examining my reasoning as to why this is was so low,  I believe I was just filling out a list and not really putting them in any specific order other than #1.

15. Mer de Noms | A Perfect Circle

What do you get when you remove the weird tendencies from Tool, but keep the haunting vocals of Maynard James Keenan and add their former guitar tech into the mix? A Perfect Circle. When I first heard the single “Judith” on the radio, I wondered when the new Tool CD was going to be released. Maynard’s voice is unmistakable, but the sound was noticeably different. Once I discovered the album, I couldn’t stop playing it. Its production value was so clean and crisp, without the strange eight-minute sound effect tracks that usually came with most Tool releases.

Notes: I still stand by these comments and my position has not wavered.

In the end, I realized it doesn’t really matter what’s on this list or how other people view it (or judge it). These are the albums that shaped my life, not someone else’s. This isn’t a “Best Albums Ever” list so much as it is a list of influential albums. I don’t have to make excuses for it, nor do I need to defend it. It’s mine, not yours. Go make your own list instead… and then I’ll silently judge it from afar.