@roz posted up homework this week and it made me want to participate in my own way sooooooo..... Here are 5 songs that opened my ears and got me hooked on a new genre of music in no particular order.
1) Mad Sin was one of the first "billy" bands I ever really got into. They're German, over the top and have catchy tunes. Can't beat their live shows either. Listening more and more led to an appreciation of classic rockabilly as well as psychobilly bands. There's so much depth here one could easily drown
2) Suicidal Tendancies, Institutionalized.... Who doesn't want a Pepsi am I right? Seriously tho when I first heard this song as a young man on his Powell Peralta skateboard in a small gulf coast town in Florida it just resonated. A few weeks prior, I had just bleached and basically cut my hair into what I had thought was a cool "gleaming the cube" cut but which was more like a mohawk in retrospect thanks to my friends older sister lack of clipper skills. I had come home and the ensuing shit fit from my mom/stepdad even included the ever present "military school" threat and "are you on drugs?" (Thanks D.A.R.E.) just like this song. Plus his name was Mike just like me. Seriously eerie but being an angsty product of divorce and often exercising my independence (especially if it meant pissing off someone with authority) this song became my anthem.
3) Beastie Boys, Rhymin & Stealin.... Bought the album for no sleep just like everyone else but the other tracks and albums like Paul's Boutique made me stay. Just like the hip-hop they made, they constantly evolved and kept me listening to beats even when it seemed like good ones were hard to find.
4) Sick of it All, Blood Sweat no Tears album. This is a cheat but at less than 30 minutes long start to finish it's really shorter than one jam band song so I'm taking it. Until I heard this album I thought I was the shit. Hanging out older friends, being somewhat aware of events around me, having fun, listening to good music. My friends older skinhead brother gave me this 8 year old cassette to listen to as I drove around in my beat to shit Grand Marquis... I was "meh" until track 2 hit. An intro by KRS-One followed by that bassline intro of Clobberin' Time and my life leveled up. My angst turned to anger, my discontent morphed to disdain and my acceptance of things turned into a Fuck You DIY mindset. Much like what Fight Club did for project mayhem, this album opened my eyes and helped me find a reason to keep my fingernails trimmed and my hair cut short.
5) The Specials, Gangsters... This song had that special something which made me give 2tone (and then, ska, rocksteady, dancehall, etc) a second chance. Initially dismissed, after I slowed my mind down enough to listen I gained an appreciation and to this day I always stop whenever I hear a beat from an old Trojan or Island Records artist. Coincidentally I came back around to The Clash through this music as I could not stand Rock the Casbah and would scoff at anyone who said you should listen to "insert Clash song here". I will also piss off a lot of people and while I really respect him as a person and what he did, I can't really listen to solo Bob Marley and Exodus is like nails on chalkboard to me although sometimes I can tolerate it.
I have lots of other notable mentions and maybe if I feel like it I'll expand this list. Until then enjoy what you got and keep an open ear. I'm off to download some more Kuduro and I have Bon Iver albums to find and destroy. ;)
