Absolute Beginnings (Sept. 2007)

[Julia Conny]

Music has a tendency to stop us in our tracks. The first time we were blown away was an exhausting and awe-inspiring moment. These “gateway” albums into our current tastes will always hold special places in our hearts. Here at AbsolutePunk.net, we are honored to share and discuss the albums still getting us up in the morning. We know the feeling of weightlessness after the last note fades away, and we protect these albums like a fragile first-born. So get nostalgic with us and profess your love to the music that started it all. Embrace your roots.
-Blake Solomon

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Blink 182 (http://www.absolutepunk.net/blink182) - Enema of the State
Record Label: MCA
Release Date: June 1, 1999

Enema of the State changed my life. It sounds foolish to say that about an album with 'enema' in its title, but it's true. There's no way to know exactly how much I played Enema of the State throughout my adolescence, but for months I would listen to the album constantly, including every night with Napster set on repeat. I would fall asleep and wake up to Mark, Tom, and Travis – I'm just glad the result wasn't herpes. As the obsession continued, I searched online for blink-182 fan sites and came upon a fine looking red-themed site named AbsolutePunk.net. Impressed with its quality, I became a regular visitor, but I never imagined I'd be living the dream by actually working here. And so I'd like to extend a thank you to Enema of the State. It's the album that helped through the turbulent times of youth, brought me to my favorite spot on the world wide web, and is invaluable as a passage to the music that's become the soundtrack to my life. (Adrian Villagomez (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=2))

What's My Age Again?
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Braid (http://www.absolutepunk.net/braid) - The Age of Octeen
Record Label: Mud Records
Release Date: January 1, 1996

I was introduced to our "scene" at a relatively early age, having listened to Sum 41, Simple Plan, and New Found Glory in middle school, and for awhile I enjoyed that. However, no one album ever struck me. I just listened to all of these records and I enjoyed them, but as soon as I pulled the headphones from my ears I almost instantly forgot what I had just heard. That all changed one day when I stumbled randomly across an album by a little band called Braid in my freshman year of high school. It was a weird time musically for me as I was transitioning out of pop-punk and exploring different genres when I first heard Braid's The Age Of Octeen, and something about their raw sound, explosive energy, angular edge, and the interaction between Bob Nanna and Chris Broach instantly struck a chord within me. For the first time in my life I found a record that held my attention from start to finish and resonated with me long after I had shut off my CD player. That album opened me up to a world of fantastic underground artists that I currently love and it is what helped shape my passion for music that will always drive me to do what I do now for as long as I can do it. Braid's music got me through so many ups and downs in my life and no amount of words that I could write would ever be able to properly convey how much of an impact this record and band has had on my life, and I owe a great deal of thanks to every member of this band. (Rich Duncan (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=7663))

My Baby Smokes
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(http://www.absolutepunk.net/copeland) Copeland (http://www.absolutepunk.net/copeland) - Beneath Medicine Tree
Record Label: The Militia Group
Release Date: March 25, 2003

I still remember the day I “met” Copeland’s Beneath Medicine Tree as though it were yesterday. As was the case for kids under the age of 21 in the suburban sprawl, there can be long slumps of boredom in a youngster’s life. As such, I would often waste away days and nights at the listening stations of Tower Records. On this particular night, I spied the bold claims of some faceless commentator that called CD #3 “the musical embodiment of all that is beautiful in this world.” Instantly curious, I pressed play and was astounded to find that such lofty praise was not misplaced. Since then, the aforementioned has gone on to serve as the soundtrack to all of the essential times in my life – failed and successful relationships, exciting new turns in the years that followed, and all the gaps in between. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about Copeland’s breakout record is the fact that in being just so damn good it was able to transcend what was previously slammed as “sissy music.” To see punks singing along to Aaron Marsh’s arresting falsetto is a disarming sight, but at the same time seems entirely understandable. To revel in the gorgeous simplicity of tracks like “Brightest,” “California,” and “Coffee” is the type of thing that just makes you feel good to be alive. But to be carried away by “When Paula Sparks” on a good pair of headphones is a religious experience that has yet to lose an ounce of resonance with me to this day. Copeland’s Beneath Medicine Tree is the record that made me love music, and will forever live on as a timeless classic. (Steve Henderson (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=50110))

When Paula Sparks
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Elliott Smith (http://www.absolutepunk.net/elliottsmith) - Either/Or
Record Label: Kill Rock Stars
Release Date: February 25, 1997

I had been yearning for some new music for quite a while when I came across this "Indie" thread on another forum that I visit. At first, I wasn't sure what to think about the thread in general because I had not heard of most bands these people kept posting about. I remember seeing this one member always posting about Death Cab For Cutie, Elliott Smith and Jimmy Eat World (which I already knew and loved). I decided to give these other two bands a try because she already liked a band that I really enjoyed. I don't even know how it happened anymore, I just remember opening up Kazaa and before I knew it, I had fallen in love with this guy called Elliott Smith. I always joke about it and say "It was love at first listen," because I've never heard a band/musician that really made me fall in love with music the way he did. I somehow put my hands on his album Either/Or and I could not get enough of the music. I felt like I had found the music I was looking for, after so many months. The album, while depressing, kept me company and comforted me when I felt like no one out there could relate to me or my problems. It's impossible not to feel the pain in his voice at the end of "Angeles," and that's the beauty of Elliott's music: you cannot listen and not feel attached to it somehow. To this day, I have not heard an album as many times as Either/Or. It's not only the album that made me appreciate music on such a different level, it's the album for me. I have checked out so many other bands because of this album and my music collection would not quite be the same without it. On top of all, I would have never taken the opportunity to work for this website if it wasn't for this album. I have always felt a little depressed about the fact that I never got to say "thank you" or give Elliott back anything for giving me so much through his music. But now, I can give back to other bands that have become a part of my life through their music. Thank you for keeping me company in these last 5 years, Elliott. (Lueda Alia (http://absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=9211))

Between The Bars

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Fall Out Boy (http://absolutepunk.net/falloutboy) - Take This to Your Grave
Record Label: Fueled by Ramen
Release Date: May 6, 2003

While Fall Out Boy may now appear exceptionally far from an underground craze, alike many of the world's top-forty hits, Chicago's finest were built up from nothing. It all began with 2003's Take This to Your Grave (aside from the less than fashionable Evening Out With Your Girlfriend), an album that not only put the quartet on the map but captures the hearts and minds of teenagers everywhere, myself included. From the opening "Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today" to the smash-hit "Grand Theft Autumn," every note, hook and angst-ridden lyric not only imprisoned adolescents worldwide, but permeated Livejournals, signatures, and taglines across the map. While Take This to Your Grave may not have been my initial introduction into such sugary territory, Fall Out Boy were certainly a valuable, incomparable stepping stone into the world of alternative music. Whether you emphasize lead vocalist Patrick Stump's soulful delivery, or heartthrob bassist Pete Wentz's awe-inspiring one-liners, Fall Out Boy's Take This to Your Grave was far from a sophomore slump, and for that, alike countless fans worldwide, colour me thankful. To this day, the headphones deliver me the words that I can't say. (Brandon Allin (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=31593))

Dead on Arrival
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The Get Up Kids (http://www.absolutepunk.net/thegetupkids) - Something To Write Home About
Record Label: Vagrant Records
Release Date: September 28, 1999

The first song I heard from The Get Up Kids was "Mass Pike" and at that moment, I have never heard a song that I could relate to what was going on at the time. I listened to "Mass Pike" over and over again until I decided to look them up. The song was from a CD that I could not find so I got Something to Write Home About because it was their most recent release. Once I got home and listened to the CD, my life changed. Never before have I heard songs filled with lyrics that actually had meaning in my life. Before that, I was listening to watered down songs that played on various pop and rock stations in California. I listened to what was given to me. From the opening rifts of "Holiday," I was a lifelong fan. I have seen them countless times and when they announce their farewell tour, I was heart broken. The band that single-handedly shaped who I am today wasn't going to be putting out anymore records or playing anymore shows. So I made a promise to myself that if they ever got back together, I would make it out and watch no matter where it was. Even if it meant driving across to the U.S. to Lawrence, KS. (Jamie Pham (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=58138))

Holiday
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Incubus (http://www.absolutepunk.net/incubus) - Make Yourself
Record Label: Sony
Release Date: October 26, 1999

While most people chose a band that’s revered by most on this site, I chose one that people like, but don’t consider an all time classic. I was sitting around thinking about what that record was that changed my life, some choices were Green Day’s Dookie, New Found Glory’s self-titled, Saves The Day’s Stay What You Are. But then I realized it branched further than that. I remember the first time I had heard Incubus. My brother and I were playing Monopoly (he was the banker and he would steal money every time I got up to go to the bathroom or get a snack, obviously he would eventually win or it would be too much for my nine-year-old body and I’d flip the board), and whenever we’d sit out in our living room, we would have The Box (the music channel before MTV2) on. On this particular day, they decided to play a brand new video by a band I had never heard before, Incubus. I thought it was a nice jam and I thought the guy with the fake flames all over him was pretty sweet. So I went on Napster that night (as my nine-year-old self couldn’t yet afford CDs right away) and made sure to get as much as I could by a band named Incubus. Among the songs I downloaded that night, there was "Pardon Me," the snazzy song I had heard on The Box, "Drive," the acoustic feel-good ballad, "A Certain Shade Of Green," their single off their last album, and "Make Yourself," the self-titled song off their latest record at the time. I was hooked, and this was definitely a good thing, seeming as I had just gotten my copies of Limp Bizkit’s Insignificant Other and Kid Rock’s Devil Without A Cause (he was a hometown guy). If this band had never come around, who knows where I would’ve ended up. I finally saved up fifteen dollars and went out and bought this CD, Make Yourself, and was really impressed by it. It had some trippy stuff in it, a mainstream rock appeal which made a (musically) shallow-minded suburban kid like me eat it up. Fortunately and unfortunately, Incubus came too late to be considered a real 90’s rock band like The Smashing Pumpkins or Bush, but came too early to be considered a “scene favorite”, they were in the middle, apart of that early 2000’s alternative deal. But they didn’t suck, they were always kind of experimental and refreshing unlike many of the other huge bands of that time period that have since died out. But it came at a time that helped me get into other sounds and get me away from the whole rap-rock thing. While Green Day was my first favorite band, Make Yourself was my first favorite CD, and a combination of the two gave me access to two of my two biggest influences, Saves The Day and New Found Glory and even further into bands like Brand New, Northstar, and Bright Eyes. It was the first record I really loved front to back (I didn’t like Enema Of The State back then) and it bridged a gap that quite possible could’ve saved my life. Looking back on it now, Make Yourself is still one of my favorites of all time. Brandon Boyd is still one of my favorite vocalists and I envy his stage presence. Some tracks you should really check out are “The Warmth,” “Make Yourself,” “I Miss You,” “Drive” and “Consequence.” (Nathan Lint (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=64134))


Make Yourself
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(http://www.absolutepunk.net/jimmyeatworld)Jimmy Eat World (http://www.absolutepunk.net/jimmyeatworld) - Bleed American
Record Label: Dreamworks
Release Date: July 24, 2001

When Jimmy Eat World and I first crossed paths in 2001, I was admittedly an MTV kid. I listened to the crap on the radio and watched music videos semi-religiously, thinking I was such a badass. One day, I was watching and a catchy song called “The Middle” from a band I had never heard of came on, complete with a half-naked house party for a music video. I had to hear more. Soon, I checked out the whole album, Bleed American, and the rest is history. The raw aggression of the title track captivated me, the heartfelt exuberance of “Sweetness” enthralled me, the punchy playfulness of “The Authority Song” delighted me, and the overwhelming emotion of “Hear You Me” absolutely dominated my headphones for weeks on end. Never had I experienced such a complete body of music that could so shape my emotions, fit any mood of mine, and give me a whole new point of view. Jim Adkins' songwriting showed me a whole new outlook on who I was as a person and who I wanted to be. From there, I got into a lot of bands I credit with founding my interest in music like Green Day, Yellowcard, and Blink-182. I've always felt like you can't appreciate the contemporary music to its fullest extent without having at least a respect of the bands who got the ball rolling, and for me, Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American is the band that started it all. Bleed American was the gateway to who I am now as a music fan, and I must say, I still spin songs from the album on a weekly basis. It may not be everyone's choice for a “timeless” album of our generation, but for me, it is. It has stuck with me for six years, jam-packed with hundreds of other opportunities to divert my interest, through drastic changes in genre preferences, to continue being one of my favorite albums of all time. (Tony Pascarella (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=31897))

Sweetness

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The Juliana Theory (http://absolutepunk.net/thejulianatheory) - Emotion is Dead
Record Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: August 29, 2000

I suppose at the spongy age of 16, I could've taken any album and loved it until its shiny coat wore dull. I also suppose that at that age, I was impressionable enough to take on anything that was different and special just so I could distance myself from robotic suburban teendom. And for that reason, it must've been combined luck and fate that brought my first handful of favorite albums during this time, especially since purchasing a record from a rock band was a blind expedition. On Emotion Is Dead, "To The Tune Of 5,000 Screaming Children" whirls into poignant, chunky guitars with a headstrong melody. I specifically remember being shaken down to my bone marrow. It seemed foreign to me that music like this could be rebellious, intimate, catchy and unlike anything in which I had been exposed without breaching a comfort zone. The Juliana Theory and Emotion Is Dead was one of the first band/album pairs that bridged that gap between the music that I enjoyed and the music that I connected with. This was a connection that understood me more than I understood me, and those striking chords and special sing-alongs dusted off a destined path that I've chased ever since. (Julia Conny (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=67689))

To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children
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Midtown (http://www.absolutepunk.net/midtown) - Save the World, Lose the Girl
Record Label: Drive-Thru Records
Release Date: March 9, 2000

In early 2000, my friend was showing me this awesome Internet thing called Napster. I knew next to nothing about computers/online at the time so I was both perplexed and amazed. He downloaded songs from two bands that I had never heard of, One Cool Guy and Midtown, both native New Jersey bands. I loved both and went home intending to do this Napster thing myself. I downloaded the program and, on my 56k connection, my choices were limited so I downloaded two songs by Midtown at random, "Just Rock and Roll" and "Let Go." These songs had me hooked from the second I heard them; I knew that I had to go out and get this CD. It was difficult to find it at first because Drive-Thru was a small label at the time but eventually I found it and it became history. I think the tri-vocal harmonies initially caught me but everything about it was so different from anything that I had been listening to and appealed to me in a different way: it was fun, it was honest, and it rocked. I found it particularly interesting that the guys of Midtown were hardly older than I was and were from my area of Milltown, NJ. At the time, I must have been the only person who didn't know the words to Jay-Z's "Can I Get A," but I didn't care because I was too busy singing along to songs like "Come On" and "Recluse." This album made me officially become obsessed with music and led me to other bands in the genre such as A New Found Glory (remember when they had the A?), Unwritten Law, Thursday, Millencolin, and At the Drive-In. Save the World, Lose the Girl was an album that changed my life, as it set a course for what my musical tastes have become. If it weren't for this album and this band, I would honestly be a completely different person. Years later, I still have this album in regular rotation and still love it as much as when I heard it that first time back in 2000 only now every song retains its own memory. Hey, it's just rock and roll. (Anton Djamoos (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=25445))

Just Rock and Roll
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Modest Mouse (http://www.absolutepunk.net/modestmouse) - This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About
Record Label: Up Records
Release Date: April 16, 1996

God bless this album for being so damn good yet, alas, unappreciated. The next critic I see ranting about how a new Modest Mouse album will never be as good as The Moon and Antarctica will get a friendly visit from a 9MM. Fuck that -- This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About remains to be a president in angular indie-rock and is an album that started it all for me. Isaac Brock's radiantly atmospheric guitar whining alongside Eric Judy's studiously paced and oddly hypnotizing bass line in "Dramamine" is the kind of instrumental exchange you see a lot nowadays, but has never been pulled off quite as good. Songs like the eccentrically realized and beautifully drawn out "Lounge" and the downright gorgeous "Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset" are instant classics and warrant This Is A Long Drive... at least a little more attention. It'd probably be cliché to say at this point but I don't know where I'd be if it hadn't been for this album. Can anyone say Hinder or Nickelback -- I wouldn't doubt it. Thank you Modest Mouse. Thank you so very much. (Scott Irvine (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=49106))

Dramamine
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MxPx (http://www.absolutepunk.net/mxpx) - Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo
Record Label: A&M
Release Date: June 16, 1998

From break speed pace of the opening track to the ending instrumental - there is no album that better defines my youth than MxPx's Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo. By looking back at this album we see the path of pop-punk before it became about eyeliner and Livejournals. We see a band crafting catchy tunes in a variety of tempos. We see risks, emotion, passion - feeling. While some may say Blink182 and Green Day (re)started the pop-punk revival some 10 years ago ... it is MxPx who will always stand in my heart as the band that introduced me into a world of music unlike any I had heard before. (Jason Tate (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=1083))

Under Lock and Key
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Neutral Milk Hotel (http://www.absolutepunk.net/neutralmilkhotel) - In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
Record Label: Merge Records
Release Date: February 10, 1998

It may be a rote and cliche answer in the indie world, but that doesn't mean that Neutral Milk Hotel's seminal album In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is not an absolutely amazing album. I had started listening to more "underground" and non-mainstream-rock radio music at that point, but it wasn't until I discovered and listened to Aeroplane that I realized that my preconceived notions of what constituted good music could be expanded. Jeff Mangum's lyrics, strange as they may be, made me start appreciating music as not just entertainment but as a real art form, where lyrics didn't have to be about teenage breakups and troubled childhoods. The way that he was able to incorporate so many instruments showed me that music wasn't necessarily just guitar/bass/drums/maybe synthesizer. I was so mesmerized by the album (and I continue to be amazed every time I listen) that Aeroplane still has an impact on the music I listen to today. It gave me a new appreciation for music that is willing to be different or experimental and started me on my path towards genres of music I would probably not have listened to otherwise - noise, mathcore, psych-folk, and many more. (Paul Tao (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=30773))

Holland, 1945
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New Found Glory (http://www.absolutepunk.net/newfoundglory) - Self-Titled
Record Label: Drive-Thru Records/MCA
Release Date: September 26, 2000

On the verge of the release of From Your Screen To Your Stereo II, I can't help but flash back to a memory so vivid, I can relive it just by closing my eyes... the moment I discovered music was my power and my purpose. In seventh grade I overheard a friend raving about this mad sweet rock song called "Boy Crazy," and so on a whim I purchased New Found Glory's self-titled full length. A New Found Glory... pretty cool name I guess? What occurred next, when Discman headphones met juvenile ears, was a life-changing metamorphosis. Instantly I was up on my feet, uncontrollably jumping around my bedroom as if the drunken Dionysian spirit itself had invaded my limbs and demanded frenzy. It was a release of that cosmic energy that runs through our veins only in youth, that makes every moment in middle school a memory, that stitches your first girlfriend, your first kiss, your first crush into the lining of your heart for eternity. This record explained me, taught me, and most importantly changed me. Jordan's raw croon, crying of adolescence, puppy love sentiments, and boyish optimism, atop an endless wave of the band's soaring pop-punk hooks and melodies was everything a 13 year old me could have ever wished for. Years before Fall Out Boy even hit the scene, one group had already perfectly captured the magic of heart-on-sleeve pop punk in a tight, concise, 12 song tribute to growing up. From Pandora's box, the gods may have bestowed all the evils of mankind upon us, but thanks to some myth or empathetic deity, music affords us at least one of heaven's pleasures. New Found Glory's self-titled record gave me the ethereal gift that keeps on giving. (Garett Press (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=33620))

Vegas
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New Found Glory (http://www.absolutepunk.net/newfoundglory) - Sticks & Stones
Record Label: Drive-Thru Records/MCA
Release Date: June 11, 2002

Once I bought Sticks & Stones, I knew this album, along with New Found Glory, would be favorites of mine for as long as I listened to music. Back when MTV would actually play music, I remembering seeing the video for "My Friends Over You" and it's something I'll never forget. At first I didn't know what to think. I wasn't familiar with this type of music, nor have I ever seen anything like this from a music video. It wasn't long until I had the guitar riff stuck in my head though. It stayed there for days until I happened to catch the video again, and then I knew that I needed this album. Little did I know that the album I was about to dish 19-something dollars on would open up the gates for music I know and love today. I popped it into my CD player and knew it was something special. Everything about it was amazing, including one of my favorite choruses of all time on "Understatement," the chills that ran down my spine during "Sonny," and the lyrics of "The Story So Far" that owned my AIM profile for months. Ever since then, Sticks & Stones has provided me with a smile on my face whenever I turn it on. It's tough to get upset now; it's too hard to turn it off. (Joe DeAndrea (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=64667))

My Friends Over You
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Stroke 9 (http://www.absolutepunk.net/stroke9) - Nasty Little Thoughts
Record Label: Cherry/Universal
Release Date: September 7, 1999

Not all of us are blessed with hand-me-down record players and dinner discussions regarding Fleetwood Mac. So what if my parents didn’t sing me “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” as I drifted off to sleep. I still turned out OK. When I finally heard “Little Black Backpack” on a Top 40 radio station, I was hooked. I found the CD and begged(!) my grandmother to purchase the disc. As I grew up and learned more about life, the record continually evolved with me. What started out a fun pop record became a crutch to lean against when the world was beating me down. Nasty Little Thoughts opened up a world of interaction I had not known before. The members of Stroke 9 befriended me and I admired them. And, you can bet my kids will doze into dreamland with “Tail Of The Sun” playing in the background. Lucky punks. (Blake Solomon (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=12991))

Washin' and Wonderin'
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Thursday (http://www.absolutepunk.net/thursday) - Full Collapse
Record Label: Victory Records
Release Date: April 10, 2001


It starts and stops and starts and stops again....

Who would have thought a simple double strike on the drums would mold my musical tastes? Well, this is what exactly happened after hearing “Understanding (In A Car Crash)” for the first time. And the rest is history. Thursday’s second album, Full Collapse, means the world to me. I’ve always been a pop-punk/metal guy, but Full Collapse showed me a new world. From the heart on sleeve lyrics to Geoff Rickley’s passionate singing and screaming, this album has it all. Not one bad track, with songs like “Cross Out The Eyes” and “Paris In Flames” knocking your teeth out, while “Standing On The Edge Of Summer” and “How Long Is The Night?” ease you in only to hit your ears like a ton of bricks. Without Full Collapse, I don’t discover this site, so I owe a lot to this album, as I’ll definitely be passing it on to my children and the next generation. (Drew Beringer (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=21101))

Understanding (In A Car Crash)
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Weezer (http://www.absolutepunk.net/weezer) - Pinkerton
Record Label: Geffen Records, Inc.
Release Date: September 24, 1996

Let's face it, Pinkerton was a failure when it was released. Following the critical success of Weezer's eponymous pop masterpiece, the general audience failed to grasp what was portrayed on the band's sophomore album (Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo even described it as "a hideous record…a painful mistake"). Under the canopy of the mainstream, a new subculture of fans embraced the disc for its sheer honesty (even Motion City Soundtrack and blink-182's Mark Hoppus, who have both praised the disc). Lyrically darker than its predecessor, Pinkerton dealt with topics that everyone could relate to, inspiring many fans to later delve deeper and check out bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and The Get Up Kids. Pinkerton is a living example of how an album can achieve the difficult honor of being simultaneously personal and heartfelt, yet retaining a pop sensibility catchy enough to stand the test of time. (Tom Good (http://www.absolutepunk.net/member.php?u=84110))

El Scorcho
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[Jason Tate]

Well done guys ... hope a few people check out these "gateway" albums and we can introduce people to some great tunes.

[12:46AM]

I agree with so many of these. This is awesome.

MxPx - Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo was the first album I ever bought. I got it at Christian Publications with some worship CD. hahahaha. I bet you can guess what one I listed to more...

After that it was Hot Water Music and Alkaline Trio. I owe so much to those bands.

They led to TBS and Thrice and Thursday and Brand New and it was all over from there. Good times. Good memories.

[TheBaroness]

Wow, great feature

I consider Jimmy Eat World's Static Prevails to be my 'gateway album'. Even though I only discovered this record because of Dude Rance, Static Prevails has been far more influential in guiding my tastes to this day. The minute 'Thinking, That's All' hit my ears all of a sudden everything just made sense. Everything I had been searching for in music was encapsulated in that one song.

From that point in time I joined the infamous Jimmy Eat World email discussion group, and life would never be the same. MP3's had only just come to prominance and I remember it taking over an hour to download one little song off the new album from this band called No Knife, not to mention all the others which were a daily point of discussion on the egroup (The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, Braid etc.) Even now I find it quite amazing that as a kid all the way in Australia I could tap into a music scene which, for all intents and purposes, was still small in its own heartland. To cut a long story short, music from that point became a constant companion. I shudder to think what my life might be like if I had never found a copy of Static Prevails on the shelves of Borders all those years ago.

[Tyler Dumont]

my first album ever was Enema of the State.

and then Anthem changed the way I looked at my world, life and future.

[jerseysbest]

Another great addition, well done guys.

[Co and Ca]

The first time I ever felt something while listening to a CD was Maybe I'll Catch Fire by Alkaline Trio. At the time, I was into 311, System of a Down, Tool, Staind, A Perfect Circle and other generic radio rock bands. Those band's didn't make me feel any emotions. Alkaline Trio took out my heart and stomped on it, and I loved every minute of it. After I listened to it, I knew my life was changed. Thankfully, my brother introduced me to Saves the Day and Thursday not long after. That summer, all I listened to was Through Being Cool, Stay What You Are, Full Collaspe and the mentioned Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Before summer ended, I discovered Taking Back Sunday. That summer hold's a special place in my heart.

Another CD that changed my life was Oh, Inverted World by the Shins. In 2004 when my ex girlfriend broke up with me, I decided to just lay in bed for 2 weeks crying and listening to Copeland. When I decided to get out of bed and go online, I found myself on Brand New's website. One of the members mentioned the Shins in his journal. Since Brand New is one of my favorite bands, I decided to check the Shins out. I remember hearing 'Girl on the Wing' and wondering what the hell I was listening to. I thought it was too weird, yet I couldn't get enough of it. After that, I checked out Belle and Sebastian, the Thrills, matt pond PA, Rilo Kiley and many other bands I still listen to today.

[myjokesmakeucry]

weezer-blue and pinkerton
jimmy eat world-clarity
the get up kids-something to write home about
saves the day-through being cool
saves the day-i'm sorry i'm leaving
the juliana theory- understand this is a dream
further seems forever-the moon is down
dashboard confessional-swiss army romance and the places you have come to fear the most
new found glory- nothing gold can stay

of course there was green day and blink but these albums and bands had much more of an effect on me and introducing me to so much other music

[12:46AM]

The first time I ever felt something while listening to a CD was Maybe I'll Catch Fire by Alkaline Trio. At the time, I was into 311, System of a Down, Tool, Staind, A Perfect Circle and other generic radio rock bands. Those band's didn't make me feel any emotions. Alkaline Trio took out my heart and stomped on it, and I loved every minute of it. After I listened to it, I knew my life was changed. Thankfully, my brother introduced me to Saves the Day and Thursday not long after. That summer, all I listened to was Through Being Cool, Stay What You Are, Full Collaspe and the mentioned Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Before summer ended, I discovered Taking Back Sunday. That summer hold's a special place in my heart.
alk3 > life.

[remyy]

My friends was always taking about this awesome band they heard on a skateboard movie. (Which later turned out to be Green Day)
We were shitkids running around with our skateboards listening to hiphop and mostly local bands all the time.
But this summer changed me!

As I said, they were talking about a band, noone really knew the name of it. But they thought it was Green House or something. I thought it sounded really shitty, what is this all about? But I decided to go to the recordstore and check out some songs by 'Green House' - The guy at the store did have some wage idea that I was talking about Green Day, so he gave me Dookie.
When I Come Around, Basket Case and S.H.E. was the soundtrack of our summer. I was like 10 or something at this point.
After that I got the opportunity to check out Offspring - Smash, Blink - Dude Ranch and all kinds of stuff, changed my life for sure :)


My beginning records:
Green Day - Dookie
The Offspring - Smash
Blink182 - Dude Ranch
Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit
Pennywise - Straight Ahead & Full Circle

[StevenK]

Great thread/feature.


For me, it was Taking Back Sunday's Tell All Your Friends and Dashboard Confessional's The Places That You Come To Fear The Most that introduced me to a whole different genre of music. That was a good summer for me.

[yakshemash]

I got Green Day's "Insomniac" (on cassette) when I was 8 or 9 and my life was never the same.

[foisol]

I love this section, but Braid (i don't know whether it was the song selection or not) and Copeland can't do it for me.

[julia_bagulia]

For me, since I'm just sixteen, it was pretty much Fall Out Boy's TTTYG. And that was after they became popular that I first listened to it. But they were my gateway to bigger and better things.

My beginning records:
The Matches-E. Von Dahl
Motion City-Commit This to Memory
Jimmy Eat World-Futures
Saves The Day-Through Being Cool
Taking Back Sunday-Tell All Your Friends
The Format-Dog Problems

[MikeyEdge FL]

Descendents-"Everything Sucks"

[Haartleey]

cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down

[Tom Good]

The first time I ever felt something while listening to a CD was Maybe I'll Catch Fire by Alkaline Trio. At the time, I was into 311, System of a Down, Tool, Staind, A Perfect Circle and other generic radio rock bands. Those band's didn't make me feel any emotions. Alkaline Trio took out my heart and stomped on it, and I loved every minute of it. After I listened to it, I knew my life was changed. Thankfully, my brother introduced me to Saves the Day and Thursday not long after. That summer, all I listened to was Through Being Cool, Stay What You Are, Full Collaspe and the mentioned Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Before summer ended, I discovered Taking Back Sunday. That summer hold's a special place in my heart.

Another CD that changed my life was Oh, Inverted World by the Shins. In 2004 when my ex girlfriend broke up with me, I decided to just lay in bed for 2 weeks crying and listening to Copeland. When I decided to get out of bed and go online, I found myself on Brand New's website. One of the members mentioned the Shins in his journal. Since Brand New is one of my favorite bands, I decided to check the Shins out. I remember hearing 'Girl on the Wing' and wondering what the hell I was listening to. I thought it was too weird, yet I couldn't get enough of it. After that, I checked out Belle and Sebastian, the Thrills, matt pond PA, Rilo Kiley and many other bands I still listen to today.Yeah, The Alkaline Trio's self titled b-sides album did it for me too.

[Tom Good]

cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow Down
cant Slow DownIt took a lot for me to not choose that or Through Being Cool

[awakeohsleeper]

mewithoutYou's "Catch for us the foxes" was the first CD that I purchased that lead to my current taste of music. They're still my favourite band a few years later.

[tait]

green day - dookie & fall out boy - take this to your grave

[leftstranded]

this really brought me back to my early teens. blink and nfg were my two favorite bands

also the addition of midtown(obvious) and incubus really makes this list. good work guys

[Chris Fallon]

This was such a great read. The poignant, honest emotion can be felt through what you all wrote, and is very easy to relate to as a AP.net member.

My "gateway" album was probably Smash by The Offspring. It was the first real punk record I ever owned that opened me up to Millecolin, NOFX and Lagwagon ... which led me to Green Day, MxPx, blink-182, Less Than Jake and so on. I still remember how many times I would listen to "Bad Habit" and scream out "stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker" in my room, as my headphones were blaring.

My parents probably thought I was insane.

[MikeyEdge FL]

It took a lot for me to not choose that or Through Being Cool
both of those albums changed my life and the way i look at music still to this day.

[Chevy114]

Love almost all of these, but why vegas for nfg?

[*crying stars*]

This is a really cool concept.

http://www.interpunk.com/itemimages2/75989.jpg

This is the one for me; it was my first rock album, and I listened to it on rotation for a long time. My favorite album, and it introduced me to a whole different world of music.

[ides of march]

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
Green Day - American Idiot
Interpol - Antics (this bridged me from stuff like the two above to more indie music)
Jack's Mannequin - Everything in Transit
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Spitalfield - Remember Right Now
Fall Out Boy - FUTCT
Nightmare of You - Nightmare of You (got to be my favorite band)

and when I went to China, I bought some Japanese Pop albums, Ai Otsuka really got me hooked.

[average_jane]

For me, it was Relient K's The Anatomy Of The Tongue In Cheek, followed a couple years later by Fall Out Boy's Take This To Your Grave.

[crit]

awesome feature, those were really fun to read.

[domi182]

good choices.. i stick to NFG and blink 182

[B_McKee60]

this was an awesome feature. i found several albums i want to pick up now. for me it was Tell All Your Friends by taking back sunday that made me realize that pretty much everything that plays on the radio is crap and that theres so much more out there.

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Very cool. Some of mine:

The Offspring - Americana
Blink 182 - Enema of the State
Green Day - Dookie
Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing
Slipknot - Slipknot

[Casey's Dad]

I had two awakenings in my life. Not so much from an album but from music in general. The first was when I was 5. This is when a typical ride to a local flea market in the backseat of my parent's '56 Chevy changed my life forever. It was when i woke up. This was when I heard George Harrison beating the hell out if his guitar during the intro to Revolution. I was amazed and knew immediately that I loved it.

The second awakening was much more subtle. It was after years had passed, kids had grown up, and my musical love had waned or taken a backseat to other more "important" things like bills, mortgages, cars, etc. I had always been into small labels, even before "indie" was cool. I was always looking for the cuts that nobody'd heard before, or weren't on the radio. I was just like that, but over time, things just had a higher priority. Anyway, my daughter was home from college and she was on her computer and I was on mine. She played a song that caught my attention. It was "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" by DCFC. It was subtle, but I immediately asked " who is that?". She said "Death Cab for Cutie" in her very quick California-speak. I said "oh, ok". Not really registering it. Later, as I was driving her down south, I asked her again. This time it registered. This time it clicked. When I got home I started downloading songs. I was amazed, and couldn't wait to get the next one. Every song was good, every lyric precise. I couldn't get enough of them and am I glad I didn't. That was the beginning of everything new I have now. Obviously, I now have all their major releases and generous amount of alot of other music as well. They were the band that brought me back, they were the ones that showed me that music could be cool again, and that not everything was like the crap being played on the radio. For that, I'll be forever grateful to Casey and Ben Gibbard for allowing me to rediscover one of my true loves.

[thecitythatday]

alk3 > life.

I think we should be friends. Haha.

This is a really great feature. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea! For me, it all started with Weezer's "Tired of Sex." A friend of mine had come over after school and brought with her the new CD she had just purchased, which was Pinkerton. Even though I was eleven and couldn't relate to being tired of sex, I completely understood Rivers' frustration and fell in love. As far as albums go, New Found Glory's New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American are what did it for me.

[njkid54]

it all started with nothing gold can stay by a new found glory for me. i remember always repeating "it'll never snow in florida" and "the piano song" over and over again. and anton i got so giddy when i saw your post. that album was my 3rd or fourth on my beginning list. from downtown by one cool guy will always be one of the best ska cds. urban ninja is the shit.

[altemose09]

i've never givin midtown a listen til just now and it's really good. i gotta get that record.

[MikeyEdge FL]

i have never gave midtown a listen til just now and it's really good. i gotta get that record.

wow. get all of their records, they're a great example of how much a band can progress throughout their career.

what did you listen to?

[GlassyLight]

Jesus Christ, I feel old.

Weezer - Blue Album - Sunnily depressing, and perfectly captures the time when it wasn't cool to be a nerd and people still got their asses whaled on.

Reel Big Fish - Turn the Radio Off - Do I really need to explain?

blink 182 - Dude Ranch - Nuff Said.

Green Day - nimrod. - their best.

Blue October - Consent to Treatment - proves that 'radio rock' isn't a dirty word....listen to 'Breakfast after Ten' and you'll be bowled over.

Rage Against the Machine - Battle of Los Angeles

[squared82]

The 2 albums that really got me into music would have to be:
Fall Out Boy - Take this to Your Grave
Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue and Cheek

They were the first 2 "real" cds I owned and I listened to them religiously for a real long time. I still listen to TTYG a lot. Its funny though, for an album that really got me into music, I really dont enjoy Anatomy as much as I did. I feel its Relient K's weakest effort with a few good tracks, but it definitely opened my eyes to so many other albums. This is probably why Relient K and Fall Out Boy will always be 2 of my favorite bands.

[MikeyEdge FL]

Jesus Christ, I feel old.

Weezer - Blue Album - Sunnily depressing, and perfectly captures the time when it wasn't cool to be a nerd and people still got their asses whaled on.

Reel Big Fish - Turn the Radio Off - Do I really need to explain?

blink 182 - Dude Ranch - Nuff Said.

Green Day - nimrod. - their best.

Blue October - Consent to Treatment - proves that 'radio rock' isn't a dirty word....listen to 'Breakfast after Ten' and you'll be bowled over.

Rage Against the Machine - Battle of Los Angeles

haha. so do i, RBF was one of my first cd's back in like the 6th or 7th grade. such an amazing album.

[altemose09]

wow. get all of their records, they're a great example of how much a band can progress throughout their career.

what did you listen to?
just rock n roll

[Jamais_vu]

I wish people would stop talking about how "underground" Fall out boy was when they released Take this to your grave. They were already on Island, it was all a trick to fool you kids, and it worked. Please stop saying that.

[TJ Wells]

I think i'd either have to go with Midtown's Living Well Is The Best Revenge, Dashboard Confessional's The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, or The Spill Canvas' Sunsets And Car Crashes as the albums that were my jumping off point into my obsession with music. Since I listened to those albums for the first time (all around 3 or so years ago), my tastes have obviously matured somewhat (although I would think some people would disagree; I listen to pretty much EVERYTHING - yes, that includes country, pop, top 40, hip-hop, etc.) but I find there's not much better than listening to an album that you can sing along to all the way through.

[MikeyEdge FL]

just rock n roll

yeah, buy that album its called "Save The World Lose The Girl" (don't know if you know that or not, haha)
but then check out "Forget What You Know" and go listen to the last track on that album, one of the best songs i've ever heard.

[Brandon Allin]

Great work. This was a lot of fun.

[PassedOut]

Now all I want to do is drive around blasting old Jimmy and Juliana Theory and pretend like the biggest thing I have to worry about is which lunch schedule I would be on. Ahhh highschool. : )

I listened to a lot of Sugarcult Start Static and Brand New YFW as well

[remyy]

Now all I want to do is drive around blasting old Jimmy and Juliana Theory and pretend like the biggest thing I have to worry about is which lunch schedule I would be on. Ahhh highschool. : )

I listened to a lot of Sugarcult Start Static and Brand New YFW as well

Yeah I was about to mention YFW. It ment alot to me - But that's later ooon

[blimpcityhero11]

My musical taste has grown in waves, so let's see...My first couple records:
Green Day-Dookie
The Offspring-Smash
Weezer-Blue Album

However, I think the albums that really got me were:
blink-182-Enema of the State
New Found Glory-Nothing Gold Can Stay
Jimmy Eat World-Bleed American
Dashboard Confessional-The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most

From there, my current tastes expanded from:
The Starting Line-Say It Like You Mean It
Fall Out Boy-Take This To Your Grave
Taking Back Sunday-Tell All Your Friends
Brand New-Your Favorite Weapon
Something Corporate-Audioboxer EP
Relient K-The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek

[callingallcars]

zomgz FOB has an underground album?!?! LIEK thwy were pop punks at ones timezz. i have to tellz someones

[Haartleey]

I was so pumped to see midtown on there. The first time i heard let go was unreal.

[altemose09]

yeah, buy that album its called "Save The World Lose The Girl" (don't know if you know that or not, haha)
but then check out "Forget What You Know" and go listen to the last track on that album, one of the best songs i've ever heard.
yeah i know it's from that cd. i listened to the track from looking through the staff members absolute begining's cd's.

[sweetforever]

Definately a cool feature, and a very good read on everyone's view on that album that got them into music they listen to today.

[bwinfield819]

Started With:
Blink 182- Enema of the State
Blink 182- Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Weezer- Weezer
The Offspring- Americana
Metallica- Black Album
Pink Floyd- The Wall
Led Zeppelin- Remasters
Linkin Park- Hybrid Theory
Foo Fighters- One by One/The Colour and Shape/In Your Honor

And led to:
Taking Back Sunday- Tell All Your Friends
Underoath- They're Only Chasing Saftey
The Used- The Used
My Chemical Romance- Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
Brand New- Deja Entendu
As I Lay Dying- Shadows are Security
Atreyu- The Curse

And now:
Circa Survive, Emery, Chiodos, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Saosin, The Almost, Madina Lake, (new)Thrice

[TBSEmoKid]

I remember the first time I had gotten into the rock underground scene was when I heard Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American. Got it as a random gift from my brother, who had already been into the music for a while,on its release date.This album lead to more,i.e. TBS TAYF and FOB TTTYG.Ahh,the memories.

[honeststoryline]

oh man. this is an awesome idea. essentially, i guess i've got two.

summer before freshman year; my aunt (who was working at lava/atlantic at the time) handed me a cd of a band called simple plan. before that, i had been looking into bands like afi, pennywise, a new found glory, and mxpx. i liked it well enough, thought it was catchy. spread it around to some of my friends and then started to talk about going to a non-local show (shows at that point to me were patent pending and slim to none playing at castle golf) and when i heard simple plan coming to town, it sounded like a good idea. they happened to be opening for two bands i had only heard of, the starting line and brand new. go to the show, and pretty much forget all about sp entirely. seeing brand new was amazing, and i picked up your favorite weapon that night. that was a gateway cd to so much in my life, really. and it's still one of my top five albums to this day.

the other cd would have to be fall out boy's take this to your grave. that seems to be a huge one on this list, and i can understand why. i didn't even intend to buy it, i had gone into the record store looking for the latest boysetsfire cd, and just happened to remember the name of the band wrong. thank god, i guess. tttyg opened my ears up to a whole other world, between the bits of hardcore background that led me in that direction, and the pop-punk that led me in another direction. again, still one of my top five.

[lauren<3s music]

amazing feature. so many of these are on my list. i think mine would have to be rage against the machine - evil empire.

[decisionpending]

Like everyone else has said, great feature, guys.

For me, realising music has the potential to change me as a person was, 'Tha Crossroads' by Bone Thugs N Harmony... yeah, that's right, I ain't afraid to say it.

For who I am today though, it would have to be The Living End's S/T alongside Regurgitator's Unit and Blink's Dude Ranch... ahh, to be 12 again!

[smogs]

Great feature.
blink 182 was my gateway band, too. My brother played Dude Ranch over and over and over again, much to my dismay (I was 7, all I wanted to do was watch Disney Channel). Then he played me Carousel, off Chesire Cat, and I fell in love with them. Enema of the State came out and made it set for me. So while all my friends were listening to NYSNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney, etc., I was listening to all those bands and blink 182. Man, those were they days.

[kidblink]

smashing pumpkins - melon collie...
incubus - make yourself
new found glory - self titled

[vandalroyale]

I was really late getting into this genre of music and I know the albums that hit me at the beginning are not "classic" or must listens, but they still all holda place in my heart for being there at a time in my life when I needed to break from the stuff I was listening to...

Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal
Matchbook Romance - Stories and Alibis
Jimmy Eat World - Futures

My roommate at the time had me listen to these and it took some getting used to, but I am forever greatful for him doing it.

[yoyoninjagirl]

I totally agree with Tony. Bleed American is great.

[DazedandCnfused]

Enema of the State did it for me too. The first cd I ever got. Blink was the first band I really got into. That was the gateway album that got me into all the bands I like now, and I still have Blink posters all over my walls from when I was like 12. They're all wrinkled and ripped now, but I'll never take them down! That cd will never get old for me. Haha, I used to air drum to that cd like a maniac. It must have been quite a sight. I used to listen to it in class on my cd player and bang my pencils off my desk and books and my teachers would basically yell at me all the time to shut the fuck up lol.

[starcrossdlovex]

I agree that this is a great feature.
hmm, for me the first album that really got me into this music was probably NFG's self-titled. My brother picked it up the day it came out & I got hooked. I can still go back to that album & still love it just as much as I did when I first heard it.

[Steve Henderson]

amazing feature. so many of these are on my list. i think mine would have to be rage against the machine - evil empire.
Ahhh, great choice. RALLY ROUND THE FAMILY!!!! WITH A POCKET FULL OF SHELLS!!!!!1

[Blake Solomon]

woot woot woot woot woot


I love reading all of the users spiels!

[ftfkeytar]

my list
The Hippos - Forget the World
The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home about
Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview
Weezer - Pinkerton

The Hippos - Heads are going to Roll ( one of my favorite albums of all time and anyone who love synth pop really needs this cd )

The Faint - Danse Macabre
Motion City Soundtrack - Back to the Beat EP
Reel Big Fish - Why do they rock so hard?
Thursday - Full Collapse

[Poochemist]

Great list!

This is a totally nerdy confession: I got my start with punk music with the video game Crazy Taxi. The game featured The Offspring and Bad Religion. As soon as I could figure out what album The Offspring's songs were on, I quickly picked up a copy of Ixnay on the Hombre. That's what got me into good fast punk.

I had purchased albums before (Dookie on cassette in '94) but nothing got me into the genre like Ixnay.

[petey536]

New Found Glory- S/T andBlink-182- Enema was it for me. Those cds is the reason I listen to this music today.

[Tom Good]

I think we should be friends. Haha.

This is a really great feature. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea! For me, it all started with Weezer's "Tired of Sex." A friend of mine had come over after school and brought with her the new CD she had just purchased, which was Pinkerton. Even though I was eleven and couldn't relate to being tired of sex, I completely understood Rivers' frustration and fell in love. As far as albums go, New Found Glory's New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American are what did it for me.Props to the Weezer, same with me, that's why I chose it!

[kylestarr]

blink-182 - "Dude Ranch"
Thrice - "The Illusion of Safety"
Thursday - "Full Collapse"
Coheed and Cambria - "Second Stage Turbine Blade"
Saves The Day - "Through Being Cool"
Saves The Day - "Stay What You Are"
The Mars Volta - "De-Loused In The Comatorium"
The Get Up Kids - "On A Wire"
Jimmy Eat World - "Bleed American"

[xxxbrandonxcore]

i would have to say, without a doubt, that the first record that really got me into music was Anberlin - Never Take Friendship Personal. My older brother went to see them and Copeland one night at the Norva, and he came back with that record. He showed it to me, but at that point i could've cared less, so I was like, whatever. But then he was driving me to a friend's house one day, and he put the record in his car stereo, and "Never Take Friendship Personal" blasted through the speakers. I thought to myself, "Hey, this is pretty sweet." "Paperthin Hymn" came on next, and again, I thought it was a great, really catchy song, but I still wasn't really convinced of anything. But the next song, "Stationary Stationery," came through the speakers, and from that point on, I was hooked. The song was probably the catchiest song on the record (at least to me), and it made me want to listen to more like it. I burned the cd, went out and bought "Blueprints for the Black Market," and started searching around for other bands that were similar to them. Of course, my musical taste started spreading out after that, and today I'm listening to everything from slow acoustic songs to (only a few) brutal heavy metal songs. I've been called "obsessed" with music by more than one person, but I just love it. And it all started with Never Take Friendship Personal.

[Praetor]

Thank Straylight Run and Deja Entendu for saving me from MTV.

EDIT: And Tell All Your Friends, as well.

[Short-Lived]

The Ataris "Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits" and Saves The Day "Through Being Cool". These are still two of my all time favorite albums, 1. because they really got me into the music I love today, and 2. because they helped me get through those awkward teenage years and were always in constant rotation in my portable discman.

[Imtheotherguy]

It's a crime that through being cool didn't make it on this list

[Jason Tate]

I wish people would stop talking about how "underground" Fall out boy was when they released Take this to your grave. They were already on Island, it was all a trick to fool you kids, and it worked. Please stop saying that.
I wish people would stop spreading lies that aren't true. I was on the phone with the band when they signed the contract with Island.

[foisol]

"Too Bad You're Beautiful" by From Autumn To Ashes
"Tell All Your Friends" by Taking Back Sunday

[pshh]

great great stuff although i think std should be up there

[Finch076]

Live bootleg Blink 182 albums and New Found Glory self titled back when i was in middle school (2000)
But for the music that i listen to now, I give all the credit to Bright Eyes - Fevers and Mirrors.

[TomAce]

First albums I bought that changed me are in order

Nirvana-Nevermind
Green Day-Nimrod
NFG-Nothing Gold Can Stay
Blink 182-Dude Ranch
NFG-S/T
Blink 182-Enema
JEW-Bleed American
STD-Through Being Cool
TGUK-Eudora
HRC-Sorry About Tomorrow
Hamartia-Demo
Dillinger Escape Plan-Calculating Infinity
Bane-Give Blood

after that I discovered mind altering substances and music outside of the punk/emo/hc scene, which has led to me now. A fucked up picasso of genres and sub cultures that hasnt had an official answer to "What kind of music are you into?" yet.

[nicky123]

Brand new - Deja Entendu

[huckleberry]

great feature, and i still dont know some of the bands. i think im gonna have to remedy that

[underthetalking]

Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Millencolin - Pennybridge Pioneers

[Jason Tate]

Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Millencolin - Pennybridge Pioneers
Pennybridge Pioneers is classic. I needa break that album out again.

[takingbackrufio]

Enema of the State for me in the beginning (I was a little young when Dude Ranch came out), but I also owe a lot to Tell All Your Friends (the most emotionally charged album ever assembled), and later on, Death Cab for Cutie's We Have The Facts and We're Voting Yes.

Really good article, though. I've been wanting to see this kind of thing more frequently since I started coming to AP.

[Tom Good]

Pennybridge Pioneers is classic. I needa break that album out again.I brought that out last week. I love it. "No Cigar" is such an amazing song.

[Ruggiero2oo8]

A lot of great stuff here.

[Dr.Fuzzykins]

Taje this to your grave was definitely my first. Man i wish they still played music like that.

[LCincala]

Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window

This band and this cd will always mean more to me than just great sound. I Woke Up In A Car is one of the first songs I have liked in this whole scene. Before then, I was a Top 40 listener, whatever was on the radio. My boyfriend had this song on a mix cd in his car, and everytime I got into the car, I put this song on. This obsession soon developed into an obsession for the cd, and then a passion for this kind of music. I can clearly trace the development of a pasion for the music back to this moment in my life.

[snakeinmyboots]

I think i'd either have to go with Midtown's Living Well Is The Best Revenge, Dashboard Confessional's The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most, or The Spill Canvas' Sunsets And Car Crashes as the albums that were my jumping off point into my obsession with music. Since I listened to those albums for the first time (all around 3 or so years ago), my tastes have obviously matured somewhat (although I would think some people would disagree; I listen to pretty much EVERYTHING - yes, that includes country, pop, top 40, hip-hop, etc.) but I find there's not much better than listening to an album that you can sing along to all the way through.

well said, agree with that.

[rerelease_]

yeah! modest mouse and weezer, nice.
deja entendu got me into music

[amazedisgrace]

Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview
New Found Glory - S/T
Finch - What it is to burn
Alkaline Trio - From Here To Infirmary
Gold Finger - Stomping Ground

[ZeRo]

I'm soooooo happy to see Elliott Smith on this list.

[JustAnotherPoet]

Take This To Your Grave. I felt like every single song was written for me, about me. It's like they took the words straight out of my mouth. It totally changed the way I now listen to and view music and the industry. Even though these boys may seem far from their underground roots, i'll always love them just for that one album.

[attheshow123]

mxpx- slowly going the way of the buffalo
jimmy eat world- bleed american
get up kids- something to write home about

couldnt have said it better myself.

[I to the ean]

I think just the NY/Long Island/NJ area music that came out between 2000-2002 really helped to shape my musical interests. From Midtown, The Movielife, Thursday, TBS, Brand New, Co&Ca, Hot Rod Circuit, From Autumn to Ashes, Glassjaw, and probably many others I can't think of right now. The area in general had so many good up and coming bands at the time, I don't think there was a much better place to be hearing it.

[AMAAS]

Drew, Thursday's "Full Collapse" was my 1st album that got me into everything i'm into today since the 1st listen when I was 14, nice choice

[Julia Conny]

Now all I want to do is drive around blasting old Jimmy and Juliana Theory and pretend like the biggest thing I have to worry about is which lunch schedule I would be on. Ahhh highschool. : )

I listened to a lot of Sugarcult Start Static and Brand New YFW as well

And if it weren't for YFW, we would have never been friends. Ahh, Sociology class.

I totally agree with Tony. Bleed American is great.

Every time I listen to that album, it's perfection.

[irishpunk14]

i'd have to agree with jason,mxpx was a huge infulence.

[Julia Conny]

I think just the NY/Long Island/NJ area music that came out between 2000-2002 really helped to shape my musical interests. From Midtown, The Movielife, Thursday, TBS, Brand New, Co&Ca, Hot Rod Circuit, From Autumn to Ashes, Glassjaw, and probably many others I can't think of right now. The area in general had so many good up and coming bands at the time, I don't think there was a much better place to be hearing it.

I'm jealous of you being from LI around then. The local shows must've been incredible.

[attheshow123]

pod- southtown

it may sound wierd but thats why i started playing music

[cubz84]

The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse
Green Day - Dookie
Blink 182 - Dude Ranch

[shadowofmyself]

I'm pretty sure Third Eye Blind's s/t was the first album I ever really owned, but I never really appreciated it until a couple years ago. This album shaped my childhood and early teen years.

It wasn't until I heard My Chemical Romance's "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I actually started to appreciate music again. I know, MCR sucks. However, the impact they had on me is mind boggling. I went from buy one or two albums a year to buying 30-50. They were definitely a catalyst to my change in musical taste.

[PassedOut]

And if it weren't for YFW, we would have never been friends. Ahh, Sociology class.

I don't even want to think about that, thank goodness for Brand New

[Drew Beringer]

Drew, Thursday's "Full Collapse" was my 1st album that got me into everything i'm into today since the 1st listen when I was 14, nice choice
Nice, that album got me into the scene.

[Julia Conny]

I don't even want to think about that, thank goodness for Brand New

Simba!!!

(I like your avatar)

[Tom Good]

Simba!!!

(I like your avatar)Julia likes small cute furry things.

[Jamais_vu]

I wish people would stop spreading lies that aren't true. I was on the phone with the band when they signed the contract with Island.

Really, then how did I know they signed to island BEFORE that record even came out? Am I psychic? Go suck pete's dick.

[Julia Conny]

I'm pretty sure Third Eye Blind's s/t was the first album I ever really owned, but I never really appreciated it until a couple years ago. This album shaped my childhood and early teen years.

It wasn't until I heard My Chemical Romance's "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" that I actually started to appreciate music again. I know, MCR sucks. However, the impact they had on me is mind boggling. I went from buy one or two albums a year to buying 30-50. They were definitely a catalyst to my change in musical taste.

Dude, that MCR album was pretty tight. So is that TEB album. :thumbup:

[PassedOut]

Simba!!!

(I like your avatar)

Haha yeah I knew that you would appreciate it.
I was going to use a picture of Duke but Simba won out in the end

[Julia Conny]

Julia likes small cute furry things.

Stuffed or real, I'll take both.

[Jason Tate]

Really, then how did I know they signed to island BEFORE that record even came out? Am I psychic? Go suck pete's dick.

Re-read my post dumb ass. I'm not going to explain this to you if you're just going to be a moron.

[AlinA82688]

i was lucky to be introduced to some of the greats when i first delved into rock. right off the bat i was captivated by Alkaline Trio's Goddamnit!, Acceptance's Phantoms, JamisonParker's Sleepwalker, Spitalfield's Remember Right Now, The Used's Self-Titled, Copeland's Beneath Medicine Tree, AAR's Self-Titled, FFTL's My Teenage Angst Has A Body Count, Fall Out Boy's Take This To Your Grave, and Armor For Sleep's What To Do When You Are Dead. without most of those, i don't know who i'd be today.

[Dr. Acula]

Nice feature. Blink182-Dude Ranch...started it all off for me at 12/13.

[bigempty]

metallica - ...and justice for all
pantera - vulgar display of power
stone temple pilots - purple

[mdawg888]

Saves the Day - Stay What You Are...truly incredible

[Paul Tao]

No love for NMH from any commenters. Boo.

[make_this_hurt]

Boyz II Men started it all for me.

[EmilyRegina]

Great choices and a lot of good insight up there.
For me, Blink 182's Dude Ranch started my obsession.

[Silver Bullets]

Props for Incubus' Make Yourself.

Third Eye Blind's debut and Silverchair's Neon Ballroom are landmark albums for me, too

[PaintMeBlue]

this is a great feature...

i think the albums that started it for me were...
new found glory - self-titled
the starting line - say it like you mean it
the get up kids - something to write home about
third eye blind - self-titled

this albums opened up a new world of music to me...

[kissbangkill]

operation ivy - energy
a tribe called quest - the love movement

[shadowofmyself]

No love for NMH from any commenters. Boo.


I always look for it, but I either can't find it or I don't have enough money to buy that and what I initially went in for. Next time I see it, I'm buying it

[ascitiesburn101]

This is an awesome feature.

[Why Bother?]

My gateway albums were:

Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack
Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want To Be
Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
Alkaline Trio - From Here To Infirmary
Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane
Green Day - American Idiot

I got into good music pretty late in my life.

[PDon11]

mine: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Queens_of_the_Stone_Age_Songs_for_t he_Deaf.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Queens_of_the_Stone_Age_Songs_for_t he_Deaf.jpg)

[Prestonxsmith]

I am going to have to say Blink 182 and NFG really started it for me at a young age. Man, those were the good days.

[Praetor]

No love for NMH from any commenters. Boo.
Didn't open up all the music I listen to like Deja, TAYF, and SLR did, but it was my gateway to indie. Does that help? :shrug:

[70x7]

This girl I hung out with in 7th grade who had an older sister got me in to Blink-182 and Less than Jake in 1997. From there it was New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World. Towards the end of my high school career it was the Long Island/New Jersey bands like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Midtown, Saves the Day and even Armor For Sleep after their appearance on one of theV Victory coms (the one with The Ballad of Sal, which is the best TBS song) as well as the midwestern bands like Get Up Kids, Promise Ring, Hey Mercedes/Braid and lots of bands on Vagrant and Victory. My first year of college brought bands like Northstar and The Reunion Show and Motion City Soundtrack. I also began listening more to bands like Mates of State, Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes. This got me into a big Saddle-Creek/Polyvinyl/Barsuk phase which has continued to evolve into my tastes today which skews more towards The National, Grizzly Bear, Okkervil River, etc...

[SophmoreSyd]

definitely fob's ttyg. still in my top 5.

and weezer's blue album first got me into alternative, so that too.

[Genuma]

Really great list.

[NJUNDERDOG]

the first cd i ever bough was green day's dookie. that's the album that opened up my eyes and ears to the music i love today. some other albums were dude ranch by blink 182 and tragic kingdom by no doubt. new found glory also played a big role, but they came around a few years later.

[lauren<3s music]

Re-read my post dumb ass. I'm not going to explain this to you if you're just going to be a moron.

you can't expect the illiterate to make logical connections.


No love for NMH from any commenters. Boo.

Poor Paul!

[hailthewarrior]

Awesome feature.

Tell All Your Friends is a high one, imo.

[soulineyes]

this is one of the best posts ive ever seen on this site.
I've gained a lot of respect for a lot of the staff on here!
copeland/tjt/mxpx/tguk/jew/thursday/midtown.

[alcoholandirony]

Nice recs on...

Long Drive
Bleed American
Pinkerton

Aeroplane is good, but I'm still getting into it as I'm writing this.

Regardless, this is a great idea.

[4riddance]

I had two awakenings in my life. Not so much from an album but from music in general. The first was when I was 5. This is when a typical ride to a local flea market in the backseat of my parent's '56 Chevy changed my life forever. It was when i woke up. This was when I heard George Harrison beating the hell out if his guitar during the intro to Revolution. I was amazed and knew immediately that I loved it.

The second awakening was much more subtle. It was after years had passed, kids had grown up, and my musical love had waned or taken a backseat to other more "important" things like bills, mortgages, cars, etc. I had always been into small labels, even before "indie" was cool. I was always looking for the cuts that nobody'd heard before, or weren't on the radio. I was just like that, but over time, things just had a higher priority. Anyway, my daughter was home from college and she was on her computer and I was on mine. She played a song that caught my attention. It was "I'll Follow You Into the Dark" by DCFC. It was subtle, but I immediately asked " who is that?". She said "Death Cab for Cutie" in her very quick California-speak. I said "oh, ok". Not really registering it. Later, as I was driving her down south, I asked her again. This time it registered. This time it clicked. When I got home I started downloading songs. I was amazed, and couldn't wait to get the next one. Every song was good, every lyric precise. I couldn't get enough of them and am I glad I didn't. That was the beginning of everything new I have now. Obviously, I now have all their major releases and generous amount of alot of other music as well. They were the band that brought me back, they were the ones that showed me that music could be cool again, and that not everything was like the crap being played on the radio. For that, I'll be forever grateful to Casey and Ben Gibbard for allowing me to rediscover one of my true loves.


Enjoyed your post. I had a similar experience. Loved music all my life but somehow drifted away from listening to anything new once a job, husband and kids came along. What changed it for me was Green Day's American Idiot. I actually first saw/heard them on the Grammy's and started buying every CD they have. From that I started watching Fuse to catch Green Day videos - learned about Fall Out Boy - saw Pete Wentz mention this site and checked it out. It has awakened a whole new love of music for me....so much to catch up on! These days I've branched out from Fall Out Boy and Green Day and am enjoying so much music that I missed over the years- Blink, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory...and now The Format, Bayside, the Matches. This site and my subscription to AP Magazine has helped me rediscover the excitement and joy of great music.

[underthetalking]

Pennybridge Pioneers is classic. I needa break that album out again.

Seriously. Such a good album. I pretty much learned how to play guitar/bass through that album. Huge influence for me.

[Acer34t]

hmmm...

where to even begin...

Has to be a couple:

Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
New Found Glory - New Found Glory
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most

These albums are cornerstones of what I am today. I remember endlessly listening to each one of them, it brings me back. Those were such good ole days.

[0Zero0]

Man, I'm not even a huge fan of The Used anymore, but I will give full credit to their self-titled album for pulling me out of the Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and Powerman 5000 days of junior high. Also, the All-American Rejects self-titled was really big for me back then.

Then Copeland's Beneath the Medicine Tree blew me away my freshman year in high school and opened me up to the more mellow music scene, and it's been good listening ever since (with Copeland still being my favorite band). Props to Steve for mentioning that album as well.

[psykosteve]

A) Why did I know Paul would pull out something that would school everyone else.


and

B) I feel old. Some of these CDs were the third or 4th album I had by said band.

[doomcrs04]

TBS - WYWTB was my starter album. It has led to everything I listened to today.

[speakhandsforme]

Probably my favorite AP Project

For me it was:
Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
The Used - The Used
A Static Lullaby - ...And Don't Forget to Breathe

And I'm really surprised no one listed Tell All Your Friends as a gateway album.

[Julia Conny]

this is one of the best posts ive ever seen on this site.
I've gained a lot of respect for a lot of the staff on here!
copeland/tjt/mxpx/tguk/jew/thursday/midtown.

It makes me all mushy to read these! I'm so happy that everyone is digging/joining in on the love fest.

[Blake Solomon]

No love for NMH from any commenters. Boo.



or Stroke 9, haha, but I expected that.

[CloseToShore]

I'd have to go with deftones - around the fur, thrice - the artist in the ambulance, boysetsfire - after the eulogy, glassJAW - Worship and Tribute and a little band that didn't make it (but some members did as The Format), Tolerance - Faster Crashes Harder (I found them on theprp.com or something like that). After that, I just spread out to so many more of the awesome bands that I listen to today.

[MarkyMark1984]

i remember liking a lot of those albums. One more that i would add to the list is Further Seems Forever's "The Moon is Down"... a great album where there is not a bad song 1-10. It will always be in my top 3 favorite albums.

[Dan CiTi]

My first was either Green Day - Dookie or Goldfinger - S/T & Stomping Ground

[Julia Conny]

i remember liking a lot of those albums. One more that i would add to the list is Further Seems Forever's "The Moon is Down"... a great album where there is not a bad song 1-10. It will always be in my top 3 favorite albums.

I almost picked The Moon Is Down but I found out about it via Dashboard & Chris Carrabba so I didn't think it was really a first. But still, that is another album I will never stop loving.

[guywithstik]

"You know in all of the time that we shared, I've never been so scared..."

Music was never the same from that moment on.

[jimboj917]

so many of these were my firsts too, green day - dookie, nfg's self titled, neutral milk hotel's aeroplanes, gatsby's - ribbons and sugar, etc.

[jimboj917]

Seriously. Such a good album. I pretty much learned how to play guitar/bass through that album. Huge influence for me.

i LOVE that album.

[hydraulicheart]

mewithoutYou's "Catch for us the foxes" was the first CD that I purchased that lead to my current taste of music. They're still my favourite band a few years later.
Excellent choice, as they are my all-time favorite band as well. Catch For Us The Foxes never runs dry.

[Brandon Allin]

My first was either Green Day - Dookie or Goldfinger - S/T & Stomping Ground
Stomping Ground is a fantastic record.

[camp7NdN]

Ahh The Getup Kids are one of my Top 5 Gateway drugs around my room right this instant.

[lushintransit]

In terms of general music, The Offspring's Americana (and more importantly, Smash) did a great deal of damage to my world...followed rather closely by Nirvana's It Utereo served as just entry to music, in general.

Something Corporate's "leaving through the window' brought me to that realm.

Brand New's 'deja' to the next world

then there was a period of electronica (mostly happy hardcore) that we remit

followed by every promise ring record

followed closely by NMH

NMH served as gateway to a better musical world.

[looksthatkillbn]

Michelle Branch - The Spirit Room

and i'm not afraid to say it

[Adrian Villagomez]

I'm glad people are enjoying this. I love my Enema of the State. :inlove:

[SevenOhThree]

Great Feature.

Gateway albums for me consist of, but are not limited to:

Deftones - Around The Fur
Without this album, I never would have gotten into Deftones, and in turn I don't know if I would have gotten into music more than just what the radio was playing or as background noise. Not my favorite Deftones Album (White Pony is) but it was the first Deftones record I ever heard, and it changed my life totally.

Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
This was the first album I ever bought for myself, and so I credit it as the album that turned me from a causal music listener to someone who actively pursued music. Also, this album has the type of staying power that only the Deftones have had for me.

Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Cliche I know, but, without this record I never would have discovered "the scene".

Thursday - Full Collapse
"Understanding (In A Car Crash)" pretty much changed my life. I saw the video for it on MTV2 and instantly needed to find 'more of that sound'.

Brand New - Deja Entendu
This record is hands down the greatest record to come out in my lifetime, in my opinion. There is no other record that upon playing it I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard it. I remember the chills I got the moment it started playing, and to this day I still get them every single time I listen. Jesse Lacey put it best when he said, "These are the words you wish you wrote down, this is the way you wished your voices sounds." Deja is a perfect album, from start to finish.

Coheed & Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Ahh, the hometown boys. I remember seeing Shabutie in tiny clubs in Nyack NY and hating them (everyone did back then). But, Second Stage blew me away (and still does every time I listen). It open the doors for "weirder more obsure" music. In a way, I credit them for my love of odd, indie rock.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
The record was the real key to the door of indie music for me. Without NMH I wouldn't have found bands like The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Decemberists, etc. Plus, it's one of the greatest albums to ever grace my ears. This band seriously needs to do one more tour.

Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
Without this album, I never would have discovered the heavier side of things. Say what you want about ETID, but this record rocks!

Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
I'm pretty shocked that no staff member listed this. This album was the first 'real' emo album I ever go into. Whenever I hear it, it makes me wish I was older and into music at the time this was released. Bands like SDRE, Mineral, Braid...those were true emo bands, and I would have loved to have been around for that movement.

[krustytheclown]

taking back sunday-tell all your friends
what really got me into music though was jet black new year by thursday
i would listen to that song on repeat for about an hour at a time almost everyday

[mutualaddiction]

Any list that starts with blink-182 and ends with Weezer has got to be filled with goodness in the middle.

Having my musical taste influenced by 10 of those 18 albums myself I can see why I love this website so much. Not a bad album in the bunch, and a wide variety of genres that define the 90's, it's funny that I'm already nostalgic about things that happend like 7-8 years ago, the power of music I guess.

[lezzlemynezzle]

I know my list will sound almost like a repeat of everyone else's, but these are what led me to not only listen to what I listen to today, but also led me to who I am as a person...and I'm glad that so many other people have these albums in common.

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
Something Corporate - Leaving Through the Window
Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
Thursday - Full Collapse
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
New Found Glory - Sticks and Stones
Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
The Used - The Used
The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About
Rufio - Perhaps, I Suppose...

[oldskool]

about ten years ago I when i was 14, all i listened too was like typical alternative rock like smashing pumpkins and stuff like that. then i got introduced to blink 182's dude ranch. and my friends and i always rocked this Comp called:beer nuts. Beer nuts comp introduced me to less than jake, mxpx, millencollin, link 80, assorted jellybeans, ect....... From there I just listened to alot of punk rock, not even sure who the bands were, i just listed to whatever my friends were playing in their endless supply of music. I really first started finding my own way the first time I heard riverfenix. then i searched the net, and found a really old school drive thru records site and found nfg and all that good stuff. then i kept listening to blink, LTJ, nofx, Mxpx,riverfenix like forever. then i got into all the moonska records stuff.. now today I own about 250 albums, in my collection, that is including all my vinyl. i have been to countless shows, 7 warped tours, met many bands, and have had so many good memories. i still to this day love the good ole poppunk. word.

[Sailor Tattoos]

The Movielife: This time next year.

When I was mad young, I worked at this pizza place where tons of really elitist "punk" kids would go for the half price pizza day. One day this kid came in with a movielife shirt and the name just caught my attention. I asked him what it was and he told me it was a really good melodic hardcore band from long island. I found This time next year online, and fell in love instantly. It brought me to listen to pretty much anyone on drive thru, as well as all those awesome long island bands like taking back sunday, brand new, glassjaw etc. Still one of my favorite albums to this day.

[VoiceOfReason]

Blink 182 - Enema Of The State
New Found Glory - Self Titled
Midtown - Save The World Lose The Girl
Less Than Jake - Borders & Boundaries
Saves The Day - Stay What You Are

[asmolitor]

i'm liking the stroke 9 love. that album defines ages 13-15 for me. but as for my foray into this "scene," it was all due to "emotion is dead."

[zachff]

Everclear - So Much For the Afterglow... probably the #1 on my all time life Top 25.. if such a thing existed

i know that these probably aren't the most original, but..

Something Corporate - North
Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave
Dashboard Confessional - MTV Unplugged
Blink-182 - Enema of the State


newer albums

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
The Used - The Used
The Starting Line - Make Yourself at Home, Say It Like You Mean It, and With Hopes of Starting Over

[walshknilb281]

enema was my gateway album but i remember such little things when i look at these albums. I remember I was gonna give enema to this girl i was "going out" with at the time but I was too afraid cuz i was in 6th grade so i kept it. And when I bought sticks andstones I remember going to the mall and Usher was there doing some signing, i thought i was badass cuz i was like fuck Usher i got NFG

[redeyes]

The Ataris - anywhere but here

and of course blue skies and broken hearts

[applesandcyanid]

The Matches - E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals was the first CD that really made me sit down and decide that there was nothing more pleasurable than a song that can make you feel something. The Ataris - So Long, Astoria, this is the album that really grabbed me out of the mainstream, due to the Ataris I heard so many new bands that I never would have listened to before. Now, I am a totally different person and am completely independent in my music discovery, those albums are what jogged it I suppose. 2004 was a big growing year for me.

EDIT: Added The Ataris, damn gonna be whippin' that CD out later.

[Fullcollapse3k]

The album that got me into this scene of music was Save the World, Lose the Girl by Midtown.

[KEB182]

I feel old...
Green Day - Dookie
Blink-182 - Dude Ranch

without those two albums I would be a completely different person....weird

[Guitar108]

How has no one mentioned Thrice yet? I bought The Artist In The Ambulance the summer it came out on a whim, and that CD changed the way I listened to music. It also opened up the door to post-hardcore and metal.

Early on:
Green Day-Dookie
The Offspring - Smash
Incubus - Make Yourself
Blink 182 - Dude Ranch
Less Than Jake - Losing Streak
New Found Glory - S/T

Later on:
Thrice - The Artist In The Ambulance
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Rise Against - Revolutions Per Minute
Killswitch Engage - The End Of Heartache
Park - It Won't Snow Where You're Going
Glassjaw - Worship And Tribute

[Blake Solomon]

i'm liking the stroke 9 love. that album defines ages 13-15 for me. but as for my foray into this "scene," it was all due to "emotion is dead."



finally! someone else appreciates it.

[Julia Conny]

about ten years ago I when i was 14, all i listened too was like typical alternative rock like smashing pumpkins and stuff like that. then i got introduced to blink 182's dude ranch. and my friends and i always rocked this Comp called:beer nuts. Beer nuts comp introduced me to less than jake, mxpx, millencollin, link 80, assorted jellybeans, ect....... From there I just listened to alot of punk rock, not even sure who the bands were, i just listed to whatever my friends were playing in their endless supply of music. I really first started finding my own way the first time I heard riverfenix. then i searched the net, and found a really old school drive thru records site and found nfg and all that good stuff. then i kept listening to blink, LTJ, nofx, Mxpx,riverfenix like forever. then i got into all the moonska records stuff.. now today I own about 250 albums, in my collection, that is including all my vinyl. i have been to countless shows, 7 warped tours, met many bands, and have had so many good memories. i still to this day love the good ole poppunk. word.

It's funny how compilations used to be portals into a slew of great new bands. I used to always listen to compilations.

[Julia Conny]

Everclear - So Much For the Afterglow... probably the #1 on my all time life Top 25.. if such a thing existed

i know that these probably aren't the most original, but..

Something Corporate - North
Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave
Dashboard Confessional - MTV Unplugged
Blink-182 - Enema of the State


newer albums

Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
The Used - The Used
The Starting Line - Make Yourself at Home, Say It Like You Mean It, and With Hopes of Starting Over

Dashboard Unplugged was so damn good. I should pop in that DVD later.

[bobby runs]

what got me into music in general was

backstreet boys- millennium because it was just a good pop cd and i was in fourth grade at the time and i got into anything that was mtv and i would wake up early before school just to watch the videos. nackstreet >>nsync.

but what got me into this genre of music and the whole aspect of a community was

new found glory- sticks and stones: which i got for my birthday in 7th grade. i was so jealous of my sister because she got to see them at an arena with finch, soco, and further seems forever. i was hooked when i saw the video for "my friends over you" and my love grew as soon as i got that cd, which led me to buy their dvd and from the screen to your stereo. after watching the dvd it made me pick up nothing gold can stay and the self-titled which truly made me fall in love with this band.

the starting line- say it like you mean: i heard "the best of me" on mtv's discover and download episode the summer between 7th and eight grade. what did i do? downloaded anything tsl i could find on kazaa. i listened to that cd i had so many times that summer but let a friend borrow it when we got back to school. then i bought the dtr invasion tour cd with a live version of "the best of me" seriously the best thing i've heard. this made me go out and actually buy silymi. this was when i realized that i ended up downloading it and also a few acoustic songs off their ep. this cd always gets played when i have a girl problems.

[Spiffysthebest]

Somewhere in the summer between grade 8 & 9, my brother brought his music influences home. He didn't have any of the full albums, but our computer was filled with the likes of NOFX, No Use For A Name, Lagwagon, Rancid, The Ataris, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, & the like. I was fascinated. The one band that stood out was Less Than Jake. I'd pin it on Hellow Rockview, even though we'd burned it together with Losing Streak for the ultimate sonic experience. I was (& still am) amazed at how music can make me feel. They were the ones that lit the fire. I found myself drumming on tables & memorizing song titles, really obsessively, during my boredom in high school. I went further to figure out what this whole music thing's about & found this site. Because of them I discovered Fall Out Boy, Brand New, Thrice, Bright Eyes, The Format, Lifetime, Jawbreaker, Rise Against, Medeleine Peyroux, Tom Waits, Against Me!, Dillinger Escape Plan, Ted Leo, Ben Folds, The Beatles? - basically laying out the foundation for everything I now know. It constantly kills me that I haven't seen them do a show any longer than a weak set on Warped Tour. I've run this album off the tracks this past week & I'm still waiting for Canadian tour dates for the fall, as Vinnie'd hinted about in January.

[Christian Otte]

I remember I was gonna give enema to this girl i was "going out" with at the time...

Probably a good thing you didn't!

Oh yeah, and blink-182's "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" was the one for me - that was a glorious summer, and that CD still takes me back whenever I play it.

[notoaststereo]

third eye blind - self titled
foo fighters - the color and shape
incubus - make yourself
jimmy eat world - clarity
taking back sunday - tell all your friends
the early november - the rooms too cold

[rugger01]

Lifetime's Hello Bastards or Jersey's Best Dancers...anybody at all???

[lauren<3s music]

hmmm...

where to even begin...

Has to be a couple:

Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
Saves the Day - Through Being Cool
New Found Glory - New Found Glory
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most

These albums are cornerstones of what I am today. I remember endlessly listening to each one of them, it brings me back. Those were such good ole days.

such good choices. i broke out yfw and old std last night in honor of this feature. god damn i feel old.

[asmolitor]

finally! someone else appreciates it.

heh, i thought i was the only one.

[pickett47]

When I was 10, I listened to "What's the Story (Morning Glory)?" by Oasis. It's still one of my favorites, and it changed my taste in music forever.

Blink 182's "Dude Ranch" got me into punk and all of the Blink albums played a huge role in my life, lasting me until I first heard Something Corporate's "Leaving Through the Window." Because of Andrew McMahon, I've broadened my tastes quite a bit and I'm now completely in love with music. Without Something Corporate and Blink 182, I'd probably be listening to the radio right now. Thank God.

The album that has effected me the most recently is As Cities Burn's "Come Now Sleep." It's beautiful and powerful in many ways. I've grown musically because of it, and it's also done so much for me spiritually.

[SevenOhThree]

Lifetime's Hello Bastards or Jersey's Best Dancers...anybody at all???

I got into Lifetime waaaaaay late.

[midtown4657]

Blink 182 - Enema of the State is the top of the mountain cornerstone for my personal expansion, but two albums define my existence as far as anything after that goes.

Fenix Tx- Fenix Tx

Through my infatuation with Fenix Tx at age 13 I ordered anything I could off amazon with them including the drive thru records sampler You'll Never Eat Fast Food Again which featured bands like A New Found Glory, Allister, Midtown, Rx Bandits, Cousin Oliver, and more, which all lead to my pop punk needs for several years, ultimately leading me to The Benjamins a few years later, leaving me with one of my top records of all time, The Art of Disappointment. And Fenix Tx also toured with Blink and Bad Religion that year (which I didn't get to see) but i still went and bought a BR cd which sort of leads me to my next album...

Pennywise - Straight Ahead

I got Straight Ahead the same year as Fenix Tx and it later lead to me to Pennywise's Live at the Key Club which in turn lead me to bands like Minor Threat, Descendents, Black Flag, and other old punk.

[Adrian Villagomez]

For anyone interested, I've posted up a much longer version (http://absolutepunk.net/journal.php?do=showjournal&tag=this%20is%20who%20you%20are&j=1704) of my blurb.

[oldskool]

Blink 182 - Enema of the State is the top of the mountain cornerstone for my personal expansion, but two albums define my existence as far as anything after that goes.

Fenix Tx- Fenix Tx

Through my infatuation with Fenix Tx at age 13 I ordered anything I could off amazon with them including the drive thru records sampler You'll Never Eat Fast Food Again which featured bands like A New Found Glory, Allister, Midtown, Rx Bandits, Cousin Oliver, and more, which all lead to my pop punk needs for several years, ultimately leading me to The Benjamins a few years later, leaving me with one of my top records of all time, The Art of Disappointment. And Fenix Tx also toured with Blink and Bad Religion that year (which I didn't get to see) but i still went and bought a BR cd which sort of leads me to my next album...

Pennywise - Straight Ahead

I got Straight Ahead the same year as Fenix Tx and it later lead to me to Pennywise's Live at the Key Club which in turn lead me to bands like Minor Threat, Descendents, Black Flag, and other old punk.
Dude I feel you totally on all that. I love the Fast food comp!!!!!!

[Hot Damn]

Operation Ivy - Energy
Rancid - Lets Go!
Less Than Jake - Pezcore
Pennywise - Unkown Road
Unwritten Law - Blue Room
Blink 182 - Chesire Cat
Descendents - Milo Goes to College and Everything Sucks

[drivethru715]

Blink 182 - The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show
What better album to introduce a 12yr old to punk music than the fathers of potty mouth pop-punk....oh my mom loved these guys...

[davidarechiga]

yeah for me it was Blink 182, New Found Glory and Midtown at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.
that concert changed my life.

[3mpire]

My gateway album to this "genre" was Enema Of The State. Got it when I was in primary school. (I was 10/11). Funnily enough, after listening to NFG and Green Day religiously I got into heavier stuff and kinda distanced myself from it. A couple years later, in full circle I got back into it all. Thrice's Artist In The Ambulance really got me back into it all, and it still remains to be one of my favourite albums.

[grizbo]

Weezer- the Blue Album. First cd I ever bought, even though I didn't really get into punk music until much later, this was the first and best for me.

[xxxxxxxxxxxmatt]

Oh boyyy, hm.

I've found my most inspirational bands, like...Saves The Day for example, probably only less than 2 years ago. I'm kinda slow...but its okay.

But the cd that started it all for me, I'm gonna have to say, HAS to be Blink-182's "Enema of the State". Simply my first pop-punk record, and probably the reason the genre always makes me feel amazing. I remember playing that cd nonstop when I was in like 4th or 5th. Oh man, such a happy time in my life haha.

I didn't listen to Blink for a year or so in middle school, when I was in my metal phase (Pantera, Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, etc.) cause I had some crazy idea that I had to stick to an image and guidelines. I'm sure somewhere along the way though, I heard some Blink, and wow, I hid it, but I loved them again so much. Still do. I appreciate them and that cd for making me who I am today :)

[xxxxxxxxxxxmatt]

My gateway album to this "genre" was Enema Of The State. Got it when I was in primary school. (I was 10/11). Funnily enough, after listening to NFG and Green Day religiously I got into heavier stuff and kinda distanced myself from it. A couple years later, in full circle I got back into it all. Thrice's Artist In The Ambulance really got me back into it all, and it still remains to be one of my favourite albums.

Haha whoa yeah, same exact thing for me.

Minus Thrice....actually have never heard them....

[makeasound]

or Stroke 9, haha, but I expected that.
One of the first shows I ever went to was Stroke 9 and Sugarcult, right around the time that Rip It Off came out. Still one of the most fun shows I've ever been to.


I'm also one of those people who had two "musical awakenings". The first one was when I was like 3, and my dad put side 2 of his Rubber Soul record onto a tape for me. That was when I fell in love with music, and just went completely nuts trying to get everything I could get my hands on by the Beatles.

There were two records that really helped me discover what came to be "my" music (instead of my parents' music, or my friend's music).
The first one, as lame as it may sound, was Good Charlotte - Good Charlotte.
I was going through the "I just got out of high school, who the fuck am I?" stage in mid-and-late-2001, and I had graduated early so none of my friends had a clue what I was on about. I saw the video for "The Motivation Proclamation" on some random channel, and that was it. Went out and got the record when I got paid that weekend, and it was the first record to immediately capture and hold my attention in years. I learned every word within the first week I owned it and wanted to know more about this genre of "pop-punk" and all these other genres that I kept seeing/hearing connected to it.

Which leads to the second disc - Atticus presents Dragging The Lake: vol.1.
I bought it for the New Found Glory track, "Ex-Miss", which had been the song that got me into them at the end of 2001 when a local alternative station started spinning it for Christmas.
What I got was this mass introduction to all these bands that would go on to be HUGE for me: Midtown, Sugarcult, The Movielife, Finch, The Starting Line, Alkaline Trio (although I've actually started getting more into them recently, oddly enough), Jimmy Eat World; and most importantly to me, Autopilot Off. And listening to it still brings back amazing memories of Summer 2002.

[lenard27]

For me I think the 3 albums that really affected my tastes in Music are:
New Found Glory-Sticks and Stones
The Used-Self Titled
From Autumn to Ashes-Too Bad You're Beautiful
Ahh 8th Grade...up until that point I'm embarrassed to admit my favorite bands were Nickelback and Creed. NFG got me into pop-punk, The Used showed me what real rock music was, and FATA introduced me to screaming (used as the primary vocals). These 3 albums are still in heavy rotation on my mp3 player and CD player today.

[saysmydoctor]

Where the hell is Further Seems Forever? And Botch.

[Adrian Villagomez]

Where the hell is Further Seems Forever? And Botch.Probably on your list.

[punk_rock609]

these albums are completely awesome
maybe their not the greatest albums
but they introduced me into whole different types of music also
good job!
<3

[3eb23]

wow man for me this list hit home, especially the jimmy eat world, incubus, and blink albums-these albums were huge for me. as far as weezer goes, the blue album played a major role in shaping the kind of music i listen to. good list guys.

[punklet2101]

This is great.
I feel sorry for kids who missed out on growing up on these

[Sic Transit Zeb]

Brand New-Deja Entendu

Really showed me what music is supposed to be

[hienz429]

my gateway cd was Good Charlotte- The Young And The Hopeless.... I'm sure more people have the same there just to "hip" to name drop it... but ya that record changed my life if it wasent for them i wouldnt of gotten into bands i love like The Smiths, The Cure, Rancid, Blur and it also gave me a appreciation for music

[Music_Note_(3]

Ohh fond memories... It started with a Ramones Compilation "Greatest hits", Which led to the New York Dolls' Self titled album. Then I got into Bad Religion's "Stranger Than Fiction". Then by a stroke of good luck someone passed me Alkaline Trios's "Good Mourning". Then I Heard "I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love". From then on I grew into my current love of songs with titles that have over five words. It all started with the ramones, bless you Joey Ramone.

[ilovesofie]

my first records were

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Blink 182 - Enema Of The State
Sum 41 - All Killer No Filler
Green Day - Insomniac
Alien Ant Farm - Anthology

[RheanneSaysRAWR]

Brand New-Deja Entendu

Really showed me what music is supposed to be

Omg, THANK YOU, I dont think I could have said it better. I swear, if I didnt find that album at the age of thirteen, (entirely by chance), I would have no idea wtf I would be listening to today.

[Sic Transit Zeb]

Omg, THANK YOU, I dont think I could have said it better. I swear, if I didnt find that album at the age of thirteen, (entirely by chance), I would have no idea wtf I would be listening to today.

Haha glad you agree with me. It shaped the whole I view and listen to music. Whenever my friends ask me about albums I throw that one to them bu they look at me like I'm crazy.

[Circoheeve]

dookie, and dude ranch and surprisingly There's nothing wrong with love by built to spill were mine.

[Circoheeve]

Brand New-Deja Entendu

Really showed me what music is supposed to be

Oh yeah, that is amazing of course but I guess a little too late for me. If I had been 10 in 03 it probably would have been my gateway.

[Sic Transit Zeb]

1Oh yeah, that is amazing of course but I guess a little too late for me. If I had been 10 in 03 it probably would have been my gateway.


10? Wow, when I was 10 that album would of been way over my head. I was 14-15 when i got it and just ate it up. Thank you Brand New.

[ItsJustAVirus]

alkaline trio is definitely the best band on earth. they really have changed my perspective on life hahaha and when i have a bad day, i just put them on. listening to record by record over and over again. i love self-titled and goddamit the most. crimson wasnt so good though

[Circoheeve]

1


10? Wow, when I was 10 that album would of been way over my head. I was 14-15 when i got it and just ate it up. Thank you Brand New.

yeah well I used to listen to built to spill so I guess it matured me musically quicker. Brand new really was a life changer though.

[tragedyco]

Well done guys ... hope a few people check out these "gateway" albums and we can introduce people to some great tunes.

Great list... couldnt agree more with Jimmy Eat World, Thursday, Copeland, Juliana Theory and Incubus albums.

Would also put Tell All Your Friends and North on my list... (i was a late soco bloomer...)

[blrobin2]

This article is me. Enema of the State was my first true love, and other classics like NWF's self-titled, Juliana Theory, Jimmy Eat World, MxPx, Thursday... very appropriate. I can't help but think I'm close to the age of the majority of the people who wrote this...

[crimeariver]

That's all great everyone's got their own influences and landmark albums, but not one person has mentioned any of the Kung Fu Records bands....esp The Ataris..."Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits" and "End is Forever" are staple albums...and to go farther and touch on ska, Buck-O-Nine - "Twenty Eight Teeth", and The Bosstones - "Let's Face it"!!!! those are the albums that go me away from radio rock

[spartanfan10]

I've actually thought about this quite a bit and was very happy to see a thread like this. While I was a huge Blink 182 fan and played on my pillows and plastic guitar in the basement along to everything of theirs I could find, and while I bounced around my basement singing along to Lit's A Place In the Sun, no record has an impact on me the way AFI's Sing the Sorrow has. It was Christmas and my uncle was going to get me 2 CDs which I got to pick out, one was The Best of the Grateful Dead, the other was Sing the Sorrow. Every track on this record is so heartfelt and full of emotion that it couldn't help but lead me the way of Bright Eyes and looking back to The Get-Up Kids down the road. From seeing the video for Silver and Cold on MTV2 to screaming along with The Leaving Song (not Pt. 2), I love this record to this day, which is no small feat. Thank god they transitioned their sound with this record instead of going straight to decemberunderground.

[Zach-Attack]

Piebald and Set your goals got me into music alot

[Blake_Howard]

yeah!