A THIN LINE BETWEEN CHAOS AND ORGANIZATION:
10: THE PENETRATORS :: BASEMENT ANTHOLOGY 1976-1984
Key tracks include: Life Stinks, Teenage Lifestyle, Shopping Bag, and (I Like) Brooklyn
9: COCOCOMA :: THINGS ARE NOT ALRIGHT
Key tracks include: Water into Wine, Suspicious, Enemies, You Better Beware
8: ABBA :: ANY AND ALL (I PREFER THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION)
Key Tracks include: S.O.S, Does Your Mother Know, Take A Chance, and Love Isn’t Easy
7: THE MAKE UP :: I WANT SOME
Key tracks include: Pow! To the People, Blue Is Beautiful, R U a Believer, Born on the Floor
The Makers are just filled with so much unadulterated energy that it takes some real will power not to get up and start flailing your arms around in excitement. They embody the true spirit of rave up rock n’ roll and do it with such furor that anyone within an earshot is going to be impacted in one way or another. Hunger has to be my all time favorite album from these guys. Design wise, it forces me to think in more solidified terms. I personally think that this record was put together with careful skill and in turn, puts that idea in my design practices. It sounds like your average drunken garage punk band, but there it this untouchable tightness that lies underneath all that is very hard to duplicate. This is very true with design. In every endeavor; attack it from a place where you’re thinking in terms of absolute tightness and solidification. Leave no stone unturned, no spell check unused, and no project half assed.
Key tracks include: Small Town Depression, STICKY, Stone Pony, Razorblade, Leopard Print Sissy, No Count
I bought this record years ago simply based on the cover. I had no idea what was to be expected, but it quickly became one of my all time favorite albums. This goes for the music as well as the package design. You really can judge a book by its cover and this one epitomizes the candy-coated psychedelia that lies within to an absolute T. The music in itself is extremely colorful, which leads me to believe that this record is a great in figuring out color combinations and theories. Very visual indeed. There are even selected spoken word tracks where the singer lists items that remind her of a particular color. It’s fun to listen to. For example, the track entitled “red”, she lists everything from ketchup to fire engines to raincoats.
Key tracks include: Magpie, L.S. Bumblebee, Ice Cold Lemonade, Mustard Yellow, Sky Blue, Olive Green
This isn’t really a melancholy record so to speak, but it’s got this vibe that balances nicely with a bit of dreariness and rainy day contentment. Lee Hazelwood is a goddamn master of story telling and setting just the right mood all under this umbrella of a make shift drug hazed spaghetti western. Creatively, this record offers a psychoanalytical view of the content that I’m usually involved with. I could be doing something mundane like laying out forms or contract sheets, but with this record is in full motion, I attack it with a philosophical angle rooted in concentrated focus.
Key tracks include: Sundown, Sundown, Lady Bird, Summer Wine, Some Velvet Morning
This record doesn't so much influence me design-wise as it does social-wise. It's just one of those albums that gets you revved up and ready for action. Anytime I give a presentation or need to meet with someone to discuss design solutions, this record puts the go-getter/take-no-prisoner’s attitude in me. I always come out with more confidence after listening to this and therefore tend to make me a better speaker, presenter and performer. Street walkin’ cheetah, motherfucker!
Key tracks include: Search and Destroy, Penetration, Shake appeal, and Gimme Danger.
Of course my all time favorite band ever has to make this list. I think the main reason for me getting into this band is their unique way in approaching a familiar or traditional sound. It’s all rock n’ roll. It’s all played with the same three chords. It’s all done with guitars, bass’, and drums. It’s all got attitude. But the Subsonics wrangle it through their own unique attack. Clay Reed’s guitar playing in itself is something that can’t be touched or mimicked. Even the way he spits out the lyrics while wrapped up in the mic stand is totally original. I could go on all day about the importance of this group, but for time sake I’ll just get to the point. If you ever find yourself in need of a push in the creative direction, look no further than this record. The pictures this record paints are inspiring and inducing.
Key Tracks include: It’s a Long Way Suzy to New York City, I’m Charlie/I’m Jesus, This is Holly Goldman’s Room, Heroin Addicts Beach Party
Richard’s philosophy on music as well as life in general is something that I think the rest of the artistic community can get behind. I like the idea of transforming something out of nothing to create real magic. Just take a look at his artistic direction through the years. Look at all the twists and turns he made and how he did it all on his own terms. I like that he never compromised his vision to compensate for the lack of musicianship and ability. He stood his ground, proclaimed that this was what he had to offer, and if no one paid attention; what the fuck did he care? The very fact that he was building it from his own creativity and forging ahead a completely new way at looking at things is extremely inspiring. This is very important to me in terms of design. I believe in having 100% faith in what you do and not letting circumstance or hindrances dictate direction, vision or conception. If you WANT to make it happen, you’ll figure out a way to MAKE it happen. By any means necessary.
Key tracks include: Love Comes in Spurts, Liar’s Beware, Down at the Rock n’ Roll Club, New Pleasure
