Welcome
to the second set of albums. These five albums were highlights of my high
school years. It was a mixture of fun and angst as I hung out with friends and
got a girlfriend. Here we go:
TITLE: Waking Up the Neighbours
ARTIST: Bryan Adams
YEAR: 1991
YEAR: 1991
GENRE: Pop Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Is Your Mama
Gonna Miss Ya?; Hey Honey-I’m Packin’ You In; Can’t Stop This Thing We Started;
Thought I Died and Gone to Heaven; Not Guilty; Vanishing; House Arrest; Do I
Have to Say the Words?; There Will Be Another Tonight; All I Want Is You;
Depend on Me; (Everything I Do) I Do It for You; If You Wanna Leave Me (Can I
Come Too?); Touch the Hand; Don’t Drop That Bomb on Me
FAVOURITE TRACK: All I
Want Is You
WHY THIS TRACK: The
lyrics are simple, like most Bryan Adams songs, but the passion infused in his
performance is awesome. I’m also a huge fan of songs where the music drops out
for a second and then hits you like a sonic boom. (You’ll see that a lot in these
lists.)
ALBUM INFLUENCE: Of
course, I loved “Summer of ‘69” off Adam’s Reckless
album but Neighbours hooked me a lot
more. It also led me to my first concert experience on January 31, 1992. I
remember the crowd got silent for a moment and I yelled at the top of my
lungs “69!” (you know how loud I can
be), Adams looked up to my nosebleed section, played the first few chords,
laughed and then played something else. Though he would eventually get around to
“Summer of ’69” at the encore, that concert was full of great songs from Waking Up the Neighbours.
TITLE: Mad Mad World
ARTIST: Tom Cochrane
YEAR: 1991
YEAR: 1991
GENRE: Pop Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Life is a
Highway; Mad Mad World; No Regrets; Sinking Like a Sunset; Washed Away;
Everything Come Around; The Secret is to Know When to Stop; Brave and Crazy;
Bigger Man; Friendly Advice; Get Back Up; Emotional Truth; All the King’s Men
FAVOURITE TRACK: Life
is a Highway
WHY THIS TRACK: This
song just gets your toe tapping. Also hearing “Vancouver’s lights” always
brought a sense of pride. I often played this song when hosting 11:07 Comedy
Improv at TWU – it was a crowd pleaser. I like this version a hundred time more
than the Rascal Flatts cover.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: I’m a
proud Canadian when it comes to music. I like to support Canadian artists when
I can. I always take great pleasure hearing a Canadian artist make it big on
the international stage. “Life is a Highway” was just one of those songs. And
the album is full of pounding harmonica laced tunes and thoughtful insights on society. Also, saw this guy in a free PNE concert. Good times.
TITLE: Achtung Baby
ARTIST: U2
YEAR: 1991
YEAR: 1991
GENRE: Alternative Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Zoo Station;
Even Better Than the Real Thing; One; Until the End of the World; Who’s Gonna
Ride Your Wild Horses; So Cruel; The Fly; Mysterious Ways; Tryin’ to Throw Your
Arms Around the World; Ultraviolet (Light My Way); Acrobat; Love is Blindness
FAVOURITE TRACK: One
WHY THIS TRACK: The
lyrics get me every time. A bitter conversation that touches on love and
spirituality. Heavy stuff.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: This
was my emo music of choice. The album would play on repeat while I pined for
the girl who eventually became my first girlfriend. Achtung Baby is full of introspection and angst. It helps having
downer songs like “Acrobat” and “Love is Blindness” at times.
TITLE: Gordon
ARTIST: Barenaked Ladies
YEAR: 1992
YEAR: 1992
GENRE: Pop
ALBUM TRACKS: Hello City;
Enid; Grade 9; Brian Wilson; Be My Yoko Ono; Wrap Your Arms Around Me; What a
Good Boy; The King of Bedside Manor; Box Set; I Love You; New Kid (On the
Block); Blame It on Me; The Flag; If I Had $1000000; Crazy
FAVOURITE TRACK: Blame
It on Me
WHY THIS TRACK: I like
the clever lyrics and laid back rhythm. Also love the “la, la, la, I can’t hear
you”. While I like their crazy stuff, I equally like their quieter songs.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: I would
have to say that Barenaked Ladies is one my favourite band of all time. I love
their zany nature mixed with folksy fun music & lyrics. It helps that they
are Canadian as well. These guys have the best concerts. They are lively and
improv songs while entertaining the throngs.I think I’ve seen them four or five
times. In fact, I took my wife to one of their concerts for our first date
(though she was unaware that it was a date and it took an entire year to work
up the nerve to come right out and ask her again). As a side note, while I prefer Ed
Robertson’s sings, I was sad when Steven Page left and was replaced by the far
inferior Kevin Hearn. Oh well. Still enjoy their work.
TITLE: Automatic for the People
ARTIST: R.E.M.
YEAR: 1992
YEAR: 1992
GENRE: Alternative Rock
ALBUM TRACKS: Drive; Try
Not to Breathe; The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite; Everybody Hurts; New Orleans
Instrumental No. 1; Sweetness Follows; Monty Got a Raw Deal; Ignoreland; Star
Me Kitten; Man on the Moon; Nightswimming; Find the River
FAVOURITE TRACK: Try
Not to Breathe
WHY THIS TRACK: I love
the driving rhythm under this song, it almost makes my body sway with the
music. Also love the descant harmonies in the second half of the song. If you
want to learn more about this song, I encourage you to check out Song Exploder
by clicking here.
ALBUM INFLUENCE: Another
round of emo music; perfect for my angsty teen years. I loved Michael’s Stipe’s
voice and would often sing along to “Nightswimming”. This album reminds me of
driving home from my girlfriend’s house. It’s great late-night driving music.
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