This is part 51 of an ongoing series where the kind folk of the music business reveal their favourite album of all time.
Ask people in the music industry the seemingly simple and straightforward question, “What is your favourite album of all time?” and you’ll find that it’s not always easy. After all, my industry peers listen to hundreds of albums a month and thousands of songs during that time. Because the question isn’t the best album of all time or the one that’s made them the most money in sales, or the most clicked-on review, but the one release they personally can’t live without, that one title they have two copies of in several formats, in case one breaks. It’s also about that album that for them has the best back stories and the one that has the most meaning in their lives.
Wayne Cabot, WCBS Newsradio 880, New York City
Rush, Permanent Waves and Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface
As a 52-year-old rock-and-roller, this is my all-time go-to album. In recent months, I may have replaced that formidable Toronto trio with an Ohio duo named Twenty One Pilots. Their second album, “Blurry Face,” contains so much good material it’s hard to guess which songs will NOT be hits as commercial radio looks for follow-up airplay to the now omnipresent “Stressed Out.” Not since Rush have I heard such intriguing, original, erudite, and just plain amazing music.
Dan Young, Afternoon Show Host – Music and Creative Services Director, SOS Radio Network, Las Vegas
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
I first discovered it in my parent’s vinyl collection when I was 7 or 8 years old. I had grown up listening to a lot of Beatles, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, The Who, etc… but for some reason, this particular record really struck me. It had such a wide range of sounds and textures. There was a depth to the songs; happy, sad, introspective, celebratory. It all flowed in a single narrative, but not as a full-blown concept album. It seemed to me that it was created by a group of brilliantly creative minds who had finally decided to throw away the rule book. Listening to that album over and over again in my room, I knew that music was always going to be a big part of my life. Those songs inspired me to begin a life-long exploration.
Dave MacIntyre, Step On Magazine
Adorable, Against Perfection
It is often lumped into the genre of Shoegaze, but it is much more than that infusing elements of post-punk, pop and alternative rock. The album is brilliant start to finish, but contains my personal favourite song of all time “Sunshine Smile”. A highly under rated band that still has a very loyal fan base. The singer, Pete Fij, is still making music and is currently partnered with House Of Love guitarist Terry Bickers.
Molly Hudelson, Circles & Soundwaves
Good Charlotte, The Young and the Hopeless
There are a lot of albums I love, but choosing a favorite was easy: The Young and the Hopeless was the first CD I bought with my own money, and it’s the album that made me fall in love with music. I’d heard a few songs- “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, “The Anthem”, “Girls & Boys”- on the radio and at school dances, and when I listened to the album I discovered what it meant to have a favorite band. I didn’t just enjoy the songs, I felt like they were mine: I related to the lyrics and felt like the Madden brothers knew what I was going through when they wrote them. TYATH made me fall in love with music, and was a huge part in shaping me to be who I am today.
Cory Wells, Program Director, KLFM/KVVR Great Falls, MT
REO Speedwagon, LIVE: You Get What You Play For
It’s the best REO Speedwagon songs, with way more energy live than the studio versions. The best guitar & keyboard team in rock at their peak. The more you play it, the better it gets!
