Due to the ridiculous response to my favorite album homework assignment I decided to give you my favs as a separate post. I'll jump right into it because it's the weekend and like most of you, if it's the weekend and it doesn't involve my friends, my lady, booze, or sports, I'm not really as into it as I could be.These are my 6 favorite records in no particular order. Here we go!
For me this is sort of where it all started. Cracked Rear View was one of the very first CDs I ever purchased with my own money that wasn't influenced by what my family or friends were listening to at the time. To this day I still have a soft spot for 90s pop and alt rock, and it all started right here. I always thought it was funny how in spite of their name, no one in the band was actually named Hootie. The band arbitrarally chose the name as a joke, and it just stuck. I still toss this one in from time to time and every song is still just as awesome as it was when I was a kid.
I am not in the business of over-glorifying a band just because one member dies. I like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Notorious BIG just fine, but it has nothing to do with them leaving this world ahead of schedule. Sublime's self titled debut is a complete record. It's original and it opened my eyes to the 'stoner music'(lacking better terminology because I'm a bit hung over). Without this one I probably never would have given 311, Dave Mathews, or Bob Marley the time of day. Thank God my friends did a lot of drugs when I was a teen...
OK OK! Before you get all up in arms, let me explain. When I was in 9th grade my friend Brad was on the Flip-Interscope Records street team. Remember how labels used to have to give kids T-shirts and name badges to go out and pimp their music before the internet started doing it for them? Brad gave me Three Dollar Bill Yall$ before I ever heard music with heavy guitars, screaming, or explicit lyrics. Now pretty much everything I truly enjoy has one of (if not all) of these elements. If you don't at least like LBs cover of George Michaels 'Faith" then you have a problem with you and I can't fix it. Most people didn't hear about these guys until Significant Other came out, so it was my first chance to be a snobby music elitist. Plus, this one really pissed my Gram off, which made me love it even more!
I thought about having some measure of American classic in my list of all time favorites, but I would kind of be lying to myself. I like CCR and GNR and any other number of something-R's, but nothing compares to Fall Out Boy. I actually listened to these guys for the first time when I accidentally stumbled across them while yahoo searching (pre-google) something about Radioactive Man from the Simpsons. It was a total coincidence that I am eternally grateful for, FOB has been copied about a million times over but nobody has the vocal talent of Patrick Stump, the bands front man. I have had this CD forever and I still return to it often. Hell my screen name on AIM was FALLOUTTROX.. The album is called 'Take This To Your Grave' and I probably will.
"And the survey said: YER DEAD!" Most people are pretty surprised when I tell them that I listen to a lot of rap/hip hop. Most of it is older stuff because I believe that most of the new rap that comes out is either too watered down, fake, or it in my opinion trying to be the way rap used to be. I love Dr. Dre, Snoop, 2Pac, LL Cool J, and the list could go on and on, but Wu-tangs greatest hits is absolutely incomparable. Whether its RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Mastakilla, Ghostface, Raekwon, or Methodman, I will bump this record to my grandkids. Their beats are filthy and their rhymes are unparalleled. In short, "the Wu Tang clan ain't nuttin' to fuck wit!"
Last on my list, is Hit the Lights- This is a Stick Up...Don't Make It A Murder. For me this record represents an era. I guess I could have also repped this period with Say Anything, Saves the Day, Rx Bandits, Monty Are I, or Over It. They are all part of the same memories as this one. HtL is epic because it was the background music to some of the best nights of my life spent with some of the best people I'll ever know. Anytime I hear a track off of this one, I am taken to a time when things were a lot simpler but way more complicated at the same time. I had just lost my step mother, who was one of the best friends anyone ever had, and it sounds corny, but I believe a higher power saw what I needed to fill the void she left behind and He sent me a group of crazy kids who would become my greatest friends along with these amazing albums for us to jump around and have pop-punk parties to. Hit the Lights spoke to us directly. They were from Ohio, they liked to get wild, and they stuck together through thick and thin like brothers. The entire CD was practically an anthem to our good times. Sam, Tyler, Jake, Pat, Rut, Polar, Jewell, Dave, Wanger, and Jesse, if you haven't heard me say it, I love you all to death, and thanks for everything.
That's all for now. I hope you guys had fun with it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. If you want to get a jump on the competition, I'll go ahead and let you know that next weeks homework is a contest. I wanna see you naked! Let this link explain. The second annual Shower Beer extravaganza is approaching. Here's what you do..Send a pic of you or a beer or you with a beer in your shower! That's it. The person who submits the best pic get a $15 gift card to Chili's. If you don't like beer, showering, or Chili's then this contest might not be for you..Also, you're an idiot.
Michael Jackson's masterpiece album Thriller has sold over 110 million copies since it's release on November 30th, 1982. Even more impressive is that it's the only album in history to hit the 50 million copy mark..The next best seller is AC/DC- Back in Black with 49 million. Thriller is the top selling album of all time and many would argue the "greatest" record ever made. Rolling Stone heralded the Beatles-St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as 'the most important album ever created'. For TroxTalk's weekly homework assignment (name pending) I wanted to find out which album was the greatest or most important of all time to you. Piss off, Billboard and Rolling Stone.
Here's what I've learned this week. People are WAY more passionate about their music selection than their movie quotes. Picking your favorite movie quote was tough, but some people found this weeks challenge nearly impossible. I asked readers for their favorite album of all time. If the Terminator rolls up on you naked while you're out at the bar with your crew and says, "I need your clothes, your boots, your motorcycle, and your favorite CD!" Which one are you going to choose? We've all seen what happens if you don't comply...
I noticed right away, as soon as I asked that question, most people immediately got defensive. "I dunno, Trox, that's a tough one. What's YOURS?!" It was as if everyone had some dark secret or guilty pleasure that they were insecure about sharing. My dear readers, you do not have to preface your preferences to me or anyone else with "well you're probably going to make fun of this but...". The truth is anyone who takes potshots at another persons likes or dislikes doesn't have a lot of confidence in their own. I pretty much can't stand it when I tell someone "Hey I dig..suchandsuch." and they hit me back with "Aw you *explitive*! Do you seriously like that *explitive*?!" Pretty much anyone who gave me the pre-post disclaimer on what they like ended up naming something that wouldn't have been to much of a stretch for me to enjoy on my own playlist. (No one named any country albums. I don't care too much for Conway Twitty, but if that's your thing, have at it.) I'll get to my personal picks in a bit, but for now let's have a look at YOUR favorites, and some of the insightful reasons why you picked what you did....
Snoop Doggy Dogg- Doggystyle..."Every track on the entire album is tight and the whole thing reminds me of a much simpler time." - Albert the Mailman
Weezer-Blue... I can't tell you how many times I've listened to 'In the Garage' while I was physically in a garage. Mind=Blown. "Defines my adolescence." -DFord
Blink 182- Enema of the State... I don't know if it's my favorite too, but this is the only CD I have ever played until it just absolutely would not play anymore. "It's tight-n-shit. I like it."- Jesse
Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind... Sarah sent me a few picks, but I chose this one because of the one's she listed, this one reminds me most of her. Plus I think this was the only self titled submission I received, so it's unique. Graduate is a great track on this one. "My little middle school self loved this. I used to sit in my room with the lyrics to Semi Charmed Life and play it on repeat until I had it memorized.(Chop another line with a coda with a curse still gets me all confuddled.)" -Sarah
Bon Jovi- Slippery When Wet... She didn't give a real reason, but if I had to put it into words for her, it would have been something to the effect of: "It's old school and makes me feel like partyin!"- Cami
Bush- Sixteen Stone... Gavin Rosdale has been nailing Gwen Stefani and making good records for more than a decade. This was his best work with Bush. " It was the first cd I ever owned. My mom got it for me for Christmas when I was about 12."- Cody
Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream... My man Carl was concise as usual in his reasoning.
" well.. 1) i like every song on it. 2) good combination of super loud-ass crazy guitar rock and slow stuff. 3) awesome lyrics 4) right around that time i was still a kid in college
(time it came out)"- Carl
Hopesfall- The Frailty of Words... This album hits just a little harder than all of the other submissions. "The album came out when i was in the 8th grade and gave me complete solace through high school, just during a time i was stuggling with myself and the type of music i was into..and everything in my life really..then and still now hardcore isn't widely accepted I mean why cant I look like a normal dude and love to rock the fuck out!?" -Ian
Shaquille O'Neal- Shaq Diesel.. First of all, does this man look Irish to you? O'boy. "Trox and I used to get in trouble for bumping this too loud in Circuit City's Car Audio department when we worked there together." J Bruce (Not Jay Bruce)
**I want to take a break in the action for a second to say that if you've never heard this before, you should give it a listen. Shaq is beyond awesome. What the hell is a jungle bee??**
Back to business..
The Strokes- Is This It?... I feel like this could be one of the most underrated albums I've ever bought. Not torrented. Bought." i picked it up when it came out back in '01. and i've always consistently listened to for the past 10 years. I can't say that about any other albums.
but really, I love the strokes for their sound and their approach the song writing." -Tyler
The Roots- Phrenology..."It came out right after I graduated high school, all was perfect in my world. I can't hear the seed 2.0 without wishing I was just driving around, windows down, on a nice warm day." -Syphax
Strung Out- Exile in Oblivion..."i mean, their are some rap records up there, some country, some metal, some new wave, but if i could only have one record for the rest of my life it would have to be Strung Out - Exile In Oblivion, my top few records are all Strung Out records probably." -Shad
Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here... My roomies used to watch Wizard of Oz over Darkside of the Moon on a loop.. "AMAZING! Shine on your crazy daimond part 1 changed my whole perspective on shit."- Steve @Weltbrand
Rush- The Spirit of Radio..."I just grew up with them
plus as musician...they satiate my desire to hear something more complex and considered than a lot of other artists can deliver
and i'm a nerd."-Ryan
Counting Crows- August and Everything After.. "the sound was fresh, original, an auditory treat with IMMENSE staying power to me, the Counting Crows are not my favorite Band of all time, in the top but not THE top... however a cohesive album that can be listened to over, and over , and over again is hard to come by and FEW artists truly pull off a whole album that is close to flawless, many do half the album well, or a few songs that are great. However, to achieve a truly great album, the artist and producer must synch in an uncommon manner, from the writing of the songs, through performance, to production quality, and even to track layout for the album the cohesive bond between variables of parties involved is hard to attain. The Counting Crows with T-Bone Burnett produced an album that i have never stopped enjoying for almost 11 years (yes I first got it 5 years after it was released) obviously I don't listen to the album everyday, or even every week or month, but this album catches me several times a year and I will listen to and enjoy as much as I ever have all over again this entire album start to finish. So finally, for my personal enjoyment taken as a single unit -"album" Counting Crows' August and Everything After album is the greatest album ever recorded. " -Paul...I agree with everything you just said.
Megadeth- Endgame.. Growing up, my girl Kim was ALL rap ALL the time. I almost fell out of my chairs when she sent me this one. "Because my taste in music has changed so much." -Kimberly (I'll say it did! Nice to see you branching out!)
Led Zepplin- Houses of the Holy..."Fuck you and these questions! It's got it all. If I was going to go more modern I'd say Dude Ranch..Everybody got behind that record." - Dave T of www.thebestpodcast.com
Now I don't ever like to play favorites, but THIS is how you TroxTalk...I loved this response...
Offspring- Americana...After racking my brain trying to decide which one single album to crown my "Favorite CD of All TIme" I realized its really an impossible task. Whether it comes down to replay value, production quality, pure nostalgia, or just the overall impact it makes on your life, there were just too many factors to take into account.
So I decided to go a different direction with it.
Everyone has that one album that acted as a catalyst in discovering all the music they've ever known; that one album that made it possible. "Dude Ranch" doesn't count. Saying "Dude Ranch" is your favorite CD is like saying pizza is your favorite food. We know, its a given.
Having said that, no other collection of songs made as big of an impact on the man I am today than The Offspring's "Americana" -Phinny from www.thebestcast.com
Blink 182- Dude Ranch..."Fuck Phinny and Dave T. I'll say what I want!" -Green Hayes (He didn't really say that.)
Now, this guy is running a little long because I have a tendency to let that happen. Tell you what! Tomorrow in a special weekend edition of TroxTalk I'll take a page out of my boys at The Best Podcast's book, and I'll break down my desert island Top 5 albums of all time.. Maybe I'll do a top 6 just so I'm not blatantly ripping anyone off. Here's to you for helping this thing grow each week *takes a shot of vodka* ! Catch you tomorrow.
I've said from the beginning that Trox Talk is all about YOU! Without the reader this is just a bunch of my insanity circulating (or not circulating) aimlessly around these here interwebs...This week I asked you all to send me your favorite movie quote of all time. It could be something that made you soil yourself with laughter or cry your eyes out. I know it was almost impossible to choose just one, but I want to thank you all because this has been a freaking blast! The response was pretty overwhelming for a first effort! So much in fact, that I have officially decided to make it the first installment of a new weekly segment in which I pose a question or thought to you guys, and I'll post your responses to it at random every Friday around lunch time. What should we call this thing? I'm pretty sure "Project Mayhem" and "Question of the Week" are already taken...Once you've seen these great quotes offered up by some of your peers, you should help me give this new baby a name! You already know the email: trox@troxtalk.com. I'll post the best name ideas and we'll put it to a vote. If the name "Trox's Mom is a Gutter Hippo" gets the most votes, then that is what the segment will be called. I will have absolutely NO say in it. This is YOUR TroxTalk! TAKE IT OVERRRR!!
Now on to the quotes...
Submitted by Steve S..Now THAT is how you kick off a good post.
Submitted by Brad J... Walken is God.
Submitted by Bill C.. I tried to capture the moment for you!
Submitted by Pat M...This picture is NOT actually from Die Hard, but it should be.
Submitted by Jesse A.. Jim Carrey ran away with this post.
Submitted by Dustin F (Trox's attorney).. Bond is more badass than suave at this point.
Submitted by Tim T... He was brilliant in this one.
Submitted by Tom M.. Mark Wahlberg recently said that out of EVERYONE in Hollywood, he'd never fight Joe Pesci.
Submitted by Laura C.. I noticed swearing got a lot of love from you guys.
Submitted by Steve M...I somehow haven't seen this one, but I want to now.
Submitted by Justin S... Haters be damned, this movie was awesome.
Submitted by Carl D...I liked all 3 of yours, but this one takes the cake!
Submitted by Dave S...Did you know that this is Trox's all time favorite move? You did? Stalker.
Submitted by Eugene Z.. Back when Eastwood could whoop Bruce Willis!
Submitted by Jason T... I was surprised that this was the only one from Big Lebowski, but it doesn't get much better.
Submitted by Julie R... The girls are representin'.
Submitted by Mike B... I received about 50 Jim Carreys. This one made it.
Submitted by Tien C.. This was the very first movie I remember seeing in a theater!
Submitted by Ayla B (Trox's ladyfriend) .. Now the two girliest movies on earth have officially made it on Trox Talk..
Submitted by Jake B...You would.
Submitted by Nic S.. A post about over-quoted movies is in the works thanks to you!
Submitted by Derrick H.. This is the ONLY quote I received multiple times. Weird.
Submitted by Dave T (Trox's brother from another mother..but not his actual brother)...I could basically post this whole movie on here..
Submitted by Robyn T... Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Wiig, and Jane Lynch are the funniest women alive.
Submitted by Sam G..Fear and Loathing also got a lot of love.
Submitted by Mike S...This one takes me back.
Submitted by Albert C... There isn't a movie with more great one-liners. "WHAT BIKE?!"
Submitted by Dave (Trox's little brother) I'll admit it. I watch Glee. She is why.
Submitted by Jay C...Is Mike Myers dead?
Submitted by John L.. "That John Denver's full of shit."
We are going to revisit the realm of movie quotes again in the future because they are definitely the gift that keeps on giving. Initially, I asked you for your favorite movie quotes because I watched 3 of the crappiest pieces of film I've ever seen this past week. (I told you I was going to do a movie review on here soon, and that review will be for one of them, if not all of them.) I needed you all to get out the paddles and shock my belief in cinema back to life. Obviously because of you I am recovering nicely, so it looks like I owe you one. Thanks a million.
Warmest Regards,
Trox
P.S. Oh whoops! I almost forgot to give you guys my favorite! I get 2 because I think I'm special..but they are by the same actor.
