I may have mentioned once or twice before that I am a long-time KISS fan. In fact, I went into great detail at one point explaining just how and why I became a fan. Needless to say, this album was the first one I ever owned and it completely changed my life. And it’s never been about the make-up, either…because at the time I didn’t even know they wore make-up. I was just a six-year-old kid fascinated by this incredible music that I was hearing.

From Strutter to Firehouse to Cold Gin to Deuce…this record is absolutely my all-time favorite and didn’t only make me a KISS fan, but it made me a music fan.

2. Hysteria – Def Leppard

Yes…I got caught up in the hysteria of this album when it released back in ’87. I thought there was a blueprint to how a hard rock record should sound. This, however, broke all stereotypes. Never had the “pop-rock-metal” fusion sounded so good. And it wasn’t just one a few songs, but the entire frickin’ album was great.

This album is one of those “never be able to top again” types but I’ll tell ya…it doesn’t get much better than the title track, Armageddon It, or the incredibly catchy Pour Some Sugar On Me. Just some great music all around.

3. Gordon – Barenaked Ladies

Okay…you may be asking yourself, “What? Really?” But for me, no other album spoke to me as a university student like this record.

Some people claim that they were a fan of a band from the very beginning. Well, in storage I’ve still got the independently released cassette that they sold before they got a record deal. So yeah…I’ve been a fan of this band since the very beginning.

This album spoke to me because it was catchy…it was fun…and the songs were written from the perspective of somebody my own age. Hello City…What a Good Boy…Brian Wilson…If I Had $1,000,000…each of these songs meant something to me.

Useless trivia fact: I first grew a goatee because I wanted to look more like Steven Page after watching this video.

4. Dookie – Green Day

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve listened to this record. Again, this was a band whose record spoke to me…and again, it was primarily because we were the same age and the songs grabbed my attention like a slap in the face.

I had heard a few songs from their previous record, Kerplunk, while in university and was immediately intrigued. It wasn’t until I heard the first few power chords of Basket Case, however, that I really felt that I needed to pay attention to this band.

I went to a shrink
To analyze my dreams
She says it’s lack of sex
That’s bringing me down
I went to a whore
He said my life’s a bore
So quit my whining cause
It’s bringing her down

Maybe I didn’t know how depressed I actually was at the time, but at a time when bands like Nirvana was making depression “hip”, Green Day made things real in a very fun, cool-sounding way (isn’t that what punk music is supposed to be about?). Songs like Basket Case, When I Come Around, She (my personal favorite), and Longview all made me believe in rock music again.

5. Reckless – Bryan Adams

Okay…to some of you this might be a bigger surprise than the Barenaked Ladies choice. But to me, Bryan Adams epitomizes everything that is great about rock’n'roll.

One man…a t-shirt…jeans…a guitar…melody…a catchy hook…a chorus you can sing to…a beat.

Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Bryan Adams has yet to release a bad record. And much like Waking Up The Neighbours (a very close second pick to Reckless), this record was awesome from the first song to the last.

Run To You, Heaven, Summer of ’69, Kids Wanna Rock, Somebody…I can’t just pick out one fantastic song as my favorite.

I don’t care what anybody says…this album rocked my teenage years.

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What about you? What albums shaped your life growing up?