The Six Albums That Define Me....

This One DID NOT Make the List ....

You might wonder how I can still manage to blow out blog posts after nearly writing 2000 of them. Well first off, there is always something happening in the world. Not always in politics, but something happens somewhere. But another reason is because I'm a great listener and observer. I think about the things other people are talking to me about - and then I steal the great thought !

I was chatting with Ms. X this weekend, and she was talking about an assignment she has, where you have to select the albums that define you as a person best. Personally, my assignments were never that interesting. Then again, she also got lost in the woods for three hours yesterday on another assignment. That made me think about which records best define my life, and here are the six that best represent Mike Reino....

Van Halen - Fair Warning

I started playing guitar when I was 12, and back then there was one guitar player - Eddie Van Halen. I missed VHI and II, but Fair Warning was their first MTV video record. Like all their albums, it was too short (9 songs), but it kicked ass....From the first crunching riff of 'Mean Streets', this was a different Van Halen - at least for a little while..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csitq6h1VQM&feature=related

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

Through the 80's and early 90's U2 was my favorite band. I had every album from 'War' to 'Zooropa'. Maybe it was their uniqueness, or their political involvement, or all of Bono's dramatics, but I ate it all up. The came that goofy PopMart tour....Everyone went for the MLK song, but the title track is my favorite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yiNqwEAtpk

Living Colour - Vivid

Heavy Metal was starting to get a bit stale, and Living Colour blew it open. They played rock, metal, punk, jazz, rap - and they were black... I played this CD in my car for a solid year. No, Vernon Reid wasn't the best soloist, but they were awesome...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxjo28Jmy_c

Alice In Chains - Dirt

In case you didn't know, I have a HUGE negative side. I got out of college in '91, couldn't find a good job - and out came Dirt in '92. This is by far the best Death/Negative album ever made. It's dark, but the harmonies are beautiful. They would've been the greatets of all the Seattle bands - but Layne Staley couldn't stay off smack. It's 17 years later, and 'Rooster' is still my ringtone on my cellphone. The only thing I didn't have in common was that I never did Heroin - but the rest made sense...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL0cK4gaEuM









Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

You didn't think I'd skip Chicks & Pianos, did you? Even negative guys like me need to relax, and to see the beautiful things in life. Before Lilith Fair, Sarah was a big indie star, and I caught it early. Her voice and piano got me from Day One, and opened me up musically a bit more. Socially, I was still a mess....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEoaY7YlMxU

Black Crowes - The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion..


I haven't smoked a joint in almost 20 years, but I love these hippies. This represents the past twelve years of my life - the 'Southernization' of Mike. This is a rock rarity - a second album that kicks the crap out of a band's first album. It's the only CD that was stoeln from me twice - and I still bought another one. There's a couple hits, but my favorite is 'My Morning Song'....




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EcQoHqsunc&feature=related




So that sums it up for you - 40 years and nine months of life into six albums. Sure, there could be a lot more - I am pretty diverse - but this post took long enough as it was... If you think another album represents me better, feel free to post it..... After all, I do moderate the comments now.