Welcome to the first installment of our new column First, Last, and Favorite. Here we ask musicians from the Northwest to share with us some records they love. Specifically we ask for three, one of the FIRST things they heard that really shook up their world, the LAST thing they listened to or loved, and an all-time FAVORITE!
This round it's WIMPS! Wimps are one of our quintessential Seattle garage-punk bands, a local treasure. They've got a fresh record on the legendary Kill Rock Stars label ready to drop on July 13th called Garbage People. Also, they are playing here at the shop on Thursday, July 19th!! Here's a track to whet your appetite:
Rachel, Matt, and Dave were each kind enough to bless us with three picks, so here are all three Wimps first, last, and favorite records:
First
Rachel: Bad Religion - Recipe for Hate.
I bought Recipe for Hate on cassette when I was in high school, probably 14 years old. I didn't have any cool older friends or siblings to introduce me to underground music so I learned about this from the radio and it was probably the first political punk band I'd heard. I remember really liking the intelligent lyrics, political messages, 3 part harmonies and I can't help but assume some of that seeped its way into my subconscious as an adult writing songs, and it definitely started me on the path of discovering more underground bands. I love writing fast, fun songs about somewhat serious topics and have been obsessed with trying to sing harmonies of late!
Matt: NOFX - Punk in Drublic.
The first album that influenced me was Punk in Drublic. It was my second week of freshman year and a kid that I knew from school invited me to take the bus downtown to the one cool record store to buy it. We bought that and Let's Go, by Rancid in CD. It opened up the world of punk to me, and through it I got into The Dead Kennedy's, Operation Ivy and a ton of other great punk bands.
Dave: Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction.
This was the first album that I listened to obsessively. I was 12 when it came out. It was the best thing in the world to me. After that I got seriously into Led Zeppelin and The Who. At first I thought there were 2 different singers in Guns n Roses. I thought one dude sang the high parts and another dude sang the low parts. My first concert without a parent was Guns N Roses and Soundgarden at Madison Square Garden on December 13, 1991. No Izzy.
Last
Rachel: Cate Le Bon - Crab Day.
I got super into all of Cate Le Bon's stuff recently I had seen her come through town about 5 years ago and was impressed with her guitar playing, and last year when Crab Day came out I couldn't stop listening to it. I think I bought it on both MP3 and Vinyl. Her off kilter melodies and hypnotic guitar riffs are the best!
Matt: Waylon Jennings - The Essential Waylon Jennings.
I've been on a country kick for quite a while. I think it started a year and a half ago when I heard a song by the Highwaymen and after that I was hooked. I went through a Willie phase, a Merle phase and now I'm in a Waylon Jennings Phase. I can't stop listening to him. I really like the Essential series, they're all mastered really great and bring a consistency to the songs that made it easy to get into a bunch of new artists. I really like his guitar playing style and how good his band is together. He's a really good interpreter of songs. I don't buy into his whole outlaw country thing but he's got his own point of view.
Dave: Joy Division-Unknown Pleasures.
I have always heard songs from this album but for some reason never bought it. I finally got it and it's amazing. Every song is great. It's been a rough couple months for me personally and this seemed to really fit my mood.
Favorite
Rachel: Crass - Penis Envy.
This record sounds as relevant and new today as ever. Eve and Joy's vocals are super intense and inspiring and the songs seem way more intricate than previous Crass records. Every time I put it on it makes me happy and reminds me that music can have a powerful message.
Matt: David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust.
Favorites come and go but I always come back to Ziggy Stardust. The instrumentation is amazing. And it's fun to remember a time when listing to it was a form of escapism allowin me to imagine a dark future time where the world would end in 5 years due to the actions of self obsessed people lead by a megalomaniacal leader.
Dave: The Who - Quadrophenia.
This is so hard to pick a favorite album. Of all time I think I would have to go with Quadrophenia by The Who. It really spoke to my inner teenage angst as a high school student. I felt like I didn't fit in and this album made me feel like that was okay. It really made me want to learn an instrument. It gave me a lot of hope. Things will get better.