This is a ranking I build in the process of re-discovering myself. Music is a HUGE part of my life and during my early teen years I started to choose my own music for the first time. With an important influence of MTV Latino and the ‘Top 10’ show they schedule several times per day I met some new bands with their albums. In this ranking there is only one exception to that rule and is number 5.
5. ‘Libertad’ – Velvet Revolver – July 3rd, 2007
My favorite band of all time is Guns N’ Roses, that started with me playing the electric guitar. I explored a little more during 2007 and just then discovered that Guns N’ Roses broke up in 1996. I followed their careers individually. The ‘Chinese Democracy’ album with only Axl Rose from the original core was trash in my ears, so I chose the other part of the core: Slash, Duff and Matt in Velvet Revolver playing along former Stone Temple Pilots’s singer Scott Weiland.
Even though this album doesn’t have their greatest hits like ‘Fall to pieces’ or ‘Slither’ it was the one that I found in CD form. I heard it repeatedly and learned a lot of the songs in the guitar pursuing my dream of becoming a rockstar like Slash.
Favorite Song: The Last Fight
Fun Fact: This is one of three albums that Scott Weiland wrote sober.
4. ‘Amantes Sunt Amentes’ – Pxndx – October 2nd, 2006
Pxndx is a mexican band so it makes sense that I met them first on MTV Latino. It was 2006 and Punk/Emo rock was leading the new age of rock with bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Thirty Seconds To Mars (2/3). Mexico rocked with them and Pxndx was the one band that I liked from that country.
The ‘Narcisista por excelencia’ (An excellent narcissist) music video top the charts of MTV’s Top 10 for weeks finishing the year as the 40th most requested music video of the year. This song alone made me buy the Amantes Sunt Amentes album on the local record shop. There I heard for the first time ‘Procedimientos para llegar a un común acuerdo’ (Steps to get a mutual agreement) and ‘Los malaventurados no lloran’ (Unluckys don’t cry) two songs that I hear to this day as part of my Early 2000 Spotify playlist.
Favorite Song: Procedimientos para llegar a un común acuerdo.
Fun Fact: ‘Los Malaventurados No Lloran’ music video finished 2nd in MTV’s Top 100 most requested 2007.
3. A Beautiful Lie – Thirty Seconds To Mars – October 30th, 2005
What a long run for Jared, Shannon and Tomo. The funny thing about this band is that I listened to this album only during 2005-07 and then forgot about them because of the break up rumors that started to grow. Five years later I would find a whole new world with them because of James Durbin’s performance of Closer to the Edge in American Idol.
My first encounter with this album was because of the music video of ‘The Kill’ in MTV’s Top 10. It was absolutely phenomenal. Not only the music, but the video itself. I liked the band, but it was just one song and I wasn’t in a rush for new music. After this “From Yesterday’s” music video was launched and it was another jaw-dropping experience, so I took my few savings to buy A Beautiful Lie to the record shop. I listened to this album religiously for some weeks and discovered some fascinating songs and more than that: experiences. Songs like ‘Was it a dream’ or ‘A Modern Myth’ are something else.
Favorite song: From yesterday
Fun fact: From Yesterday music video finished 4th in MTV’s Top 100 most requested of 2007.
2. Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chilli Peppers – 9th May, 2006
This is John Frusciante’s last album as the Chilli Peppers lead guitarist. That fact alone can make someone buy this.
I knew the Chilli Peppers or ‘The Red Hot’ as we know it here in South America long before this album broke the music industry. I already had the Californication and Blood, Sugar, Sex & Magik LP’s in my collection and their Live ‘Off The Map’ DVD so it was natural that the moment I saw ‘Dani California’s’ music video on MTV I would rush the local record shop to get this gem. And so I did.
Not only this album is essential in my teen years because of the music, but because it worked as a social tool for me. The day after I bought the CD I brought it to school and played it on my class stereo, we all rocked and loved ‘Snow (Hey Oh)’ and ‘Tell Me Baby’ but I had my own favorites in ‘Stadium Arcadium’ and ‘Slow Cheetah’. This taste changed with the years and now I enjoy the hidden ones the most like ‘Wet Sand’ and ‘Animal Bar’ both masterpieces of The Red Hot.
We miss you Frusciante.
Favorite Song: [Teen me] Stadium Arcadium [Actual me] Wet Sand.
Fun Fact: Stadium Arcadium won 5 GRAMMY awards in 2007.
1. The Black Parade – My Chemichal Romance – 23th October, 2006
It was listening to ‘Famous Last Words’ that I started thinking about this ranking and in the end it was this the album that influenced me the most during my teen years. Maybe it was something to do with their influences that matched my genetic music taste in Queen, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC (thanks Dad!). But with time I realized that it was one condition and one alone that made me love this album so much.
In a world ruled by pop culture and the death of guitar predominance I felt a little bit discouraged in my dream to be a guitarist. Suddenly MTV’s Top 10 showed me ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ and I listened to a three-movement song with a dramatic edge. But even more important: It was the comeback of the melodic guitar solo. I understood this very recently, but it is what made me buy three different versions of the album in the now dead local record shop.
This ‘melodic guitar solo’ comeback can be heard in MCR album and it was the first time that I did hear some hope for my dream from a new band. There was still music.
Favorite song: Famous Last Words
Fun fact: My cousin had the biggest crush ever on Gerard Way, that can be a factor too.
Honorable mentions: “Infinity on High – Fall Out Boy” / “Black Ice” – AC/DC / “A Fever You Can’t Sweat” – Panic! At the Disco
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