My Top 10 Albums with Discrepancy Records

This post was created in collaboration with Discrepancy Records

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Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge sucker for music.  I love to listen to music while I cook and clean my house. If I am home alone it is not uncommon that I will pop music on super loud to the detriment of my neighbours.

I absolutely love to dance and if you give me a few drinks and take me to a karaoke bar I will most definitely sing my lungs out.

I was raised intertwined with music, my parents always had the radio on or a cassette or cd playing in the background. I grew up listening to a healthy dose of Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple and Louis Armstrong.

In my teens, I went to a high school which was well-known for its musical program, and after befriending some of the older boys in the music scene, I became obsessed with Jazz, soul and funk.  I would listen to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone on repeat night after night.

Hearing certain songs always takes me right back to poignant moments in my life –the first dance with my husband (Hall & Oates’ ‘You Make My Dreams Come True’), the time I had the courage to quit a job I hated (Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’), and my first big party in year 8 (FIVE’s ‘Everybody Get Up’)…mmmmm, not so hot on that one, but it does take me back.

Essentially, music has played a huge part in my life.

My husband recently fixed our old vintage record player from the 60’s which we inherited from his Grandparents Bobby & Jean. This is one of the most precious pieces of furniture we own. Not only because it once belonged to his grandparents, but because it has lived a life full of music and joy. I would love to be able to know the records it has played and the conversations that were had around it.

It comes naturally that now that we are lucky enough to have this record player in our home, I have become more and more curious to the vinyl records available for us to enjoy.  So I was super stoked when I found out about the vinyl albums at Discrepancy Records.

I’m all for listening to music, in any way possible, but there really is something special about listening to vinyl.  I love the process of taking the time to create a moment to enjoy the music. I love the sound of it, the way you can hear the imperfections in a song and I especially love the fact that listening to vinyl makes you appreciate a whole album from start to finish. Something I am looking forward to doing more of.

But for now, scroll down to see the top 10 albums that have influenced my life.

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My Top Ten Albums with Discrepancy Records

Michael Jackson ,Thriller – I listened to Michael Jackson with my family almost every Friday night. It was our thing.  Thriller was on high rotation. My sister and I would jump around our living room like maniacs, dancing like zombies and having a ball. Refusing to go to bed until we got all of the moonwalking out of our system.

Alanis Morisette, Jagged Little Pill – This is the first CD I ever owned. A family friend kindly gifted it to me when I told him of my love for Alanis. I bloody loved this woman, and at the age of 12 would belt out her songs at the top of my lungs. Often not really understanding some of the more ‘mature’ lyrics I was performing in front of my parents.

No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom – In my teens, No Doubt became my favorite band. Gwen Stefani was a kick ass role model. I loved her style, her voice and her gutsy attitude. Just A Girl became my anthem. One of the best concert experiences of my life was seeing No Doubt live on stage at Festival Hall in Melbourne with Gwen Stefani, my teen idol, performing just meters away!

Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – In my teens I also started to enjoy more ‘urban’ sounds. Lauryn Hill was my first taste into the world of rap and hip-hop which I now love so much. I loved the message of feminism, of sticking up for one self, of growing up and taking the world on.

The Beatles, Abbey Road – If there is ever a perfect album to listen from start to finish on vinyl, it would be The Beatles’ Abbey Road. I love way the songs merge into one another and always take me on such a great musical journey. The Beatles were always very present in our household growing up, and this album quickly became one of my favourites. So many amazing songs in one album! Fun facts: I learned to play ukulele to ‘Here Comes the Sun’ and if I try to sing ‘Golden Slumbers’ I cry like a little baby.

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of The Moon – This is one of those albums that my dad always had on super loud and on repeat when I was a child, so it always reminds me of him. I didn’t really quite ‘get it’ until I became a little older.  But my god, now I definitely understand why it is revered as one of the greatest albums of all time, with songs like “Money”, and the crazy vocals in “The Great Gig in the Sky”. Now, I also like to listen to this album super loud and on repeat.

Amy Winehouse, Back to Black – I’ve always listened to old school jazz and soul; but when I first heard Amy Winehouse’s music, I felt like I was listening to music in a way which I’d never done before. Her voice was so brassy and expressive, just like the vocalists from the jazz and soul era. But her music was so modern and her lyrics were so gritty and raw so I, like many other people, fell totally in love with her sound. To this day ‘Back to Black’ is one of my personal all-time favourite albums.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Ella & Louis – One of the best jazz duos of all time, I can never go past a little bit of Ella and Louis. When I first started listening to jazz, Ella Fitzgerald quickly became one of my favourite singers, and my grandfather’s love for Louis Armstrong influenced me a little too. So naturally the combination of both influential jazz singers was always going to be a great hit with me. Louis’ gravely voice and Ella’s honey like sound makes for the perfect easy listening that I often pop on for dinner parties and lazy Sundays.

Jeff Buckley, Grace – I could describe listening to Jeff Buckley’s Grace album as being both in utter ecstasy and having my heart ripped out and stamped on, at the exact same time. This album just slays me.  It is just so incredibly wonderful. The combination of heartbreakingly beautiful lyrics and Jeff’s incredible range have me enthralled in every single word and note time and time again.

Dire Straits , Sultans of Swing – The Very Best of Dire Straits – I am well aware that I am cheating here with a ‘best of’ album, but quite honestly, this is how I fell in love with Dire Straits.  This is another one of my music tastes that is heavily influenced by my father’s loud lounge room music moments.  Always happy to have a sing-a-long and play air guitar to some Dire Straits after a few beers with friends.

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So now you know the top ten albums that have influenced my life, I’d love to know what are some of the most influential albums that you love in the comments below!