From Opeth and Jeff Buckley to Lonely Robot and Bauhaus, AC, founder member of the French Progressive band Nine Skies, founder of Frant1c, and founder and CEO of Bad Dog Promotions picks the 10 albums that changed her life:
“This is definitelty something really hard to do – there are so many albums… but okay , let’s play the game!“
01. Jeff Buckley – Grace
02. Opeth – Damnation
03. Lonely Robot – The Big Dream
04. Marillion – Fugazi
05. Bauhaus – The Sky’s Gone Out
06. Sonic Youth – Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
07. Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same
08. Opeth – Blackwater Park
09. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
10. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
01. Jeff Buckley – Grace: “Grace is the only studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, released on August 23, 1994. The album sold poorly and received mixed reviews upon its release. However, in recent years his critical reputation has grown considerably.
Jeff definitely left us too soon and he’s a must if you love music. This is a brand new take on vocals, guitars and harmony.“
Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over:
02. Opeth – Damnation: “Damnation is the seventh studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on April 22, 2003. Damnation is Opeth’s last album to date to be produced by Steven Wilson although he mixed two future albums, Heritage and Pale Communion.
The album was a radical departure from Opeth’s typical death metal sound, and Opeth’s first album to utilize all clean vocals, clean guitars and the prominent Mellotron, while drawing inspiration from the progressive rock of the 1970s.
This album is just one of the most beautiful and powerful masterpieces of music I know, and we even had an acoustic tribute to Opeth called ‘Damnation’ a few years ago.“
Opeth – Hope Leaves:
03. Lonely Robot – The Big Dream: “This is the second album in the Lonely Robot discography, and if they all represent a mark of genius, this one has a special meaning for me. All the songs could wake the dead to make them cry: the guitar parts are the most beautiful and intelligent things you can hear, as well as the sung parts. Every note is the right one, and there for the perfect reason. John’s voice is definitely one of the most beautiful and bewitching, and his way of composing and thinking about harmony is, for me, a real renewal bringing its own identity. Everything about it is so smart. I was definitely inspired a lot by his work, and I still think he’s one of the most talented musician today, IMO.“
Lonely Robot – In Floral Green:
04. Marillion – Fugazi: “I was actually in Japan when a friend introduced me to this album.
Fugazi (titled after a well-known military slang term at the time of its release), is the second studio album by British neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in 1984. The feeling I had was just a lot of MAGIC. A UFO. Another shock. I mean, all Fish area albums have a real identity and bring so much poetry and innovation at the same time. Rother’s guitar, Pete’s bass, Fish vocals, Ian’s drums..
And now here I am, still listening to this!“
Marillion – Incubus:
05. Bauhaus – The Sky’s Gone Out: “The Sky’s Gone Out is the third studio album by English gothic rock band Bauhaus, released in 1982. I discovered them with the track “Silent Hedges”, and I’m still a huge fan of the band and of Peter Murphy so far.“
Bauhaus – Silent Hedges:
06. Sonic Youth – Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star: “That was my first real musical shock. I remember when I put this tape on my walkman. From the first seconds, I was like ‘WTF is happening?’ and I was completely spellbound. I mean, nobody can deliver vocals and guitar parts like they do. I still like them very much.“
Sonic Youth – Bull In The Heather:
07. Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains the Same: “The album and film recording took place over three nights of gigs at New York’s Madison Square Garden during the band’s 1973 North American tour. chose this one because I can’t choose just one album from this band, because it represents so much of what is rock for me.“
Led Zeppelin – The Rain Song:
08. Opeth – Blackwater Park: “Blackwater Park is the fifth studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth. It was released on March 12, 2001. The album marks the first collaboration between Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson and the band, as Wilson had been brought in to produce the album. Often considered their magnum opus, this album is, for me, the perfect mix between the blackness of metal and the melancholy and poetry of the clean parts, both united in a progressive touch: sublime and very powerful in terms of emotions.“
Opeth – The Drapery Falls:
09. Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here“: “Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on September 12, 1975.
Themes include alienation and criticism of the music industry. The bulk of the album is taken up by “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, a nine-part tribute to founding member Syd Barrett, who left the band seven years earlier due to deteriorating mental health. I first heard ‘Shine’ because I was quite young and listened to Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Led Zep, etc… I discovered a whole new path towards music, and I think that since this day my musical horizon opened up and I and I started with prog.“
Pink Floyd – Shine On Your Crazy Diamond:
10. Black Sabbath – Paranoid: “Paranoid is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in September 1970. The album contains many of the band’s signature songs, including “Iron Man”, “War Pigs” and the title track . I just can’t avoid mentioning Black Sabbath when I talk about music. No need for words, just listen to this album.“
Black Sabbath – War Pigs:
Links:
Nine Skies: https://linktr.ee/nineskies
Bad Dog Promotions: https://baddogpromo.com
Frant1c: https://linktr.ee/frant1c
Nine Skies: The Explorer Youtube (1st single from the forthcoming album):
https://youtu.be/aWANu5TyVB0
Frant1c: Where have you been? (1st single from the forthcoming album):
https://youtu.be/fKUAdS-crnM
Read our Exclusive Interview with Anne-Claire Rallo here: https://progrockjournal.com/interview-exclusive-interview-with-anne-claire-rallo1/
