The Beatles-1 (2000): My family picked this up when it first came out and it quickly became a staple of road trips. It's always impressive to hear the evolution of The Beatles over 27 different songs, hearing them start off with simple pop-rock, get a little louder and experimental, go into orchestrations and deeper lyrical messages, then attempt to return to simple rock, but the diverse personalities and tastes of John, Paul and George kept them from solidifying and they ultimately ended the band. Hearing songs like "A Hard Day's Night," "Day Tripper," "Yellow Submarine," "Hey Jude," "Get Back," "Something" and "Come Together" make this one of my favorite, if not my favorite albums ever, and I enjoy thinking back to when I was young and the world seemed far less complicated or urgent.
Billy Ray Cyrus-Home At Last (2007): Though I was a major fan of the Hannah Montana soundtracks and the 10-track "Meet Miley Cyrus" disc that contained tracks I would later hear live in the Tacoma Dome, this was the album that awoke me to how important music would be in my life. Billy Ray Cyrus played, in my opinion, the best father figure in family sitcoms since the days of Full House or Home Improvement, but this album showed a side of him that wasn't expressed on the show much or even at all. There were several tender songs about loving a wife and children, such as "The Beginning," "Can't Live Without Your Love" and "My Everything," as well as several covers of older songs from my past, like "Brown-Eyed Girl," "You've Got A Friend," "Put A Little Love in Your Heart" and "Over the Rainbow." The cover of "Over the Rainbow" was quite sad, and I wasn't sure why until I read it was dedicated to an American Idol contestant who had passed away. Billy Ray's daughter Miley gave a duet, and even Emily Osment, their co-star from Hannah Montana, sang on "You've Got A Friend," making it feel like a family affair, Dad and his kids, biological or not, getting together to make music together. It was a feeling I will always treasure.
Ozzy Osbourne-Tribute (1987): This was actually recorded in 1981, but wasn't released until 1987 due to the death of guitarist Randy Rhoads. Ozzy has made it clear Rhoads was his favorite guitarist due to how intense he played, and footage from a 1981 TV show in Rochester shows the two having a good time playing songs they composed. Rhoads' guitar tone really shines here and is one of the two individual tones I feel is most responsible for the sound of 80s hard rock and heavy metal, the other being Eddie Van Halen. I personally prefer Rhoads due to the larger number of memorable riffs he composed and his soloing technique, which was inspired by Jimmy Page, Michael Schenker and Ritchie Blackmore. The versions of "Crazy Train," "Suicide Solution," "Iron Man/Children of the Grave," "Believer" and "Paranoid" make this a must-have for anyone who enjoys hair metal and/or Ozzy's music.
Bear McCreary-Godzilla; King of the Monsters (2019): I've been a fan of soundtracks ever since my Dad got a Greatest Hits of John Williams CD around the time of the 1997 Star Wars re-releases. Any good franchise like Star Wars, the DCEU and Godzilla has its share of favorite themes and leitmotifs that are fan favorites. Warner Brothers wasn't able to get Godzilla's Japanese themes for the first installment in the Monsterverse, but director Michael Dougherty made sure Godzilla's Theme and Mothra's Song would be used in his installment for the characters. Bear McCreary (who also attended the same High School I did when my Mom went there) uses these themes well and also creates a unique score that fits the rest of the movie. Truly an amazing soundtrack.
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