consciousness-altering songs or albums

[sonic 7]

Mahavishnu Orchestra, Visions of the Emerald Beyond.

 

[NOVAX]

 

[FritzM]

"Tales From Topographic Oceans" YES - changed my life.

 

[lokikallas]

For me, the song "Primal Concrete Sledge" changed everything I knew about metal music.
Cynic's "Focus" album was pretty wild, and Suicidal Tendencies "The Art of Rebellion"
Almost forgot, anything by Mr.Bungle but mostly "California"

 

[BassBrass]

This album, and Jethro Tull in particular, had a big impact on me as a teenager in the 70's that's still with me today. View attachment 4176330

That album, Benefit, has some of the best grooves ever written. I took it to camp with me and it was the hit of the exchange dance with the girls camp down island. (Bear Island NH) here its Live

 

[-Asdfgh-]

One people may not be familiar with but "The Serpent's Egg" by Dead Can Dance. There wasn't really much in the same genre in 1988, although I only became aware of it in 1990. My musical interests, in terms of writing, are still influenced by it, although I've never managed to get close, although I did independently write a melody identical to one on a later album. Maybe the fact that Brendan Perry lived and recorded in a church is why I've nearly bought a church twice and helped run a venue in one.

In terms of its ability to act as a focus for meditation and thus literally consciousness changing, I'd pick "Thursday Afternoon" by Brian Eno.

 

[Phaidrus]

A few to mention, it's not just one. They all have had a profound effect on my understanding of music and beyond. Apologies for the long list

Simon & Garfunkel, Greatest Hits
J. M. Jarre, Oxygene & Equinox
Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells
Adamski, Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy
Happy Mondays, Pills n' Thrills n' Bellyaches
New Order, Technique
The Beloved, Happiness
Electribe 101, Electribal Memories
Depeche Mode, Violator
The Clash, Sandinista
Burning Spear, Marcus Garvey
Linton Kwesi Johnson, Bass Culture
Black Uhuru, Red
Pink Floyd, Umma Gumma
Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
Autechre, Incunabula
Vinicius de Moraes & Odette Lara, Vinicius & Odette
The Police, Regatta de Blanc
Thievery Corporation, DJ-Kicks
Fela Kuti, The Best of the Black President
Pullup Orchestra, Thanks to the Opera
Herbie Hancock, Maiden Voyage & Empyrean Isles
Dead Can Dance, A Passage in Time

 

[DingwallDingus]

For a more modern album, the tunneling bass polyrhythms on Tesseract - Altered State changed the way I think about music and especially the rhythm section.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

View attachment 4176939

For me, with Genesis, it was Nursery Chryme. A shout out for Peter Gabriel IV, though.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Another one woukd be "Pungent Effulgent" by Ozric Tentacles, as much for the live scene it represents. Many at the gigs did have altered consciousness, although that sort of thing is something I've never indulged in, but the music moved me. The nearest I got to that was seeing them after taking a lot of old-fashioned anti-histamines which used to leave me a bit out of it until I found different ones, but necessary for me to be in a tent in a field in summer.

 

[brianrost]

Taking the question more literally, three tracks of synthesizer freakouts from 1970:

A Cannabis Sativa 17:30
B1 Methedrine 6:00
B2 Lysergic Acid Diethylamide 8:50

P.S. Not a lot known about this guy, rumor has it the track titles were chosen by the record company to make it more marketable. His later records were all self-released. I like the sticker on "Beyond the End...Eternity". That one is totally wacked, too.

 

[Rick_Bass]

This!

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

 

[Pauly 4001]

These two had a big impact on my too. My now wife left this at my house for a while and it took me a while to decide if I liked or really disliked it.
I've gone through phases too on if I really loved Adrian Belew's guitar solos or if he was just wanking over the top of everything. I've decided he's completely brilliant.

 

[NOVAX]

I haven't listened to this song in over a decade, and yet it plays in my head every night and every day -when I wake up at night -or in the morning it's playing - the intense instrumental section in the middle is playing - it is the soundtrack to my life.

 

[hardtop]

I grew up in a household where secular music (save early beatles) was banned when I was around 9 yo. My mom was really into the religious music thing too. She participated in the church band and she'd even take me to concerts/shows of Christian artists. I had my own collection of christian pop and "rap" cassettes. When I was about 12, a friends older brother played the song For Those About To Rock by AC/DC for us. It gave me chills that I will never forget. It triggered an obsessive and totally forbidden mission of music discovery. Within days, I came across Master of Puppets by Metallica and I was changed for good. For the next 3 or 4 years I hid my music from my mother through an elaborate system of mislabeling mix tapes and recording over michael w smiths albums.

 

[Sid Fang]

Dr John's Gris-Gris while I was accidentally on a heroic dose of psychedelics.

 

[hardtop]

A few to mention, it's not just one. They all have had a profound effect on my understanding of music and beyond. Apologies for the long list

Great list. Jean-Michel Jarre definitely fits the billing of "consciousness-altering". So excellent.

 

[Drifter8230]

I love that tune (Roundabout) Chris Squire play the hell out of that tune. I remember one time me and my older Brother (Guitar player) we were walking into the local GC and that tune came on. My Brother stopped dead in his tracks and told me to check this tune out. He didn't care too much for the guitar line during the song but he loved what the bass player was doing. He also liked the tune they did later on Owner of a lonely heart.

Chris Squires bass tone was not like anything I'd ever heard!

 

[Phaidrus]

I grew up in a household where secular music (save early beatles) was banned when I was around 9 yo. My mom was really into the religious music thing too. She participated in the church band and she'd even take me to concerts/shows of Christian artists. I had my own collection of christian pop and "rap" cassettes. When I was about 12, a friends older brother played the song For Those About To Rock by AC/DC for us. It gave me chills that I will never forget. It triggered an obsessive and totally forbidden mission of music discovery. Within days, I came across Master of Puppets by Metallica and I was changed for good. For the next 3 or 4 years I hid my music from my mother through and elaborate system of mislabeling mix tapes and recording over michael w smiths albums.

Yes, I forgot to add AC/DC, If You Want Blood (You've Got It) to my list...

Great list. Jean-Michel Jarre definitely fits the billing of "consciousness-altering". So excellent.

Great list. Jean-Michel Jarre definitely fits the billing of "consciousness-altering". So excellent.

And J. M. Jarre's ZOOLOOK too, with some funky slap basslines by Marcus Miller!