Here we go! Part SEVEN of my Favorite Albums Series!

I’m just gonna start diving into each album from here on out!

This time – I’m sharing three more of my fav albums!

Collective Soul – Self Titled/Blue – 1995

After having discovered their all-time classic song ‘Shine,’ Collective Soul has become a band that is interwoven into my listening world. Still to this day, Ed Roland and company put out phenomenal tunes, as evidenced even as recently as 2024’s amazing ‘Here to Eternity’ album.

Since I first discovered them though, the album that I return to time and time again is their ‘debut’ album, ‘Collective Soul.’ This album is often referred to as the ‘Blue’ album, as their 2009 album is also considered a self-titled album. So, to differentiate the two, this one’s ‘Blue’ and that one’s ‘Rabbit.’

Throughout, Ed’s steady vocals and even steadier song writing is on display and there’s not a person alive that hasn’t heard ‘Gel’ or ‘The World I Know.’ I always smirk listening to ‘Smashing Young Man’ knowing it’s a diss track against Billy Corgan and I have fond memories of playing this album on repeat during one of the best summers of my life.

Key tracks – ‘December,’ ‘She Gathers Rain,’ & ‘Bleed.’

Live – Yes! Though, only once. They actually played Abbotsford on the touring cycle for their album ‘Dosage,’ and it was an amazing show. I missed them recently when they came through Edmonton but absolutely want to see them again!

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here – 1975

I hadn’t planned on having any multiple albums from a singular band, but that fell apart as soon as I started compiling this list and another double will appear later on as I run through these.

With Pink Floyd’s two seminal and all-time classic masterpieces, it became more of a personal thing. Because, honestly, what more can be written about this album or ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’ For many years, through my teens, I wasn’t a fan of Pink Floyd. If they were on TV or playing, I changed the channel or tuned out. But something shifted, later on, where I grew to love their music and appreciate the lyrics more and the song arrangements more. A band that actually swayed me to give Pink Floyd a chance was Shadows Fall. They covered ‘Welcome to the Machine’ on their 2002 album ‘The Art of Balance,’ and I really dug it.

‘Wish You Were Here’ has become a song with meaning between my wife and I, and some of the lyrics appeared in our wedding vows and I have a small tattoo related to them as well.

Hard to fathom this albums 50 years old, as it sounds as fresh and sharp today as I assume it did upon release.

Key tracks – ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond Parts I-IX’ & ‘Wish You Were Here.’

Live – Kind of. My wife and I saw Roger Waters perform a couple years ago here in Edmonton and it was a wonderful show. A show we’ll always remember.

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – 1973

Much like ‘Wish You Were Here,’ Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ which was released two years prior to ‘WYWH’ was an album I initially wasn’t too fond of, but it’s grow significantly for me over the years.

Funny enough, one of my least favorite songs EVER is ‘Money,’ which irritates the hell out of me and it’s a track I quickly skip, but outside of that, this album is perfect. The lyrics for ‘Time’ resonate more and more as my life moves along and ‘Us and Them’ will always have a special place in my heart. When my son was born, there were significant complications. If you want to read about them, check out my memoir. When he was finally allowed to go home, I was freaked out. PTSD to the max. So, at the beginning, he slept on my chest, with my arms cradling him, in his little swaddle. We didn’t have a sound machine, so I used to play ‘Us and Them’ on my phone to help him fall asleep, and sure enough, by the time that first sax kicks in, he’d be out like a light.

Key tracks – ‘Breathe (In the Air),’ ‘Time,’ & ‘Us and Them.’

Live – see above! But also, we’ve seen Brit Floyd and The Australian Pink Floyd Show, who also put on amazing shows and play those songs phenomenally!