Re: 5 Albums

Tue 14 July 2026

I saw Noisy Deadlines' recent post entitled "5 Albums," and it reminded me of fun "getting to know you" viral copypasta posts on social media before social media turned into a pile of garbage 😄.

So, here's five albums to get to know me, based on release date. Note that the last two are religious in nature.

Michael Jackson — Thriller

CD Album cover for Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

This was one of the first albums I ever owned, and I had it on vinyl (before vinyl was cool! 😄). I was a big Michael Jackson fan when I was a kid (before his image was sullied by controversy), and I remember listening to this album a lot. I also remember seeing Thriller on MTV for the first time as a kid, and it was an amazing video. It was the longest music video I'd ever seen (about 14 minutes long), and I remember calling it a "movie" at the time. 😁

Tangerine Dream — Optical Race

CD Album cover for Tangerine Dream's "Optical Race"

I listened to this album a lot in the mid-90s, but I don't think I ever owned it, myself. A couple good friends of mine that were roommates through much of the 90s had it, and I'd hang out with them, listening to it while staring at the lava lamp, because... that was entertainment when you were bored and broke in the 90s!! 😄

RCA Victor — Beethoven's Piano Sonatas — Artur Rubinstein performing

CD Album cover for the RCA Victor release of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas as performed by Artur Rubinstein

I don't remember how I got this album, but I got it in the latter part of the 90s, and I remember listening to it a whole lot (I didn't have too many CDs, anyway). I honestly think Moonlight Sonata gets a bit overplayed, and overshadows some of the other Beethoven Sonatas, which are all pretty amazing.

These recordings gave this (undiagnosed) ADHD Spectrum kid a lot of emotional language and fluency that he was very badly missing. 😄

  • Discogs link
  • (Sorry, I couldn't find this exact CD on Youtube)

Misty Edwards — Always on His Mind

CD Album cover for Misty Edwards' "Always on His Mind"

Here we get into some choppy waters. This was a favorite album of mine for many years, and still holds a special place in my collection, but I honestly couldn't recommend it today without a raft of disclaimers. It comes from a religious movement that was revealed to be rather abusive and cultic, and one which I feel signtificant antipathy towards today. If you ever see anything labeled "New Apostolic Reformation," run, do not walk, in the opposite direction.

Adam Cates — Nights at the Big House

CD Album cover for Adam Cates' "Nights at the Big House"

This is another religious album, but one I don't have any reservations about recommending. It's a really lovely live worship album, if that's your thing, and I've enjoyed it for nearly 20 years.

Category: Entertainment
Tags: Beauty   Christianity   Collaborations   Content Warning   Entertainment   Music   Non-technical post