Jeff Tweedy lists some records that changed his life. Via Chromewaves.

Amon Duul Psychedelic Underground (Metronome, 1969)

“These were like the cool records that people in college listened to in the ’70s. As a kid, it doesn’t seem that strange, you know? I could identify with it. There’s a real primal element to it. I find it really exciting to listen to crazy music. ‘What the heck’s going on?’ You know-just lie there and transcend everything by figuring out that these people were nuts.”

Herman’s Hermits The Best of Herman’s Hermits, Volume 1 (MGM, 1965)

“My wife and I have a passion for Herman’s Hermits that we discovered after we were married. It turns out that Peter Noone was her lone teenage crush. I think I was drawn to the heavy accents. It was so exotic-it was world music for me.”

Aphrodite’s Child 666: The Apocalypse of John, 13/18 (Vertigo 1971)

“My brother had some really wierd records. This one is a Greek psychedelic band with Vangelis [who later recorded the Chariots of Fire theme]. They made this concept album about the Book of Revelation. I remember being terrified by it, but totally drawn to it. It’s so over-the-top and dramatic, it’s fantastic.”

Blondie Parallel Lines (Chrysalis, 1978)

“The first record I bought. I was visiting my sister in Arizona. We drove down to a border town and went into Mexico. My mom bought some Kahlua and I bought Parallel Lines. I think we also might have bought a poncho. I had probably seen their picture in magazines. Before I bought records, I bought rock magazines and would read stuff and daydream.”

The Clash London Calling (Epic, 1979)

“Wierdly enough, the only place for a long time to buy records where I was from was the Target. London Calling had a parental-advisory sticker on it because of the line ‘He who fucks nuns will later join the church.’ I’d just peel a little bit of [the sticker] away each time we went shopping. Finally, I got enough of it off so you couldn’t read why you shouldn’t buy it if you were a parent. I put it in the cart and begged for it. I really should come clean with my mom about that.”

Minutemen What Makes A Man Start Fires? (SST, 1983)

“I never really got over how blown away we were to see them. There’s a musicality that we probably didn’t understand at the time. I think that’s what Uncle Tupelo was drawn to-to play with that kind of precision. To try to figure out a way to go from some kind of thrashing punk section, then completely stop on a dime and play some country music.”

The Byrds The Notorious Byrd Brothers (Columbia/Legacy 1968)

“Sweetheart of the Rodeo was an inspiration. That’s an obvious one for the transition from a rock band to incoprporating folk and country elements. But the Notorious Byrd Brothers is way more integrated with those elements. Tupelo played these songs in rehearsal a lot. Or attempted to. There was so much overdubbing on those records for a three-piece to re-create, especially at the time.”

Slovenly Riposte (SST, 1987)

“They were this beautiful band, making luscious landscapes for a lead singer who basically sounds like he’s talking. He’d recite these half-songs/half-poems. There’s a lot of powerfully emotional stuff. Every time I listen to it, I think, ‘Wow, it’s pretty crazy how much I’ve gotten out of this.’ It doesn’t sound too far from the things I’ve attempted.”