5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Shaun Cooper of Taking Back Sunday

5 Albums I Can’t Live Without:

1

Rocket to Russia, Ramones

It introduced me to punk rock at a young age. Timeless melodies, clever and humorous lyrics and simple chord progressions.  

2

Appetite for Destruction, Guns N’ Roses

These guys seemed like rock and roll aliens to my 7-year-old self. I found them endlessly fascinating and the music connected deeply. It still does.

3

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles

I didn’t get deep into this album until I was 12-13 years old. Paul’s bass playing blew me away. His sense of melody was so inspiring to my bass playing. I remember sitting for hours with the Complete Transcriptions book trying to learn every song.

4

…And Out Come the Wolves, Rancid

I loved their album Let’s Go but the songwriting and depth of …And Out Come the Wolves makes it a very special record. From the jump, Matt Freeman takes a bass solo on “Maxwell Murder” that is just mind melting! The record takes you on a great ride and lyrically Lars and Tim paint a very vivid picture of their lives that really moved me.  

5

Nevermind, Nirvana

This album really changed my world. It made so much of the hair metal I grew up on instantly irrelevant. I had just started playing bass when this came out and you could hear every note Krist Novoselic was playing. It wasn’t too complicated and with some help I could learn every song and play them with my friends in the basement. This made the dream of playing in a band seem possible. The rock gods I loved as a kid were beyond my reach and ability. This! This was something I could do!!!