10 ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

GROOVES

JEFF DANIELS

Yes, Jeff Daniels the Hollywood actor. He’s appeared in 70-plus films, TV shows galore and on the Broadway stage (where he won plaudits as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.) But he is also a fine singer-songwriter/guitarist and, to that end, his new album, Alive And Well Enough, shows off his skills as an Americana humorist like John Prine, Loudon Wainwright III or Randy Newman. His songs — especially “Trumpty Dumpty Blues,” “Al Kaline,” “Jesus Was a Stoner” and “Everybody’s Brave on the Internet” — combine wit, vocal fluidity and acoustic guitar chops. His 10 albums are, in a word, fascinating.

— Mike Greenblatt Compiled by Patrick Prince

Elton John, 17/11/70

I was still in high school and didn’t know who he was. I bought it at the drug store because of the cover. Plus he played piano like I was trying to do. It blew me away, especially that long, extended “Burn Down the Mission.” I still play air-guitar to Dee Murray’s bass line. It just builds and builds. That would be my desert island disc. I’d never get tired of it.

Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant