Producer Justin Nealis and instrumentalist Sean Mahone are Party Supplies, a duo who made their name producing Action Bronson's Blue Chips and Blue Chips 2. Last year, the two released a solo album, Tough Love, which spoke to their interest in an unusual source for samples and spiritual inspiration: '80s MOR, the soft/ lite rock stylings of artists like Phil Collins, Gram Parsons, and John Cougar. We decided to get more from Justin, who spoke about his favorite albums and inspirations over a course of phone conversations earlier this month.
It's a story of history that inverts your usual assumptions about what was worth remembering. While it's easy to see these as all a part of the same "genre," there's a fluidity to the boundaries; each album Nealis mentions expands your idea of what he values in music. (Just look at No. 25, or No. 18, or No. 8.) It's a list full of albums the average crate digger avoids, and much more interesting for it.
These are Party Supplies' 25 Favorite Albums.