Elton John -Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player... On arduous family drives I would pray that Crocodile Rock would come on our cars AM radio. It was one of the first albums I bought and fell in love with. Elderberry Wine and Teacher I Need You are a couple of favorite cuts off this album as well. It was a toss up between this and Yellow Brick Road.
New York Dolls-Too Much Too Soon... I used to read Circus magazine for my music information and their critics voted these guys "Best new band" and "Worst new band" in the same year... I had to have it. The day I bought it I had to sneak it in the house because my Dad was home and I thought he'd think I was weird because they wore make up and womens clothes. So far ahead of their time nobody ever caught up. Rock and roll at it's primal best.
Bruce Springsteen-Born To Run... I remember hearing this album on my very first component stereo I bought from Simpson Sears. CFOX was still CKLG-FM and it was the time when FM radio used to play albums and count the roaches in the ashtray. I didn't know who Bruce Springsteen was but his music was full of hope and freedom and I was blown away. I vividly remember the night I heard this record and I have chills as we speak, not that we're speaking... never heard a glockenspiel before either.
Ramones- Ramones... What can I say about this album ? One of greatest of all time, picked up where the New York Dolls left off. Again I read about these guys in Circus magazine... mixed reviews and if memory serves, mostly bad but they changed music forever... if these guys can do it I can... but nobody really could. From the opening battle cry 1-2-3-4 of Blitzkrieg Bop until the final chords of Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World I was instantly hooked on the buzz saw guitars, machine gun drumming, crashing cymbals and lyrical content never heard before or since. I'm pretty sure I was the only kid in town that owned this album.
The Sex Pistols- Never Mind The Bollocks... Probably the next step from the Dolls and the Ramones, full of anger and fury and no one has ever done it better than John Lydon. This record has no peers in it's punk attitude and song quality. I don't recall exactly when I added this to my record collection but I do remember the opening march of God Save The Queen and the snarl of Bodies... awesome.
The Clash- London Calling... I already had all the Clash albums and was a dedicated fan but this album changed everything. I never considered them punk but this album really separated them from the pack. Lyrical content, musical styles and influences... Spanish Bombs, Death or Glory, Working For The Clampdown, Brand New Cadillac... some of the best songs ever written. I remember when I bought this record... I usually bought my music on Friday payday but I picked this up on a Wednesday or Thursday... from the cover to the hand written lyrics and liner notes to one amazing song after another simply one of the best.
The Cure- Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me.. I had become relatively disinterested in music for quite a few years at this time. I had heard some OMD and Psychedelic Furs that I liked but this album really inspired me to purchase music again. It was actually the last vinyl album I bought. I used to hide it in my basement so none of my friends knew I had it because they all listened to Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Doors, classics, you know. I was afraid they might think I was gay... not that there's anything wrong with that...
Dwight Yoakum- Guitars and Cadillacs, Steve Earle- Guitar Town... For me these two records go hand in hand. I had listened to country music a fair bit when I was younger but had grown increasingly distant from it. They came out about the same time and I have played these to death over the years. It's kind of funny because I was listening to these two albums while I was listening to The Cure Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me.
New Order- Substance... Again I hadn't purchased any music for a couple of years but I was working at a pub at the time and the guy that did the cleaning would play this in the morning while I was doing the cash... thought it was amazing. I was always a fan of dance music but I simply thought this was some of the best music I had ever heard... absolutely love this...
Metallica-Black Album... Went through another period where I didn't feel very inspired by any music I was hearing. I had seen the video for Enter Sandman and feeling inspired I bought a new stereo and the Black Album...some of my favorite songs are on here... Unforgiven, Sad But True and Wherever I May Roam. It was a toss up between this and Metallica-Load, with one of my all time spin-burners, Until It Sleeps...but I had to give the nod to the Black Album,
Depeche Mode- Violator... A guy I was working with at the time brought this tape to work and I was immediately drawn to Policy of Truth but the more I listened to this album the more I fell in love with it. World In My Eyes, and one of the greatest songs of all time ( if I had to pick one) Enjoy The Silence remain favorites today.
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