I’m sad enough that I spent some time looking into the “birthdays” of several albums I used to listen to regularly. Wikipedia lists such information, so whether it’s 100% accurate or not remains to be seen. It’s in the general area, though, so that’ll do me for this exercise.
Today, my iCal flagged up David Lee Roth’s Eat ‘Em and Smile album as being 24 years old.
TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD.
Good. Grief.
That got me thinking about “The good old days”, when I was growing up with my friends. We were all in our last year at school and having the time of our lives. Music played a massive part in that, and I doubt I’d have been the same person I am today without a few key albums.
So, in no particular order, here are those albums:
With the exception of the AC/DC albums, all of those were released around the 1985/’86 era. I feel quite lucky that I was around then, when bands were releasing and touring such amazing albums. I got to see a lot of those tours, and they inspired me to be in lots of bands and drink too much beer. Great influences for a growing lad. Err…
I still play all of those albums fairly regularly today; I’m not embarrassed by any of them. So, the question is:
can you pinpoint the albums that helped to define your personality?
This article is copyright © 2012 Phil Sherry.
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You’re showing your age there, Phil!
I think all the records I’ve listened to extensively have defined my personality in some way, but Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation was the soundtrack to my college days: playing in bands, hanging out, drinking. Fugazi’s The Argument, and the bands I discovered through that band, made me rethink a lot of values I had (or, rather, didn’t have).
Showing my age, indeed. I’ll be 40 on my next birthday. Back when I was listening to that lot, I wasn’t sure I’d ever make it.
Fugazi rule.
1. Slade – Old New Borrowed and Blue
2. Led Zeppelin – IV
3. Rainbow – Rising
4. AC/DC – Highway to Hell
5. Judas Priest – Unleashed in the East
6. Nazareth – No Mean City
7. Foriegner – 4 (Yeah I know, but I had sex for the first time whilst this was on)
8. UFO – Strangers in the Night
9. Motorhead – Overkill
10. Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Nice list, Andy, but I’m fucking glad I don’t have any emotional attachment to Foreigner!
Hi Phil, seeing your list there made me realise what a hippy i am!!!
1. Black Sabbath – Master of Reality (1st album i bought)
2. John Lennon – Shaved Fish
3. Blondie – Parallel Lines
4. Leonard Cohen – Best of
5. Melanie – Close to it All
6. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
7. Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollox
8. Supertramp – ?
9. Carole King – Tapestry
10. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood – Jackson
I expect this will freak you out more than Foreigner! But you’ll have to give me some leeway as a member of the crap cripples club (dawlish chapter!)
Hope you are all hale & happy, jo
The one album that defined my musical tastes in my teens was Master of Puppets. I had a mate that got me into Rock (UFO, Maiden, AC/DC etc) so I started listening to Tommy Vance. I’m sure you did the same thing Phil. One night he played Master of Puppets and my love of thrash was born.
I have that album in at least five different versions.
Anyway, your list matches mine almost perfectly part from the Yngwie J Malmsteen who I never got into.
Oddly enough, do you think there is only one band on that list that is even better now than back in the 80s: Testament? By far my fave band from that era now