Early Musical Influences

A friend of mine asked “What were the ten songs/albums that were your earliest musical influences and why?”  It took some time to put together that list and here it is.  What were your’s?

 

The Beatles – Sgt Peppers

Actually Rubber Soul is my favorite Beatles album but Sgt Peppers really had a bigger impact on my young mind.  It was my parent’s record with the original paper badges insert (still have it).  A Day In the Life was the track that made my mind explode.  I can’t tell you why now but I remember it oh so clearly the first time it played.

 

The Miracles – Love Machine

The City of Angels was the first album I used my own money to purchase.  I still have it.  Somehow it managed to escape being smashed with all my other disco records when I turned to punk rock instead.

 

The Brothers Johnson – Strawberry Letter 23

I bought this 45 and played it to death.  It had a scratch and sniff cover that smelled like strawberries of course and looked like an envelope.

 

Wild Cherry – 99 ½

My introduction to funk from my neighbor, Lawrence.

 

KTEL – Greatest Hits of 1976

I still have this record!  I’m sure now why I loved it so much but I did.

 

The Who – Quadrophenia

Spoke so clearly to my early teen age angst and alienation.  I heard the album before the film came out.  I have the original with its multi-page picture booklet. 

 

The Selector – The Selector

My first ska album.  I loved Too Much Pressure and Carry, Go, Bring, Come.  I had no idea what they were talking about or that these songs were covers but this got me started.

 

Gang of Four – Entertainment

Lawrence told me to buy this.  I did and it is still one of my favorites.  Anthrax is my favorite song, funny as I am actually a hopeless romantic.  Or maybe I should say a romantic without hope?

 

Generation X – Generation X

This record came to my attention at age 16.  I was working at the local college radio station and flirting shamelessly with one of the DJs (Bus Riley).  I called in to his show one night and told me to play something for me, DJ’s choice – Kiss Me Deadly was his choice.  We ended up dating for almost a year!  The song still gets my heart jumping.

 

Peter Tosh – Wanted Dread or Alive

When I was 15 I had a radio slot on my high school station.  The instructor said there was a guy who was interested in sponsoring a reggae show and did I have any interest in taking the genre on.  I was game and ended up meeting weekly with this guy to learn about reggae and borrow records for the show.  He was a teenage counselor, white, with long blond dreads.  He took the time to teach me about reggae and although he didn’t want me to play songs with a pro-weed message he did play them for me.  “Nothing But Love� is still a favorite song from this period in my life.