albums permanently connected to parts of your life

Ever turned on the radio and you her something that shoots you back in time? It happened to me this morning. It got me thinking that there are albums that define certain defining moments in my life.

I thought I would propose a thread about albums, not songs, that defined parts of your life.
RULES:

1. Event must be tied to the entire album.
2. A short description (or long) of that event (family appropriate wording please)
3. Limit is 5 albums
4. If you can, post the album cover image and the title

I'll begin


The summer of 1988. I was 17. My oldest friend's dad went for a hip replacement that would take him and his wife out of the house for the majority of the summer. They left a 17 year old son and a 15 year old daughter in the house. Parties, hanging out, doing what we shouldn't. It was awesome.



Though it came out in 91 I was working as an archaeological field tech the summer of 94, in Winslow Arizona, when I discovered them. I was going out to the desert one night to get away from the dorms and a pretty blonde whom, along with a couple other folks, I was hanging out with asked to go. I wanted to go alone but she was blonde and pretty. That evening stretched into 22 years of ups and downs and 2 wonderful sons.


1996 was the first year my, then girl friend, and I were in the same town when we found this in the used record store. I still have no idea why she married me.



Who is next?

ELP Trilogy - listened to this practically non-stop when I came home from leave after Navy basic training.

Elton John was HUGE in the 70's and as a member of the BMG (or was it Columbia?) Music Club, I had several of his cassettes. I think this was a time when I really started to appreciate music, it started to mean something to me so Elton was a big part of the soundtrack that made up my high school years. This could have been several of Elton's 70's releases but I think Caribou made the biggest impression on me. I can picture myself right now listening to this in my dimly lit bedroom in my parents house as if it just happened last night.





This, along with Elton John, is like a time portal back to my high school years. First of all, I was struck by the cover art. I thought it looked awesome and I really dug the concept. The first time I heard this it blew me away. It was so layered and it really gave me an appreciation for the engineering that goes behind a recording. When I hear this I'm transported back to my parents basement playing ping pong or pool with my buddies.



Yet another time portal to my high school years. All of the albums noted so far came out in 1974-1976. I loved the whole mystique of KISS with the costumes and make-up not knowing what these guys looked like in real life. The music struck that rock chord in my being and this was about as cool as it could get. Kiss was the first live rock show I ever attended.



An annual holiday tradition. I always loved the music for this cartoon from the time I was a child. I don't think that there could be a more perfect marriage of music and animation, the music serves it so well. Little did I know at the time, it planted a jazz seed in my mind which eventually grew into a love for jazz as an adult.

Sorry I don't feel like going into details but...

Beastie Boys - License to Ill
Smashing Pumkins - Siamese Dream
Pearl Jam - Ten
Phish - Lawn Boy

Played this all the time in college, especially in summertime.

There are several albums that have important meaning in my life:
First album I ever bought using my own money, would have been early 1970's and I was more into classical and movie scores at the time:

First pop/rock album I purchased. That was a leap for me, since I really didn't come to rock/pop until High School:

and the album I discovered in college. that was the time I discovered intoxicants, depression and great rock:

Funny story about Jimmy buffett. I was teaching 5th grade and the kids wanted to know what I listened to when I was kid. Without All I had with me was

I put it on without thinking. That class had 3 different preacher's kids a couple administrator's kids and the daughter of a devout muslim. When "Why don't we get drunk" came on, a switch in my brain went off, and I was flying across the room to shut it off. Needless to say I did not get there in time and spent the next day apologizing to parents.

In the summer of '71, (completed grade 9) went to stay with a cousin in Fort Wayne Indiana for a week. My parents had given me a $5 American bill to spend as i like.

naturally i went and spent it on what was important to me, came down to either Johnny Winter And; Live or this one. Pretty sure they were both priced at $3.49 each, whatever the case i couldn't get both.

My evangelical parents were less impressed then my friends.


dave

This was my jam in high school. '89 to '93. I can't remember how many cassettes I wore out before I bought the CD.

George Winston - December

Senior year in snowy Syracuse and the end of the carefree days of life.

Sorry no album picture.

My formative years.

Perfect pick, Tony. For mine, too.

Joni Mitchell Blue, bumming around Europe, including Spain and Greece, for the obvious reasons.

Appetite for Destruction came out just as I got my driver's license. It is pretty much engrained in me. I know I wore through two cassettes way back when, and to this day I keep the CD in my truck for when the mood strikes. The connection is just that early feeling of having your license and riding around as a kid - thinking you are bad - with the windows and volume up.

My first album, bought with my own money. Even if it was on tape.


And while that may have been my first, these 3 formed the basis of my musical awakening and 3 I always come back to in times of need.

My top 10 albums that I could not live without;
Pink floyd - a momentary lapse of reason; I "borrowed" the "delicate sound of thunder" cassettes of my older Bro and was hooked on PF
Portishead - Dummy; final year high school. Beth gibbons incredible vocal range. Smooth beats
David Gray- white ladder; "Please forgive me if I act a little strange, for I know not what I do"
powderfinger- parables for wooden ears. Endless summer days in late high school at the each listening to drive Aussie surf rock
Miles Davis - kind of blue; because...
counting crows- August and everything after; cause when I'm feeling down listening to Adam Duritz' soul searching wailing on Round Here and Mr Jones makes me feel better
bodyjar- No touch Red ; first punk gig I ever went to, had me moshing in the pit at many gigs in the years to follow
bob Dylan- masterpieces; has been a largely silent companion over the years, speaking and comforting only when required
dire straits- alchemy live; mark knopfler making that guitar cry and sing
Duke Ellington - indigos

1970s - Really my first album of classic country, classic artists. Still frequently spin it, still the same vinyl.

EPfarnie said:

My top 10 albums that I could not live without;
Pink floyd - a momentary lapse of reason; I "borrowed" the "delicate sound of thunder" cassettes of my older Bro and was hooked on PF
Portishead - Dummy; final year high school. Beth gibbons incredible vocal range. Smooth beats
David Gray- white ladder; "Please forgive me if I act a little strange, for I know not what I do"
powderfinger- parables for wooden ears. Endless summer days in late high school at the each listening to drive Aussie surf rock
Miles Davis - kind of blue; because...
counting crows- August and everything after; cause when I'm feeling down listening to Adam Duritz' soul searching wailing on Round Here and Mr Jones makes me feel better
bodyjar- No touch Red ; first punk gig I ever went to, had me moshing in the pit at many gigs in the years to follow
bob Dylan- masterpieces; has been a largely silent companion over the years, speaking and comforting only when required
dire straits- alchemy live; mark knopfler making that guitar cry and sing
Duke Ellington - indigos

Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't read the rules.. Limit of 5 (fail.. Sorry), album pics (fail.. Sorry)... Album tied to an event (some of the are more tied to a period of time and have stuck with me..(conceded pass????). Happy to delete post if my entry is disallowed on the basis that it only contains a mark of 1.5/4 of the listed rules.

This one fixes everything for me:

Usually anything Steely Dan can help me unwind and hit the reset button.

heybatter said:

Sorry I don't feel like going into details but...

Beastie Boys - License to Ill
Smashing Pumkins - Siamese Dream
Pearl Jam - Ten

Click to expand...

We must be of a similar vintage

Certain albums definitely are evocative of different times in my life.

I'd go with...



Has to be on cassette - I'm an 80s boy. Just reminds me of all the non-family oriented feelings of growing up as a teenager. First album to give me goosebumps



My Dad introduced me to Miles Davis and this was the album that really did it for me. Reminds me of summers and fishing with the old man.



Could have picked any album by The Cure from the 80s or early 90s, but this one just reminds me of that feeling of independence and optimism, probably not a word you often associate with The Cure.