Ten Albums.

Recently I accepted a facebook challenge to list an album a day for ten days and challenge a friend a day to do the same. It was low key. No pressure and no expectation so I thought "Why not?" I never do these things. Well, it lasted exactly one post. 😏 I know but I'm not really good at tasks. You could ask my wife. I grumble if I have to get up and hand somebody a remote control. Still, music has been a big influence on my life and so I decided "Whut the heck." I'll just do it in one broad stroke. So, here are ten albums that had a big effect on me growing up.

 Now to be honest individual songs had more effect than whole albums. But, I grew up in an era where if we liked a song we only had a few choices. Buy the whole album for one song. Call in a local radio station if the DJ was doing a request show. Or get a cassette player and patiently wait for that certain hit to be played and mash record and then right as the song ended mash stop unless you wanted to end up with about 30 seconds of a following song you didn't like or a commercial . 😨

But, there are albums that I couldn't wait to buy and that I haunted my local record store for until they came in. Here are 10 of them.  In no particular order. Just saying they had an effect.

1. One of These Nights (Eagles) If I absolutely had to be on a desert island with only one album then I think this would be it. It's a hard choice to make but this is for me the last pure "Eagles" album. This one has Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner and the original Eagles line up. It also has Don Felder who wasn't in the first lineup but was instrumental to the band. I don't care what Don Henley said later. It's not that I didn't continue to love the band. I did. But, when I  think of the Eagles and the greatest single album they did I always come back to this one. If you are not old enough to have heard the original "Take to the Limit" with Meisner on lead vocals then you really don't realize what a tight vocal group the Eagles were from the start.

2. Rumors (Fleetwood Mac) This was the start of the Stevie Nicks era for Fleetwood Mac. Once she took the lead and started "Dreams" and that little twirl she did on stage the hearts of young rock and roll men were won. This is for me the only "Greatest Hits" album I would ever need from Fleetwood Mac. Now to be honest Fleetwood Mac was a really good blues group from the start in Britain. They did some seriously classic stuff way before they hit American shores and I can't argue that the band once Buckingham/Nicks joined was as deep as the original. Google it sometime and you will find how deep and serious musically they were. But, at the same time I have to admit. I love the sound and the songs once Stevie Nicks became the centerpiece. More of a top 40? Well, yeah. But, there is a reason stuff makes the "top 40" It's fun and it has a beat and it touches something. I mean look Prince or Jim Morrison and certainly Beyonce and the current "stuff" will never be Beethoven. I mean in music theory they couldn't touch the hem of his garment. But, their stuff is played and has a pull and draw. While Beethoven is now regulated to elevator music and NPR fund drives. Not saying it's right. Just saying it is what it is.

3. Frampton Comes Alive (Peter Frampton) I Hated this album! 😡 Never did like it. But that is why it's included here. See the top 40 conversation above? Well this is the reverse of that. It's top 40 crap. I bought into the hype. I remember trading a really good Steve Miller 8 track for this. Yeah, it had some cool guitar slides and tricks. But, nothing that I really wanted to listen to over and over while driving around. To this day when I hear the title "Frampton comes Alive" I silently think to myself "Arrgghhh")

4. Eagles Greatest Hits (Eagles) I wouldn't put a greatest hits album on any list. Mainly because a greatest hits isn't really an album. It's just a compilation. But, for those who don't know much about rock history you can google it. The Greatest Hits album was historic in the number of sales for this type of album. I played it over and over and over. Gotta include it if I'm honest about stuff that had an effect on my musical journey.

5. Second Helping (Lynyrd Skynyrd) I loved Southern Rock and this is the absolute best of a Southern Rock band. Sweet Home Alabama, Ballad of Curtis Loew, Don't ask me no questions, The Needle and the Spoon. But, it also reminds me of one of the funniest experiences of my youth. Well, funny now. Not so funny then. I was talking to a really cute girl and I was of  course shy. She started talking about rock groups. Back then my generation always talked our favorite groups and if you were cool you had to know your rock stars. I didn't know much about the band that would become one of my life long favorites. So, when she mentioned Lynyrd Skynyrd I remember saying "Yeah, He's pretty good." I didn't understand the "look" she gave me when I said "he." But, believe me I was really embarrassed later when I found out Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn't a he. 😰😖

6. Running on Empty (Jackson Browne) Always loved this one and always a fan of Jackson Browne.

7. News of the World (Queen) Until you've heard Freddie Mercury doing "Melancholy Blues" you don't know what you're missing. I also liked "All Dead" and "Spread your Wings"

8. Paul Simon This is his second after he left Garfunkel. "Mother and Child Reunion" "Me and Julio" and just a really underrated album.

9. Heart Like a Wheel (Linda Ronstadt) I know some people say Linda Ronstadt didn't write anything. Well, maybe not and if she did I haven't seen it. But, she made those songs she didn't write her own. I have to  tell you that she did Desperado better than my favorite all time group the Eagles. She did Faithless Love and Willin' and Heart like a Wheel and owned them. You haven't heard Dark End of the Street until you've heard the Ronstadt version. She is one of the most versatile of all the artist male or female. Those big brown eyes and that powerful emotional voice. Yeah, she's a hall of fame talent to say the least.

10. Destroyer (Kiss) This is awful as far as vocal and instrumental talent. It's also one of the most entertaining and fun albums I've ever owned and partied with in my youth. I only later as an old fart decided that the musical ability wasn't that great. But, back in the day I loved it. "God of Thunder" "Detroit Rock City" Beth.

Now these are not the greatest albums of my youth. I wouldn't say I absolutely loved all of them. But, they made an impact for various reasons on my musical journey. So, in some ways I really do love all of them. Except for Frampton comes alive. Arggghhh! ✌😈😎