The Soundtracks of my Salad Days

What were the 10 most influencial albums of my formative teenaged years?  I'm not talking about the ones that defined the 1st half of the '80s, but the ones that to a large extent defined me, and are still discernable musical influences.

Neil Young: "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"

Dire Straits: "Alchemy"

Led Zeppelin: "Zeppelin II" (My first love's favorite band)

R.E.M.: "Murmur"

Crosby, Stills and Nash: "Crosby Stills and Nash" (Love that Wooden Ships).

The Grateful Dead: (Probably should be a bootleg, like the second set from that Madison show in '73)

Hot Tuna: "Hot Tuna" (Jorma and Jack bring it on home)

Taj Mahal: "Taj Mahal"

Juluka: "African Litany"

The Clash: "Super Black Market Clash"

I grew up at a boarding school in the late '70s and attended another in the early '80s.  The strong influence of CSN&Y, The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane spinoffs comes from what I heard drifting over the quad from dorm rooms at Millbrook or played on acoustic guitars on the front steps of those dorms.  Some of these albums were discovered when I was away at school by friends with more sophisticated tastes.  There is also an album or two gleaned from my father's vinyl, or from the record collections of the parents of friends. 

What is most fascinating to me, though, is what the list looks like when I fast forward to college:

Nick Drake: "Time of No Reply"

Loudon Wainwright III: "Attempted Mustache"

Richard and Linda Thompson: "Shoot Out The Lights" (RT , not Clapton, is God)

James Brown: "Live at the Apollo"

The Pogues: "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash"

Billy Bragg: "Life's a Riot"

The Cowboy Junkies: "The Trinity Sessions"

Janis Joplin: "Cheap Thrills"

Walter Wolfman Washington: "Out of the Dark"

Beausoleil:  "Live from the Left Coast"

Lots of influence from frumiousb, there, much retained.  I also fronted for a funk band, as you may recall.  Almost all of this music comes from the analog days before I had a cd player.

Since then, its been lots of RT, Joe Henry, Morphine, Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, roots and funk and folk and whatnot.  And kid's music.  My stereo is no longer my own.  Sometimes, though, I climb the stairs to the attic, crank up the old turntable, slap on the vinyl and get the Led out.

How about you?

Comments

[frumiousb]

I missed this when it first appeared (was on vacation). I'll have to play when I get a chance.

[Bill West]

Tim.
Here's my list:
http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2008/08/tunes.html

[theo]

kiss, alive
earth, wind & fire, fantasy
stardrive, stardrive featuring robert mason
rush, hemispheres
led zeppelin, IV
clash, london calling
r.e.m., fables of the reconstruction
grateful dead, live dead
beatles, sgt. pepper's
wire, chairs missing

-t

[Sheri Fenley]

OK They have us all going with this over on the genea-bloggers at Facebook. Here is the link to mine

http://sherifenley.blogspot.com/2008/08/music-to-my-ears.html

Sheri Fenley

[Andrea Batcho]

Britney Spears's "..baby one more time" (1999)
Eminem's "The Slim Shady LP" (1999)
Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" (1992)
Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle" (1993)

I really like rap :)

[Thomas MacEntee]

Here's my post:

http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/08/look-what-theyve-done-to-my-song.html

I told Jasia that perhaps you should put this out there as a meme for the other genea-bloggers. Let me know if you want it posted on the Genea-Bloggers group at Facebook.

[Tauratinzwe]

Cheap Thrills was great but Pearl blew it away.

[CJS]

Funny you should mention some of these; I'm there with you on a lot of 'em:

Richard:
http://coyotebanjo.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-greats-in-100-days-012-richard.html

JB:
http://coyotebanjo.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-greats-in-100-days-027-james-brown.html

The Clash:
http://coyotebanjo.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-greats-in-100-days-018-clash.html

Juluka:
http://coyotebanjo.blogspot.com/2006/07/100-greats-in-100-days-017-juluka-musa.html

And, I was the lead guitarist and music director of a 9-piece horn band; put myself through grad school that way. "Jif & the Choosy Mothers."

Thanks for the memories

cjs