15 Albums That Changed My Life, Not That You Asked

  1. Soundtrack to Disney’s feature length animation, “101 Dalmations,” played on my red portable record player/briefcase — Cruella De Vil rocked. The chorus sings how she made her husband take her last name. What a woman! Too bad about her puppy-skin coat fetish. (And that fat ugly husband.)

  2. Debbie Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” — For a third grader who enjoyed singing herself to sleep with sad tunes like “Leaving On a Jet Plane” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” this was I-T, in feathered hair.

  3. My younger brother’s musical selections — These included classics by Donald Duck, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and Wonder Woman’s theme song. I admired his musical maturity and confidence, especially with the 8-track tapes.

  4. Cory Hart, “Boy In the Box” — He wore sunglasses at night.

  5. ABC, “How To Be a Zillionaire” — How do I?

  6. That K-Tel one with “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Leader of the Pack,” and “It’s My Party (and I’ll Cry If I Want To)” on it — I find my niche! Alas, I was born 20 years too late for my niche.

  7. The B-52’s, “The B-52’s” — Bouffant rock lobster dancing joy.

  8. Vintage 1980s The Cure — Long live teenage depression.

  9. Roxy Music something or other

  10. That first Enya CD

  11. Smithsonian recordings of early American jazz — Now that’s music. (Modern jazz: you suck.)

  12. Various trance and electronica

  13. Coldplay, “Parachutes”

  14. Ruben González, “Introducing... Ruben González” — The Buena Vista Social Club pianist puts music between the notes, right in the silences, and has the wherewithal for red slacks.

  15. Jonathan Richman everything — “She don’t act like no bad breakfast cereal, waitin’ to wilt in the milk,” woe, woe, woe.

There was also the decades-long forced Classical music listening administered by the Parental Unit, of which we must never, ever speak.

Ported over from Facebook.

Comments

David said…
"Smithsonian recordings of early American jazz — Now that’s music. (Modern jazz: you suck.)" I couldn't agree more!!! Modern country sucks too. It's just pop-rock with a fiddle. The 50's and 60's had real country music!
wolf said…
Aaahh... the forced classical music. That's my story as well. Nothing but classical until I finally was old enough to buy a Walkman and some tapes.

First album ever bought? Genesis - Invisible Touch.Good list.
Bill White said…
Half your choices hit the spot. However, where is "Poetry in Motion" and "Red Rubber Ball"?
Bill White said…
Sad confession: I still enjoy my classic Alvin & the Chipmunks album. "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" makes me smile when I am feeling low.

Yes, I am a grown man.
P.L. Frederick said…
David — I can always tell authentic country music because it puts a tear in my eye. Songs about sippy cups and teddy bears don't do it for me. Dagnam kids today. Off my lawn!

Wolf — Invisible Touch, that was a good one. The irony for me is that, although I despised classical as a kid, today I'm always listening to it. Like now. That is a secret I might withhold from Mom until her 100th birthday. Hee hee!

Bill — Once an Alvin fan, always an Alvin fan. Ever listen to Alvin & the Chipmunks at high speed? While not as funny it somehow proved that Alvin and his brothers were real live giant-chipmunk singers and that the regular speed voices were their real voices.
mason said…
What's that on your head? I said what's that on your head?
P.L. Frederick said…
Hair. It's hair. Unless... there's not a spider crawling up me is there?
mason said…
think...b52's....
P.L. Frederick said…
Ah, a Honest and For-True B52's Fan. :-)
Bunk Strutts said…
And everyone had matching towels.

http://tackyraccoons.com/2008/04/26/saturday-matinee-beach-blanket-fishbone-starring-annette-funicello/

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