Mostly, we've all been exposed to certain records at a young age that put us on course for a journey in being obsessed with, or hooked on music. These are the albums that stuck with you and wouldn't let go, you were educated by them in a way of speaking, sort of giving you a rough guideline of what your own individual taste in music would be. What exactly we are influenced by, specifically or unknown, by those records at the time you aren't likely able to pinpoint, for me I was pretty young but still aware to what music was, and so for me at the time, I couldn't say what about those records influenced me. Now however, I feel I can to some point. So if you'll take the time to read about my early years of musical development, that'd fancy me nicely. Here we go...
First up, Michael Jackson and his record Dangerous. Released in 1991, it wouldn't be until I was five or six that I'd pick this up on cassette at a music store in Ontario, Oregon. I remember being told by the owner of the record store that the cassetts in the bowl on the counter were free, and being that I was short and couldn't see what I was grabbing, I asked my dad if I could get one, I was thrilled when he approved, and so I dug in there on my tippi-toes, took hold of one of the cassettes, brought to eye level and was hypnotized by the cassettes art. Back then, it was like looking at a bizarre music video with all those weird, spinning colors, flashes of light, faces spinning, stuff like that. Upon getting home, the first thing I did was find my fathers cassette player, and put in my new cassette to check out what I got. The opening song Jam blared out of the speakers, and my little butt just started moving something fierce. I was doing little spins and turns, banging my head like it was heavy metal, just having a grand time. I was completely immersing myself in the music, and I remember my mother grabbing the camera to record me dancing to my at the time, favorite artist. I was lip-syncing my own made up words to the song, scrunching my face up because to me, Michael sounded pissed off. Yeah man, I was rocking out.
I still love that album to this day, it's a great album. The other song that really got me moving, even though they all did at the time, but the other song that really got me dancing, was Black And White. I dug that song heavily, but Jam had always been my jam, hahaha, when I was little and listened to that album. I actually did a little dance at my school after I saw the video for the song. I'm sure I looked like a little kid on drugs flailing around, but I was trying to mimic Michael and his super cool dance moves, as I called them then.
Next up is the 1977 release from master guitarist Ted Nugent, Cat Scratch Fever. This was a record my dad had on vinyl at our home when I was younger, or maybe older than I was when I first got the Michael Jackson album Dangerous. I remember that when he first put it on, I was asking to hear some music because I wanted to air guitar or something. I kind of had this poor, white kid affro at the time (yes, you can laugh...) and it gave me what I thought were rock n roll powers haha. So, the album opens with the title track for the album, and I start doing my thing, jumping around on the couches and floor, doing my air guitar like I had the real thing. Sometimes I'd break a sweat I got so in to it. This was one of my initiation albums in to rock n roll, I'll be discussing the next one after this.
Cat Scratch Fever became a regularly spun vinyl record at home at the time, my mom got a little annoyed as she never has been a fan of much rock n roll, especially not uncle Ted Nugent, as I called him. Long story short. This was one of my favorite records as a little, newly emerging fan of good ol' rock n roll.
Jimi Hendrix! This guy blew my mind when I was little, I still think he's amazing, but I really thought he was incredibly amazing when I was little. I air guitared so hard to this guy, that I'd pass out on the spot from exhausting myself, but I'd wake up and ask to hear Jimi Hendrix again to do it all over again. Are You Experienced opened Jimi Hendrix 1984 album Kiss The Sky, a compilation album. I loved how the song sounded, which I guess I could describe as my younger self to be sort of space-like sounding. I adored Jimi Hendrix, and I listened to Purple Haze probably a few thousand times. This album was treasured by me, but I did hear other albums by him when I was little, I liked them all. It was freaking Jimi Hendrix!
Next up we have three albums from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers; Full Moon Fever, Damn The Torpedoes, and Southern Accents. I still love Tom Petty, I think his music is great and instantly recognizable, as I believe he had his own, distinct sound. My father was a big fan of Tom Petty, and these three albums were played a lot. I rocked pretty hard to songs like Runnin' Down A Dream, Here Comes My Girl, Don't Come Around Here No More, Free Fallin'. If my father put Tom Petty on, I was front and center by the speakers, having my own personal concert, rocking out like no tomorrow. Tom Petty, he's one and only.
Don't Fear The Reaper, Godzilla, Burnin' For You. Blue Oyster Cult was another band my father was big on, myself included at the time. Godzilla actually scared me a little for some reason when I listened to it, but I jammed through that fear every time. This band right here was a nice, jamming band. Grateful to them.
So, there you have it. A few of the albums that helped my own my way with my musical journey of developing my own taste of it, and doing my own exploring in to other artists to get in to, broaden my musical horizon.