albums that got you as a kid

[Mike Daley]

When I was 12, I found my cousin's copy of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. I put it on and it was the most amazing thing I had ever heard - so much brilliance coming from one guy with an acoustic guitar. I made the decision right there, that afternoon, that what I wanted to do with my life was be a creative person. I wrote my first poem later that day and started playing guitar a couple of months later.

[MarcO]

I tried for Spin-o-Rama but never made it. They almost always played Burton Cummings coming into or out of it.

My parents had a lot of shitty records around (Englebert Humperdink etc) but, being immigrants from Scotland, they had some early British pressings of some Beatles albums (Please Please Me, Beatles For Sale, With The Beatles) as well as the Red & Blue albums. Those, along with a Beach Boys collection, are my earliest musical memories. I was into KISS by the time I was in Grade 2 (they scared me but I liked it) and can still remember bringing a 12" single of "I Was Made For Loving You" to a show and tell one day. A kid crapped his pants that same day and we all went loony. It's amazing I cannot remember what I had for lunch today but that memory is clear as day.

[Im going home Donny]

haha...I was made for lovin you baby....that was a tree fort smash!

I think I might be the only kid in the world that can't stand Johny be good?....and it seems everyone wants to cover it...this always make my spine shivver...

[Jaimoe]

When I got a little older, sometime around 9 or 10, I got hooked on listening to great rock stations from Upstate New York - I'm from Kingston. 94 Rock from Fullton and 104.7 Kix FM from Syracuse. I wouldn't have been influenced by The Allman Brothers, Dead, Neil Young and Who if it weren't for those stations. And luckily, I never heard a Max Webster song until I moved to Toronto in 1991.

Back in the 70's to late 80's, Kingston was heavily influenced by American rock radio. It makes sense that Kingston has a good rock history and scene.

[dave-O]

You guys are making me all misty eyed with your Kiss memories. I convinced my Mom to buy me the "I Was Made For Loving You" 45 at the tender age of 4. I thought Kiss were more super-heroes than a band back then. And I remember growing to love the B-side - Ace Frehely's Hard Times - even more than the a-side...

[Drawbar]

Has to be Creedence Gold and Frank Zappa "Apostrophe". Two killer albums that my old man loved. Mom got pretty tired of them but my brother and I knew all the lyrics. "Midnight Special" was a favorite. That and "Yellow Snow"

[DevO]

ehahhah i used to try to get onto Spin-O-Rama before school every morning too! I never got through though.

Also growing up, I was an avid fan of the show TORONTO ROCKS!, which was before Much Music I believe. The guy had a Helix poster up on the wall behind him (among many others).

[SmoothedShredder]

Learn How to Break Dance, with Book and LP... I passed on the Ghostbusters soundtrack for this... and never really learned how to breakdance well.

[ReDD]

When I was just little my dad used to be into Tears For Fears. We listened to the album Songs From The Big Chair when I was 3. My dad's always been a big musical influence on me. He got me into Hendrix, Zepplin, Neil Young, Clapton, Beatles...etc etc etc.

Yeah for Dads..

[Del]

Two words: Mini Pops

Seriously though, my parents listened to alot of old country when I was a kid. I think that explains my love of bluegrass...

[GUITARZAN]

My dad had his day of music in the house growing up...that was Sunday Mornings usually...and it started early...and loud. I can specifically remember lying in bed as a kid and hearing so much music coming up the stairs from my basement to my bedroom and taking it all in...usually gave me cool dreams, that have still to this day givin me weid interpretaions of certain songs.

The first three songs I can remember are..slip sliding away(Paul SImon), rambin man(Allman's), alison ( elvis costello). Slip sliding away gave me the craziest dreams for some reason...I always invisioned myself going down these huge waterlides that were contructed out of ice...and they went on and on for what seemed like an eternity, if I close my eyes I can still picture it.

I had this little mickey mouse record player...you know the one that utilizes mickey's arm as the neeedle. Anyway, my dad gave me a ton of old Beach Boy and Beatle Records...I made a little guitar out of wood and rubber bands and would play along to Good Vibrations. Good Vibrations...my sister always thought it was a perverted song about how girls boobs would jiggle when they ran...and she said that I ws only interested in the song because of that...I never understood that...but she was right about me liking boobs...some things never change.

When I was good my father would let me hang out in his office slash library ( he's a writer), and we would listen to Tommy and Quadrophenia...i was only like 9 or 10 at the time...then he would normally put on that double Allmans Brother Record...and teach me what southern guitar ws all about. Of course this was then followed by my fathers favorite....Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 revisted...Visions of Johanna and me go along way back.

Sorry to ramble...but my childhood was filled with music...on record and also my dad singing us to sleep with the acordian playing dylan songs...he wasn't a good singer, but the songs always sounded interesting on the acordian none the less....I always mention when the parents are complaining that I am still broke and trying to make it as a musician...that it is their fault for playing so much damn good music around the house...I usually get a hmmmmmmm, and then a silence that says...your right...keep playing...for now.

[Del]

I made a little guitar out of wood and rubber bands and would play along to Good Vibrations. Good Vibrations...my sister always thought it was a perverted song about how girls boobs would jiggle when they ran...and she said that I ws only interested in the song because of that...I never understood that...but she was right about me liking boobs...some things never change.

That's about the best/funniest thing I've read on here in a long time... You should honestly include that in the liner notes to an album or something... Brilliant.

[StoneMtn]

I am envying many of you in this thread, because my father doesn't listen to music. My mother only ever listened to the worst "easy listening pop" (which paradoxically enough is really hard to listen to).

I had no musical influence growing up at home, at all; ever.

[balogna pogna]

Falco 3. It has 3 different versions of Rock me Amadeus....actually it is back in rotation in my bathroom right now. I owned it when it came out in 1985, and it still intrigues me.

[Del]

I hate to admit it, but I was a Falco fan as well...

[Snail]

I think the first album I ever bought was ELO "Out of the Blue" then the Beatles best ofs the "Red" and the "Blue", Meatloaf "Bat Out Of Hell" was a gift from a bunch of my friends when I turned 12 for some reason I bought a 45 of Toto's "Hold the Line" and of course the Stone's "She's so Cold".

I had a friend down the street who had a brother that was 10 years older than us and I distinctly remember listening to some pretty heavy 70's rock: Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, Kiss etc.. he even had some Cheech and Chong that I can still quote parts of today ("Bob.. for 100 keys what is your name")

[Im going home Donny]

I am envying many of you in this thread, because my father doesn't listen to music. My mother only ever listened to the worst "easy listening pop" (which paradoxically enough is really hard to listen to).

I had no musical influence growing up at home, at all; ever.

and yet...somehow, someway, here you are...mr.freaky, socially, envirementally, conscienced, music lovin, lawyer freak, living atop the mountain...ahaha your folks musta done something right!

[Schwa.]

Queen - Night at the Opera... totally my turning point in music.

(Before that I had things like Twisted Sister and Motley Crue).

Paan, I recently learned to play a tune from that album. Ask me to play it at Izzy's for ya if I got the gitter out. I too was a big Queen fan. Bought A Night At The Opera on a family shopping trip to London WHite Oaks Mall around grade 8ish i think. News of the World followed shortly after that.

Year of '39 is the tune, wicked catchy.

Peas.