Childhood memories in albums

390   8  

First CD I ever owned
First Pink Floyd album ever owned

Age: 9

The year was 1991 and I will never forget it. I was in school, struggling a bit when one day my father gave me this record, telling me I should listen to it cause it was something he had when he was young. This record too was the very first CD pressing of Animals from Columbia records. It did have artwork (folded out with hand written lyrics and a few photographs) and like most CDs back then, it had the "Compact Disc" logo in the corner of the album cover.

My old man was a classic rock fan of the 70's, but his more prime music was the 80's Heavy Metal (also got my start there because of him) When I first listened to Animals I was blown away. It was like nothing I had ever heard from a kid on the radio, and the songs were just so long. I was the only kid going into Middle School that had any idea who Pink Floyd was outside of jokes of Another Brick in the Wall.

The Outcome: Animals was a great stepping block into music for me looking back at it. I still listen to the album from time to time and I argue it should be in the ranking of one of the best albums from the 70's. People have argued for years if Dark Side or The Wall is the best PF album, but I'd take Animals over the both of them.

Frank's rating:

569   8.2  

First Cassette I ever owned
Second CD I ever owned
First Led Zeppelin album ever owned

Age: 10

In a time when cassettes were cheap with cds becoming the new thing that would eventually override the cassettes years later, I got this at a yard sale. It was not worn out but had some damage to the inner sleeve. Who ever owned it did not take much care of it.

I used to love Led Zeppelin as a young kid and this album is mostly why. Songs like Living Loving Maid, Whole Lotta Love, and Thank You. Later on the cassette worn out very quick and would not play without sounding so horrible, and in return someone that my old man knew gave him the CD, for me to have. Also in some worn shape, but it was better than the cassette and I cherished it.

Outcome: Not my favorite Led Zeppelin album, and nor did it have any outcome on me venturing to Blues, yet it did show me the power of the 70's, and later on I used it when searching for bands with a similar sound.

Frank's rating:

223   8.3  

First Vinyl I ever owned
4th CD I ever owned
First Black Sabbath album ever owned

Age: 11

Now we are in familiar territory looking back at most of my childhood. My father loved Black Sabbath, and would have worshipped Ozzy over anyone other musician for quite some time. This was a vinyl he owned, years ago and was worn out. I have no idea if it was a re-pressing or first print, but he treasured the album as if it was the holy grail. He even had a CD print from Warner Bros, first ever CD pressing of the album which he gave to me years before the vinyl.

Black Sabbath used to scare the living shit out of me. Just the first track with that bell ringing was enough to do it for me, but I was into this stuff as a kid. From then on, it was pretty much sealed that in a few years I'd grow my hair out and be a Metal head that was constantly skipping school. I bought a few more Black Sabbath records after this one, only 3: Paranoid, Mob Rules, and Heaven and Hell; which funny thing is the Dio ones I thought were their best work.

Outcome: I have not listened to this in years. For my 15th birthday, the vinyl was given to me as a present, when our family had fallen on hard times, and I still have it locked up, keeping the promise I'd never get rid of it. I guess you could say I never was the biggest Black Sabbath or Ozzy fan. I do appreciate them, and have respect for what they did, but I don't look back at it and think it's the greatest stuff ever made.

Frank's rating:

91   8.2  

5th CD I ever owned
First Ozzy Osbourne album ever owned
Album that made me want to play guitar

Age: 12

When you've heard that song Crazy Train on the radio for years, it's only a matter of time you get an Ozzy record. My aunt bought me this record for my 12th birthday, and like the others, it was the first pressing of the CD. I still remember it, just a year later Ozzy's solo stuff would become very relevant again with the 1995 remasters (which I bought 4 of: Diary of a Madman, No Rest for the Wicked, Bark at the Moon, and No More Tears)

The album itself never left my CD player for months. I was obsessed, hooked. Randy Rhoads was god in my eyes, and was the reason I wanted to play the guitar. I wanted to be like him. I just loved this record, I Don't Know, Revelation Mother Earth, and No More Bone Movies. My father also played guitar, and this was the stepping stone to him teaching me the little stuff he did know. I liked this so much more than Black Sabbath, it was much more melodic, and not so dark sounding. I ended up losing my first cd of the album, then I had to buy that 1995 reissue, ended up losing that one as well when my car was broken into, and I had to buy that shitty 2002 reissue that was remixed, but thankfully last year they finally had re-issued the original album again and it sits in my cabinet.

Outcome: This album is ultimately the reason I started listening to David Bowie. Sure it sounds funny, but I had guitar world magazines, and I had read every little thing about Randy Rhoads and how he looked up to Mick Ronson as an inspiration and Bowie's music. Years later, I had the chance to get into Bowie and I never let that opportunity pass me up. I still listen to this album from time to time every now and then and smile when I do.

Frank's rating:

1   10  

First live album ever owned
First Judas Priest album ever owned

Age: 13

Yet another in my father's collection. I had heard the song Breaking the Law on the radio one day and was singing it everywhere, drove my mother insane, then in return my father told me it was Judas Priest and gave me this old album of his and told me to listen to it.

It was my first live record, and I had no clue what to expect. How do bands play live? Do they often mess up like I do when I am plugged and playing? This record grew on me. At first I didn't really care for it, but Halford's vocals grew heavy on me showing his strength as a singer, and next thing I knew I was hunting down their albums in stores trying to get my hands on everything possible. I was trying to learn riffs like The Ripper and Victim of Changes, which I thought were the hardest stuff ever at one time. I was picked on in school over liking them, because Halford was gay, and it even bothered my parents quite a bit how obsessed I was with their music, to the point they didn't let me buy any of their records for a while, though I had British Steel, Painkiller, and Stained Class; which were enough to listen to thousands of times over.

Outcome: This record ultimately showed me how to judge a band. You don't buy greatest hits albums, you buy the live album and that is how you judge them. If they sound great live on the record, it's the approval to buy the ticket to the show. I haven't listened to this in a couple of years, but I still look at Judas Priest as a part of my childhood and even bought the Metalology box set some years back to go in my collection.

235   8.1  

First Iron Maiden album ever owned

Age: 13

When I got into Judas Priest, I got into Iron Maiden almost immediately at the same time. My father was crazy about them, had so many of their sleeves, and I thought their album covers were the coolest drawings ever. One hot summer day, I sneaked into my parents room and came out with this record, listened to it a few times and was blown away. Immediately I seen the Judas Priest influence on the harmonized guitars. Later on I admitted to what I done, no harm done thank god, and in return my old man gave me Piece of Mind to listen to.

I had a friend at the time, only one friend in school and I had him hooked on this record to the point he asked for it for Christmas one year and got it. We'd listen to Powerslave every day we were at one or the others houses, and we downright loved them to death, especially the longer tracks; Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the title track.

Outcome: Iron Maiden was a favorite of mine all through school, and funny thing was no one was really into them. It was considered "old shit" with the rise of Pantera and newer bands, like Stone Temple Pilots.

Frank's rating:

29   7.4  

First Megadeth album ever owned
First Speed/Thrash Metal album ever owned
First concert ever - Megadeth - Cryptic Writings Tour 1997

Age: 14

Countdown to Extinction was a prized album to my father. He used to love bragging how many times he had to buy the album from losing it, because he loved it so much. He knew a few riffs to Symphony of Destruction, and Sweating Bullets but never focused on learning the entire songs. Eventually I managed to get a hold of the record, 4 months after he talked about it. All I got was the disc, but I didn't care. I didn't even know the names of the songs I was listening to, but was thankful to have the album, even if it was just the disc!

I was in love with the record, absolutely loved it. Later on, I got the names of the songs, Ashes in Your Mouth was probably the one I played the most. I thought Dave and Marty Friedman were two of the greatest ever. All my friends in school at the time was tripping on Metallica turning into an alternative band with their sell out album "Load" which I thought was a shitty record (bought that one too). I never was a big Metallica fan, yet I don't get into the whole Metallica vs Megadeth thing. They just aren't a band I got into, and probably cause I had these records.

Megadeth also was the first concert I ever attended, it was in 1996, Cryptic Writings tour, and sadly I can't even remember most of it. My father bought the tickets, we went together, and it was a blast even though I was under aged and they had to basically sneak me in, which is a long story that I sadly remember more than the actual show.

Outcome: I loved Megadeth as a teenager, and surprisingly they are one of the very few Metal bands I still cared for as I became an adult. I had heard so much negative responses to their albums since Cryptic Writings, but i have to say; United Abominations was 15 dollars I will never regret spending. True, I don't really care for their newer stuff, but I loved United Abominations.

5   9.3  

First Mercyful Fate album ever owned
First album I ever played along to note for note on guitar
First solo I ever learned - Melissa

Age: 14


It was hilarious how I even found this band. Before my first Black Sabbath album I was obsessed with Kiss as a kid, over the makeup, they just looked so cool to me. When I seen an old picture of King Diamond in a guitar magazine, I said he looked like Gene Simmons. My father laughed in response and said he was a shitty singer in a great band. That great band he was referring to was Mercyful Fate.

What I didn't know was that I could my hands on a Mercyful Fate record so easy. I knew a friend in school, that liked to get all his Metal albums from an older brother. I had to pay him 10 dollars, from saving lunch money and some allowance and in return he brought me back this record, and it was in mint condition, probably only played once or twice.

I used this album to a huge advantage learning guitar. I used to listen to it over and over and over for hours all day. It was the only album I listened to, and the guitar is what I was obsessed with. I learned many, many riffs from this album and would play along to it, even learning most of it by ear training. My father loved hearing me play along to it, yet hated King Diamond's voice, but he later complimented me for learning all of it, that made me feel damn good.

Outcome: I don't think i have listened to this in many years, yet it's still drilled in my skull. Every lyric, every solo, with that said, the last time I remember ever playing along to it, I was 16 years old, and that was about 13 or 14 years ago. I bought 2 more of their albums later on, yet the older I got, I was quickly drifting away from Heavy Metal, but I never look back and say "What the hell was I doing with this shit?" I appreciate for what it did for me. There is no mistakes in music, none.

Frank's rating:

386   8  

First Guns and Roses album ever owned
First time ever seeing Parental Advisory sticker

Age: 15

So what's up with that sticker that says "Parental Advisory"? I wasn't supposed to get this record. My mother absolutely hated how I got a hold of it. My aunt ended up buying it for me, and they argued over it, she said just fuck it, you raise him right you don't have to worry about music brain washing him into a junkie. And she spoke the truth. My father wasn't too thrilled I had it at first, but later didn't care. We even played it together, but it became something about being a bad ass. I knew at school kids had rap records with those stickers on them, and it made them think they were bad asses cause they had something that was deemed to be bad, with those stickers.

I fell in love with the E Flat tuning from listening to Slash, yet I was never allowed to play in that style. My old man was very strict keeping the guitar tuned in standard, even though he was not much a guitar player himself, as he could never play a solo, constantly limiting himself to the rhythm only. I never learned much of GNR, other than some of the melodic parts of Sweet Child O' Mine, but I just loved their sound, no need to really want to play like them.

Outcome: I still look at Slash as one of the best in Rock and Roll, and the one modern guitar player I'd take any day of the week over everyone in today's era of Rock. I have not listened to the record in some years, other than what I hear on the radio but it's still scarred on my brain. Every lyric, and every note, I know.

Frank's rating:

35   7.6  

First Ministry album ever owned
First "WTF" reaction ever from first listening

Age: 15

I had seen T shirts around the time of Ministry with a motor on it that said Jesus Built My Hotrod, and I thought it was flat out hilarious. I ended up getting a hold of this record out of a desperate attempt trying to find Psalm 69. My first listen will never be forgotten, I had a look on my face as if I had seen a ghost.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!!!??? I was just blown away, not knowing a thing I had just heard. it sounded so hateful, just loaded with pissed off hatred, yet at the same time this weird sound that was flat out insane. I hated it the first time I heard it, but listened to it again, and again, and again and was finding a love for it slowly. Eventually I did get a hold of Psalm 69, which I listened to much more, but Land of Rape and Honey was the first I ever had a jaw dropping incident freaked over something I heard.

Outcome: This record gave me the "never know what you are gonna get" attitude when it came to an album, and later on reflected heavily on Jazz Fusion albums I got a hold of. I haven't listened to Ministry in a long time, including their good stuff. Nowadays it's pretty sad just how much old Al has lost it with his super fast speed metal bullshit, but I still appreciate this for what it did to me.

Frank's rating:

57   7.6  

First New Wave/Synth/Dance album ever owned
First New Order album ever owned

Age: 15

When listening to Ministry maybe, or it could have been anything, even Ozzy's heavy keyboard songs, I was growing a 'guilty pleasure' for keyboards to dance to. That's exactly what Synth Pop is too, even to this day, it's that guilty pleasure that you listen to over and over with a big smirk on your face thinking how funny it is you enjoy it so much.

The one thing that was such an attraction to New Order was the song Blue Monday. Surprisingly it was on this copy of the CD, the american QWest pressing. My aunt bought me this record, remember getting it on Christmas day and I said 'these guys keyboards are off the chain' and my old man looked at me weird and said 'flowers for the album cover? I'll pass'. I never tortured him into listening to it, but I was in love with the drum intro of Blue Monday all the way up to the heavy synth songs.

Outcome: This album led me to heavy synth. Depeche Mode, Berlin, Blondie, and most of all; Gary Numan. My parents hated this "garbage" as it was referred to, especially my old man, always making jokes about it. I learned from it though, this was the core reason how I learned music worked without it having to be the same formula like Rock/Heavy Metal, and I can't remember one person at the time that didn't tell me I was a nut case kid that was stupid.

Frank's rating:

100   7.5  

First Funk/R&B style album ever owned
First Prince album ever owned

Age: 15

Purple Rain, Purple Rain...I was sitting at home one day with my mother, when she watched the movie Purple Rain. I walked in half way through. Eventually getting to the big finale where they play the song, and it's got that emotional vibe to it. First time watching it, made me cry. Looking back at it now, I don't laugh at that. Before I even owned a computer, I thought that movie was great. I didn't know it was ever slanted and people talk like it's an abomination.

In return from seeing the movie, I had the chance to buy the album, and I did. It reminded me of New Order a bit, the drums some how, and all the synth but most of all was the R&B sound in The Beautiful Ones and Baby I'm A Star that caught my attention. I started to play my guitar clean after that, with a few effects to reflect the heavy Funk style of Prince. In return, it was not well received around my father or friends that were stuck in Heavy Metal, as I often was told how shitty I sounded.

Outcome: I ended up buying more Prince albums, and this became my introduction to R&B and Funk which later had me glued to stuff like James Brown's late 60's funky style. I still listen to it from time to time, but not like I did when I was a teenager. It's an album I will play along to, when I am experimenting with effects, but nothing more than that.

Frank's rating:

20   7.9  

First album ever owned with no guitars
Second album ever played along to - all songs
First Gary Numan album ever owned


Age: 16

Cars...you know you heard it before. I heard it on the radio a few times as a kid, and finally wanting to know who the hell wrote this and who is this guy Gary Numan. No one I knew had a clue who he was. Even this album, I had a tough time getting a hold of it, and when I did it was a one of the first pressings of the album. No bonus tracks, but I was in love with it.

What I learned from Gary Numan was a huge lesson. Now, the album itself did not have a single guitar on it, but I just knew from listening, he had to have wrote this album on guitar. I will argue that too, there is no way he was not playing Metal or M.E. on a guitar, cause I managed to learn the album note for note just by listening to the keyboards. It taught me a valuable lesson of translation. The guitar and piano could basically be the exact same thing. I tried to tell my friends this as well, no one would listen to me.

Outcome: Gary Numan's style was heavy on me. I bought so many of his records after this, even the hard to find ones, I remember spending 30 dollars to get ripped off on a used copy The Fury extended, and i thought it was worth every penny at the time cause it was so rare. I don't listen to him much anymore, nor have I in years, but the lesson of translation, and later on his style became a huge influence on me as I started listening to Jazz, it really helped me with listening to other instruments. Now in today's day, I find his music to sound like shit, but once upon a time, the guy was a genius and is probably the most underrated man of all the 80's.

Frank's rating:

452   8.4  

First time ever learning chord progression
Third album ever played along to
First Bowie album ever owned

Age: 17

Around the times, Marilyn Manson was probably the biggest Rock group around. I mean they were big and it was no in between on them. You either loved them or you hated them. At the time, I did like him, cause he was like the spokesperson for teenagers that were bullied in school, but I quickly learned better, and for the best.

I saw Ziggy Stardust on vinyl in a flea market for 17.99, outrageous price for a vinyl, but it was in such great condition. I spent all my money on it, just said fuck it, I'll go broke for some weeks (I barely made any money at the time helping my family, did not a job until I was 18). Luckily I still had a vinyl player, given to me, though it was old and worn out I did not care. I wanted to learn why Ziggy Stardust was cited as the one album that changed Rock and Roll going into the 70's.

Oh did I find out, when I heard Five Years I was hooked instantly as soon as that lyric came "I heard telephones, opera house, favorite melodies...". I was telling kids in high school, forget Mechanical Animals, THIS ALBUM is the REAL fucking deal. Kids were dumb, you know them good old excuses "That's old, that's out dated". After listening to Bowie, I knew who was the true piece of gold, and the man that so many people tried their hardest to be. Just like Marilyn Manson, he's basically the poor man's Bowie, that slings far more profanity.

Just like years previous, I did see Ozzy and Randy Rhoads' influence spark on this record. Mick Ronson's style, was amazing and brilliant, while Randy Rhoads transformed it into a classical style. If you wanted to be like Randy, you should start by playing along to Ronson's riffs on this album. I wanted to learn guitar chords after listening to the acoustics on this record, and even had one of my friends learning it. I was playing chords, while he built riffs between them, good old days, and we wrote songs like this together.

Outcome: Ziggy Stardust changed my life as a guitar player, and made me so much more organized. Gone were the days trying to keep up with super fast rhythms, and having a speed contest over Metal songs. The album itself is the real blue print to a rock and roll album, and even a concept album. I bought many, many Bowie records after this and came to the conclusion so many people had ripped him off in the 80's, and still do to this day. For every Bowie style record, there is 5 people wanting to be the poor man's Bowie. I still pop this in my car every now and then, but don't listen to it like I used to, but it's played still to this day.

Frank's rating:

9   8  

First 60's Album ever owned
First Rolling Stones Album ever owned

Age: 17

I had listened to Bowie's cover of Let's Spend the Night Together, and was wondering just who was The Rolling Stones? I had to track down their older albums...I found this one used in a record store, cheap for 10 dollars used, and it had that song on it, only reason I bought it, when it was worth more than that for sure.

Now I knew a lot of people that thought the Stones were a shitty band, and would hold the Beatles on a pedestal to say who was better. But I never seen where they sounded like them all. They weren't singing about fair rides or holding hands, the Stones were the dirty Blues boys that didn't give a rats ass if they pissed anyone off with their foul mouths; and the best part was they didn't have to use a lot of profanity and get Parental Advisory stickers on their albums. Just something like "Honey, I missed your two tongue kisses -Legs wrapped around me tight" gets the point across easily. And this isn't about the goody feeling of girls, it's the truth when you hear that line "Tell me baby, who's been sleeping here - What you say girl, who'd you see that night". The Stones were dirty, not covering up the fact that shit happens, and the world can crush your dreams easily.


When I listened to this album, I grew deeper into R&B roots, and most of all the Blues. No one I knew really cared for it, or the Stones for that matter. The excuse was always drug abuse or how old they were, I didn't care. Songs like Cool Calm Collected, Who's Been Sleeping Here, and Ruby Tuesday were straight up addictive. I already suffered from school as a young kid, and the Stones music, the depressing real world was a reflection of the blues, and there was no looking back at it and thinking "gee I wish my life was this easy" like you probably think when watching a dumb comedy movie where the guy's life is a dream of what you wish yours was. Nope, by the time you're 17, you may think life sucks, cause the world just crushed your dreams, but you gotta live...can't coward out of it at this point when you've survived enough rough things.

Outcome: This album ultimately helped push me toward Blues. I started listening to Muddy Waters after hearing the Stones, and their covers of old Blues songs really raised my interest. This isn't their best record ever, but it deserves to be here as the first one I ever got my hands on. It's been a long long time since I listened to this specific album, but Sticky Fingers, and Beggars Banquet, Goat Head Soup, etc those are records I will play leads along to, especially Mick Taylor's solos.

Frank's rating:

12   8  

First Blues album ever owned
First SRV album ever owned
First time ever tuned in E flat
First time using thick strings


Age: 18

In my final year of high school, now working a job, the Blues finally got my soul. There was no turning back after SRV's heavy strings landed the speed frenzy of Scuttle Buttin'. I used to wonder who he even was. My father had so many guitar world magazines, yet never listened to him. Eventually he told me "he's supposed to be really really good, I never listened to him but once, don't like his tone." and that did not shock me. My old man had bought one of his albums when he first died, and I remember it was Couldn't Stand the Weather. It just sat in his room, collected dust. Eventually I went back there and got it, and started listening to it and was blown away.

This was the sound I wanted, that Bluesy Texas Tone, I loved it. I tried to get my friends to listen to it, and they too would compliment his amazing playing style, but didn't like the Blues, or his sound. I was in love with it. I never was offended that my old man or friends didn't like this stuff. It just wasn't for them, not their road to walk. It didn't make me think bad of them, we all have disagreements in things. I played along to a few songs, but never quite learned them all the way through at the time, but SRV gave it to me. I forgot all the heavy metal stuff I learned in the past and was now playing differently. My old man hated it. I was playing with my hand in position to use my thumb for root notes on the big E string, and he often talked about how Blues men were playing their chords wrong or backwards (like the power chord is usually backwards in Hendrix or SRV, he hated that) and would get mad when I told him I was not playing wrong. Again, don't hate him over it, the stuff just was not for him, but if it weren't for my old man I wouldn't know what all this was even was.

Outcome: This album went into my transformation as a guitar player, and never stopped afterwards. Stevie Ray was such a blend of so much stuff together. You have the hard Texas stompin' sound like Freddie King (The Things I Used to Do),then the fiery wave of Hendrix melodies (Voodoo Chile), the clean Jazz side tone (Stang Swang), and most of all those crazy insane bends like Albert King would do (Texas Flood). Stevie Ray opened the flood gate of Blues for me. Everyone he mentioned, or covered songs by, I had to find their stuff. This album was one of the gateways to stuff like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, and most of all, Albert King and Albert Collins (and Robert Cray, counting the Showdown record). I still listen to this, quite a lot.

Frank's rating:

51   7.7  

First Fusion (Blues/Rock/Funk) album ever owned
First Jimi Hendrix album ever owned
First time playing Bass

Age: 18

Going back in the days of my first cds I ever owned that were the first pressings to cd, I got this, in it's original Capitol Records printing. It was the biggest gift on a small compact disc my old man ever gave me, and it's my biggest prized possession of them all.

Though my father didn't like Blues, or any of this as his music, he had such respect for Hendrix, always telling me how smart he was. He admitted he never was big on him. Often times I heard people say how Jimi played out of tune, couldn't read, any other excuses, were just ignorance speaking at the point I listened to this record.

That opening lead of Who Knows captured me, just as Machine Gun did, and Power of Love. I loved this record and easily picked up on Jimi's roots in Blues. He was a flat out Blues player to the extreme, and later on I started to see how he was tapping into Jazz on this record where he's using heavy Octaves (Message of Love). I used to know a funky guitar player, that loved James Brown, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Hendrix, etc and I would have to play the Bass for him. This album was a good way to see how Bass can lead the guitar, cause Hendrix basically used it to an advantage to lead the song Machine Gun. Now this guy wasn't a Blues player, we mostly played funky tracks, but I had to lead it with the Bass, doing most the lead work, and it was very fun.

Outcome: Band of Gypsys introduced me to Hendrix, and later on Wes Montgomery. I had seen Hendrix mention the guy, and got into him almost instantly. But the biggest thing I learned from this record was Bass can lead the guitar, as I learned from having to do it myself. It was this album that I learned about fusion. Jimi had all this mixed together, Rock, Blues, Funk, and even some Jazz. That's why when I heard Miles Davis Tribute to Jack Johnson, all I could think of was what Miles was doing on that album, Jimi would have loved it had he heard it. The psychedelic wonders, would later lead me heavy into the band Cream while buying cds of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. I still listen to this record a lot, give me inspiration 11 years later when playing along.

Frank's rating:

8   7.6  

First Funk album ever owned
First James Brown album ever owned

Age: 19

Oh how much my mother hated this record, hating the fact I even looked at James Brown as a good person, she could not stand it one bit. It was some years before he passed away, and he had been all in the media, arrested and released for beating his wife I think, I can't even remember cause I paid it no attention. If she wasn't complaining about him, it was me listening to something old, I always ignored this. I found this record cheap and used. I really wanted to buy a greatest hits but had to settle on a used copy of this, but no complaining for me, this made up for not buying a greatest hits collection.

Other than being grown to the dancing styles of JB's music, I found myself more often than not playing along to this record on my guitar. I was tune in E Flat, and would just take a song like Hot Pants, and play rhythm to it, for hours. Eventually I'd be playing the horn parts of the songs, and so on, began writing my own solos to it. James Brown wasn't called the Godfather for nothing, you can just hear his soul echoing through that mic, it was phenomenal to me at 18 years old.

James Brown as a band leader was another story, I could write up. Just like the song Funky Drummer, all he's gotta do is yell "GIVE ME SOMETHIN' LIKE THIS!" and next thing you know, it's a drum solo, same with guitars. The guy knew how to get the best out of his musicians, even if he had to beat it out of them.

Outcome: I loved this record. I ended up buying the remaster too just for the bonus tracks. I learned a lot from listening to JB, and later on it lead me to buying his live records. and when I heard stuff like Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, this record came to mind first, and just like Prince made me recognize his roots from the Godfather, I later caught onto Jackie Wilson's classic R&B from listening to earlier James Brown records, most notably work with the Famous Flames. I still listen to it from time to time and depending on the mood, I'll play along to Give It Up Or Turn It Loose and Hot Pants.

Frank's rating:

27   8.4  

First Southern Blues album
First time hearing "Improvisation"
First Allman Brothers Band cd

Age: 19

Who in the hell are the Allman Brothers? This question was lingering to me. When I was younger, everyone told me they were a shitty southern band that every song sounded exactly the same. I don't think I ever heard a compliment about them from anyone, giving me the impression this is a band that has no in between: you either love them or you hate them.

One day I was driving home when the song Whipping Post came on the radio. I heard those twin harmonized guitars, and the organ sinking in, that was driving the song. Holy shit: This is the Allman Brothers? This is the band everyone said sucked? WTF is wrong with those people? They don't suck, this sounds absolutely incredible. It was like hearing Jimi Hendrix for the first time rip up Machine Gun, I just listened and was blown away. That whole harmonized part with the organ, 2 guitars, and bass after the lyric "Good lord I feel like I'm dyin'" was just it for me, I couldn't believe this was a band I lived hearing people badmouth like they were just modern day garbage music, these guys fucking rocked!

I bought this album, it was their first album and I found it brand new. Came home, and never forget so many people saying "I can't believe you bought that old shit" except it wasn't 'shit' to me. It sounded better than what was going around at the time. The thing was NO ONE would give them a try. Most people that say all their songs sound the same have never even listened to them before. I gave them a try and fell in love with them. The song Dreams, and Black Hearted Woman were played over and over in my car.

Outcome: I never met anyone in my age that gave a damn about these old timers. Luckily I met an old man that played guitar, in his late 40's, and was very lucky for him to even play with me, cause the guy was quite a dick to younger people that wanted to play with him. He could play along to some of their songs, and knew the solos, when I asked him what Duane and Dickey were doing he cut me off and said "Improvisation. It's an Allman Brothers song son, improvise." That's the best advice I can give you too, there is no secret to super hard stuff, just improvise it. Buying one Allman Bros cd, could last you a year or two, depending on how addicted to it you are. When you buy their albums together, you are spoiling yourself. This led me to their other albums, but sadly I have yet to listen to the great Fillmore East shows. Allman Bros also led me to the Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King (along with SRV). I have bought some of their other records, and play them constantly along with this one, one of my favorite albums ever.

Frank's rating:

194   8.6  

First Jazz album ever owned
First Miles Davis album ever owned

Age: 19

It was only a matter of time I got into this. I wanted to explore Jazz so bad. By now I had heard the Rolling Stones using horn instruments, and Pink Floyd's heavy saxophone all over Dark Side of the Moon. I had heard Stevie Ray and the Allman Brothers, so what exactly was Jazz? I was told to buy this album from an old man that lived by the beach. I'd ride around the block, and talk to him, he just sat out there by himself. He told me Miles Davis is the man you need to listen to, his name is all over music as a whole. A week later I came home with Kind of Blue.

It was strange to everyone I was listening to the Blues, I had heard so much about it "How do you go from listening to Megadeth and Iron Maiden to a few years Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Allman Brothers?" Now it was "How do you listen to all those horns and not get a headache" which made me laugh for the time being.

Now Kind of Blue really is not my favorite Miles record, and sometimes I think it gets too much praise. Yeah it's great, it's a classic, but he's got such a large archive of albums, it's so easy to over look this one or that one cause you can't just buy them all at once. I totally agree it's one of his best yet not the sole best album. I put it here as it was my first album, I don't put the best album of all these bands. Now I learned more Improvisation from this record than anything. The horns on So What, are really saying So What. It seemed like the trumpet was the voice of this album, especially the song All Blues, the trumpet is the leader, just as the singer would be.

Outcome: Kind of Blues changed my pace in music, but ultimately a gateway to Jazz players. On the album was John Coltrane, I ended up buying his solo records. I bought more Miles albums as time goes by, trying to get anything and everything with his name on it, that led me to Herbie Hancock (In A Silent Way and Miles Smiles) but as far as he goes, Miles fusion albums in the late 60's and 70's were my prime for buying; this being A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Bitches Brew and Get Up With It. Like I said, he's got so many albums, and I have not listened to all of them. Miles never limited himself to just Jazz, and that's what I loved about him. He tried Rock in the 70's and his Electric era was so cool. You can say what you want about him, like critics slandering his work, but you can never ever blame the guy for going back to old sounds to sell out and make money again.

Frank's rating: