I was a child of the 70’s (technically, still am!), which doesn’t mean I was born in the 70’s, but became cognizant in the 70’s. Having gained a deeper awareness of the world around me, I was no longer a child, and this newfound awareness was very much rooted in popular culture. As far back as I can remember, music had an effect on me that was almost preternatural. Of course, I didn’t recognize it as such until I got a little older, not quite of age yet, but certainly in the process of becoming, and I was starting to see the world through different eyes. So it only stands to reason that these albums came out at such a formative time in my life. They were truly my “wonder years”, as so much was taking place, both in my own little world, and the world at large.

Point of clarification: these are not necessarily my favorite albums of all time, although they are near and dear to my heart. Rather, they hold a deeper meaning for me, not just because of the associated memories, but because they caused a shift in perception for me, and I would never be the same after hearing them. Besides, realistically there’s no way I could limit my favorite albums to only ten. Because ten would easily become twenty, and twenty would turn into 200, and so on and so on. Narrowing this list down to only 10 was a challenge in itself. Without any further adieu, here they are (in chrono order by release date, because like your children, how can you favor one over the others?):

This is the groundbreaking album that started it all for me. Favorite tracks: “You Shook Me” & “Dazed & Confused” – granted, I was WAY too young to grasp the lyrics’ meaning, but what did I care? I just liked the sound, and loved rockin’ out to this album with my brothers and cousins. Of course, the entire album grew on me in time as its lyrics made more sense to me. The album ranked #29 in 2003 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Check out this little gem and see for yourselves how legends are born:

Introduced to my 8^th grade class by our chorus teacher, this album literally blew my tiny mind! Masterpiece hardly begins to describe the impression this album made on me. Besides “Pinball Wizard”, my favorite tracks are “Acid Queen” and “Overture”, which made me fall in love with orchestral for the first time. The album was ranked #96 by Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Top Albums of All Time. Here they are performing "Overture" live – just awesome!:

I literally learned to dance by watching little MJ’s moves, not that I was anywhere near his level, but it was his slickness, looseness, and sheer soul that inspired me to even try. And then there was the music itself, the unique delivery, the precocious showmanship, which couldn’t get enough of. Talk about a joyful link to my youthful past! It serves as a reminder of when music was fun! It just so happens that Michael is older than I am by 11 days, and upon discovering this little factoid, I instantly felt a cosmic connection to him, one that stayed with me throughout my life.

Favorite tracks off this album are “I Want You Back” & “Who’s Lovin’ You” – feast your eyes on this rare video of J5’s TV performance from 1972:

This is the first album I ever owned, and to think it was entirely by default that it fell into my hands. An older cousin of mine had purchased it, and get this, DIDN’T LIKE IT! She then gave it to my step mom. She in turn also didn’t care much for it, and asked me if I’d like it. I was completely blown away as my pre-teen ears took in the title cut. My favorite tracks from the album are “Hard-Headed Woman” and“Wild World” (which Mr. Stevens wrote after breaking up with his girlfriend, actress Patti D’Arbanville). In 2003, Rolling Stone magazineranked “Tea for the Tillerman” #206 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Here the Cat performs with fellow Brit Alun Davies:

 I am a self-admitted “Todd-head”, which means that I belong to this man’s cult following, and anyone outside of it just wouldn’t understand. Trust me when I say that his music haunts me with its amazing compositions, poignant lyrics, and soul-stirring melodies. He’s an artist who paints vivid sound images like no one else. Sheer genius! If my fairy godmother were to wave her magic wand over my head and grant me audience with one person in the whole world, that one person would no doubt be Todd Rundgren, the weird, the wonderful, the wizard.  My favorite tracks are “I Saw the Light” & “Hello, It’s Me” (which, along with his later “Can We Still Be Friends?” sparks a special memory of a lost love, and instantly sends me into an emotional tailspin, which basically means I cannot listen to these songs without shedding tears). The album is ranked number 173 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Here’s his performance on Midnight Special from 1973 – sweet, sad, beautiful, and just dig that crazy get-up!:

The entire album will always have a special place in my heart, right alongside my high school sweetheart, who introduced it to me in the first place. I actually commissioned an artist to paint the album cover’s light-beam/prism/rainbow rays on my locker, that’s how much I loved it!  Favorite cut: hell, all of them! If I had to narrow it down, I’d say it’s “Money”, and “Time”, because both money and time are such precious commodities in our society, and there never seems to be enough of either. But the one track that pierces my heart to the core is “Great Gig in the Sky” – the searing vocals bring tears to my eyes every time - positively orgasmic! In my opinion, no rock collection would be complete without “Dark Side of The Moon”. The album is ranked #43 on RS’ “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. Here’s a live performance from the 80’s:

I was a freshman in high school when my good buddy Greg turned me onto this album. Much like my idol Todd Rundgren, I thought Elton John was a one-of-a-kind phenom, whose range of talent was limitless. Oftentimes, Greg would give me a ride to school in the mornings or drop me off after school. I have fond memories of Greg and I singing along to the chorus of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” (“Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day, Sat-ah-day night’s alright”… "alright, alright, alright, alright wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!”). My other favorite track was Bennie & The Jets (which of course Greg and I sang together, with Greg taking the bass on “Buh, buh, buh, Bennie and the Jetsssss”. The album is ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone’s magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Take a little trip down memory lane and try not to get too misty when you watch this little ditty:

By this time, though I was still a teenager, I was blossoming into a young woman, and on a personal quest to explore everything my emerging status entailed. ***WARNING!!: Dad, if you’re reading this, STOP HERE, and skip ahead to #8***

(Whew, is the coast clear? Good, let us proceed). Not that I intended to, but I actually lost my virginity to this album, (thanks, guys!) Favorite tracks: "Me & Baby Brother", "Southern Part of Texas". Since I couldn't locate a video of either of my favorite tracks from this album, I'm offering a resonable substitution instead. Two noteworthy honorable mentions are their earlier singles "Spill the Wine" & "Slippin’ Into Darkness" (which reminds me – the line “takes my mind beyond the dreams” my dad instead would sing “takes my mind beyond the cheese”). TFF!

By this time, I had run away with my boyfriend, and ended up in Santa Barbara, where I had fallen in with the older hippy crowd, whose peyote-induced, flower-power and anti-establishment mentality went a long way toward influencing my newfound outlook on life, as well as my changing tastes in music. This was, after all, the Woodstock generation, and I embraced their way of life whole-heartedly. Like Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell appealed to my more introspective and spiritual side, her lyrics were poetry to me, and whenever I found myself riled up in some way, all I had to do in order to chill out was listen to this album. It’s one of the few albums I can honestly say that I love every track on, so I’d be hard-pressed to pick out my favorites. But if I had to, I’d say it’s the title cut, along with “Car on a Hill” and “Twisted” (although it’s not an original piece, hers is my favorite version of all time), In 2003 it was listed at #111 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. (Sorry, no live performance of any of the songs off this album, but here's a post worth listening to):

This album takes me back to the days of head shops and free love like no other! The first time I heard it, I had a visceral reaction. The hard-driving, scorching licks by British guitar god Robin Trower shook me to my core. They just don’t make guitar rock the way they used to. Good ole’ times, oh how I miss them! “The Fool & Me” and “Too Rolling Stoned”, need I say more? If you’ve never heard this album before, take it from a boomer chick who knows a thing or two about the classic rock era, here’s a little history lesson you’re sure to enjoy:

 Well, that wraps up my little labor of love (wipes the sweat off her furrowed brow) - I sincerely hope you enjoyed my bumpy, twisting trip backwards through time, and please feel free to share your thoughts with me - and keep on rockin'!