25 albums

Linda tagged me for this on Facebook a while back. I resisted at first, because even thinking about it made me tense. But now Frank's done his list, and it was fun to read, and I'm ready to dive into the past. Briefly.

Think of 25 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world.

In very rough life-chronological order:

1. Peter Frampton "Frampton Comes Alive" - This entry should not be interpreted as a sign that I am a Frampton fan. I like him okay. But this album - or rather, 8-track tape! - was significant because it came with my first stereo, handed down to me by my ol' dad. Thus began my speedy departure from the country music that was played in my house.

2. Billy Joel "The Stranger" - The first album I bought for myself. It is still one of my all time favorites. I bought it for the desperately romantic (to a teenage girl) "She's Always a Woman," but my lasting faves are "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Only the Good Die Young."

3. John Williams "Star Wars" soundtrack - This was one of the first things I listened to on a Walkman. A perfect choice! The electronic notes seemed to move right through the middle of my head.

4. Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Abbey Road" - Full disclosure: What I listened to first was the soundtrack to the mega-campy BeeGees movie. But it started my continuing love affair with the Beatles.

5. Pat Benatar "Crimes of Passion" - Girl power. We sang "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" on the spirit bus to away games.

6. AC/DC "Back in Black" - When I was in high school, there was this teen disco place in Everett, Studio 59. My visits to the disco were not complete until they played "You Shook Me All Night Long." When AC/DC came to town for their "For Those About to Rock" tour, I was there, and wearing that particular concert t-shirt to school the next day helped me step out of the "nerdy smart girl" niche I had been thrust into.

Years later, I saw a documentary about the making of this album, how Brian Johnson was brought in to nearly single-handedly compose the whole thing, working every minute under the shadow of Bon Scott's death. It made me appreciate the achievement this album represents, above and beyond the pounding, unapologetic ROCK that is its heart.

7. B-52s "The B-52s" - "Rock Lobster" was another of my favorites at the disco. Frenetic and fun. We didn't dance to it so much as jump up and down. And we'd all collapse on the floor during the "down, down, down" bit. Pure abandon.

8. Cheap Trick "Budokan" - Pure energy. This album made me realize how cool live music can be.

9. Eagles "The Long Run" - I just liked it, and it's definitely one where I played the whole album again and again. "Heartache Tonight" was and is my favorite cut.

10. Michael Jackson "Thriller" - I know he's a punchline now, but we weren't laughing at him back then. The entire album is great, but the title cut and it's accompanying music video rocked our world.

11. Phil Collins "Face Value" - This one is on here mostly for "In the Air Tonight." Oh. My. God. What a great song! And they used it in one of the first Miami Vice episodes, which blew us away, so it represents a whole neon era.

12. Various artists "Big Chill" soundtrack - The start of my love affair with R&B.

13. Prince "Purple Rain" - This one dominated my music world for about two years. You couldn't walk across the UW campus without hearing this music. We went to the movie a dozen times even though it was available on video. We went to the concert and felt like we were living the movie. It was a purple-gilded time.

14. Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" - I caught the tail of the wave of this phenomenon. Really wish I could have gone to this concert. "Well, how did I get here?" Slogan for a generation.

15. Tom Petty "Full Moon Fever" - Tom Petty is a god. This is the album that convinced me of that.

16. Traveling Wilburys Volume 3 - Pure fun. Musicians playing music for the sheer joy of it. And some damn fine songs.

17. Randy Newman "Good Old Boys" - A Frank-inspired rare departure from rock. "Marie" is hauntingly lovely. "Rednecks" is a powerful indictment of racism across the country. "A Wedding in Cherokee County" is just a crackup.

18. Neville Brothers "Fiyo on the Bayou" - My happy introduction to New Orleans sound.

19. Bob Marley "Legend" - Greatest reggae album ever. Nobody does it like Bob did it.

I'm also fond of "20 Reggae Classics," a compilation CD that provides a terrific sampler of reggae artists, including Simaryp's highly entertaining "Skinhead Moonstomp."

20. Alanis Morissette "Jagged Little Pill" - With the advent of rap, I checked out of the popular music scene, tuning my radio to the classic rock station and leaving it there. And then one day, driving home, I somehow stumbled across "You Oughta Know." I was blown away by her sheer nerve and went directly to the music store to purchase my first new-music CD in about a decade.

21. Various artists "Gross Pointe Blank" soundtrack - This one let me catch up on some of what I missed when I was avoiding rap.

22. Everlast "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" - I really only listen to "What It's Like," but this album deserves inclusion because Whitey showed me that rap can be melodic and powerful and worth listening to.

23. Smash Mouth "Fush Yu Mung" - An energetic additional lure back into popular music. "Astro Lounge" is even better.

24. Various artists "Cool Yule" - A collection of very fun holiday songs by several R&B bright lights. Christmas isn't Christmas around here without "Christmas in the Jungle" and "Run, Run, Rudolph."

25. KT Tunstall "Eye to the Telescope" - I bought it for "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," of course, but the whole album is solid. She's a one-woman show.

Phew! Made it.