There's a thing going round, 10 albums that impacted my life. I think maybe it was started by 
These are all albums that had a significant impact on my life. The list is utterly current as of 0600 local time, but might have changed by the time you read this. These albums are listed in the chronology of me, and are not necessarily in the order produced.
In 1963 my folks bought a family Christmas present, a stereophonic record player by Motorola. It was mesmerizing, it had two speakers that you could separate by as much as 20 feet. It played LP albums at 33.33 rpm and also singles at 45 rpm. It replaced a 78 rpm player in our house.
The first album I bought with my very own money was the newest release by the hottest band in America, the Beach Boys. Little Deuce Coupe was the third album released by the band in 1963. I was 12 years old.
Little Deuce Coupe The Beach Boys 1963
Little Deuce Coupe
Take a close look at this video. This was America in 1963:
By 1968 it seems I may have developed a bit of an attitude. I was a senior in High School. The Beatles were enormously popular but I liked the Rolling Stones. The Beatles were Mods with their carefully cut hair and ties and sports jackets. They rode Vespa for God's sake. The Rolling Stones were Rockers. Leather and tight jeans and unkempt hair and rode real motorcycles. Beggar's Banquet came out in '68 and includes what I consider the greatest rock and roll song of all time: Sympathy for the Devil
Beggars Banquet The Rolling Stones 1968
Sympathy for the Devil
I remember where and when I heard the track off of Living in the USA by Steve Miller Band that changed my life to this day. The track was Motherless Children and I'd never heard anything like it. As I found out more I found it was a traditional Blues song covered by the band. I'm still chasing the Blues to this day/
Living in the USA Steve Miller Band 1968
Motherless Children
By the time Deja Vu from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young came out my attitude was completely in the toilet. I was busy flunking out of college, living as a functioning alcoholic and looking at being drafted into the Army at any time. CSNY seemed to capture that bleak period in my life pretty well.
Deja Vu Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 1970
Teach Your Children Well
When the Who put out Who's Next in 1971 I was on my way. The attitude of the whole album and specifically 'Won't Get Fooled Again' was an essential Fuck You to society. As an added bonus this album was the first that I know of that had the F word in a song. Who Are You?
One of my best long term friends claims that "Won't Get Fooled Again" is the greatest rock song ever. He's wrong, it's Sympathy for the Devil. But it might be number 2.
Who’s Next The Who 1971
Won’t Get Fooled Again
When I first heard John Prine it was probably 1976 or so. I had been drafted, enlisted in the Navy, lost an eye, gotten married and begun to consider the difficulties of becoming un married. Still alcoholic, brutally unhappy with my life in general and marriage specifically.
More than 58,000 men my age had died in Vietnam and at least double that number were going to die from the effects of that dirty little war before too long. I knew so many of them and when I first heard Sam Stone my heart just broke. John Prine died this month from the Corona Virus. He made damn good music for 50 years (check out his 2018 album if you don't believe me.
John Prine John Prine 1971
Sam Stone
By early '80 I was obviously ready for some serious weirdness in my life. Warren Zevon filled that need. My life looked normal and tame compared to the songs on his LPs. A friend gave me a copy of 'Excitable Boy' and I followed Zevon to his untimely end in 2003. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner was pulled from the day's headlines.
Zevon wrote lots of good music mainly for other people. The backup singers on this LP are a group of 3 women that Zevon wrote hits for: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt.
Excitable Boy Warren Zevon 1978
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
I was so miserable that I was pathetic. I actually took instruction and started following the buddhist way of life. A friend dropped in one day and convinced me that I should go to Seattle with her and listen to Wagner in the park. It was easy to convince me, I was drunk.
So started my affair with classical music. I always take my obsessions seriously and this was no different. Vivaldi wasn't the first composer or even the 10th that I researched, but, here it is.
The Four Seasons Anton Vivaldi 1725
Somewhere in the very early 90s I was wandering through a record shop and came across Genuine Houserockin' Music IV. I normally don't buy anthologies but I looked at the line up and bought it. Sober. First time in 20 plus years. I've owned all of the Houserockin Music series over the years and it's just terrific blues. All of it.
About this track: I've actually met Charlie Musselwhite a couple of times. Not only can the man play a harp but he's just a damn fine guy.
Genuine Houserockin’ Music Anthology 1990
River Hip Mama Charlie Musselwhite
This album is the one that's critically out of line and I'm not sure how to fix it, so here it is. I was a huge fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan long before he died, but how it happened is lost in the mist of my addiction. This is his last album, produced by his brother Jimmie (yes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Neville Brothers guy) after Steevie was gone. It's all never before published and it's just dynamite.
How good was Stevie on that guitar. This track was first published by Jimi Hendrix and Stevie clearly outplays him. That good.
The Sky is Crying Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 1990
Little Wing
There they are. 10 albums that had an impact on my life.
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