If I'm understanding this viral meme correctly, the point of the exercise is to select the nine albums that provided the formation for your taste in music. It's not possible to narrow the field to nine when your taste in music is as diverse as mine - for me 12 would have made more sense, but that's not the game.
So here goes:
Dionne Warwick's Golden Hits, Part 2. As evidenced by the clicks in the vinyl, this was on heavy rotation in our house when I was growing up. Truth be told, it flags a bit on Side Two, but Side One (What the World Needs Now is Love, Message to Michael, Are You There With Another Girl, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, and I Say a Little Prayer for You) is killer.
Yesterday and Today, The Beatles. Well sure, we know today that this was a total ripoff, but 9-year old Jeff didn't know that. All he knew is that it included some of his favorite Beatles songs.
Willy and the Poor Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Thanks to songs like "Cotton Fields" and "The Midnight Special," this eventually led my ten-year old self down countless musical paths. And eventually, that ten-year old would get the politics of songs like "Fortunate Son," "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You or Me)," and "Effigy." And then and now, "It Came Out of the Sky" never fails to bring a smile.
Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones. They really did try just about everything on this album, and while one can reasonably argue that it doesn't all work perfectly, it remains my all-time favorite record. When I was wooing the woman who would become my wife with mixtapes, "Stop Breaking Down" was the song I included.
Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan. Everything from one of the all-time great singles to a Duke Ellington cover and a Charlie Parker tribute. And in between, some of their very best (and strangest) songs. The argument will never end, but this most definitely cannot be called Yacht Rock.
Siren, Roxy Music. The band that inspired my favorite yearbook autograph in 1976, from my friend Thomas: "ROXY MUSIC SMELLS. STYX RULES." To these ears, Bryan Ferry has never stopped being one of the most interesting singers and artists around.
Horses, Patti Smith. I will never forget her first appearance on SNL. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Clash (UK Version). And now, for something completely different. "Career Opportunities" is as true today as it was in 1976. Not to mention "I'm So Bored With the USA."
Madonna. To quote the late, great Dave Marsh, writing in 1984: "Madonna, in her own way, is more radical than Cyndi Lauper. She argues not only that girls want to have fun but that girls - like everybody else - want to have."
Wish there had been room for about half a dozen others, but I can live with this list.
