What album impacted you the most as a young person?
Tough question for me. I liked several genres of music – pop, rock, folk-rock, and hard rock.
My first album purchase was a lot of 30 albums from a guy that was going away to university. Lots of British invasion rock from the Beatles as well as the first two Led Zeppelin albums.
One of my first single album purchases was singer-songwriter James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James”.
I remember I bought a set of good headphones and the Beatles’ Abbey Road on the same day. The production was amazing!
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was the first non-greatest hits album I bought where every song was a gem. No filler!
But the album that impacted me the most when I was in high school had to be Led Zeppelin IV (the one with Stairway to Heaven).
I remember one Friday after school heading to the record store and seeing them unpack this new Led Zeppelin album that had just arrived.
I picked it up, went home, had supper and then had a party to go to.
I brought the album to the party and eventually we threw it on the record player and let it play.
When Stairway to Heaven came on, we were all hearing it for the first time. The place went quiet as everyone was paying rapt attention to the song.
When the last note faded away, the entire party shouted “Play it again!”
And we did, for another two hours.
What album had the biggest impact on your life?