I was just buying some music online, picking and choosing the tacks off the albums. Although I love the ability to do that, it made me reflect on the death of the album as a thing unto itself. Which are the top five albums that have played major roles in your life? They don’t necessarily have to be folk (as you can tell from mine). For me, these were keystones that a lot of other music orbited around:

Midnight Radio by Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Dire Straits by Dire Straits
Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix
Highway 61 by Bob Dylan
Graceland by Paul Simon (shush- there’s a lot of good writing on this!)

What about you?

Jethro Tull-Aqualung
Meatloaf-Bat Out of Hell
Pink Floyd-The Wall

I know I’m dating myself, but it seems you have to go back that far.

Greg Brown’s Poet Game is one too but I bought that in CD, never saw it in vinyl.

I still like the album from Bill Monroe with Muleskinner Blues too.

Paul

Nice list, Ben.  I’m going to go w/ Top 5 records I can think of this minute that had a huge impact…  this will be by no means correct as of 12 AM, 10/1/09…

Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind

Greek in its sense of tragedy, Homeric in its scope and depth, and Waitsian in its sense of sound.  This is probably the most epic record I’ve ever heard start to finish.  Not listened to be listened to in daylight or trifled with as a second choice, background music-type listen.

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman - Shady Grove

Really got me introduced to acoustic music in a serious way.  Still gets me every time I listen to it.

John Lee Hooker - Live at the Cafe Au Go Go

First real electric blues record I ever owned.  Mmmm what a nasty sound, it still makes me shiver when I hear it.  Paved the way for me to find Mance Lipscomb, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mississippi John, Son House, Mississippi Sheiks, etc…  stuff I couldn’t imagine my musical life w/o right now.

Crosby Stills Nash and Young - 4 Way Street

Always had CSNY in the house growing up—- this is one of the best live records I’ve ever heard.  The harmonies on these guys still knock me out.

Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings!

Got me into jazz in a way no other record could, even Kind of Blue.  One of the great, original androgynous voices of American music.  Perfect product.  As much taste in instrumentation as you can find, imo.  Classic stuff.

Honorable mentions…

The Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music
Joe Henry - Civilians
Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night
Guy Clark - the Dark
Charlie Feathers - Uh Huh Honey
Johnny Cash - anything before RCA and anything on American.
Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues
Emmylou Harris - At the Ryman

The first record I can remember buying was Janis Joplin,  and it’s possible it was a single,  cause the only song I remember was Me and Bobbie McGee.  If I had the whole album (Pearl),  I don’t remember any of the other songs.  I sure listened to M&BM; a bunch,  and Janis’ voice singing those lyrics is firmly embedded in my gray matter,  under what is left of my gray hair. 

In high school I wore out John Denver’s Poem’s Prayers and Promises.  Songs like Take me Home Country Roads and Sunshine on My Shoulders helped lift teenage angst for a while.

Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge of Troubled Water grabbed me with their harmonies and social themes, and led me to earlier releases,  Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Time, and Bookends.  I still love those songs….

I didn’t buy many albums back then,  but listened to records of friends,  most of which I don’t clearly remember. Now, however,  I am buying vinyl LP Records,  mostly from Webster’s downtown, (supplied by Josh Ferko)  and playing most of them on-air.  My new favorite is a two-record album,  Bob Wills and His Texas PlayBoys:  The Golden Era a Special Columbia Historic Edition.  Released in 1987,  12 years after his death. (and technically this is a compilation from various albums,  not an album with a consistent theme or vision.)

The Beatles - Rubber Soul
Albert Lee - Speechless
Chet Atkins and Les Paul - Chester and Lester
Hot Tuna - Live
David Bromberg - Demon in Disguise
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks

It’s interesting how CDs changed the way we listen to music.  Now it’s easy to click from tune to tune.  With vinyl, we had a tendency to listen to the entire side as a collection.  Tunes didn’t get skipped over.  Many times, a song would grow on you even though you may not have been that crazy about it on first listen.  I can remember that happening with some Dylan albums.