10 Albums: Part 2: The Teen Years (and a little more)

If you didn't read part one, you should:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-1-early-years.html.  Remember, these are not just albums that I listened to "back then" but they are also albums/songs that are still in my current playlist rotation.  (If this was just a list of albums that I listened to "back then" and made an impact on me this list would go on and on and on...)

If you know me personally (and maybe even if you don't) you were probably surprised at what WASN'T on the part 1 list.  That's because I was a "late bloomer" when it comes to my favorite musician and band so let's get right to it:

 It was the first McCartney/Wings album I bought.  To this day I have no idea WHY I bought it.  (Cover art was a big thing for me back then and this certainly isn't the type of thing that would usually suck me in.)  I bought it (Korvettes...lower level is where the albums were and where you could find me) and I fell in love.  I was back a few days later to buy more McCartney.  (Ram...and that purchase WAS based on the cover art.  Front cover that is.  Paul looked mighty good to this teen's eyes)






I'll admit it's strange that I got into the Beatles AFTER Paul, but that's the way it happened.  Why this particular album?  Well it was the best bang for you buck.  I thought it was a good way to get myself into the Beatles...I was right.  And yes, I do have everything Beatles now, but this was the one that started me off, so I thought it important to note.

It wasn't JUST about McCartney and the Beatles when I was in my teens (although it was MOSTLY about McCartney!).  I had a friend who LOVED Barry Manilow.  This album was a great way to delve into his repertoire.  I played this one over and over again...(Quick, what Manilow song is that from?)  There would be plenty more to come, but this was the first.


Back to McCartney and Wings again!  This was THE album!  Wings LIVE!  Playing music that I never thought I'd hear Paul do live.  (Obviously I didn't have a heck of a lot of foresight! Who knew what the 1990s and on would bring?)  A three album package with poster! (Oh, for the days when you bought an album and got all sorts of cool stuff to go along with it.) A late night TV special that was simulcast in stereo on the radio!  And finally a MOVIE!  (NJ area people I saw it in the now-closed Bellevue Theater in Montclair. )  I was in HEAVEN!  Although to this day, I don't understand why the album (and the concert) closes with "Soily," a weak track if ever there was one.  (In this girl's opinion)

It wasn't just about Paul though...(it was MOSTLY  about Paul).  This was my first George Harrison album.  I'd seen "Blow Away" on Video Jukebox (HBO's pre-Mtv/pre-24 hour of programming staple).  Loved the song and thought the video was pretty darned cute.  "Blow Away" remains a favorite Harrison tune.  (As does "If You Believe"and "Love Comes To Everyone.)

As a teen, I WASN'T a Lennon fan.  (A hard core McCartney teen fan; of course I "hated" John for what HE had done to Paul.  Come on, it's how the adolescent brain works!)  But then...We all know what happened.  I bought this album "after" and realized that I might  have been missing something.  (I will admit I was happy when this particular album came out on compact disc and I was able to easily skip over the Yoko Ono tracks.  I don't hate the lady, but I'm not a really big fan of her "music". )

Last, but certainly not least (well...) is this album from Ringo.  It didn't hurt that Paul was on it too. It was and is pure fun pop with tracks like "Wrack My Brain," "Drumming Is My Madness" and the title track.  I rarely took albums out of the plastic wrap that they came in and as a result, this album held the scent of roses for many years.  (Yes, it really DID smell like roses!) 

I remember their "reunion" concert in Central Park (no, I wasn't there, but I DO know where I was that night.) and I attended a subsequent concert at Giant stadium.  I listened to the Central Park concert album over and over, but it was this album that I loved (and still do) the most.  The acoustic version of "The Sounds of Silence" is still my favorite and much preferable to my ear than the one with the electric guitar.  Love the sweet, innocent harmonies of this album and the memories it brings with it.

So this was the first musical I did in high school.  I also happen to think it was the best.  I was just in the chorus, but the cast was fantastic, the show fun and the music unforgettable.  When you think of Jerry Herman you probably think of "Hello Dolly," but for me, THIS is the one.  I never grow tired of it.  (Particularly now that I am a mother, "If He Walked Into My Life" resonates DEEPLY with me.)  

 Last, but certainly NOT least, when I was in high school, EVERYONE knew "The Time Warp."  EVERYONE DID "The Time Warp."  I'm  pretty sure that I saw the movie before buying the soundtrack, but I could be wrong.  I DO know that I saw the movie and yet another now defunct movie theater (which is now a strip mall...how unfair is that?) and since it was a midnight movie, I technically saw it on Easter.  This album and movie are a right of passage.  So much so that when I was in college I was part of a players group and we used to go "perform" at the movie house every Saturday night (ok, Sunday morning) for a good 6 months or so.  The music and the show are a classic...and one day I WILL take my son to see it.  (Because it does play around here at midnight every other week or so and this is a film that MUST be seen in a theater and not on the small screen.)

So there you go...another 10 albums...and I haven't hit my 20s yet!  Hmmm...perhaps another list is in order?