10 Albums, Part 3: The Adult Years

There was no way I could come up with just 10 albums that influenced me AND I still have on my playlist.  It was IMPOSSIBLE! Music is such an important part of my life that I felt I had to break the list into specific times in MY  life, hence the previous posts:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-1-early-years.html  and https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/10-albums-part-2-teen-years-and-little.html.

So I've officially reached adulthood with these albums.  And you'll notice that there are really more than 10 here, but I am grouping some together because that's how I see them/hear them.  For example, for me the 1990s were peak McCartney years.  (Yes, I know Flowers in the Dirt actually came out in 1989...close enough I say).  Paul put out some of my favorite music during this time and went back on tour.  (I NEVER thought I would see him live...what did I know?  Who thought he'd STILL be touring?)It may be heresy, but I think McCartney's output here is STRONGER than what he put out in the 1970s.  Yes, I love these albums more than the penultimate Band on the Run.  To me, these albums represent the BEST of Paul McCartney.  (The worst?  Well, that could be another blog post, now couldn't it?) 

I "discovered" Vollenweider when I was in college.  Or one of my friends did and I followed along.  These two albums I consider his best.  They are PERFECT for listening to on a quiet night when you just want to relax and fall asleep.  The music is soothing and just what I need when I need calm.

In a "geekoid" moment back in the late 1990s, I freaked out in Tomorrowland (Walt Disney World, not Land) when I heard a selection from Down To The Moon played there.  (Yes, I seriously listen to background music, or as the cool kids says "BGM".  Oh wait, they aren't the cool kids, they are geekoids just like me.)  Don't listen for it now if you go though...that was "back in the day" and the BMG loop has changed several times since then.

I had the pleasure of seeing Jean-Pierre Rampal peform live in Rook Chapel at Bucknell University when I was still in high school.  But I didn't truly appreciate his talent until I heard this suite.  Claude Bolling wrote several wonderful jazz suites (California Suite, Picnic Suite, etc) and I enjoy them all but this is my all time favorite.  You'll never know how well a jazz piano and flute can go together until you listen to this.  

The Eagles went back on tour...Hell Froze Over.  (Although I never did see them in concert; yet another regret.)  This mostly live album is a pseudo greatest hits, but also includes some new tunes, one of which was my wedding song.  (No, it wasn't "Get Over It."  Although how can you NOT love a song that says:  "I'd like to find your inner child and kick it's little ass"?  )

Incredibly talented and equally as kind/nice. He performed at the first Beatles convention I attended.  He was so charming.  AND so good!   I immediately bought this cd, which I had him autograph.  I've seen him perform many times since and purchased most (if not all) of his music, but this remains my favorite.  (Really! ) Even though he's done 3 instrumental Beatles and one Wings cover albums.  They are awesome, but this holds a special place in my heart and I have listened to it over and over again and revealed in the talent.  The title track is great, but my favorites are "I'll Think of You and Smile" and "In Your Arms."  (If you ever have a chance to see him perform do it! )

I came late to the Beach Boys "thing".  Hubby was always a fan and he was part of a fan project to finish "Smile" (before it was actually finished).  His playing and re-playing certain sections of that music (Columnated ruins domino) turned me off of the group for a LONG time.  But then something happened...and I don't remember exactly what is was, but I got hooked on Pet Sounds.  I guess one day I heard it and it just clicked.  (Which is the way things happen for me.  I have found that I need to be "ready" to hear, see, read, etc. something otherwise I'm not interested.  Once I'm "ready" then I can really get into it.)  "God Only Knows" is one of the most perfect pieces of music I have ever heard.  (Carl Wilson will never get the full credit that he is due in my book.)  

Yes, I saw the movie...despite a talented cast, this not so "beautiful" fictionalized version of the Carole King story just doesn't fly.  (What if Carole King married Brian Wilson and then he killed himself?)  There are bits of the film that are BRILLIANT, but overall it just falls flat.  That is not to be said of the soundtrack.   Wonderfully crafted songs sound like they did just come out of the 1960s or 70s.  The real winner is the Burt Bacherach/Elvis Costello "God Give Me Strength," but there really isn't a clunker in the bunch. (Other personal favorites from the soundtrack include "My Secret Love" and "Truth Is You Lied")

Yes, these albums came out in the 1970s, but I didn't get my hands on them until the late 1980s/early 1990s.  I'd say this is Michael Nesmith at his finest, but he continues to produce great music.  So let me just say that for me, these two albums delineate the beginning of his solo sound.  (Which, let's face it he had when he was in the Monkees.)  They will forever be on my playlist. (And they've recently been re-released with bonus material.  LISTEN TO IT!)

I was very lucky to have seen this while it was on Broadway with most of the original cast AND from the front of the house.  (I like to be part of the action.)  The show is brilliant, and the music even more so.  "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist" rings true even more today than it did when it was first released.  I love show and I love the cast recording.

Being a HUGE Disney fan, it should come as no surprise that Disney World Music is a big part of my listening library.  With the turn of the century, Disney actually sold a official cd of their millennium celebration.  (There were also kiosks in various parks where you could purchase tracks from various attractions and locations...but that's a whole other kettle of fish.)  Reflections of Earth may be nearly 20 years old, but I still love it and I still cry everytime I hear it!  What can I say?  I'm a big sap!