Growing up we were lucky enough to have one the greatest Rock radio stations in the country, WDVE out of Pittsburgh. I distinctly remember hearing B52s – Rock Lobster for the first time. Their debut album is fantastic but it would be several years before I owned it and heard it in its entirety.
My top five:
Genesis – A Trick of the Tail: Love the lyricism and the mystic qualities of the album. It set me on the hunt for more Genesis and Genesis related music.
Peter Gabriel – Security: I learned that Gabriel had left Genesis just before release of Trick of the Tail so I had to check him out. This was the first, but certainly not the last PG album I would buy. I love percussion and this album has it in spades along with great intensity and passion.
Phil Collins – Face Value: When Phil released his solo debut I had to have it. He was going through a very difficult period in his life and he bares his soul in this album, great percussion to boot.
Yes – Fragile: Great composers, great musicians, quite possibly my favorite band of all time. The Vivaldo or Beethovens of Progressive Rock. The band was a fan of Stravinsky.
Pink Floyd – The Wall: Not much needs to be said. There was a white cement block wall in our dorm room in college on which I painted “Pink Floyd” in the script of the album cover.