Almost Famous-Anita's Albums
As an aside, yesterday I gave my collection of vintage '60s and 70s albums to my kid.
Wish I had a kid to give such things to. I am envious of those of you who do.
In 1971, I got my first album at all. Before that, it was all radio or older sibs' music. And at that, I have no memory of my older brother's having played music at all at home. If he did when at prep school or college, it would be news to me, if not shocking news. He was 5 years older and I was pretty much no longer around him from when I was almost 9.
My sister was only a couple years older. Even then, while I knew what 45s she had (and I have those, now), no memory of her playing them - though she must have.
My memories of music, instead, came first from listening to what the camp counselors would play over summers from 65-69, then off to prep school myself (til they invited me to leave), and college, where my musical tastes got educated.
In 1973, I would have listed:
Blood, Sweat, and Tears 3
Yes - Close to the Edge
John Denver - Rocky Mountain High
Don McLean - American Pie
Chicago - Chicago at Carnegie Hall --> I know, not the same thing, but it's what I got and loved.
Partridge Family - The Partridge Family Album
Neil Young - Harvest --> didn't own it, but it was on my top ten of things listened to
Carole King's Tapestry --> another I didn't own, but knew by heart at the time
I think the other album that would have shown up on my top ten most listened to that I can still come up with is not this genre:
Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, 1919 version, on the same Bernstein album with Rite of Spring and some Prokofiev. Not my favorite Prokofiev. I also listened to a ton of Petrushka.
And Pat Paulsen for President.
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Now? Yes, almost all the albums you named would have shown up in a collection, had I had a stereo to play them on before I was 17, instead of a tinny cassette player. But I had no Beatles. No Stones. No Who.
I'd have had Let It Be and Sgt. Pepper. Tommy. Wildflowers (Judy Collins). Sounds of Silence. PPM's The Best of Peter, Paul and Mary: Ten Years Together. Many, many others I didn't know about then but do, now. King Crimson. Moody Blues... I could go on.