I recently asked my dad what his top ten favorite albums of all time were. I was surprised at how quickly he answered me. My dad has always been a huge fan of music and a lot of what I listened to as a child was due to him coming home from work and winding down to a record that he would enthusiastically sing to.

To give you a little background my dad was born in 1954, grew up in Ethiopia, moved to England when he was 17 years old and then 10 years later settled in America.

Here are his top ten (no particular order):

  1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  The Beatles (1967)
  2. Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd (1973)
  3. Breakfast in America Supertramp (1979)
  4. Santana (1969 album)
  5. Rumors Fleetwood Mac (1977)
  6. Innervisions Stevie Wonder (1973)
  7. Band on the Run Paul McCartney and Wings (1973)
  8. Imagine John Lennon (1971)
  9. All Things Must Pass George Harrison (1970)
  10. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Iron Butterfly (1968)
  11. Machine Head Deep Purple (1972)
  12. Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel (1970)

Okay, so I asked for ten and he gave me twelve. That’s quite alright.

So just out of curiosity, I started to wonder what my top ten were…and it was a lot harder than I thought. Music albums in my life have been vehicles of transformation rather than long-term fixations. So albums that I have previously loved, I may not love as much anymore, or at least not in the same way….Typically, when I ask a younger person what their favorite albums are or what their favorite music is in general, they respond with, “you mean right now?”

Here is where I think the generational gap comes in. Maybe younger folk feel that music, in their lives, is more or less transient. Possibly because most music ever recorded is accessible and right at our fingertips and it might be the overwhelm of it all that keeps our eyes wandering and our interests moving….especially in a society where speed, progress, and movement never stops getting sexier.

In our generation it might not be albums that we are obsessed with, but particular scenes, collectives, shows, or artists.

Don’t get me wrong there are still many of us that love to throw on a good pair of headphones, kick back and listen to an album from start to finish.

Have you asked your folks what their top ten favorite albums are? Have you thought about what your favorites are…and how do they compare? Are there similarities in your lists?

Just probing, feel free to share your thoughts if you would like. Also if you were curious, here is my list, although I will preface it by stating that this is a list of albums that have been the most transformative for me over time and not necessarily my “favorites” of all time.

A little on my background: I was born in 1990. I grew up in America.

Here is my top ten (in no particular order):

  1. An Awesome Wave ∆ or alt-j (2012)
  2. Mystère La Femme (2016)
  3. Tawk Tomahawk Hiatus Kaiyote (2012)
  4. Heligoland Massive Attack (2010)
  5. Dummy Portishead (1994)
  6. Amelie (soundtrack) Yann Tiersen (2001)
  7. Abbey Road The Beatles (1969)
  8. Physical Graffiti Led Zeppelin (1975)
  9. Surrounded by Silence Perfuse 73 (2005)
  10. Surrealistic Pillow Jefferson Airplane (1967)
  11. I Care Because You Do Aphex Twin (1995)

Ooops I guess I can’t count. 😉  -A

dad-hairy

 Can you guess which one is my dad?  The one furthest right.