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for me the life affirming shift came with grandmaster mel's white lines...I was nine and like many city kids, I spent some summer vacation time with relatives (2 weeks). I shared a room with my 12 year old cousin who had her own radio and played the local equivalent to hot 97 all the time. The song only played during the later hours and I remember hearing that opening riff while laying in bed and feeling as if i could feel the vibration on my fingertips from plucking the guitar. up until that point my music revolved around very generic children's music (sing along tapes - particularly a bearstein bears tape was among my prized possessions). I convinced my cousin to let me tag along while she went to the local record store a few days later (my cousin had decided I was a 'baby' and while she had to share a room she didn't have to share friends or her precious summer hours with me)and the record store would play requested 12"/albums as a courtesy from prospective buyers....i spent hours that day 'trying' everything (mostly based on cover art) and of course white lines a couple of times. white lines led to a visit to a record store, which in turn led to the possibility of new emotions/feelings found on wax, which led to a music love affair....

I got "24 Karat Purple" by Deep Purple as a gift for my 7th birthday! I've been listening to hard rock and metal ever since. I put it on durring all the birthday parties and I think screaming and loud music (but great melody,too) just clicked with kids. I still jump and shake my head and I am 43 now!

Growing up in the 80's luckily in a college town in Western Mass.listeneing to UMASS radio and Smith College radio, hanging out at Main Street Records in Northampton - discovered Thompson Twins, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen.....it's different for my kids - they search iTunes and get turned on to new music through skateboarding videos...still addicted to alt radio..

I was a Jermaine-lover, too! Now I have to go out and read Martha!!

Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins was the album that changed my life! My highschool sweetheart and I listened to that CD so much we wore out a few of the tracks. That album made me want to be in a rock and roll band and I am thankful to say that today my band
Two Cent Sam is rocking out! Thank you Billy Corgan!

I loved -and still love- listening to the Who's Quadrophenia. The band made me realize that there was an outlet for the anger and frustration of a suburban teenage girl.

I distinctly remember walking 5 miles home in the pouring rain whilst singing 'I'm One' (my brother had forgotten to tell my parents I needed to be picked up at school, and in the age before cell phones I had no choice but to walk home). It was a liberating experience and such a wonderfully rich album.

Rock bands that I remember getting caught up in were bands like 'Gong' with David Allen or Kit Watkin' 'Happy the Man' from the D.C. area. Now, I've been going to a few reliable used book stores to purchase monophonic, RCA Victor classical recordings. Many classical records are well taken care of and I usually get a record for about 50 cents to a dollar. Many of the classical record covers were created by people like Pratt professor Herschel Levit and of course, the graphic design was created by hand. I'm thinking about purchasing a 78 speed turntable.

I very, very rarely listen to it any more -- but Phil Collins' album NO JACKET REQUIRED can time-warp me back to my 1980's adolescence in Eastern Connecticut faster than anything else on the planet. (At times, when no one's looking, I also still dance like a fool to his song "Sussudio".)

I'm 53 and I bought the first Led Zeppelin album for the cover art.