5 Albums that shaped me

On Facebook there is this application where you can pick your top 5 of basically any catagory you can think of. And if you didn't think of one, don't worry, some moron thought of it for you. I chose "5 Albums That Shaped Me" and as I did, very specific memories came into focus. And because most of my readers are family, I felt the need to share them. And Facebook status just isn't the place for that. So I give you my childhood set to music (the music will be in your head so sing along!)

The Beatles: Let It Be - My parents loved the Beatles and passed that love on to me & my sister. We spent hours watching their movies, singing their songs, choosing our favorites. I chose this album mostly for the title song. Remember the skit on Sesame Street with The Beetles singing "Letter B"? My cousin Steve & I loved that so much that when the real song would come on, we'd sing the Sesame Street version.

The B-52's: This is their self titled album. I'm saying album because that's how I was introduced to them. On authentic vinyl. It was awesome. Countless times my sister & I would scour the collection to find that bright yellow cover. I have no idea what songs are on this album except for one. The only one that mattered to a 6 year old and her 3 year old sister and the only one that matters to my now 6 year old and her 3 year old sister. That song is "Rock Lobster" and I contend that it is one of the greatest dance songs of all time!

Squeeze: 45's and Under - This is the soundtrack to 1982. Every car ride we listened to this and everytime I hear a song from it, I immediately feel like driving. Steve's favorite song was Cool for Cats. It's on Rock Band 2 and it makes me happy to sing it for him. He had a thing for cat songs, I remember we both loved the Stray Cat Strut too. This album was remasted onto CD in 1995 and became the soundtrack to my freshman year of college. It made my psycho roommate much more bareable when I could drown her out with Pulling Muscles from a Shell. When I wasn't driving her crazy blasting Mr. T Experience of course.

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - This is the album my mother would leave parties early to go home and listen to. I know this because she told me hundreds of times! When I was in college I finally bought the CD and realized what she meant. It's an amazing album. My dad used to wake us up singing "Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head". It's timeless.

They Might Be Giants: Flood - My Aunt Nancy made a mix tape for my mom back in 1990 that included several songs from this album and I fell in love immediately. I must have been crazy nostalgic in college b/c I bought this one too and realized that there isn't a song on it that's not fantastic! And thus began my love affair with TMBG. I've seen them in concert twice and have several of their CD's plus both children's music CD's to pass the love on to my kids. I was so enamored of them that it was very hard to contain myself when on one of the first dates with my husband, he turned this CD on in the car. I was all, "You like them too?!" and I was done for. Not to put too fine a point on it.