The last time we spent some time with my daughter, she was bemoaning the fact that all the good music is gone and that I really lived through the heyday of rock music. I can't say that I disagree with her. After giving it some thought, I decided that one of the gifts I was going to give her for Christmas was the music of my youth. After making a list of the artists and bands that I thought were the most influential to me, I discovered that I was going to have to take out a second mortgage on my house to buy her a new I-pod that would hold all the songs and the songs themselves. Instead, I'm going to do it in installments so that my wife and I won't have to eat beans and rice for the next five years.
     I first began to be interested in music when I was about 10 or so. My dad was in the USAF and we were living in Germany at the time. I listened to Armed Forces radio a lot because the only TV stations we had were in German and that was the only radio station I could get.  I suppose that because the programming was done by young military men, the music they chose to play was outstanding. When America hit it big with "Horse with No Name", they really promoted because the three guys in the band were all Air Force or Army "brats". Because radio was such a big part of my life at that time, I remember the day I heard that The Beatles were breaking up and the first time I heard Elton John's "Tiny Dancer"(still one of my most favorite songs).
    One of highlights of our week was to go the BX(Base Exchange). It was kind of like a small department store and the prices for just about everything were cheaper than stores off base. I bought my first record there, which was a compilation record of some top 40 songs (Back then, most top 40 music was actually music). I wore out the needle on Neil Young's "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold" and Jackson Browne's "Doctor, My Eyes". The other songs on the record escape me because I don't think I listened to them other than the first time I played the album.
    Over the course of the next however many weeks it takes, I'm going to try to take you through my list of best Artists and Bands of the 70's. Looking back, I'm sure that that time period is what imprinted in me the desire to make and record music. For those of you interested in the recording process, check out my website - www.yourhomestudio.com. It's a great place for people just starting out to learn about gear, techniques, etc.

 

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