Evocative Albums?

[techieMoe]

I discovered an older CD recently I forgot I had and started listening to it. Immediately I remembered the time period in which I first listened to it and all the emotional issues I was dealing with at the time. Have any of you ever experienced this?

I find it interesting that certain things, not just music, but smells, places, situations, can trigger a torrent of memories. Sometimes they're good. I have pleasant memories of my kindergarten music class when I smell a particular kind of perfume.

The album for me was Thirteeth Step by A Perfect Circle. What albums do you find particularly evocative, and (if you don't mind discussing it) what was happening in your life at the time that made the memory so strong?

[rokytnji]

Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix takes me back to my helicopter days in the USMC.

Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf reminds me of a special motorcycle rally from years ago.

Windy by the Association reminds me of my first bike/motorcyle ride.

[bigtomrodney]

Rory Gallagher's second album, Deuce. I'm a huge fan of his anyway but I had just come across this album and bought it from a rather meagre wage I had from stacking shelves while at college. I could barely afford lunch at the time but this had just been released in its remastered form.

Around that time I was just in the early stages of "courting" a girl. I hate using that word but there was certainly some pursuit and romance before it even took off. It's funny, I've listened to that album at times when my head felt quite noisy and I enjoyed it as I always have but about a month ago I put it on and it sounded completely different.

I curst the invention of the track skip button. Albums should be listened to as such and I think that's what triggered the memories. I just let it play and I could hear, smell and taste my days as a struggling student chasing this beautiful young girl....and in the end getting her. It lasted a few months and it's long over now but while that album played straight through I remembered all of the good times and the old version of me. I was a lot sillier then and more carefree.

Still, it is a super album

[bigtomrodney]

Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf reminds me of a special motorcycle rally from years ago.

That's really freaky that you mentioned that. You posted as I was typing and while "There's a Light" from the Deuce album played in my head, I kept on hearing parts of Magic Carpet Ride. About the same time I was listening to that album, Austin Powers 2 was released and that featured on the soundtrack. Talk about synchronicity!

[rokytnji]

That's really freaky

Cool. I always get goosebumps still from that album. Musta been the acid I did at that rally. Magical.

[Hal343]

The Pusher by Steppenwolfe reminds me of Easy Rider and my involvement with the counter culture at the time.
Leader of the Pack reminds me of my first motorcycles and the enjoyment, also the death of a friend.
Any Jose Feliciano reminds me of my wedding.
People Are Strange reminds me of a period of (self-induced) depression I went through.
I could go on & on.

[questio verum]

Sorry for the late response, but I've been distracted lately. As to the question posed, there are a few evocative albums for me...

In 1967, at age 13, I watched the news reports of Hendrix at the Monterrey Pop Festival. The adults went immediately into 'derision mode', but for me everything changed right then and there. I immediately picked up his 45 of "Purple Haze/The Wind Cries Mary". And as soon as I could save enough allowance money, I bought "Are You Experienced?" in long-playing vinyl. 42 years layer, I'm still trying to decode Hendrix. You know... he was speaking Martian to us, through his strat.

At age 15, there was The Who's "Tommy". That summer (1969) was one of my most memorable for a lot of reasons. I still get a dopey smile on my face when I hear that album.

At age 17, the "Woodstock" album and the Doors "L.A. Woman" made it into my collection. I guess they evoke, more than anything, the turbulence of the times and my goodbye to childhood. "L.A. Woman" was released in April of '71. I graduated high school two months later, and a month after that Jim Morrison died. It was a very different time, for lots of reasons. With Jimi, Janis, and the Lizard King gone, the world had lost a little of it's shine. "L.A. Woman" still sounds as fresh and timeless to me now as it did in '71, though.

There have been lots of good albums released over the years, but none as evocative to me personally, as the ones listed.

qv

*edit* Damn, Moe... now you've got me feeling all nostalgic and whatnot.

p.s. Hal343... I still rock out to Steppenwolf to this day. Some of their stuff gives me goosebumps. I saw 'em at a motorcycle rally about 8 or 9 years ago and they still kicked 'em out, as hard and soulful as ever. John Kay for Prez, baby!

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