Before this top 10 albums as a teen started making an appearance, I checked to see if The Pursuit of Happiness's Love Junk was on Apple Music. It was, and so I listened to it. Amazing combo of excellent melodies, sometimes awkward lyrics, like in Beautiful White, and awesome harmonies. Moe Berg is one of my favourite songwriters, as subsequent albums proved. Interestingly, their most popular song, I'm An Adult Now, is my least favourite song of theirs. I bought Love Junk for, She's So Young. But my favourite song on the album, which is haunting, was Walking In The Woods. When I actually listened to the lyrics, it really made me reconsider my shyness with girls and the cost of not being vulnerable and taking a chance asking someone out.
1) Love Junk - The Pursuit of Happiness
Interestingly, the first time I saw The Pursuit of Happiness in concert was at the CNE Bandstand. I went by myself. My friends weren't interested in TPOH, who was opening for Gowan, nor were they interested in seeing Gowan. It would be the first of 3 times I met Gowan. I bought a T-Shirt at that concert, and had him sign it "O Ominus Spiritus". He spelled Spiritus wrong. The second time was at York Lanes's computer shop, to talk about electronic music. Since I was only 1 if 4 who showed up, we just stood in a circle and spoke to him about music. The third time was by chance in Trois-Rivière for a Canada Day concert. Sass Jordan also played! Strange Animal was why I bought the album, but I think Cosmetics, with that wicked bass line and Walking On Air were my favourite tracks. But later in University I added his first, self-titled album to my collection, and it blows Strange Animal out of the water. Keep Up The Fight, Send Me Energy, Oceania, Come a Little Closer, and Jet White, to name a few, were all amazing. The album seems to have been buried, and Youtube links deleted, so I'm glad I have it.
2) Gowan - Strange Animal
What Have I Done To Deserve by The Pet Shop Boys This remains my second favourite song of all time. The first, which isn't on any album listed here, is She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult. I also grew to love I Want To Wake Up.
3) Actually - Pet Shop Boys
I bought this album cassette in Bradford, Pennsylvania, based on the single When Smokey Sings but discovered it was full of amazing songs! A truly amazing duo. If When Smokey Sings doesn't make you want to sing and dance, I don't know what will. And check out Be Near Me if you've never heard it. The Night You Murdered Love and King Without a Heart
4) Alphabet City - ABC
The second LP my parents bought me. My dad heard how the album was breaking records in sales and he felt I should have it, since he was otherwise unable to mould or influence my musical tastes, and wanted me to fit in with my peers. Loved. Every Song. But I think I preferred Off The Wall later on in life. Human Nature was probably the first ballad I ever loved, and my favourite song on the album.
5) Thriller - Michael Jackson
The first LP I called my own. I recall a sleepover where one of the girls remarked that the album had a swear in it. What's the swear? On the lyrics dust jacket On And On And On (great story and lyrics) showed the swear. When she pointed it out to me, and I looked at it and read it. "Hell." I was puzzled. It wasn't as colourful as the swears I knew. Although not stocked with ABBA Gold tracks, it's a solid album.
6) ABBA - Super Trouper
Another album I discovered in the Bradford, Pennsylvania area was Faith, by George Michael. This cassette was given to me by my American girlfriend. She showed me the Faith music video, and I was instantly hooked. She liked his ass. I liked the song. But she took more pleasure, abashedly, playing, I want Your Sex. The tables turned. I was a great album which I explored after bringing it home. Father Figure mesmerized me.
7) Faith - George Michael
I was able to see Phil Collins at a Genesis concert. I found out that Phil Collins was part of Genesis in Toronto, but only heard their albums in... well... Bradford, Pennsylvania. My older "brother" Ed introduced me to their music, as well as YES. I think I bought the Sussudio album in the early days of the single, and the title track would be part of my music exploration watching the CHUM FM Top 30 Countdown. The only music video I remember watching after cub scouts was The Police's Don't Stand So Close To Me. I remember years later when a friend played it for me, I thought... This is wrong. It's supposed to be faster. It was their '86 version, which is also great.
8) Sussudio - Phil Collins
Although I enjoyed Tears for Fears, it wasn't until this Best of album that I started listening to their music in earnest. I became a huge fan. When they started touring recently, I discovered their "Toronto" date was in Orillia. I didn't want to see them at a Casino where people were comped tickets. So I looked where else they were playing, and decided to go to New York City which proved to be amazing! They remarked that they were emotional about playing here because it was where they first lived when they moved to America. I remember being in Paris with my cousin Hazem, staying at in his hotel room when he was working there, and seeing their new song Break It Down Again and buying their album while I was there. Expensive but worth it!
9) Tears Roll Down - Tears for Fears
I was watching MuchMusic and saw the music video for Vox. I watched the same show later on just to listen to it again. It was before the album was released, and I went to Sam the Record Man to buy it opening day. Her second album only had 3 songs I liked, and I haven't really enjoyed much of her other music or style since. But to me, Touch was a groundbreaking album, and for a kid who didn't like ballads, the songs on this album were amazing. George Michael was the only other to draw me into ballad territory as strongly. Songs like Steaming and Sad Clown were filled with emotion. But the tracks with a male vocalist, such as Strange World, but most of all, Trust, blew me away. The instrumental tracks are also amazing. I went to see her by myself before I think anyone I knew knew her on the rotating stage of Ontario Place.
10) Touch - Sarah McLachlan
It's hard to not include Def Leppard in this list. They might have come earlier but her we are after 10 albums. Hysteria was introduced to me by a kid, on our first meeting. My parents were friends with him, and he proceeded to play their music videos for me, and tell me the band's story. I bought the album, and loved all the songs Sam played for me, as well as the Sheet music for Axel F, Pour Some Sugar On Me, and Armageddon It. When I was on my Pacific Coast Highway cycle tour, I sang Animal to myself. When I first saw them in concern, it was a weekday evening when I wasn't working because it was also the first day of the CBC Lockout. I picketed for 12 hours before walking to the Molsen Amphitheatre to join my friend Paul. I don't know how I managed to get through the concert and spend the entire performance on my feet. A few years ago I went to see KISS, who I thought were opening for Def Leppard. Turns out it was the other way around and I missed some of the Leppard performance.
BONUS) Hysteria - Def Leppard
Special Mention: A Decade of The Box - The Box and Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin - Pornograffiti - Extreme - Gordon - Bare Naked Ladies - 90125 - Yes - Breakin' Soundtrack - Various, Particularly Tour De France by Kraftwerk (but I prefer the 10 Speed cover since that's the one used in the film).
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