The attempt at justification.

     When I was a toddler, with only a handful of recognizable weapons in my verbal arsenal, there was an utterance I continued to sound that baffled and intrigued my parents more than the rest of the "syllables" that dribbled from my mouth. As the story goes, I would stand in the backseat of the car (apparently toddler safety seats weren't really a concern in the late 70's) and sing with the radio...but I would sing the same phrase over and over again. To the captive audience of my parents in the front seat it sounded like 'yiggy, yiggy!' repeated tenaciously with no reprieve.  At first it was thought that the teddy bear I was flailing around must be named Yiggy and his awesome arrival needed to be announced to the world. Eventually it was discovered that what I was really doing was singing my name, or rather, the name that my grandma called me by, Jakey. I was learning my name by singing it in rhythm to the radio. This is why friends, when they speak affectionately of me (which happens constantly, RIGHT?), often call me Jakey...also why my display name here is J-Key ...without the A (I thought it looked cooler, SHUT UP).
     Now, why the hell would I open a Top 300 Albums blog with that story? Yes, thank you for asking, the reason is that I feel that story demonstrates how early on my passion for music truly took hold in me. Others might argue that story also tells other tales about me, such as my sometimes disgraceful need to perform for others and an early start to an overinflated ego, but let's sidestep those ridiculous notions and stick to the point. Most who know me know I am a freak when it comes to music history, music nostalgia, music love. There is nothing better to me than chilling with friends opening fresh ears up to some band or album that's never passed that way before, or being introduced to some great ear candy that's escaped me. If you want to cheer me up, start a conversation or gain a friend for life, start talking music...any music (except much country, but more on that in another post). Below I will attempt to help justify a reason for those who DON"T know me to take a look at what will be a great list of albums and why I feel, if nothing else, I can be relied upon to throw down some great album exploring influence without actually being someone influential in creating, critiquing or manufacturing albums. I could also give a brief history of why I am truly a Master List Ninja Czar, but maybe that can wait for the next huge list I tackle, and this is already crazy wordy. Okay, from the top....
    The opening story is the most notable as a toddler. My mom would sing me "You Are My Sunshine" as an early baby fave of mine, and there was a music box I was quite taken with that would play "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" (kind of a morbid song for a baby, but I dug it). Aside from that, I didn't become completely infatuated with music until pre-school. This was when I discovered the treasure in our basement...cardboard boxes packed with my dad's collection of lp's and 45's. I learned very quickly how to work the turntable and started mixing...it's not quite as cool as it sounds. What I mean is, I began making mix tapes from my dad's albums. I would DJ using a mic hooked up to the stereo, talking about what little I knew about the songs, dedicating songs to my parents, making up weather reports. Sometimes my dad got the tapes, other times I would keep them to re-do until I felt they were perfect. Simon and Garfunkel, Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, early Beatles, Elton John, Chicago, tons of Motown, 60's pop and 70's rock albums. I never did make it through all of them, but a couple boxes still exist. Anyway, this is what I would do on rainy days or when I wouldn't be pulled away.
     Pre-school was also the first time music turned on me. I was madly in love with this girl Margaret. I decided on Valentine's Day I would bring her candy and serenade her with "Cecelia" in front of the whole class. Why I decided to sing "Cecelia" for a girl named Maragaret...who knows, it was pre-school. SO, I stand in front of the class, scared shitless no doubt, begin singing the song and realize Margaret is listening while holding hands with this other kid. I finished the song, humiliated, and went on a killing spree 3 days later. No, I got over it eventually, but I was stung by that song. Maybe Margaret didn't like that I was singing her another girl's name either.
     Once the 80s hit I had a new musical influence in my life...babysitters. I was introduced to Duran Duran. Seven And The Ragged Tiger was the first cassette I ever purchased with my own money earned from chores. Around that time they would also have the Top 20 songs on TV each Friday night at 11. I would beg my parents to let me stay up and see if "Take On Me" or "Easy Lover" would hit #1. They often let me. My influences wouldn't expand until middle school.
     By the late 80s I considered myself a burnout without actually being a burnout. I didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't skip school, but was all about the metal and hair band glory of that time. I'm not just talking about Crue and Metallica and G 'n R, I'm talking Kix and Brittany Fox, all the hair band greatness and complete crap alike. I knew it all. Ozzy Osboune became my favorite. That led to Sabbath, which led to other 60s and 70s band my dad hadn't had a lot of. The Doors, Jimi and Led Zeppelin made me realize how much I had been missing by my strict diet of MTV. My cassette collection was crossing over the 100 tape mark. It was also during this time that my brother got a guitar for Christmas. It lasted a month in his room and then came to live in mine. I taught myself how to play by playing constantly until I could play, or at least fake, most of what was on the radio or TV. A steady supply of tab books didn't hurt, either.
     Many musical influences attacked me once high school hit. The first was Public Enemy, N.W.A. and Geto Boys had poured into the suburbs. Overnight kids traded their shoulder length hair and Anthrax tees for fades with their names shaved in them and triple fat goose coats. ALL kids, black or white, rich or poor, didn't matter. I then dove full force into a world that included Big Daddy Kane, EPMD and Boogie-Down Productions. In 3 years I gathered all I could until the next musical revolution in my life took place.
     My junior year in high school, the theatre bug took an enormous chomp out of my ass. At first it was to get a girl, I confess, but then I fell in love with the process it took to win the prize. With drama came musical theatre and choir. I saw a production of JC Superstar that left me agape and I was all in for original cast scores. Any decade, any musical, I hunted them out. Choir brought about my desire to learn more about classical music, and I began dating a french horn player...not to broaden my musical horizons, mind you, that was just a nice add-on. The biggest piece of my musical fandom pie to be served up from the dramatic arts influence, however, would happen when my choir teacher introduced the aural sensation that was John Coltrane. When I had finished my run of catching up on stage musicals, I would begin learning as much about jazz and it's operators as I could.
      Wrapping up high school was my brother's extreme love of the Grateful Dead, which turned me on to the band I've seen the most, heard the most from, and worshiped the most through my college years...Phish. From the combination of the Dead and Phish I also FINALLY learned of Mr. Robert Zimmerman and much of the other folk and roots rock I had missed or was going to be coming up in the next couple years. Santana, The Band, Dave Matthews was on the verge of breaking wide open, Rusted Root, those bands.
      I also began hanging with the goth kids, who during this time weren't really 'goth' like we know it now, but closer to...alternative...or something. Hard to describe, but The Cure and Depeche Mode were the popular bands. I was more into R.E.M. and a certain album I became obsessed with (and actually started me drinking) called Pretty Hate Machine. After my love of this album I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the radio and, for the second time, I watched a massive cultural shift in my town overnight. This is when I switched over to cds and my band ( I became lead singer and writer of my first as a senior in high school) began covering Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains.
   Once college hit my tastes for music expanded, but by this point you get the gist. I listen to just about everything. I didn't get into my discovery of Muddy Waters and the blues, or the first time I heard Sgt. Pepper's or Exile, or my first well baked encounter with Dark Side Of The Moon. By now, hopefully you are sold and, with a promise that I'll try not to drone on as often in future posts (or at least be more interesting), you'll come back and check out the list. To conclude, I have listed some of my firsts below. I would LOVE some comments on your firsts as well...musically speaking, that is. I can say that I still play guitar and write music, I still make friends mixes monthly and keep a list of every mix I've made for every friend since 1994, AND, as you will see, I still am completely consumed by music.

FIRST CASSETTE OWNED-Seven and The Ragged Tiger, Duran Duran
FIRST CD OWNED - Ten, Pearl Jam
FIRST CONCERT - The Grass Roots, The Turtles, Gerry and the Pacemakers
FIRST NON-PARENT-ATTENDED CONCERT - MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Bel Biv Devoe
BAND I'VE SEEN THE MOST LIVE - Phish (17 shows), Tool (4 shows)
LAST CONCERT ATTENDED - BB King, Buddy Guy
BEST CONCERT ATTENDED - Allman Brothers Band (when Dickie Betts was still in the band)
ONLY MUSIC GENRE I DON'T LISTEN TO - Country...you get that yet?

The next post will detail my rules and regulations for album consideration in the top 300, which will be fun as it will be sure to raise some eyebrows. Stay tuned!!!