Author: nyctony

Several of my facebook friends have undertaken the arduous task of identifying the soundtrack to their lives via the “top ten” route.  I enjoyed reading these so much that I thought I would, myself, jump into the top ten frenzy….with a minor twist. My self-imposed rule is NO Rolling Stone or Beatles albums as these… Continue reading Top 10 non-Beatles or non-Rolling Stones Albums

Dubbed a “rock opera”, the double album chronicles the last week of Jesus’ life, starting with his arrival into Jerusalem and ending with the Crucifixion (and you thought you had a rough week). This was not your grandfather’s Opera and certainly not your grandmother’s Jesus.  This Jesus didn’t sit at the right hand of the… Continue reading #1 Jesus Christ Superstar – released in the UK 1970

In case you did not know, The Dark Side of the Moon is an LP by the English band Pink Floyd.  Also, in case you didn’t know, it has been certified 14-X platinum and has spent 950 weeks on Billboard charts.  This popularity is easily explained by the album’s show-stopper themes such as greed, time,… Continue reading #2 Dark Side of the Moon –  released March, 1973

I distinctly remember the release of this album because our chorus teacher at PS 11, Mr. Czina, was a huge Elton John fan and at the ripe old age of 11 years old,  we sang Harmony and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.  I am sure my PS11 facebook friends will back me up on this. There… Continue reading #3 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

“…Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance”.    This was a Christmas present which Santa left for me at my grandparent’s (from the Sicilian side) house in Brooklyn.  My brother got Let it Be and I got Quadrophenia…Santa was both… Continue reading #4 The Who: Quadrophenia

This album in all its English quirkiness, is the album Charles Dickens would write if he were a prog rocker. I got introduced to this album about 4 years after its release.  This is not top 40 Genesis, but prog rock Genesis, virtuoso Genesis,  moody and meandering Genesis…and the Genesis that got me through my… Continue reading #5 Genesis: Selling England By the Pound

This record should be strapped into a capsule and shot into space for those big-eyed, oval-headed aliens to pick up and party to. For me, this is the best album by rock’s third part of the holy trinity.  This double album never grows old and in fact, keeps getting better.  Such a shame I never… Continue reading #6 Led Zeppelin– Physical Graffiti

This is what a Rolling Stones album would sound like with just a bit of womanly touch.  For me, this is Fleetwood Mac’s finest batch of songs and is the soundtrack to my fifteenth summer. Highly publicized in cable television documentaries are the infidelities and legendary drug use by the band during the writing and… Continue reading #7 Fleetwood Mac:Rumours 

Upon its release in August of 1986, I immediately purchased the album and listened to it from start to finish three times on that day.  I was so ready for a new direction that would enable me to musically escape the mindset of mope rock, alternative rock, and REM which up until then defined my… Continue reading #8 Paul Simon: Graceland