“The Ramones, Elvis Presley’s Sun sessions, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Time Out by Dave Brubeck, something done in Owen Bradley’s studio like Patsy Cline or Brenda Lee, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry … how long is this supposed to be? This could go on for a long time. I have a long list of required listening. I think people should have a better sense of history so they would have a better understanding of how things got to be the way they are. Just in general, because I think if people understood how things got to be the way they are, things would be different..”
-Billy Zoom, guitarist from X (According to Billy, this is only a partial list)
King Oliver, King Oliver Stomp
Bix Beiderbecke—anything with Frankie Trumbauer
Le Quintette Du Hot Club De France (Django)—all 1930’s sessions
Benny Goodman Orchestra, Sing, Sing, Sing
Glen Miller, Greatest Hits
Andrews Sisters, Greatest Hits, but make sure it’s the original recordings.
Johnnie Ray—anything about crying
Hank Williams—everything
Elvis Presley—Sun Sessions, and first RCA album with the cover the Clash copied
Jerry Lee Lewis—EVERYTHING!!!!
Roy Orbison, The Monument Hits…, Love Hurts, Pretty Woman, etc.
Brenda Lee—original hits, the Owen Bradley stuff
Patsy Cline—original hits, the Owen Bradley stuff
Buddy Holly Story, the album, not the movie!
Little Richard, 17 Grooviest Original Hits, or anything on Specialty
Chuck Berry, Greatest Hits, or everything before London Sessions
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out
Duke Ellington, Three Suites, Ellington at Newport
The Coasters,Greatest Hits
Muddy Waters—all the Chess hits
Oliver Nelson, The Blues and the Abstract Truth
Count Basie, Hall of Fame
The Shadows, first two albums
The Ventures, first two albums
The Shirelles, Baby It’s You
Claudine Clark, Party Lights
Fontella Bass, Rescue Me
The Temptations, My Girl
Bobby Bland, Stormy Monday
Lonnie Mack, Wham reissued as Memphis Wham
Jimmy Reed, Honest I Do
The Miracles, Shop Around
The Four Tops, Bernadette, Reach Out
Betty Everett, Shoop Shoop Song
Helen Shapiro, Greatest Hits
Tommy Roe, Everybody
The Drifters, Under the Boardwalk
Gene Pitney, Greatest Hits!!!!
Buddy Morrow, Night Train
Etta James, Tell Mama
Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man
Aretha Franklin, Respect, Chain of Fools
Steppenwolf, Born to Be Wild—listen only in mono
Isaac Hayes, Walk On By
Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Greatest Hits
The Youngbloods, Get Together
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Cloudburst, Twisted, etc.
Jimmy Smith, The Incredible Jimmy Smith
Sergey Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf, Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Marvin Gaye, What’s Goin’ On?
Ray Charles—just about anything
Lloyd Price, Stagger Lee, Just Because
Brook Benton, Kiddio, Rainy Night in Georgia, It’s Just a Matter of Time
The Who, My Generation—first album ONLY!
Laurindo Almeida, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Earl Bostic, Harlem Nocturne
Tyrone Davis, Turn Back the Hands of Time
James Brown and the Flames, Greatest Hits, before Bootsy Collins
Wilson Pickett—everything except Hey Jude
Sam and Dave, Greatest Hits, but play it in MONO!
Arthur Alexander, Greatest Hits
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Greatest Hits
The Pirates, Castin’ My Spell
Dave Berry, The Cryin’ Game
The Beatles—first album ONLY! (okay, maybe the first two, but that’s it)
The Searchers—first two albums
Desmond Dekker and the Aces, The Israelites
Heinz, Movin’ In, I’m Not a Bad Guy,Just Like Eddie
Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed… either vinyl or the Superbitmapped CD
Bay City Rollers, Saturday Night
The Ramones—at least the first two albums
Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks
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