Better sense of history: Billy Zoom’s list of required listening

“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