Top 10 Influential Albums from the Pre-Teens

Pre teens for me(and probably one other person on here)means before 1983(spring of 83 for me). I was mostly into pop music and singles so probably not many albums but here's a few I think that made it under the wire:

I had older siblings that had a big influence on my musical tastes. 

nick_h_nz wrote: Logan wrote: I'm with you on Split Enz. The earlier albums are my favourites, but at the time I had not heard those and doubt that I would have appreciated those as much as a pre-teen. That album also has the distinction of being the first one I listened to on a Walkman, and I skied while listening to it soon after (I skied an awful lot while growing up but would rarely listen to music while skiing). It wasn't until I was considerably older that I heard any of the other Enz albums. Have you heard ENZSO? Eddie Rayner rearranged Split Enz songs for the NZSO, and they were performed with various NZ singers, including Tim and Neil Finn. Some of the new arrangements are startlingly different, but really good (eg I See Red), while others aren’t changed too much, but still sound so very different just because of the orchestration. https://eddierayner.bandcamp.com/album/enzso The most recent anniversary tour as captured on 2cd “Extravagenza” is also well worth it, if you can find it. I’m impressed you can remember what you first listened to on a Walkman. I have absolutely no definite memory of what I first listened to, although I have a funny feeling it may have been the Labyrinth soundtrack. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Sorry, I missed this before. I haven't heard that, at least not that I recall. Will check it out anon.

I am often seemingly much better at remembering things from decades ago than over the last few years (I have a better long-term memory than short-term). Mind you, the memory is the memory of the last time I remembered it, and the time before and so on and so every time it is a sort of re-construction. While memories are often not very reliable, I do remember the Walkman incident, where I was listening to it (where in the back yard), what I listened to, the weather and related conversation very well. And then skiing while using a Walkman was memorable. I didn't find that altogether safe (important to hear what's around you). I also remember the first time I saw Labryinth very well (on video with a friend).

Edited by Sean Trane - January 19 2021 at 16:55

Shadowyzard wrote: @nick_h_nz ^ Google says that childhood is till the age of 12 or 13. Actually I VERY RARELY like or love an album, that I initially don't like. Also this is not limited to music. I can confidently defend my childhood and teenage years' tastes, with very few exceptions. I guess I cannot come up with even 10 examples of my tastes in anything that I today say, "Wow, how did I ever find it cool?!"

Ok, so my pre-teen albums consisted of Disney's Swiss Family Robinson, Bozo The Clown (still got this one) and The Archies. Mostly we listened to the radio or bought 45's but very few, if any, real albums.

This is tough to say, as my memory of my pre-13 years is very spotty, and my music loving nature really blossomed in high school. Things that fall in here are going to be things my partents listened to and the occasional thing from the radio. A few things that I think would qualify:

Wow, 13 years old is "childhood"? I was definitely masturbating then! 

Then, things change. Lots of metal albums...

Metallica - Kill 'Em All (the inception of my metalhead self)
Megadeth - Youthanasia
Sepultura - Chaos A.D.
Metallica - The Black Album
Scorpions - Face the Heat
Obituary - The End Complete (should be before I was 13)
etc...
Also there was a Turkish music magazine named Walkman, and with all its issues we were getting a mixed-cassette giveaway. I met Snow - Informer and Ugly Kid Joe - Cats in the Cradle in those.

Edited by Shadowyzard - January 19 2021 at 15:27

Pre-teens? No albums of my own for sure. A couple of albums (cassette) that we were generally listening inside our car. They were my parents' cassettes and reflecting their tastes of course. I guess their genres were mostly Turkish pop, Türk Sanat Müziği (Turkish Art Music) etc.

But my interest in music definitely began during my childhood. Cartoon (opening) theme musics were my favourites. Also The Skeletor Theme... OMG still the best "evil-theme" ever! (Check out the first video below.) Yet, I can say that my favourite was the Laserion Theme. (Check out the second video below.)

Mostly I was listening to music on TV and radio in my childhood. I guess I first listened to Europe - The Final Countdown when I was 5-7 or something, and I loved it so much that I was sometimes tuning the radio for hours to have the chance to come across it again. Also, during summer holidays, discos were playing Modern Talking songs and such all day. I was taking immense pleasure in it. 

Marlo Thomas and Friends - Free to be You and Me

Edited by Tapfret - January 19 2021 at 14:44