Inspired both by some of my friends on Facebook posting lists of their top ten influential albums from their teenage years, and by the Prog Affinity thread in this forum, I was inspired to think what my top ten influential albums were from my PRE-teenage years. The years when the greatest influences on me were what albums my parents listened to, what radio stations my parents listened to, and what albums my parents have me. The period of “prog affinity” if it existed at all (and it barely did for me). Thus, for me, before a top ten influential albums from the teenage years, there must be a top ten influential albums from the pre-teens, right?

1. Abba - Greatest Hits II

I figure I'll start with Abba - because A is the first letter of the alphabet, and because the album in question wasn't one I owned. Rather, Abba is representative of the music my mum and dad listened to, and therefore what I listened to before I was able to make my own musical choices.

As far as I can remember, although I'm sure they must have listened to more, I can think of only Abba, Neil Diamond, and Simon & Garfunkel, when it comes to what my mum and dad listened to, that was not classical music. All of these, I still enjoy the music of to some degree or another - although, apart from S&G, they've not found a place in my collection.

But, though I definitely prefer S&G, and own all their albums, I think Abba were probably the more influential. I can totally see why Steven Wilson said the pop vibe he was aiming for with his new album was that of Abba and ELO. They might be pop bands, but it's pop with an obvious progressive slant. I like to think that Abba's music opened my mind and my ears to much of the music I listen to and love today. Especially given the greatest hits compilation most played in the car was one that missed the earlier poppier music, for the more progressive later years.

2. The Wombles - Remember You're A Womble

Still before I made my own musical choices, one of several albums of music bought by my mum and dad for my younger brother and I to listen to. Running a fine line between tribute and pastiche, The Wombles were so much more than a novelty act, with instantly recognisable parodies of artists and genres. I still have the Wombles in my collection - no longer the cassette bought for me and my brother, but my own cds. Given there was a Wakeman pastiche, possibly the first prog I ever listened to?

3. Empire Strikes Back s/t

Similar to the Wombles, this was not an album I chose, rather than one chosen for me. The difference between this and the Wombles is that the latter was for me and my brother, while this was just for me. It was my first experience of purely instrumental music, and I'm sure it helped me appreciate music without lyrical content - which I've found almost ever since, to be a relatively rare thing. I think of all my friends growing up in New Zealand, from childhood to adulthood, there were only two who liked instrumental music - both musicians. 

4. Wham! - The Final

This is the first cassette ever bought for me that I actually asked for. A fairly momentous thing, at least so it felt to me at the time. It was mine, and I chose it. And I played it until it wore out. I still like Wham! and often think of buying this on cd, but there's so many albums I want to buy, that this always gets pushed to the back of the list. The likelihood is that I will never own it again, but it was definitely influential, as well as a favourite.

5. Duran Duran - One of the first three?

I couldn't say with any certainty what albums I had bought for me after Wham! but I know from that album, while I still received cassettes as Christmas and birthday presents, they were no longer a mystery. I might not know exactly what I was getting, but I knew it would be one of the many albums I'd expressed a desire for.

Duran Duran were a band I loved on the radio, and the songs which I knew came from three different albums, and eventually I had them all given to me. I'd like to think that, eg, so many of the synth-driven albums from recent years I enjoy as much as I do, I do thanks to DD. Yes, you could argue that many of the albums I didn't quite mention in that example are perhaps more reminiscent of Depeche Mode than DD - but would I have liked Depeche Mode as much as I do, if I didn't first love DD? And, again, like Abba, DD made Pop with a progressive slant.

6. David Bowie - Let's Dance

Over halfway through the ten albums, and I've still not reached the point where I'm buying any myself. But at this point, I am still only seven or eight. I'm not sure when you guys made your first purchases, but I was definitely not doing so at this age! I'm pretty sure this was the first Bowie album I owned (though it might have been Scary Monsters, as I know Ashes to Ashes was my absolute favourite Bowie song).

I don't think any one artist has had as much influence throughout my life, as Bowie. It wasn't until much later, that he and his music began to mean as much to me as they do now - but it all started here.

7. Queen - Greatest Hits

Strangely, while I know Wham! Was the first cassette I chose, if not bought myself; I'm not so certain when it comes to what I first bought myself. I'm almost positive it was Queen's Greatest Hits, and if it wasn't, it just goes to show how important I think this purchase was since it is the one I remember.

The weird thing is that it is not what I knew or was expecting. I knew the Queen played on the radio, which was the Queen of the '80s (The Works and A Kind of Magic). Greatest Hits bares almost no resemblance to this later work - and, no, I didn't even know Bohemian Rhapsody prior to purchase. But this was the first of several similar lucky mishaps. (I knew Avalon-era Roxy Music, but bought their debut. I knew '80s Genesis, but bought Foxtrot. Etc.)

Greatest Hits really led me down a rabbit hole, though. It took me totally away from the more commercial and mainstream pop I knew, and into weirder territories. I know the next Queen album I bought was Queen II - which was as weird in comparison with Greatest Hits, as GH was with the '80s radio Queen. Queen II remains my favourite Queen album.

8. Rush - Moving Pictures

I bought this without ever having heard a Rush song. In fact, in my entire time in New Zealand I never heard a single Rush song, apart from those I purchased. The only reason I knew of the band at all was because of bubble gum. There used to be a type of bubble gum which was a disc designed to look like a record (with grooves and hole, etc.) and which came in a replica album sleeve. Every one was different, and most were unfamiliar to me. When I happened to see Moving Pictures in a record store, and recognised it as the album from the bubble gum, I bought it on impulse.

If anything, it's possibly more influential for that impulse buy than for any other reason. Because that was pretty much the first time I ever bought something without knowing anything about it, based just on the cover. I've done so, ever since - though it was easier to do in those simpler times, when it was harder (or sometimes impossible) to sample music before you buy.

(In a similar situation to Queen, Rush also provided another rabbit hole. The next Rush I bought after MP was 2112 - which almost might have been a different band.)

9. Split Enz - Enz of an Era

I loved the Enz, or (again) what I knew of them from the radio. This compilation introduced me to some of their earlier material, and my next Enz purchase was Mental Notes - no tracks of which were on the compilation, which was why I chose it. You guessed it - rabbit hole, again! Split Enz's debut remains my favourite of theirs, and is one of the most overlooked and underrated prog albums.

10. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

I bought this (my first U2) album, because I loved Pride. I expected Pride to be my favourite song on the album, but it ended up my least favourite. I still love this album. It's my favourite U2 album, and yes, I still like U2. 😜

Fire is a very Eno-esque album. He's produced many albums by many bands, but very rarely is his stamp so indelibly marked as it is here. I definitely feel like my appreciation for a lot of different sounds and styles (maybe even post rock) started out from my love for this album.

So there we go. Somewhat done on the fly, but I feel that's best as gut instinct and the first albums to come to mind, are probably more influential than if I were to sit down and think about this more.

The Beatles

Alice Cooper

Led Zeppelin

Jethro Tull

Peter, Paul & Mary

Donovan

The Moody Blues

Simon & Garfunkel

T. Rex

Deep Purple

There are quite a few.

My older sister received a lot of contemporary Danish pop and rock albums as birthday presents, and these are some of my earliest musical memories, from the age of 2-3.

The first album I was genuinely crazed about, at the age of 5, was - of all things - the soundtrack album for the film version of the musical Hair. That was because my mother was a music teacher at a high school, and they made a production of Hair at the school. Quite an odd album for a 5 year old to listen to I guess, but I still think the music holds. Great musicianship actually. The quality of the vocal performances is another story, unfortunately, but I think I was less critical about that back them. Especially "Aquarious" clicked with me right away.

Later I dug into my parents vinyl collection which consisted mostly of classical music, so I actually grew up listening to Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms more than rock and pop. However, they also had a big Beatles collection, and my love of the Beatles started at the age of 9-10. Revolver is probably still my favourite album of all.

Nice to see the Enz popping up again.  True Colours is often stated to be their greatest album. I like it, for sure, but my preference is definitely for the earlier albums, and the first three especially (Mental Notes, Second Thoughts and Dizrythmia). But I honestly don’t think they put out a bad one. Even their final album (after Tim had left) which is almost universally agreed to be their worst, still has some real gems on it.

In the other thread I wrote that my mother taking my brother and me to Yellow Submarine was my first big influence. I think I was 8 then. I then got all of the Beatles. Stupidly I sold them 5 years later because I thought I had grown out of them.

Other than that I loved Abba as well, and Boney M. I also at some point totally distanced myself from them, but rediscovered some Abba in the last 10 years, much later than the Beatles.

More in chronologic order of discovery than favorites, from ages 4 - 12 (1973-1981)

Zapped - Warner/Reprise/Bizarre Records sampler feat. Frank Zappa, Beefheart, Lord Buckley, Alice Cooper, etc. 

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" rel="nofollow - 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. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd - Animals

ELO - A New World Record

ELO - Olé ELO

ELO - Out of the Blue

Moody Blues - This Is The Moody Blues

Carpenters - The Singles, 1969-1973

The Beatles - 1967-1970 (aka "The Blue Album")

Seals & Crofts - Greatest Hits

Special mention: The Drifters - On Broadway/Let the Music Play (single)

The last one is a single. I had one of those cheap kid's turntables that was built into a plastic carrying case and this single was given to me. I played it to death in 45, 33 1/3, 78 and 16 speed, whatever mood I was in.

To be fair, I didn’t make that clear, but my list was only up until I was about 10. Any age up to 13 is fair game, I guess - but if these are albums you were finding influential at age 13, I’d say they are better placed in the other thread, that was dedicated to the teenage years.

My first Scorpions album was World Wide Live, which I think I bought when i was 13.

The Moody Blues - Best Of

The Who - Best Of

The Beatles - Best Of

Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon

Various film soundtracks (mostly inspired from John William's Star Wars work) and various other TV themes

Various classical work (mostly the best known 'standard' affairs, such as Beethoven's Symphonies, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, In The Hall Of the Mountain King, and other things they played for us in school.)

Weird Al Yankovik (Can basically pick any album from this time period)

Smash Mouth - Astro Lounge 

Nirvana - Nevermind 

That last one might have been a little later than this time period, but it's close enough. They Might Be Giants also floats around this time period, but I'm more confident that it would be more appropriate in the other thread. 

That was the point of this exercise, I think? I love every album that I listed. When I changed my collection from cassette to CD, much of my cassette collection never was upgraded, most of these selections did get purchased on CD, so, eg, I did buy The Wombles on CD, and it sits proudly in my shelves with the rest of my collection,

I have no guilty pleasures. I might not own everything I listened to back then, but there’s nothing that I would ever question why I liked it, either. You seem to be merely reiterating how I feel. 🤗

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: Pre-Teen? Yikes! Probably T-Rex, Slade & Sweet.

I started buying prog albums from age 11 (and they were my first "rock" albums too), so I'll have to count as earlier than "teens" years, as below 11 or even earlier umpon my arrival in Canada), instead ot 13.

Before that I knew The Stones, The Beatles, Jacques Brel, Claude Nougaro, and a few other popier french singers ... and Jethro Tull, but I owned no album, nor did the concept of "albums" meant antything for me.

Were those tastes influential later in my life? I'm not sure - don't really think so, though I still like most of it.

Some of the albums I remember checking out were:

I came across music via my elder brother. He is exactly 10 years older than me; we were both born Jan 27th. Same or very close birthdays are a kind of family thing with me. My mother's birthday was Oct 30th, her younger sister was born Oct 29th. Both her brothers were born Jul 20th. My father was born Oct 31st.

My brother often had to babysit me, and I listened to all the stuff he and his friends heard while smoking hashish (which I involuntarily inhaled too). This is why Krautrock is one of my favourite genres.

The Beatles - sgt. Peppers(given to me as a present by a family friend on my 8th birthday who knew I liked the Beatles).

The Beatles - the white album (family album so not really mine in the strictest sense)

The Beatles - Red album (ditto above)

The Beatles - Blue album (ditto above)

Journey - Escape (I was going to buy either this or the first Asia album when I rode my bike to the record store-I wound up buying this one though).

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti - I aquired it on vinyl through a record club thing and later taped it. Not sure if it was mine or my brothers. I eventually getting really big into LZ and bought all their other stuff on cassette. 

Rush - Signals (I'm pretty sure I bought this on tape before the end of 1982 but not sure. Probably before I turned 13 though). 

Duran Duran - RIO (not sure how old I was when I bought it on cassette but "hungry like the wolf" was one of my favorte songs at the time). 

Foreigner - 4 ( I had it on cassette but not sure when I bought it exactly but possibly when I was still 12).

J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame (I was big into these guys on the strength of the song "centerfold" and they were my first real concert). 

Ok, I was able to squeeze out ten. To be honest I really wasn't that much into music until the tail end of my pre-teens and even then it was mostly radio and singles. I had cassette tapes or vinyl albums by Quiet Riot, A flock of seagulls, Styx, Men at work, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Journey, Yes(90215), The Police, ZZ Top, Van Halen, AC/DC, The Who and maybe a few others but those were all when I was 13 or older I think. 

I also had Van Halen's diver down on cassette but don't remember much about it at the time. 

Out of the ones I listed I currently have all on cd except for three of the Beatles(I have SPLHCB)and JGB and that particular LZ album. Looks like I have some shopping to do.

Thanks for sharing that with us but please don't post the video here.  A pre teen who likes metal? Some things never change. Some people never outgrow it either. However, I probably like metal now(then known as "heavy metal")more than I did when I was teen(or pre teen).