Shadow Dancing

As embarrassing as this might be, I have to admit: I once was a big Andy Gibb fan. My brothers used to tease me unmercifully, calling me the names you'd expect: fag, homo, sissy, etc. etc. All because I liked a guy singer that mostly girls liked. I remember one time, specifically, when there was an Andy Gibb album, Shadow Dancing, at the Elk Grove Library that I wanted to check out. I was with my older brother, Darrell, and I did not have my library card with me. He absolutely refused to let me check out the album with his card. He didn't want anyone, even if it was an anonymous librarian, thinking he had checked the album out. We actually had to go all the way back home, get my card, and drive all the way back to the library. I was afraid someone else was going to check the album out while we were making our excursion. I guess I really didn't have that much to worry about.

I heard "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" on Sirius/XM Radio's"70's on 7" channel today. It made me think about the library incident. I started to think about other albums that bring up an old memory for me. They don't actually define me or my musical tastes, necessarily.

Here's a list of what I came up with:

1. Tattoo You - Rolling Stones: I just had to have this album. I'm not sure why. I remember I had a really bad sore throat; it may have even been strep throat. There was a small, local record shop nearby that had the album. I asked my mother to take me there to get it, but since I was sick, she didn't want to go. I sulked enough to guilt her into taking me. My favorite song from this album--or from the Stones, really--is "Waiting on a Friend." I still love that song.


2. Mr. Crowley - Ozzy Osbourne: this is a collectors edition which featured a color picture of Ozzy on the album. It was also pretty expensive. I want to say it was like $15 at the time. The picture scared the crap out of me, but my friends were all getting it. My mom drove me to a different record shop that was about 20 minutes away. I think I still have this one somewhere.


3. Glass Houses - Billy Joel: this was one of those albums that told a story for me. I used to listed to it repeatedly, and the people in the songs came to life for me. It was like a movie in music. I think it started with the picture of Billy Joel on the album cover, standing in front of a glass house, ready to toss a rock at it. This album has some classic Billy Joel on it ("You May Be Right", "Don't Ask Me Why", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", "Sometimes a Fantasy", and my favorite, "C'etait Toi (You Were The One)").


4. Invisible Touch - Genesis: Anyone who knows me, knows I am a HUGE Genesis fan. Annoyingly so...just ask any of my roommates in college. This is my favorite because we used to play it at night in the Circle where I grew up. All of the people I hung out with loved the album too. We'd sing, dance, and I would perform bodybuilding routines to the songs. It was also the album that was popular the first time I saw Genesis in concert. It was 1987 and I saw them in Wembley Stadium in London, England, with my mom and my Aunt Denise. A couple of years ago, Genesis had a reunion tour. I joined their fan club just to get an early shot at tickets. I took Cyndi and my mom and almost got kicked out. Apparently, you cannot stand up, sing and dance at a concert.


5. You Gotta Believe - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: this is a college thing. One of my roommates, Brian Chudik, looks like he could be Mark Walhberg's brother. I used to play this album in our apartment, in my underwear, throwing our clean laundry all over the room...for no other reason than it was annoying.


6. Thriller - Michael Jackson: The year was 1982 and everyone was obsessed with this album, including me. I was friends with this girl, Yvonne Ciengi, and we used to listen to the album together, while talking on the phone. I was convinced that I could do a pitch perfect MJ impersonation, and that I sounded exactly like him when I sang. Yvonne was nice enough not to tell me otherwise.


7. A Star is Born - (Soundtrack) - Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson: MY PARENTS were obsessed with this album and the movie. I was scared shitless of Kris Kistofferson. There's this scene in the movie when he wears this wolf mask while he sings, "Watch Closely Now." I defy any six year old not to get scared while watching this part of the movie. We listened to that album so much that even after 25 years, I can probably still recite most of the words.


8. Four - Blues Traveler: This album holds a special place in my heart because it reminds me of Cyndi. After we first started dating, Blues Traveler was touring because of this album. We both liked "Run Around" and "Hook" so we thought we'd buy tickets. It would be our first concert together. A friend of mine. Kevin Manning, worked at The Fairmont Hotel, and hooked us up with a suite for $75. It was a corner room that probably went for over $500 a night (at the time). We ordered room service for dinner, and ate in our complementary bathrobes. We actually were so relaxed and comfortable, that we thought about skipping the show. I think I called a radio station (The Steve Dahl Show) and offered up the tickets. The producer didn't think there was enough time to put me on the air, so he refused our free offer. Not wanting to waste the tickets, we got dressed, hopped on the L, and head over to The Aragon Ballroom. It was a great show. In fact, we have gone to see them several times since. There was this guy at the show who was really into it. He had this special little dance he was doing where he closed his eyes, moved both of his arms close to his chest, and rotated in a clockwise circle. Whenever we hear a BT song, that's how we dance.

I'm sure there are plenty more, but these are the ones that are sticking out for me tonight. I wonder if I actually thought about music that defines me, what would be included. It's a tough thing to contemplate.