Dave Grohl recently (February 2021) suggested three albums that children should listen to for their musical education:
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)
- Back in Black (AC/DC)
- Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack)
Sgt. Pepper is obvious, and is my first choice. Back in Black wouldn’t get a look in, but Saturday Night Fever has some merit.
So, what would I choose to go with Sgt. Pepper?
There are so many possibilities, including other albums by The Beatles – but that would just be indulgent. Certain albums by David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and Radiohead were strong contenders, but I decided to go with these two classics:
Which three albums would you choose?
See also: Essential Albums and Musicians
Dark Side of The Moon, Pink Floyd
Motown Chartbusters Volume 3
and Aftermath, Rolling Stones.
Oh, no Beatles!?
I was never much of a Beatles fan, I think the only single of theirs I have is Paperback Writer. The Rolling Stones were my favourite British group but my main interest was Soul and Motown. My favourite Stones record was Satisfaction, covered by Otis Redding later on but it wasn’t as good as the original.
The Beatles and most British bands lacked the fantastic backing that Motown had, Love is Like an Itching in my Heart by the Supremes demonstrates this perfectly. I’m rambling so will stop now.
This is a lot tougher than it sounds. Back in Black was the first ‘real’ album that I bought, but it wouldn’t be in my top 3, although I still like it a lot. I’d have to say:
‘Achtung Baby’ – U2
‘West Side Story’ – original soundtrack
‘A Night at the Opera’ – Queen
Bowie almost made it, with ‘Hunky Dory’ and Talking Heads ‘Little Creatures’ was close.