Beginnings...

My oldest memory of anything musical is the 1985 soft-rock ballad Sara by Jefferson Starship. Why did this 4-minute slice of AOR etch itself into my 4-year-old consciousness? I clearly remember how I adored the descending melody line in the chorus, along with the backing harmonies. (I still have a soft spot for vocal harmonies.)

Thankfully, the next pieces of music to touch me were slightly more hip. Several family road trips in the mid-80's were accompanied by a box cassette tapes that included Paul Simon's Graceland (1986) and the soundtrack to Stop Making Sense (1984) by the Talking Heads. The strange singing in Zulu and French kept my mind busy on the long hours of highway driving across middle America.

Thank you, David. Thank you, Paul. Thank you, Grace.

Download: Starship - Sara / Paul Simon - Crazy Love Vol. II / The Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Buy the album: Starship - Knee Deep in the Hoopla / Paul Simon - Graceland / Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense