I am the youngest of my parents’ four kids, born nine years after my nearest brother, 10 years after the next and 14 years after my sister.
My musical awakening happened in 1977 at the age of four when Santa brought Elton John’s Greatest Hits Vol. II to my stocking. Well, if I’m honest, he brought me Turnstiles by Billy Joel, but I tried to swap it for Elton from my brother’s stocking before he woke up. (I got busted by my parents, who somehow knew Santa’s intentions.)
But being a Christmas morning early bird wasn’t the only musical advantage I had with older siblings. They all had record collections by the time I was old enough to notice — and their own stereos. I spent many hours in their rooms listening to their music, being swayed and influenced by their developing, individual teenage tastes. The main upstairs bathroom separated my bedroom from my sister’s, so her music was the closest at hand, and she would blast stuff for me at bathtime. Her collection included lots of Chicago, which I loved. She also had Sesame Street Fever. My first favourite song was probably Make Me Smile from Chicago II.
My brothers’ bedrooms were downstairs. My older brother Steve didn’t have much of a record collection before he went to university — just Barry Manilow‘s Greatest Hits, Sleeper Catcher by Little River Band, Discovery by ELO, Voulez-Vous by Abba, Every Picture Tells A Story by Rod Stewart, Cornerstone by Styx, The Long Run by Eagles, Burton Cummings’ self-titled debut, and that disputed copy of Elton John’s Greatest Hits Vol. II. He also had a couple of 8-tracks — Olivia Newton-John’s Greatest Hits was the only one I remember jamming into his SoundDesign stereo.
But my other brother was way more dialed-in. He had a paper route and was the first of my siblings to get a part-time job when he was 15 or 16. So he had disposable income. This led to an enviable Pioneer stereo — turntable, separate cassette deck and 40-watt speakers up on milk crates. While my classmates doodled snowmobiles, trucks and hot rods, I used to draw my brother’s stereo. The influence was indelible. Same goes, obviously, for his records — and I remember every single one he had from the time he was in Grade 7 to the time he moved out after high school and went to university.
So I thought I’d do something more than a little self-indulgent. I’m going to list his record collection as I recall it, and indicate which of those influential records I have in my own collection as a result. In a few cases, I actually have his copy. (Sorry, John). Fun fact: He tells me he still has the rest of them, and that Pioneer stereo. The ones I have are marked with an *. OK, here we go:
* The Beatles | Abbey Road
* Wings | Band On The Run
* Wings | Wings At The Speed Of Sound
* Wings | Back To The Egg
Stevie Wonder | Musiquarium I
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | 4 Way Street
* Rush | Moving Pictures
* Rush | Signals
Rush | Grace Under Pressure
* April Wine | Harder … Faster
Foreigner | 4
Huey Lewis & the News | Huey Lewis & the News
Huey Lewis & the News | Picture This
Huey Lewis & the News | Sports
Bryan Adams | You Want It You Got It
Bryan Adams | Cuts Like A Knife
Men At Work | Business As Usual
Men At Work | Cargo
The Doobie Brothers | Minute By Minute
The Doobie Brothers | Best of the Doobies
The Doobie Brothers | One Step Closer
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | Night Moves
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | Stranger In Town
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | Against The Wind
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | Nine Tonight
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band | The Distance
* Genesis | Duke
* Genesis | Abacab
* Genesis | Three Sides Live
* Genesis | Genesis
* Phil Collins | Face Value
* Phil Collins | Hello I Must Be Going
* Peter Gabriel | Security
* Peter Gabriel | Plays Live
Eagles | On The Border
Eagles | One Of These Nights
Eagles | The Long Run
Don Henley | I Can’t Stand Still
Journey | Escape
Simon & Garfunkel | The Concert In Central Park
Chicago | Chicago IX (Chicago’s Greatest Hits)
John Cougar | American Fool
Hall & Oates | Rock ‘n Soul Part 1
* Joe Jackson | Night And Day
* Supertramp | Crime Of The Century
* Supertramp | Even In The Quietest Moments
* Supertramp | Breakfast In America
Supertramp | Famous Last Words
* Pink Floyd | The Dark Side Of The Moon
The Guess Who | The Greatest of the Guess Who
Burton Cummings | Woman Love
Burton Cummings | The Best of Burton Cummings
Styx | Equinox
Styx | The Grand Illusion
Styx | Pieces Of Eight
Alan Parsons Project | Best Of The Alan Parsons Project
* Led Zeppelin | In Through The Out Door
* Carole King | Tapestry
Styx | Cornerstone
* Styx | Paradise Theatre
Saga | Behaviour
Rick Springfield | Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet
J. Geils Band | Freeze Frame
Toto | IV
Jane Siberry | The Speckless Sky
ABC | The Lexicon of Love
* Bob & Doug McKenzie | The Great White North Album
* Queen | A Night At The Opera
* Boston | Boston
Peter Frampton | Frampton Plays Live
Electric Light Orchestra | ELO’s Greatest Hits
* The Rolling Stones | Still Life
* Fleetwood Mac | Rumours
* Fleetwood Mac | Live
* Fleetwood Mac | Mirage
* Rough Trade | Avoid Freud
Loverboy | Loverboy
Loverboy | Get Lucky
Triumph | Stages
* AC/DC | Back In Black
* The Police | Synchronicity
Steely Dan | Greatest Hits
* Pete Townshend | Empty Glass
Pete Townshend | All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Pete Townshend | Scoop
* The Who | Live At Leeds
The Who | Hooligans
* The Who | The Kids Are Alright
The Who | Who’s Last
REO Speedwagon | Hi Infidelity
Pat Benetar | Get Nervous
Billy Joel | The Stranger
Billy Joel | 52nd Street
Billy Joel | The Nylon Curtain
Luba | Luba
* Thin Lizzy | Live And Dangerous
* Three Dog Night | Hard Labor
* Don Earle | The Two Sides of Bobby Orr
I have 40 of the 100 albums I recall him having — exactly 40%. That’s quite something. Speaks to the power of sibling influence.
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Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.
