A meme on Facebook asked me to name 12 albums that left a lasting impression. I wanted to do more than just give folks a list, so decided to write a little about each one and what it means to me.

I've sort of cheated on a couple of selections, by combining two releases into one where it feels right to me. The list is also in no particular order of influence. I've also thrown in Spotify links for your convenience.

• Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits II by Queen. (Some might say this is two albums, but I regard these as two discs of the same album. My list, my rules.)
  In my musical history, there is Before Queen and then there is Life With Music. Before I heard these albums, music was something that could be fun, but it was not something I could be passionate about. Then I borrowed my parent's copies of these albums, and my world - and my relationship with music - changed. In Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's book Good Omens it's stated that all tape cassettes left in cars for over a month turn into Queen's Greatest Hits. But no explanation for this is given. The answer is obvious - God's always misplacing his copy, so rigged the universe to ensure that he'd always have one nearby. If I were God, I'd probably do the same...
• Jazz - Queen
  Queen made me passionate about music. And then I listened to Jazz, and they broadened what music could be. I remember first hearing "Mustapha", and wondering just what the hell was going on. And Jazz just kept on defying expectations, so much so that after my first listen I was confused and excited. It's since become my favourite Queen album simply because it refuses to conform. The fact that there's not a bad track on this album also helps...
• Backstreet Symphony - Thunder
  This isn't my favourite Thunder album, but it is the first one I heard - and as I'm still going to their gigs, I think it's fair to say that it left an impression! And it's a superb album, showcasing their blues-soaked British rock. Magnificent. Its only flaw is that it doesn't have a recording of them live on it...
• 1987 - Whitesnake
  I'll be honest - I don't think this album has aged well. But if Queen got me into music, then Whitesnake started my love of hard rock. And David Coverdale's voice is wonderful. I soon found myself going back through his career, which is a treasure trove of joys. So this probably ties with Queen's Greatest Hits for "most influential album" - yet it's not actually one I play much these days. And whilst it's by far Whitesnake's most successful album commercially, I soon found myself playing their early 80's albums by preference. Speaking of which...
• Ready an' Willing - Whitesnake
  Picking between this album, and the two that follow it (Come An' Get It and Saints and Sinners) was pretty difficult. In the end, I think this was the most influential of the three, simply because it's just that little bit bluesier. Where 1987 got me into hard rock, this album pushed me towards blues rock. It also helps that this was recorded by the best lineup Whitesnake ever had, and has some filthy, dirty, joyous songs on it...
• Northwinds - David Coverdale (No Spotify link, sadly.)
  Going further back into David Coverdale's career, this is basically him exploring the soul and blues side of his talents whilst also checking out some new musicians for a band we was going to start up (called Whitesnake). It resulted in broadened horizons for me, and this was one of the first albums I ever ripped to MP3 so that I could listen to it on my commute.
• How To Make Friends And Influence People - Terrorvision
  "If all the people in the world camped out in your back garden, would you write and tell the king or grab a tent and join 'em?"...
  I guess you had to be there. But in 1994, that wasn't difficult - this album was everywhere. If I went to a party, there'd be at least three copies. Probably more. Everyone had it, because its infectiously bouncy grooves kept us doing something that might almost pass for dancing, long into the night and on to the early morning. The lyrics may be incredibly suspect, but I think that just increased its charm for us, and it was certainly contagious....
• Dressed To Kill - KISS
  I really liked KISS when I was in my teens, but most people in the UK seem to regard them as an American novelty act. I was ready to move on from them, as I was mostly listening to their 80's stuff and it didn't age well. But remembering how good some of the tracks on their early greatest hits album (Double Platinum) were, I took a gamble on this. And it turned out to be the antidote to anyone who says that KISS were just a gimmick. This album is packed with solid, decent rock tracks that hark back to classic 1950's rock and roll - all short, punchy tracks that I just didn't expect from this band.
• Powertrippin' - The Almighty (No Spotify link, sadly.)
  My mate Russ puts this album on, and utters the words that for over a half a century have defined the exploration of music by teenagers: "You've got to hear this!". And he was right, you know. As a dirty growl of guitar blasted out, and an angry voice screamed at me, music gained new dimensions. Prior to this album I was ambivalent about heavy metal. After it, I understood why heavy metal had such appeal. And I still play this album fairly regularly, because for me it's an absolutely essential classic.
• In Rock - Deep Purple
  I didn't know what to expect from Deep Purple when I bought this. It was my first Deep Purple album, and I had bought it more because they had such a reputation that I felt kind of obliged to. Speed King, with its cacophonous opening, solid groove and a quiet section with intricate guitar and keyboard interplay - it simply left me stunned. As this was the 90's, there wasn't much going on in the music business except crappy boy bands and The Spice Girls, and this album is responsible for saving me from that - and also for me deep diving into back catalogues.
• 9 Symphonies - Beethoven / Harnoncourt, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
  That's almost six hours of some of the best music ever written. When I was young and stupid I thought that classical music was uncool. Then decided to get this to use as background music. That plan technically failed when it turned out I was choosing to plug in headphones and listen to the symphonies. This is a superb recording, and is responsible for me owning a lot more classical music than I ever expected to...
• And Now The Legacy Begins - Dream Warriors
  I really wasn't fond of hip hop. But this is a gem of an album, and like so many others on this list it broadened my mind about music. Described as "jazz rap", it's full of ludicrously catchy tunes. Their definition of a boombastic jazz style, indeed...

I have to say it's been an interesting task, thinking about what's influenced me. What's interesting is what's missing from the list - no Led Zeppelin, no Quireboys, no Gun, no Guns & Roses, no Thin Lizzy, no AC/DC... the list just goes on and on. But the fact is that I was led to them by the albums on this list...

I hope you enjoy some of them.