Where Were You When?....the 885 in 1977

Two records that have shown up in the countdown from 1977 had a huge impact on my world when they came out; even though they didn't make my top ten list, they still have a great place in my heart.

Listening to The B-52's this morning during the 885 All Time Greatest Albums countdown, I was hit with an incredible wave of emotional recall. For me, these little journeys through the past, accompanied with the playback of certain records bring a great big smile to my face and a recollection of certain memories I haven't had from my past - well, maybe since they actually happened.

When the B-52's debut came out, I was working at The Commissary, the now legendary restaurant on Sansom Street, downtown Philly. The guys I worked most closely with, Owen Lee and William Quigley, were both as much in to music as I was, and we used to listen to music all day in the downstair's kitchen. I have very specific memories of preparing crudite vegetables for a catering job and stuffing chicken breasts with mozzarella cheese for 250 people that day when I first heard "Rock Lobster," and "Planet Clare," and "Dance This Mess Around." I remember dancing around in the kitchen and laughing and having so much fun. And to this day I can't not hear that record and think of those fun times in the downstairs kitchen at The Commissary.

Seconds Out by Genesis is another one of those records that I used to listen to non-stop, and the album for me is associated mostly with my summers spent working at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. This was an interesting time for Genesis since Phil Collins had taken over as lead singer. That album was also my first introduction to the great drummer Chester Thompson who also drummed with Frank Zappa, Santana, Freddie Hubbard and others. Seconds Out was a soundtrack for almost everything I did that summer; late night basketball games; trips to Hancock, NY to Candyland; making pancakes in the camp kitchen for 600 people; trips in to Philly to see Yes at the Spectrum; and so much more.

Listening to the 885 has been a wild trip down memory lane for me. How about you?