10 Vinyl Records That Changed My Life 

Your discussion of your relationship with your parents was truly a beautiful thing, Melinda. It made my eyes tear up.

I am crying hearing your stories, Melinda! I am just so grateful for you being you! Personally, the one album I will say that has changed my life the most is Van Morrison’s “Poetic Champions Compose “…He was on such a spiritual plane at the time, and everything from the moody “Spanish Steps” to the ethereal “Celtic Excavation” to the beautiful “Someone Like You”, along with the meditative road anthem, “Alan Watts Blues” and the incredibly transformative “Did Ye Get Healed?” has influenced me in one way or another throughout my life…I remember being in a record shop crate digging and this record came on…The young folks that were in the shop were digging it, the old guys with white ponytails were digging it, the clerks were digging it and I was digging it…It’s almost as if everyone in the shop was having a moment at the same time…I can’t ever recall there being such a universal album that resonated with everybody quite like that one, so that’s my pick! Plus, it’s the one album I can listen to over and over again and never get tired of hearing it!

I loved hearing your stories behind the music. It's amazing how music touches our souls. "Team Sonny" 😊

What an absolute touching video! You may have shared 10 Lp’s here that changed your life, but more so, to tell the stories about each, and show your own emotional feelings with your subscribers was truly heartfelt. I honestly thought you were going to start crying at one point when you talked about your father. I can relate to your feelings about your dad, because I too experienced the exact same situation growing up. I can easily name ten Lp’s that changed my life. I can also name songs that when I hear today, bring about tears with my mother’s passing in 2003. If your viewers did not already know that you are such a kind and caring individual before this video, they definitely have to realize it now. I applaud you for all that you’ve shared here over the years, and now today, I admire you more for what I already knew! Thank you Melinda! You are a rockstar in so many ways! 👏💯🏆👍🥇🙃

I was 13 years old when my grandma for Christmas in my stuffing stockers purchased 3 bands on cassette. They were ratt out of the cellar, Def Leppard pyromania and of course 1984! My grandma was the best!

Dark Side of the Moon is the album that changed the way I listened to music. Alan Parsons is the man who authored the quad mix. 11 years ago today I got to meet Alan Parsons, and the one thing I said to the man who's been a lifelong idol was that his quad mix of Dark Side was the cleanest, clearest thing I'd ever heard. He was so gracious and said he was happy to hear that!

A story beautifully told. My respect for you has no ends. Thank you for all your videos Melinda.

I really appreciate you sharing the tough moments of your life with us, Melinda - and also how the music helped you through them. You bring a personal side to the vinyl community that most don’t.

Thank you for sharing, not only the soundtrack to your early life but your personal story as well.

Hi Melinda my name is Clint I love watching your videos everyday classic rock music makes me so happy I appreciate everything you do you are an amazing woman

Making me tear up at work😢 great video. Loved this. It’s beautiful how much impact music can have on our lives and relationships

I can only share what comments stated before me. You´re such a wonderful person, who brings a lot of joy into my world! And telling us about difficult moments in your life and it´s relation to the music you love, makes you a very strong character! Thanks a lot for you being exactly you!!

I loved this video Melinda. What an incredible story about your parents. The part about your father and The Bee Gees was really emotional. Music is the universal language.

I enjoyed this video very much. I grew up in the 70s and early 80s which was the greatest music era! Thanks for sharing.

Music is pretty powerful....enough to take you back decades and remember your exact feelings. Thanks Melinda

,,,,,.....p.s.,,,,,,Dear mrss Melinda...,,,tnx for telling me your past,,,..you are not the only one😮,,.music is all we have to share,.....i hear it in your voice,,( so honest),,..,,i too have a great 45 rpm record collection,,..love the paper covers,..the compilation albums are fantastic as well.....,,,,,,but first and foremost,,RADIO is where it all began,,..and i still strive,and educate how important it is,and would be to create a song to be played on the radio,❤,,...tnx for your work here,,,..it makes my week complete,.....,,take care,..pat,,,land o' lakes,wi.

That was an emotional video!! My first memories of records was my sister playing "Shake your Booty" Rhinstone Cowboy" "Beth" Every Christmas eve she would put on the Christmas album until I went to sleep. She passed in 2013. Thanks for sharing

I absolutely love your story about your Dad and the flowers. My Dad left flowers on my Mom's grave every week. I would go with him sometimes and it helped us bond and also broke my heart at the same time. Thanks for reminding me of those times. Thanks for giving K-Tel records some cred too.

I don't care what anyone else says about KTel Records, they'll always have a special place in my heart as well 😊. I'm very moved by your video, and God bless you. I feel so privileged, and thank you, Melinda.

You went deep here M! Great stuff! Thanks for sharing!

Brilliant video as always, Melinda. Wonderful choices and such emotional and sincere back stories.

Another lovely and nice video. Lots of great titles, 1984, Off the Wall, Pink Floyd and ELO. Can’t go wrong there! And the stories. Thank you Melinda 😊

Great video Melinda. Good to see a video where the actual relevance to someone of their vinyl records is highlighted.

Thanks Melinda for bringing back such wonderful memories. I was also a kid in the 70s and a teen in the 80s. Our music collections are very similar. I still have most of my records and cassettes that I purchased from the money that I earned delivering papers when I was age 10 through 13. I just recently repaired one of my old Nakamichi cassette decks and popped in a 45 year old cassette yesterday of Hotel California that I received from the Colombia House record and tape club and it still worked. Listening to that old cassette brought back wonderful memories of my childhood home and neighborhood in Santa Fe NM. It's amazing that music can bring back such fond and emotional memories. Take care Melinda I can't wait for your next video!

Off The Wall is the greatest pop of all time. imo. Love Thriller as well. Bee Gees are a little too amazing. How Deep is Your Love is hard for me to hear it just once. I usually play it 3 or 4 times in a row. So cool you got to share thier music with your Father. A total special moment to have that moment before he passed away. ELO was the first band I got into along with Kansas. very special band for me. I flew to Oakland to see them. You know how much I love Van Halen with Roth. I did not have that K Tell album. But I had a few others as a kid. One had Hard Luck Woman. All those K Tell albums are so special. Another awesome video,, Melinda! Take care.

Melinda, you touched many of us here with your stories about your parents because many of us can relate. I know I can. Growing up, my dad and I were frequently at odds. But, later on, much later on when I was out on my own, we reconciled in a silent sort of way. We didn't talk about the past, we just focused on the present, and it felt good knowing that he felt proud of me as opposed to my teen years when he wasn't so proud because I didn't meet his expectations in certain areas. So, thanks for sharing. You're obviously a sensitive person.

Having my own "dad" issues, it's so nice to hear you were able to have a moment or two with yours while he was still alive. I was also able to re-connect with my dad before he passed. It didn't repair or heal all the damage, but it did provide some closure even though I never could get him to talk openly about his regrets. I've heard people of German heritage aren't good at expressing their inner thoughts. Not sure if it's true, but I've felt it too.

VC video of the year. Wow. Heartfelt and honest. Well done.

Very emotional Melinda great that you have such deep connections to your family through music. All I can remember is my mum shouting up the stairs "Turn that racket down! "

I loved this video and am really enjoying hanging out with your channel! Thanks so much for this (some months late)!

Thank you for sharing your heartfelt stories. ❤❤❤❤

Impressions, emotions and discoverings around music, many kinds of music that open the gates of your perception and now it shows a very generous soul, for our delight. Thanks

Wonderful video! I was very touched by the stories of your dad - especially the small detail about the flowers. I also remember "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship as one of the first songs on the radio that caught my ear in my formidable years - every time I hear it, I'm immediately brought back to that magical year of 1975.

Thanks for sharing Melinda. That’s all

What a truly wonderful video. I was so affected by your story. I’m glad you had some good times with your dad.

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences Melinda! You are such a great story teller. It’s incredible how we can hear an album or song, and can transport right back to our fondest memories. My dad used to have a small convertible sports car, and I remember he used to play cassettes like Born in the USA, and Wild Planet by the B-52s(which sounded a lot cooler back then lol)

The humanity and emotion you exude Melinda is beyond superb. I've always loved Suzanne Vega... espcially her song 'Small Blue Thing'. Last year (after sending her a letter) she allowed me to do her portrait at a soundcheck before one of her world tour concerts. I got a photograph of her in the very seat I sat in first seeing her play in '87 then a close-up shot of her actually playing 'Small Blue Thing'. Music really does create memories. Sorry to ramble on, but my illness has taken my speech and I can go on 'ramble' for sure. Love your channel.

Thank you for the video. Very emotional, very warm hearted.

Wonderful story about your dad. My mom and I never agreed on anything, even music, but she loved My Life by Billy Joel, so when I got my first keyboard, not knowing a note, I i spent 2 months learning to play that for her. 40 years later, I still impress people when I play it, until they say, "What else do you know?", and I i say, "Not much..."

You really passionate about the sound qualities and the music effects. You have audiophile ears. I love listening yours. God already blessed you a lot.

I just have to say that it's videos like this that help me discover new music that might be of interest to me... Thanks for the great content! ✌️

I think everyone can feel your emotion and how music is the soundtrack to all the little moments and big moments that pass through a person's life. This is why we all love music. Thank you for sharing.

To me, the studio version of "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" is the very best thing Michael Jackson ever did. Nothing else comes close. That's perhaps the main reason why I prefer "Off the Wall" over "Thriller". Words aren't enough to describe what I felt the first time I heard Kiss' "Alive!". That album and AC/DC's "Back in Black" are perhaps my biggest lifechangers. "The Challengers at the Teenage Fair" is an album that I played countless times when I was a kid. It's an extremely special part of the soundtrack of my life. Wonderful video!

Nice video. And it's nice that music makes your life better. I can't imagine not having music in my life. Keep up the great videos!

It is amazing how music conjures up memories from our lives. You have a great way of explaining this to us. We all have recollections of good and bad memories when we go back to the music we have experienced in our lives. Some of the bad memories show us that God knew best for us and in retrospect we realize that these experiences were for the best. The good memories are always welcome and put smiles on our faces. Life lessons are deeply rooted in the music from our past. The experiences are always worth the journey.

Wonderful video, Melinda. Really wonderful!

Very nice and emotional video. Music can really take us in a journey through time, fellings and images. I watch your videos every time i open up RU-vid, Don't worry about your real audience, we're here. Regards from México.

Hi Melinda, Great video. Loved the stories you shared about your Mom and Dad and the great memories from the albums you shared with them. Most of your albums are from when you were growing up and it got me thinking. This is really going to date me. I’m a lot older than you but here it goes. In the sixties I could only afford to buy 45’s which I did whenever I had extra money. So I have favorites that were played from cousins or neighborhood kids. Of course I own everyone of them today. First up - Blue Hawaii, Elvis, Meet the Beatles which changed everything for me. The Wonderful World of Sonny and Cher ‘66, I started buying now by 68. The Turtles Greatest, The Rascals Greatest, Mamas and Papas 16 Greatest, The Stones - Darkly through the Past, Favorite of all time Abbey Road, Jackson Five 3rd Album and Tapestry, Carol King. They bring back the great memories. Thanks for making me think about it.

You are undoubtedly one amazing human. This content was so brilliant in the emotions it evoked in what I assume was (and looked like) an extemporaneous narrative. Could have been one hell of a TED talk! Too good for YT, for sure. 🙏👍

Hello Melinda, your story about naming your daughter was so touching. Honestly there is no one album or ten that I listen to that really changed my life. But there are song that really have impacted me in my life. I just love how you have such great memories that are connected to songs. I think sometimes we forget the emotional impact certain songs have on our lives.. This is why I am such a fan of your channel.

I was given the first two Beatles albums by my uncle when I was just 8 years old (1968). That started my musical journey and I started buying my own records right away. The first record I bought myself was CCR - Pendulum, what a fantastic record! Next up was Cream - Disraeli Gears and then ELP - WBMFTTSTNE...However the record that really blew me away was Black Sabbath - Paranoid. It changed everything for me and really got me delving deep into hard rock. I was fortunate to have a hippie mom who had such music as Ten Years After, Savoy Brown, QSMS, Zappa and much more!

Melinda, that was such a great video. You have an amazing gift for storytelling. I don’t know how old you are but when you mentioned the Sonny & Cher show it brought back memories of when I was a child and I too used to love watching it. Not to mention Charlie’s Angels, I could only catch the reruns in the summer because during school session it was on right at the start of my bedtime. Thank you for sharing your stories and memories. Great music choices as well. 😊

Great video… our records definitely are the soundtrack of our lives.

Great video, Melinda! Thank you.

another video to watch and relax ,made it good ,i´m more informed now because everything you show ,where i live i wouldn´t dream of it, editions , special editions, some from artists i really like and if it wasn´t for you i wouldn´t know they existed,as an example i already know where to order those special editions of old albums i never had seen before

Thanks for sharing the moving personal story of the Sonny and Cher album and your dad.

Loved this intimate connection video with music. Music seeps through the superficial and penetrates the soul. ...no matter the style of music.

Good personal choices - amazing how music can take you right back to people and places of the past

Melinda you are a joy to watch. Thank you for all the work you put into your videos. Stay well,safe and happy. Chris and Dave

Music Machine was my first record that I can remember owning! K-tel gets a bad wrap, it was a perfect introduction to music for me at a young age.

Beautiful share with genuine emotion. Love the content.

I’ll say one quick thing about Off the Wall. I owned it in my original vinyl collection. But like a lot of dummies my age I gave away most of my vinyl in the mid nineties. Been back into vinyl the last 7 years and very recently bought a used copy of off the wall on eBay. So it’s been on my mind for many a year. Sweet Melissa is awesome and a fairly easy song to play on the guitar. No one sings it like Gregg. Great video Melinda and a touching story as well. 💗

Thank you for sharing such personal stories, especially about your mom & dad. I bet you miss them both. Being 53 myself and having lost mine long ago, on top of having to let go of my wife 5,5 years ago, after a 10-year struggle with cancer, the only thing that has always kept me upright was music. Lately, however, even that seems to be failing on me. I’m not giving up, though, music had always been my savior. Thanks again, Melissa! Btw, you look a lot like my sister. Do you have any Eastern-European blood running thru you?

I remember you mentioning the "Alternative Side of the Moon" in one of your videos. While at my weekly visit to the record store I picked it up. What a great recording. I don't think the gate guard announcement was as pronounced but the running back and forth was in "On the Run". Thanks for mentioning it.

The Allman Brothers, Eat A Peach, has a special memory for me. I was a teenager at the time the album was released. My parents went out for the evening and my girlfriend came over to the house. My parents came home early, Eat A Peach was blasting away, ... let's just say they were not happy we were only wearing smiles. Excellent video!

When I was 9, in 1966, we moved to Birmingham (UK), and Bev Bevan, then Move later ELO drummer, lived on my road. I did a home town bands video recently, focussing mostly on bands from the area around Moseley in south Birmingham. Amazing the number of well-known bands who came from there. Great video, Melinda. I love these deeply personal musical memories. I also saw Pete's video, which inspired me to do one, but I settled on 15 albums that soundtracked my musical journey and my love life! If you get a chance, take a look? Cheers. Andy

,,,,,,,......... OH ! .......,,,,,,,so you were on the Sonny & Cher train also !!!!😮❤

Enjoyable video. I'll share some of my albums. When I was a very young child. Around 5, my mom was in a 5 and dime type store and saw this album she thought would be cool. This was 1960 and the album was only a dollar (probably 99 cents). She gave me two Franklin half dollars and said she was gonna let me pay it at the checkout. When we got home, she put the records on our Muntz console TV stereo. The sounds that came out of the speakers mesmerized me. It was a lush tropical (exotica) album called, "The Sounds of Exotic Island" filled with tropical instruments, bird and surf sounds with occasional female wordless vocals. The gorgeous album cover and even the "Stereo Fidelity" Somerset label completes a tropical feel. It took me til 1999 to find another near mint copy. When I joined The Army in 1973, My first album purchase was "Tubular Bells", that album is still my favorite instrumental album. Some other I helped me become an avid Hi-Fi fan are Rick Wakeman's Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Best of Bread, ELO's Eldorado, The James Gang Rides Again, Pink Floyd's Ummagumma, Kraftwerk's Autobahn and Rare Earth's Ecology.

I have to tell you that you got me all teary eyed with your stories about your Dad. I could tell those stories stirred up emotions in you, and had to be hard to tell. I just want to thank you for sharing them with us. ❤️

14:34 ... Thanks for sharing that and sorry for your loss. I lost my Dad 7 months ago and even though we had a falling out it was still rough. Unfortunately we didn't reconcile before his death which is a big regret. Now my Mom is sick in the hospital with only days left, we are a lot closer and this happening again only months later with her imminent loss is just unbelievable, I would trade places with her if I could :(

Oh, Melinda, I am happy to see a new video from you every time, but especially today. I'm sick as a dog eating grass, if you know about that. Stomach problems, been pretty miserable for a few days now. You made me cry with your stories about your parents. Mine are both gone, too, about a year apart, 15 and 14 years ago. I can see that we have similar tastes in music, so any time you show an album I haven't heard, I know to go check it out. It's probably something I will enjoy. I know the Allman Brothers music, the basics at least, but I never bought their albums beyond a greatest hits CD. That's about to change. Anyway, I love your show. Just wanted to say thanks for what you do.

Wonderful personal memories. Thank you.

Hi Melinda, I really enjoed this video and I must say that Sonny And Cher album means a lot to me. when I was a kid and I had that album I used to play it all the time and I absolutely Loved it and I really feel that Sonny's best vocal performance is You Better Sit Down Kids. I wore out my first copy of that album and so I bought a new copy a few years ago. And Yes, K-tel Records Did not sound as good cause they crammed so many songs in a album but I Loved them and I have many of them in my collection. Nothing wrong with having K-Tel records as they were without a doubt a big part of music history.

I'm 57 years old and understand the joy of musical nostalgia. where I was, and what I was doing all those years ago. If I hear a song from the late 60's, 70's or 80's it's always a memory from my younger years. We will never have music that good again. I'm also the guy that met the band Van Halen twice.

Now I see why you're Team Sonny. I had that Cher doll too, in that pink outfit she came with. I gave her a stylish bob. Very enjoyable video!

Melinda, WOW what a truly beautiful video. So deeply personal. Thank you. Regards Dave.

Thank You Malinda for your love of music and what it meant in your life. We all have some emotional memories tied to music that shaped our lives. Thank you for letting us know it's ok to open up for healing and how music is important for some of us. Keep doing it how you do it!!!❤

Thanks Melinda. This is such a personal video. I watched Pete's video a couple of days ago and loved it, and it started me thinking about my music turning points.

Kudos on choosing the BeeGees "Greatest" and the the K-Tel compilation! I too grew up listening to a K•Tel compilation that means so much to me: K-Tel "The Rock Album". It doesn't even sound that good but what a compilation of rock songs! Check the playlist: Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra Dirty White Boy - Foreigner Two Tickets To Paradise - Eddie Money Too Rolling Stoned - Robin Trower (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult Dream Police - Cheap Trick Bad Case Of Loving You - Robert Palmer Renegade - Styx More Than A Feeling - Boston Something's On The Move - Jethro Tull Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' - Journey Isn't It Time - The Babys Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas Hold The Line - Toto

I have enjoyed several of your "video's" in the past but today was your best. You clearly shared some very personal, sensitive times from the formative years in you life. It takes a brave soul to do this and you did it with dignity. Well done Melinda.....keep on rockin' in the free world

Always love your videos.

Gosh. Cannot believe Simon and Garfunkel's bridge over troubled water isn't in your mix.

Hello Melinda, it’s amazing how much mine and your life mirror each others I was balling while you were telling your story about your dad and as kids we forget that our parents are human too and they make mistakes I’m so glad you got to work things out with your dad. Great video!

The record that changed my life was Iron Butterfly, in a gada da vida. I changed from am to fm radio since they would play the long version! Way before you were born.

A wonderful post. Thank you so much. Such touching moments about your parents. Thanks for sharing. Love your posts. This could be the best yet. Much love.

Thanks for sharing your heart and glad you made that connection with your dad. For me there are a few albums but I will share two. The first was Dire Straits - Love over Gold. I had just gotten my first job and wanted to get some music. It was a number one album and when I picked it up I thought 5 songs, I’m getting ripped off so I held onto my money. I did end up buying and for me is one of those albums you play from start to finish. It’s probably one of my most played albums. The other is Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf. When I left school to join the Air Force I had completed two out of three of my school terms and my quote I left on our year wall was Two out of three ain’t bad. Such a shame the recording is lacking.

Miles Davis' music 1963-1970 was a pleasure for me to discover.

Wow.. I just discovered your channel. I definitely. agree with you on the power of music, and the memories it can bring back. I have very similar taste in music that you do, and I have many of those same records. I do have a few that are more sentimental... "Born Free" by Andy Williams. It was one my grandparents had.. So every time I hear it, I am back at their house as a VERY young kid... Great memories! I am looking forward to checking out more of your videos! Thank you so much!

When I first heard "Dark Side Of The Moon" on my Koss Headphones (Great Bass!) it was the most detailed record in my collection - Alan Parsons made sure the vinyl was pressed to perfection worldwide - I had the UK Harvest LP and the American Capitol and the sound was identical - that sound became the Alan Parsons Project template and I highly recommend the entire collection - those records were made to perfection - the Quiex pressing of "1984" also was mastered beautifully - I was amazed that Warner Bros was able to deliver that brickwall production on vinyl - so amazing - it was sad hearing about your Mom & Dad and I'm so glad you shared that with us - Great video Melinda!❤See you next week!

Some great records. Thank you for sharing a personal story.

This is one of the most interesting videos you have made. Interesting stories behind each choice and deeply personal. You had me booked until the end. Thank you.

Wow was not expecting to see In a Silent Way! Genuinely changed my life and musical taste as well. Recently found a copy after years of searching for it.

.. admiration for you for the brave sharing of your thoughts and memories .. a lot of people don't realise the power of music in evoking memories .. thoughts .. places .. people and life events .. the therapeutic aspect of music should not be under estimated .. your videos are a joy to watch .. David Cerinus

This is where you shine Melinda. The stories you add to these albums are fantastic. Being just a few years older than you, your timelines for your stories are very relatable to me. And hey those K-Tel records were a big deal bag then. Fantastic video, thanks for sharing. I might have to do this. I know one for sure would be Kiss Destroyer. Have a great week my friend! Gary

So many people who grew up during the 70’s were introduced to music by those K-Tel records. You could bend them in half, they were so thin. But they had all the hits, so you didn’t have to wait to hear those songs on the radio.

Soul Journey by Gillian Welch made me reflect on the broken relationship I've had with my parents, who were once my best friends and confidants. A tragedy that I won't get into occurred that severed our relationship entirely, and we haven't spoken for over 3 years, whereas previously, we would talk every day for at least an hour and be constantly present in each other's lives. After listening to that record for the first time, front to back, it was as if the towering dam I'd erected around my heart gave out and crumbled, and a torrent of emotions that I had buried deep within the crevices of my soul just flooded my entire being. I was hit like a ton of bricks with the realization of just how deep and profound our love for each other truly is, how it transcends all of the pain, suffering, and bitterness, and that if there is one thing I absolutely must do in this life, is to rekindle our broken relationship and make our family whole again. Today, I can say we are as close as we were in the best of days, and we are once again a family. So yeah, Soul Journey by Gillian Welch changed my life.

Fantastic stories many of which I can relate. Music forever!

Nicely made and very touching video Melinda. This is relatable in some respects, so much so that I feel somewhat inspired to make my own video. We know how personal music can be to us as there are certain touch points in our lives. We hear certain things and we're transported to a moment in time. The story of your father is heartbreaking to hear though I'm happy that you had that priceless final musical moment with him. 😘❤️ Thanks for sharing this with us. Take care. Love your work. Cheers 😘😘

Beautiful video! Thank you!

Very intense video. I got deeply absorbed listening to your memories. Since I grew up in an earlier time I spent a lot of time listening to the radio and there were many single hits that affected me. The album collecting came slowly. Probably the most important purchase for me was Another Side Of Bob Dylan because that album sent me off in so many different directions: poetry and philosophy and literature, after reading his poems on the back. But sixty years later it's difficult to resuscitate the feelings of those early days. But my connection with your list is Cher's solo album, The Sonny Side Of Cher. I have fond memories of that album. Thanks for the video.