Some of the other 40-ish types around my office were lamenting the death of albums and turntables (or at least our personal collections), and reminiscing about some of the must-have albums of our generation. We came up with a few and I decided I would waste about half an hour and try and come up with a list of the must-own LPs of the 70’s and 80’s.

1. Saturday Night Fever soundtrack – Admit it, you had it. Everyone bought it. Does this make you more or less cool than someone who bought Grease?
2. Led Zeppelin 4 (or Zoso) – This is how everyone learned the words to “Stairway to Heaven” and was the start of the “Turn that damn crap down!” part of our lives.
3. Rumours, Fleetwood Mac – Stevie Nicks at her throaty, two-packs-a-day peak.
4. Thriller, Michael Jackson – Probably the last mega-album before CD’s took over. And before Michael Jackson went completely off the deep end.
5. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd – The single most recognizable album cover that didn’t feature the artist or words. May also have had The Wall.
6. Back in Black, AC/DC and/or Pyromania, Def Leppard – If you had one, you probably had both. Possibly Highway to Hell also.
7. Greatest Hits and/or Hotel California, Eagles – see previous note
8. Frampton Comes Alive, Peter Frampton – the definitive chick album. Every girl you ever dated had this one. I’m In you is the alternative.

I’d venture to say everyone between the ages of, say, 35-50 that had a turntable had at least three of these albums, and possibly even lost their virginity with this music in the background. Please also note the omission of corporate rock (Foreigner 4, Journey - Escape, Styx, etc.), even though most people had some. Any other suggestions?