When I was growing up in New York, the albums that I really cut my teeth on were things like Led Zeppelin II, Machine Head by Deep Purple and the first few Queen records. I listened to these albums all the time and absorbed everything I possibly could.
But the release that really fired me up was Freak Out! by The Mothers Of Invention. After all, the first album I ever bought was by The Partridge Family – and then I came across Freak Out!. It was, needless to say, quite a contrast!
