Via Mitch, who was infected by Sheila. I assume this means music I am slightly embarrassed to admit I liked then. There's a lot of those types now and I intend to keep those secret. I so agree with Mitch about Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues.

Elton John -- My first album was "Honky Chateau", second was "Madman". The Elton John who sang Rocket Man and Levon was the first introduction to much of the music I ended up liking, but finding who he became has made me less willing to talk about him. My kid brother and I played only these two albums for a year until I got

Chicago -- a move I regret terribly, because Dean hated it, but Ray across the street was sure we could make out with the girls up the street with it, and

Grand Funk Railroad -- a bittersweet memory, because my first friend to commit suicide and I had just learned to play "I'm Your Captain" before he took his life. GFR and J. Geils and Deep Purple were the prime parts of my 8-track tape collection, along with Black Sabbath. My other good friend Eric was the one to carry around John Denver, Starland Vocal Band and such. Better music (Crim, Yes, Floyd, ELP, and other bits of prog rock) was required to be on vinyl, as the turntable and receiver were where I had spent my money on sound.

Dan Fogelberg -- Twin Sons of Different Mothers with Tim Weisberg was about at the height of my guitar playing, and I was convinced both that this was the music I was meant to play -- a tragedy, since I liked prog so much more, but because I couldn't be Howe or Lake I wouldn't try -- and because this was the music that made my dreamboat who turned out to be a footnote swoon. (Latter is a line from an Elvis Costello song.) So, the Power of Gold, with the John Denver guy, the dreamboat and one other, at his stable showing me his first horse.

I have never been a big Fleetwood Mac fan, but anytime I hear Stevie Nicks I think 4th of July, 1977, at Schaeffer Stadium in Foxboro, FM/Eagles twin bill with a very pretty girl whose name I no longer remember. Ever been on your way to a concert with a first date and know before you got there that there will be no second? She was proof of Beckhap's Law. Yes, but it didn't matter once it turned out special mystery guest was Boz Scaggs.

First and last songs I played with bands for money -- first was "Just What I Needed" by the Cars, and last was "Johnny B. Goode". The band had already found another bassist, so I walked the stage and played every instrument and sang it, concluding with setting the bass on fire a la Hendrix. (It was a very junky bass -- I had already sold the rest of the instruments to finance grad school.) That last was on a deck overlooking a lake for a house party with about eight boats moored off the dock with people partying.

Question to the others: Where were you when you first heard "Year of the Cat"?

(Sidenote: speaking of nostalgia, Larry King is replaying his 1992 interview with Richard Nixon.)

In the jukebox: Joy Division; on deck: Sugar Cubes. It's been a long strange trip.