In 1992, as Rod sat across from me in a restaurant somewhere in westside Los Angeles, I asked him to recommend a list of albums. During the years of classic rock 'n' rock, I was busy collecting and reading comic books, rather than paying much attention to music. He provided the following recommendations off the top of his head, including the dates.
ROD'S TOP TWELVE
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit
Epic (CBS) 1970
(Rod gave this one a star)
Forever Changes
("LA band") Love
Electra 1968
"beautiful"
Electric Music for the Mind and Body
Country Joe & the Fish
1967
"from Berkeley"
White Album
The Beatles
1968
Revolver
The Beatles
1966
Uncle Meat
The Mothers of Invention
(Rod gave this one a star)
Electric Lady Land
Jimi Hendrix Experience
1968
Younger Than Yesterday
The Byrds
1967
Beggar's Banquet
The Rolling Stones
(Rod gave this one a star)
Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy compilation
The Who
1971?
The Who Sell Out
The Who
1976
(Rod gave this one a star)
Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
"includes 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'God Only Knows' . . . more developed than Endless Summer"
OTHER MUSIC ROD SUGGESTED I LISTEN TO:
Side Trips (1966); Beacon From Mars (1967); Incredible (1968)
Kaleidoscope
The Moray Eels Devour The Holy Modal Rounders
The Holy Modal Rounders
The Piper at Gates of Dawn
Pink Floyd
1967
"brilliant"
(Rod gave this one a star)
Trout Mask Replica; Lick My Decals Off, Baby; Clear Spot
Captain Beefheart
Something Else
The Kinks
1967
The Last Sweet Days of Joseph
"musical play . . . guy in elevator gets stuck with a woman"
Hums ("Summer in the City", "Coconut Grove"); Daydream ("Daydream")
the Lovin' Spoonful
(Rod gave Hums a star)
Benefit (1970); Aqualung (1971)
Jethro Tull
Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968); Happy Trails (1969)
Quicksilver Messenger Service
The Preservation Green Society ("You Really Got Me")
The Kinks
"Too English? . . . regarded as first hard rock"
(Rod gave this one a star)
Kind of Blue (1959, instrumental); In A Silent Way (1969)
Miles Davis
Love; De Capo
Love
1966, 1967
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Byrds
1966
Spirit (1968); The Family That Plays Together (1969); Clear (1969)
Spirit
(Rod gave Spirit a star)
Live/Dead Volume One
Grateful Dead
Warners (1970)
(Rod gave this one a star)
Wheels of Fire
Cream
(1968)
The United States of America
"band has the same name"
(1968)
The Cry of Love
Jimi Hendrix
1971
There's a Riot Goin' On
Sly
John A. Mozzer