I've set up a playlist of 15 albums that I consider "magic" and will be running the shuffle from that today.  By "magic" I mean an album that made me a lifelong fan of that band upon the first listen and albums that I will listen to in full at least once a month.  There are my favorite songs from my favorite bands.

Body Talk - Ratt.  Out of the Cellar was my first Ratt album but Dancin' Undercover made me a maniac.  It was probably this song that did it too.  It's metal.  The guitar riff is every bit as good as anything from Sabbath.  It just happens that the chorus is catchy.  Ratt's newest release is my second favorite.  I'm happy to have stuck with them over the years.  Old rockers aren't necessarily washed up.

Can I Play With Madness - Iron Maiden.  I liked Iron Maiden before Seventh Son a lot but was afraid of them.  Thought they were Satanists with evil intentions.  I bought this on a whim and it didn't leave my cassette player for two months.  It's complex music that is easy to listen too.  It may have shaped my musical taste for the coming years more than any other album.  So glad that I finally got to see them last year.

Everlong - Foo Fighers.  This is the number one grab me by the balls and make me listen song of all time.  It is the best rock song of the 90's.  It truly is magic.  I still get goosebumps whenever it plays.  Hell, I'm speechless right now.  This song is as close to perfection as there is for me.  I owned the first Foo release and like it but The Colour And The Shape made me a super fan.  I have bought every release since on the day it came out.  They've come close to repeating the magic too.

Fans - Kings Of Leon.  I stumbled across this on Napster (legit version) on the day it came out.  I ordered it on Amazon after the first listen.  Arena rock sung with real emotion can't be beat.  This album made me such a fan that I bought their back catalog and anticipate Only By The Night months before it came out.  They delivered on that one too.

Hot For Teacher - Van Halen.  1984 was the first album I ever bought with my own money.  In my 11-year-old mind Van Halen was everything I wanted to be.  Smooth, cool and talented.  I hear a lot of guys talking about Kiss being their first band.  Guess I was too young to appreciate them but I'm glad Van Halen hit when I started taking an interest in music.  Kiss fans are generally dicks.