Wow, good topic but this might take some thought.
Harry Chapin - Cats in the CradleThis is odd, because I have almost the exact same reason as the previous person did for posting this song. My guess is your dad is in his early 50s now. Did he have an afro in the '70s, too?
Cat Stevens - Wild WorldI got a lot of influences from my dads music as a youngster. I seriously played out the Tea for the Tillerman album along with Teaser and the Firecat. I guess this is where I get my admiration for the whole 'singer/songwriter' genre.
Electric Light Orchestra - StarlightReally, there was a lot of the experimental ELO that I really liked. Great rock 'n Roll fusion with the experimental era of the late 1970s and Keyboards before MIDI and huge song arrangements.
Neil Young - Needle and the Damage DoneHarvest was another of my dad's albums that got extremely over-played. I loved this song even before I could understand the whole meaning. When I was older, this song just had that much more impact.
Pearl Jam - JeremyOnce I had my paper route and some cash, my first purchase was a Sony Walkman and
Ten. I was thrown into the grunge scene in the early 90s (damn... this came out in 1991... i feel old) and this lead to more Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. This eventually led to my jam band days via Primus and DMB.
Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a HoleThanks to MTVs 120minutes (remember those good ol' days?) I got introduced to the harshest of the harsh that rang 'teen angst' 100 times louder and more powerful than the whole grunge scene. This was soon to be the hard introduction to what real industrial music is (Throbbing Gristle, Coil, Einsturzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy... so on...)
Tool - HushMore angry and loud grinding guitars that got me into playing bass guitar. In the 5 years to follow, if I touched someone's bass, it was tuned to drop D within seconds. This also started me on my quest for bootlegs (which I still have many of). I won't even mention the affects of their religious babble on my impressionable young mind.
Radiohead - High & DryThe Bends came out at an opportune moment for a lonely high school freshmen introvert with a lot of emotions. This would kick start my indie listeners career, but not until the angsty teen was grown up a bit more.
Acid Bath - New Death SensationPaegan Terrorism Tactics has a strong recall reaction for me that brings back many memories from my rebellious ... and stoned ... youth. I can just picture myself slouching at one end of the couch, the room filled with a haze and 4 of my close friends (one always playing the old NES) and random paraphanalia on the coffee table. Roadie when the CD was over...
Haujobb - CutedgeMy first introduction to the world of EBM and Synthpop, which became a staple in my listening tendancies for a good 4 years. Led toward the more industrial sounds of :wumpscut:, Aghast View, Bigod 20, Crocodile Shop, and eventually Meat Beat Manifesto.
VNV Nation - SolitaryIntroduced at the same time as Haujobb. I credit a lot of my current music to my first and best college roommate and still great friend, Justin. Pretty much everything I listened to in this period had more synths and less guitars.
Binary Finary - 1998 (Paul Van Dyk mix)Along with the rest of my experimental tendencies in college came the underground rave scene. Lots of memories and most shouldn't be repeated on an online medium.
Radiohead - Everything in its Right PlaceYes, Radiohead pops up twice in my list. This is THE most seminal and influential song on this list. Just those first 4 chords followed by a complete listening of the entire
Kid A album... twice. Everyone needs a good mental kick to the head, and this was it for me. It was released October 2000 and soon after in December was my last day as a Physics major and a college student.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Dead Flag BluesI saw them live in Milwaukee very soon after 9/11 and that was such an eye-opening experience (i won't even call it a 'concert' or 'show'). The pure emotion put into strings was so compelling I needed more. This brought on the rest of the Montreal music scene as well as the other ethereal space-rock bands like Mogwai, Sigur Ros and Tortoise.
Interpol - Stella was a Diver...This would be my full fledged entrance into the Indie scene and what dragged me to the Coachella music festival a few years ago and the opening up of many more great bands. (Also at that first year of Coachella for me: Hot Hot Heat, Jack Johnson, Mars Volta, Tortoise, Polyphonic Spree ... yadda yadda)
Honorable Mention:
Weezer - Only in Dreams
Morphine - Cure for Pain
Underworld - King of Snake
Wow... I made it. That was nostolgic.