First song to "Blow You Away"...

Rainy Day Women - Bob Dylan, what a trip riding in the car with the folks when that came on the radio.

this thread's been around for a while now so I'm giving myself permission to add some more songs that weren't the first, but blew me away none the less.

Mike Oldfield - "Ommadawn" It's an album-long song.

Jan Hammer - "Darkness, Earth in Search of the Sun" from The First Seven Days.

Little Black Egg..... Top that !

Around age 12 I started listening to FM-AOR radio. Had very little interest in disco that was taking over Top 40 radio. The first time I heard Slow Ride by Foghat(live version)I couldn't believe how loud and large a rock band could sound!

Dayglow, thanks for reviving an interesting thread.

12-04-06: Drubin
Blues Project, "Steve's Song", live. First time I heard a really loud band.

Awesome! I'm mostly a classical music person, but that is my favorite song from what is perhaps my all-time no. 1 favorite rock album, "Projections" (notwithstanding its less than ideal sonics).

Regarding the original question, as a kid in the 1950's I had a great many favorites, most of which have not withstood the test of time. It would be hard to single out one or two for mention. But a recording from a later year (1967) that blew me away the very first time I heard it, and that has withstood the test of time, was Judy Collins original release of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." The version that was included in her "Wildflowers" album that was released around the same time, NOT the re-recording that was included in some of her later albums, which IMO loses all the magic.

Regards,
-- Al