Today's topic was a good one so don't give up on us yet, Great Global Moderator.
The Monkees in 6th grade (they were all the rage that year)
The soundtrack for "Romeo and Juliet" in junior high school ( that "What Is A Youth" so romantic to an impressionable youngster back then -- still pretty romantic) and Paul Revere and the Raiders
High School -- I loved The Guess Who, The Trogs, Elton John's Madman Across the Water and his first albumn with Your Song, Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline, Cat Stevens, and of course Van "the Man" Morrison (Gloria and Brown-Eyed Girl) and his Tupelo Honey albumn and all his albumns hence...oh, and I remember Jesus Christ Superstar came out then and made a big splash, especially among the "Jesus Freaks" (I think that's what the term was for the Jesus/hippy combo folks)
College: Lynard Skynard, the Doobie Brothers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Willie, Wayland and the rest of the Outlaws (I was in Texas, so those guys were hot) and Van Morrison
To this day Van Morrison is my fav -- so the Tupelo Honey albumn would be the life changer I suppose because my two most favorite songs are on it -- Tupelo Honey (sexy/romantic slow dance to that one) and Wild Night (I just have to get up and dance around the room to that one whenever I hear it)