I'm the oldest kid in my family.  No cool older brother to start me off with 
the Kinks or Them or James Brown when I was 8 years old.  Nothing like that.  
So I guess I'm glad these are as good as they are.

Here's mine: 

1. The Beatles.  The Red and Blue anthologies were always there from the time 
I became music-aware

2. Neil Diamond.  I stil listen to the "Double Gold" vinyl anthology of the 
early Bang! years. He was cool in the sixties -- really!

3. The Who.  We're talking "Meaty Beaty" era -- still my favorite Who stuff

4. Elton John.  His original Greatest Hits record got playd abut a zillion 
times by me & my brothers and sister.  Elton is the only member of this list 
that I don't often come back to, but I still like hearing "Don't Let the Sun 
Go Down on Me" on the radio from time to time.

5. K-Tel's Dynamite! collection.  The first record I got off the TV (and 
pretty much he last). It wasn't so much that these were great or influential 
songs (they were not, in general), but this was my first real independent 
purchase.  Here's what I can remember from that little gem:
  * The Night Chicago Died  (Paper Lace)
  * Takin' Care of Business  (BTO) 
  * I Shot the Sheriff  (Eric Clapton)
  * Stuck in the Middle With You  (Stealers Wheel) 
  * Seasons in the Sun  (Terry Jacks)
  * Save the Last Dance for Me  (?)  
  * Show and Tell  (Al Wilson)
  * On and On  (Gladys Knight)