As part of an ongoing weekly Friday series, OOTB will be acknowledging and recognizing Music Industry Leaders in various fields with their Top 5 Albums. This week we feature Columbus, Ohio Music Industry Marketing Leader Dave The Arena Dude.
Dave The Arena Dude (Dave Redelberger) is a longtime arena and entertainment industry communications professional and music fan.
Redelberger has spent decades around live entertainment while maintaining a lifelong obsession with the music that shaped him.
He is the Director of Communications & Interactive Marketing for Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment, and co-host of the Adventures In Venueland podcast.
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One rule I gave myself when putting together my five favorite albums: Only one album per artist. Otherwise, this list could very easily become five Prince albums, five Beatles’ albums, or some combination of the two.
I wanted this to be a list of the albums that have defined me—not the five albums I think are the greatest ever made.
1. Prince — Sign O’ The Times
Yes, Purple Rain may be the perfect album from beginning to end; but, Sign O’ The Times is something different: A sprawling, ambitious double album that is absolutely majestic.
This album defined my existence in the late ’80s. It felt like Prince was throwing every possible musical idea at the wall and somehow making all of it work.
Funk, pop, soul, rock, psychedelia, gospel—it was all there, and somehow it became a cohesive masterpiece.
Prince is my all-time favorite artist, and Sign O’ The Times is the album that best captures why.
2. The Beatles — Abbey Road
For years, I would have told you that The Beatles’ self-titled (The White Album) was my favorite Beatles’ record, for many of the same reasons I love Sign O’ The Times: It is sprawling, unpredictable, weird and occasionally messy. But, the older I get, the more I appreciate the absolute perfection of Abbey Road.
From beginning to end, it is The Beatles at their absolute best. And then there is that incredible second-half medley—simply breathtaking.
3. Fairground Attraction — The First Of A Million Kisses
I'm old enough to remember when discovering new music required actual work. I used to go to the library and check out tangible record albums.
One of the great things about that experience was that you didn't necessarily get to hear the music before making your choice. You looked at the album cover. You read the song titles. You tried to figure out whether something might be interesting. Then, you took a chance.
That's how I discovered Fairground Attraction.
The First Of A Million Kisses remains one of those albums that feels like a discovery every time I hear it. Eddie Reader's voice is a huge part of that.
I love when singers have an accent, because it gives music an immediate sense of place and time, and Reader's voice gives Fairground Attraction an identity all its own. Fairground Attraction didn't last long, but Reader went on to have an impressive solo career.
The lyrics are magical and mysterious and the whole album has that same quality.
Still, this album remains something special to me—a reminder of the thrill of discovering something completely new.
4. Bruce Springsteen — Live 1975–1985
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat. It's a five-record set, not technically a single album. But I'm allowing it.
Growing up in the ’80s in a farm town in Illinois, I didn't have much access to concerts. I heard stories about Bruce Springsteen shows being almost transcendental experiences, but those experiences were completely unknown to me.
Then, I heard Live 1975–1985.
From the opening moments, when Springsteen is introduced and launches into that piano version of “Thunder Road,” the album transported me somewhere I'd never been.
For me, it was my first real glimpse into the world of live concerts. I could experience the energy, the stories, the crowd and the connection between an artist and an audience—all from the safety of my suburban bedroom.
That album didn't just document Bruce Springsteen live, it introduced me to the idea of what a concert could be.
5. Michael Jackson — Thriller
I wanted to choose something more recent for number five. But when I think about the five albums that helped define me, how can I not choose Thriller?
Yes, it was the biggest-selling album in the world for years. Yes, it produced an almost absurd number of hit singles. However, strip away all the records and statistics and you're still left with one thing: Thriller is a pop masterpiece.
I remember being at the record store with my brother. Neither of us could afford the album on our own, so we split the $7 price—$3.50 each—and essentially co-owned Thriller for years before I eventually bought him out.
And, I got to see Michael Jackson live on the Bad Tour in the late ’80s. The precision, spectacle and sheer command of the stage were extraordinary.
That’s my five.
They aren't necessarily the five albums I would argue are objectively the greatest ever made—they are the five albums that tell the story of how I became the music fan I am today.
Connect With Dave The Arena Dude
https://www.instagram.com/davethearenadude
Search: Adventures In Venueland Podcast
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