By Paul V.

Look inside your CD or album collection, and think back: What record spoke to you as a young, gay whippersnapper who was into music? For me, I always noticed the visual aesthetics too. I'll never forget first seeing the cover of Aladdin Sane from David Bowie and thinking "Wow, something sure smells kind of queer here!" Mr. Bowie might be an avowed heterosexual now, but he was the first rock star to actually admit his bisexuality, and even wore a dress on a magazine cover to prove it. The late 1970s were loaded with that kind of arty, androgynous imagery in the music, from Roxy Music to T-Rex to The New York Dolls, and butch looking female rockers, like Suzy Quatro and The Runaways. None of those artists identified as gay, but even the mystique spoke to us very loudly.

And there was Queen, of course. I mean, could they have picked a name that - aside from its British royalty nod - screamed any gayer? While Freddie Mercury never actually came out, nothing could mask what that soaring falsetto, biker moustache, and bulging crotch was trying to tell us. Similarly, Elton John was the most flamboyant looking pop star of that era, yet could only manage to claim bisexuality at the time. Again, we all knew better. It was perhaps within the disco movement where our openly gay brothers were less afraid to be themselves. Nobody belted out gay fabulousness louder than Sylvester, and producer/singer Patrick Cowley packed dance floors with blatantly homo jams like Menergy and Megatron Man. The Village People were the most gay (but never actually gay identified) fivesome on the planet. It's almost laughable to think back how so many straight folks never realized what was truly going on at the Y.M.C.A. and In the Navy - while we all knew it wasn't about swimming laps or swabbing the decks, respectively. It should also be noted that Jobriath was the first singer to announce his homosexuality as part of his album release and marketing in 1973. Sadly, he never got the credit he was due, and died before he could make a real impact.

The early 1980s is when the gay musical floodgates swung open. An embryonic MTV seemed unafraid to play videos with openly gay or androgynous singers. There's no denying how glitzy Dead Or Alive looked in the video for You Spin Me 'Round, with that bedazzled discoball, gold lame' flags, with singer Pete Burns decked out in his eyeliner and crimped new wave hair. While Boy George became the first gay, drag queen to top the charts and win over queers and grandmothers alike with Culture Club, it was Bronksi Beat's Smalltown Boy that had the most powerful impact, for both its heart-breaking, true-life lyrics, and stunning video that every gay kid identified with: the bully trying to knock us down for being who we are. And Frankie Goes To Hollywood gave new double-entendre spunk to the word "come" with Relax. Morrissey's claims of being asexual were hard to take seriously at the time, with homoerotic imagery adorning The Smiths' record sleeves and songs like This Charming Man and the anthemic How Soon Is Now. In the synth-pop dance arena, Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Andy Bell of Erasure and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys were all daringly queer from the start.

In the 1990's and early 2K's, sexuality was revealed in nearly every genre of music, from Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), to Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and Bob Mould of Husker Du and Sugar. But it was the underground punk/alternative scene where the most vociferous gay messages were being sent, with riot grrls like Le Tigreand bands like Pansy Division, and Extra Fancy with its openly gay and HIV-positive singer Brian Grillo. The 90's also became the lesbian decade, with K.D. Lang, Melissa Etheridge, Sophie B. Hawkins, and the Indigo Girls all declaring their truths. Other artists of note during this time include Rufus Wainwright, Roddy Bottum of Faith No More and Imperial Teen, and bi-sexual singer Brian Molko of Placebo.

Most recently, the Scissor Sisters are carrying the gay torch the brightest, with 3 of its 4 male members being out, and female member Ana Matronic declaring she gets all her style from drag queens and trannies. While the UK embraced the quintet in a massive way, they've yet to break huge here in America. In Britain, Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling just might be the first preppy queer heart-throb. The same can't be said for newcomer Mika, who continues to skirt the direct question about his sexuality. Our brightest diamond for the future is with the unbelievably fearless Beth Ditto of Portland's The Gossip. This larger than life, powerhouse singer is unabashed in both her gay sexuality and letting every gay kid know it's ok to be out, proud, and plump.

Any gay guy with a pulse probably knows the amazingly sexy Colton Ford from his brief stint as an adult video performer. What you probably didn't know, is that he's been a singer for 20+ years and is releasing his new electronic, soul/pop CD, "Tug Of War," this month.

Perhaps one day, in a more liberal and rational world climate, gay artists will feel more welcomed and will finally be appreciated as the talented - and out - performers they are.

The enigmatic Grammy winning artist is hard to peg down when it comes to a specific music category, but one thing is certain with her newest release, Just A Little Lovin', she has a tremendous voice. Her newest release is a tribute to her favorite musician Dusty Springfield, but unlike wanting to replicate the songs or give them a fresh vibe, Jamie Lynne picked songs that everybody really enjoys and sang it with her own sensibility. The end result is a terrific ten-track album that feels almost as good to listen to, as it probably was to record.

Known as the biggest selling sop-rano of all time with worldwide sales of more than 26 million albums, Sarah Brightman has truly paved the way for future talents looking to crossover music boundaries. The tracks on her current album Symphony provide a good number of amazing ballads as well as more upbeat songs. The track I Will Be with You (Where the Lost Ones Go) with Paul Stanley - a member of the band Kiss - is a beautifully haunting song.

This free site allows you to compose, record, remix, download and listen to original songs for free. There are tens of thousands of sound samples on this site to choose from but you can also elect to create your own. If this sounds way too daunting don't worry, they also provide tutorials for those who don't feel they are tech savvy enough to undergo such a unique and rewarding challenge.

Pandora is a free music site that comes with a ton of special features. For starters you can listen to commercial free streaming music from whatever genre you choose, or you can create your own playlist in which you request a specific artist or song. The cool thing about doing this is that the site will match whatever artist or song to similar ones, allowing you to discover new music - and this is just the tip of the iceberg.