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Musical milestones in your life


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So this is a thread to talk about your development as a music listener. Not necessarily as a musician or anything, but if that factors in please bring it to your story. This is where you can talk about what was going on in your life when you first heard something which ended up changing your perspective on or relationship with music to a significant extent. These don't have to be like, the most incredible stories in the world (but if you have those, pls share), but they should be your stories.

 

For example, my introduction to metal was really nothing terribly special compared to the average person, but when I started college last school year and was making my own money for the first time, I started buying music more regularly. That pared with having very few albums left to buy from my favorite bands, led me to check out bands and sub-genres I'd shied away from in the past. Eventually, I wanted to get my head around this whole metal thing, so I checked out ...AJFA from my local library. This wasn't the first metal album I'd ever listened to, nor was it the first one I thought was awesome or anything like that. I'd heartily enjoyed Paranoid in the past, and I had a CD of Screaming For Vengeance. However, this was the one that really got me wondering what I was missing out on. The first time I played it, I found it just kind of curious, until the violined guitars on To Live Is To Die, which I thought was really awesome. That got me to listen to it a few more times, where I was just starting to appreciate a lot more of it when I had to give it back to the library. Then, when my next paycheck came in, I'd been doing some research and read about roughly seven really important bands that I needed to keep my eye out for it I wanted to get into metal at all, being Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth. I went searching for these bands albums on iTunes, and I found that Anthrax, of all of them, had what appeared to be their best album at the lowest price, for only 6 bucks. It was Among The Living. I took a chance and bought it, knowing I'd recognize one of the songs from guitar hero but not really knowing what to expect. I could immediately appreciate the sense of melody I was hearing in bits and pieces, but the speed and thrashiness were major stumbling blocks for me at first. But since I bought it, I made sure to listen to it more intently and let the everything about it sink it, and a strange thing happened. I found myself getting some of the songs stuck in my head, then humming them or singing them as I went about my day. From that moment on, and especially once I really started taking a look at Priest and Megadeth, my metal fandom was secured. And here I am today having gone from like, roughly one metal album (discounting Dream Theater) in my entire collection, to 6 Metallica albums, 4 Megadeth albums, 4 Anthrax albums, 3 Slayer albums, 6 great Priest albums, 3 Maiden albums, 5 Sabbath albums, two Ozzy albums, one from Queensryche, one Devin Townsend Project album, and probably a couple more I'm forgetting. By no means is it a complete collection, but it's a constantly growing one that didn't really exist 18 months ago.

 

What's a story of yours?

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I think this was already discussed but here goes...

 

 

 

First concert was 1970 - Santana /Booker T and the MG's

 

Favorite album - The Who Live at Leeds and I bough it the day it was released ( I had my Mom drive me to the local record store that day )

 

Concert moments... and there are MANY MORE that I have not listed here

 

 

 

Jethro Tull – Aqualing / Thick Asa Brick / A Passion Play / War Child / It’sOnly R&R

 

Grand Funk Railroad – Shea Stadium 1971

 

YES – Fragile / CTTE / Tales / Relayer tours and more… Meet and greet with original members 2003.

 

Led Zeppelin – 1973 / 1975 / 1977 tour ( 6 out of 7 shows ) at MSG

 

Black Sabbath – 1972 and 1975 tours and beyond

 

ELP – BSS tour 1973 tour with MD2020

 

The Who – 1973 /1975 /1978 tours and beyond …

 

The Rolling Stones – I have not missed a NYC area tour since 1972. I’ve traveled near and far to see The Stones. As far as Slane Castle, Ireland.

 

Pink Floyd and members – Have not missed a NYC area tour since 1973

 

Genesis – Lamb Lies Down tour 1974

 

Van Halen – 1980 / 1984 / first row for 5150 tour ... and beyond

 

Rush – 1984 / 1986 and beyond

 

Aerosmith – first show 1975 at Central Park. Missed a few shows but kept up with the band to date.

 

David Bowie – Spiders from Mars / Diamond Dogs tours

 

OzzFests – 1998 – 2005

 

 

Last concert was 2017 – Phish at MSG Dec 28

 

 

 

There’s more but enough from me.

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My parents had music playing all the time, as did both of my grandfathers. Besides classical and Jazz, my mom was big into female singers like Nana Mouskouri, Helen Reddy, and Karen Carpenter, as well as pop music that was heavy on harmonies like the Association, Every Mother's Son, and the Beach Boys. My maternal grandfather sang two songs every day: Please release Me and Cucurrucucu Paloma. From that exposure I have a strong attraction to melody. My dad liked to sing Roger Miller (King of the Road), and my paternal grandfather was a big fan of Johnny Cash, so I connected with that music early on. While both artists are considered country, they both have a rebellious rock and roll sentiment behind them, which fits my personality. My oldest sister was big into the Beatles and Jethro Tull, so they were my first real rock bands. The turning point to heavier music came when I was given a copy of Zep IV. The intro vocals and riff to Black Dog hooked me.
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Couple right off the top of my head.

 

1. Getting the beatles Rubber Soul. This record really started it all for me. i was 9. i'd never heard anything like it. i just sat in awe. i wore this record out!

 

2. Getting captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Taught me patiance in my listening. and not all music had to be "in the box" and pretty and pleasing to the ear in essence. and that in itself can be perfection.

 

3. Ditto Zappa

 

Mick

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My family was pretty religious so we weren't allowed to listen to the Devil's music growing up. It was either mom's Bluegrass (which I still enjoy) or church hymns.

 

1988 was a watershed year for me musically aside from Rush. I was in 8th grade and started really growing out my hair. I heard Welcome To The Jungle by Guns and Roses and that blew me away. I quickly got into metal with Metallica: Master of Puppets and also got into rap at the same time with Ice-T: Power thanks to my best friend. I'd been grooving to Red Hot Chili Peppers but it wasn't until Blood Sugar Sex Magik that I really became a fan.

 

ETA: Forgot to add getting into less mainstream such thanks to my girlfriend at the time. The Cure, Depeche Mode, older U2 (which started with the 2nd side of The Joshua Tree. The first side was too popish and all over the radio) and even old Country

Edited by Mike Check
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My fascination with music as an art form is innate. There is no question that I was born with an incredible need to seek music. I have a neurological need that music fills. The patterns in music, the changes, the rhythms, they all ease my brain. I need music.

 

When I was young this was filled by what my mom liked. Lots of bluegrass and old country. But for me the lyrics became as important as the music. And as my peer group grew through exposure to other people in school, my tastes expanded. I started listening to the radio- and while I needed the music, anything with a captivating lyric would be treasured more.

 

For a long time my musical landscape remained narrow, with only the music on the radio available. We never had money, so buying music wasn't even on my radar. In junior high I had friends who started to get into the hardcore scene of the early eighties. I'd see the Flipper logo or Dead Kennedys, and I was intrigued. But it was rare that people could bring their music to school, and I lived on the other side of town. At the same time other friends were into Maiden or even heavier metal that I had no idea about. I assumed it was noise and rebellious, but vapid. Even so, I was curious. But again, had no access.

 

In high school, since I wasn't a punk nor a metal head, I hadn't stayed with those friends. I was just a loner-nerd. The friends I had listened to radio, so I did too. But radio frustrated me. It was largely boring. I actually did what I called 'Rush-checks', where I'd roam the dial just to see if Rush was on. They had a lot of play back then and they were so much better than the hair metal played alongside them or the 'girl, I love you' repetitive rock that was everywhere. I wanted more.

 

In college, for whatever reason, it FINALLY occurred to me to listen to college radio. It changed my life. I heard Sepultura. I heard Shonen Knife. I became obsessed with The Clash. With Death Angel. With Anthrax. With Bad Religion. I met new people. People who turned me on to the Cro-Mags. To the Dead Kennedys. To the Butthole Surfers. To Miles Davis. To Tom Waits. I needed to hear it all. I started hanging out in record stores all the time. I spent large chunks of college loans on everything Rush made. Everything Midnight Oil made. Everything Metallica made. And I started to spend money on gambles. I'm a huge lefty- Anthropology major and all- and I would read the song titles by bands I never heard of. If the songs sounded like they had socio-political lyrics that I believed in, I bought it. Or if it was nerdy- full of myth or such- I bought it.

 

And this continued further, into a need to hear everything everywhere. I decided that my Anthropological pursuit would be to travel the world in an effort to preserve and listen to music from people who's cultures are being eradicated. Before that art was gone. And hopefully to fight to save peoples from being wiped out. My life went a different direction, but that desire to hear everyone's music didn't. Myspace came about, and there was a search engine in Myspace where you could type in a country and a genre and you'd get a list of bands. I could look up metal from Kenya, psychobilly from Brazil, hardcore from South Korea. It was glorious. One of my favorite artists ever is Admiral James T., a diverse rock and roller from Switzerland. I have hundreds of songs by that guy. Myspace died, but the internet lets me do this now.

 

I listen to great scifi metal from Singapore, proggish death metal from India, garage rock from New Zealand, metal from Botswana, and so on.

 

Here's something from the Ukraine that I adore:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wCgZh-nczY

Edited by Mosher
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one more. Hearing Queen. some call them overrated. fine. not to me. they blew my 13 year old brain.

 

Mick

 

Oh you want to talk about Queen and musical milestones!

 

 

Everything was normal. I was in junior high, had joined band on saxophone, was learning about the blues and rock and jazz music, some in school, some in lessons, some on the radio, some online. Next thing I know the most stupendous thing graces my ears on the radio. I has me laughing in incredulity like I'm watching Tom and Jerry. It takes me another month or so probably to actually hear it there again, since I didn't catch the name or the band the first time. I ask about it that time, and I'm told the song is "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. I look up the music video on Youtube and find it to be just as incredible. I spend the next couple weeks starting every morning before school by watching that video. I begin to watch more videos, learn more of their songs, when my best friend gets his hands on a Queen greatest hits CD, and we listen to every song. I already knew Bohemian Rhapsody and Killer Queen. My mind is blown again when I discover this band wrote We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Another One Bites The Dust, Somebody To Love, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which sound absolutely nothing alike, none of 'em. I'm amazed again when I realize I'd known the melody of You're My Best Friend as long as I could remember. Flash, Bicycle Race, and Seven Seas Of Rhye are new and wondrous to me, and Fat Bottomed Girls surprises me as well. Live versions of Under Pressure and Tie Your Mother Down are just icing on the cake (and I'm sure I'm leaving some songs out). By now I know this music thing is not a phase, like collecting hot wheels cars or magic cards had been (though I admit I'm still fascinated by those things and enjoy them). Music becomes one of my favorite things to think about, to make, to listen to, to talk about, to read about.

 

I blame a number of factors for starting me on music, but I'm pretty dang sure Queen had the honor of sealing the deal.

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Meat loaf.

 

Turned me onto the idea of bombast in rock music. and to this day i feel no one one does it better

 

he's polarizing too. which makes it more fun to me to be able to enjoy him, lol

 

I heard him before Queen, BTW.

 

Mick

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There are hundreds of stories to tell from a hundred different angles. Here are a couple...

 

My very first favorite band was Kiss. Kiss Alive and Destroyer were huge to me. I was around 4 then but I remember them as my then oldest teen brother had tons of albums. I used to look at all of those album covers and be in awe: Alive, Destroyer, Rock and Roll Over, and Love Gun. To me these face painted, costumed superheroes were real. And music came from them. And one of the characters even breathed fire and spit blood. But yeah, I heard Alive and Destroyer constantly in big bro’s room over the next few years after their release and surely by age 6 or 7, they were my favorite band. Kiss haven’t cracked my top 10 in decades but their influence and history with me is undeniable. Great memories.

 

My second favorite band is the reason I’m on this forum. I first heard them when one of my other older brothers used to scare me by playing the opening narration of Cygnus X-1. Terrifying. I was about 5 then. So, Rush was already in the head at an early age. However, it wasn’t until I was around age 8 or 9 that they ASSUMED CONTROL of the top spot. The reasons for that: the influence of multiple big bros’ fandom, Moving Pictures, and healthy MTV play in those days. Rush has been #1 ever since.

 

Given all of that, it was a real treat to see Gene and Rush fondly talk about each other in the “Beyond...” Rush doc.

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Music and family has been interconnected for as long as I can remember, and just about every single milestone for me has involved great, positive memories with family and friends ..

 

One of the biggest milestone memories was when my parents started taking us to the music stores in Manhattan in the late 1970s ... A few blocks along 48th Street were rows and rows of music stores, mostly guitar and vintage guitar stores, and we'd make a day trip into Manhattan at least once a month for years ... At that time, there was also The Guitar Trader store in Red Bank, NJ, and that's where - at the age of 13 - I met then Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo ..

 

Music became part of my extended family ... My parents loved music - my Dad playing and collecting guitars, my Mom playing the piano and loving pop music and big band music ... We went to every concert imaginable - from The Count Basie Orchestra to Chicago, Chet Atkins, Earth Wing & Fire, Cheap Trick and in July 1979 the pilgrimage to see Kiss at Madison Square Garden ..

 

So music for me carries some pretty powerful and positive emotions .....

 

I can remember when my Dad received some tickets to see Count Basie as a gift from a customer, and we had two extra .. My Mom called our neighbor to see if their two kids would want to go along, and she told my Mom that there would be "too many blacks" there, so no, her kids couldn;t go ..

 

My parents were upset, of course, and when we saw the show, everyone in the audience was having a great time - I remember wondering why our neighbor would be so scared because at the concert, everyone was one big family and all bonded by the music - and that exactly how I feel about music in general ..

 

It was - and still is - the ultimate, positive bond we all have, and it will always be connected directly with my Mom and Dad and how they raised us to not only appreciate, but to be thankful for all of the different styles of music and cultures of the world ..

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Music and family has been interconnected for as long as I can remember, and just about every single milestone for me has involved great, positive memories with family and friends ..

 

One of the biggest milestone memories was when my parents started taking us to the music stores in Manhattan in the late 1970s ... A few blocks along 48th Street were rows and rows of music stores, mostly guitar and vintage guitar stores, and we'd make a day trip into Manhattan at least once a month for years ... At that time, there was also The Guitar Trader store in Red Bank, NJ, and that's where - at the age of 13 - I met then Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo ..

 

Music became part of my extended family ... My parents loved music - my Dad playing and collecting guitars, my Mom playing the piano and loving pop music and big band music ... We went to every concert imaginable - from The Count Basie Orchestra to Chicago, Chet Atkins, Earth Wing & Fire, Cheap Trick and in July 1979 the pilgrimage to see Kiss at Madison Square Garden ..

 

So music for me carries some pretty powerful and positive emotions .....

 

I can remember when my Dad received some tickets to see Count Basie as a gift from a customer, and we had two extra .. My Mom called our neighbor to see if their two kids would want to go along, and she told my Mom that there would be "too many blacks" there, so no, her kids couldn;t go ..

 

My parents were upset, of course, and when we saw the show, everyone in the audience was having a great time - I remember wondering why our neighbor would be so scared because at the concert, everyone was one big family and all bonded by the music - and that exactly how I feel about music in general ..

 

It was - and still is - the ultimate, positive bond we all have, and it will always be connected directly with my Mom and Dad and how they raised us to not only appreciate, but to be thankful for all of the different styles of music and cultures of the world ..

:goodone:
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Lucas has written such a beautiful tribute to music that it's hard to follow so I'll try some highlights.I am similar to many here as music has been an important presence so many times in my life. :heart: :heart:

 

It all started when I was pretty young! Someone at work gave my dad a nice pocket transistor radio and he gave it to me. What a gift! Other kids showed me how to rubber band it to my bike's handlebars and the best station. I turned it on and the Stones' Satisfaction came out- I still remember and Keith and I are good friends even today. :LOL:

 

A bit older- sleepovers; bringing stacks of 45s, old and new, to play all night. It's how I found Motown, the Beach Boys, the Ronettes and Jefferson Airplane. I can still see the record label covers in the center- so fun to put a stack on, not just fun for the ear but sight and touch as well. (A lot was lost with cds!)

 

Entering high school- finding FM radio and in those days, freeform (unprogrammed) FM radio -we'd call and ask for something like Frank Zappa deep cuts and they'd play it! And Rush, too ! Spending hours in National Record Mart flipping through the albums and buying Rolling Stone, and CONCERTS! Never had enough money for them all - too many to list but I do remember the sunburn from all day stadium concerts- ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chicago, Rainbow, Jethro Tull, the Who.

 

And I would sneak downstairs in the middle of the night to visit my bands on tv late at night on In Concert! And we loved getting our driver's licenses because 8 tracks turned the car into a rolling private concert! :LOL: (maybe with a few funny odors. . .)

 

I had my first serious boyfriend and Rumors/Fleetwood Mac came out. It was "our" album. (or cassette tape by then, lol.) Of course it didn't last and it was many years before I could listen again . . .but a lilting, haunting song came on FM radio about then. . .Fly By Night. . .

 

I met my husband and after one date my girlfriend shanghaied him"- "I won tickets to Bruce Springsteen but you have to drive" -speeding across two states (with a state police warning) getting there, ITS A CLUB AND WE'RE UNDERAGE, striking deals in the parking lot to borrow id and meet inside later. We made it! Dancing on the tables to Rosalita! (And college radio- I had my own show :) )

 

It seems like nearly every song brings back warm memories, they have been interwoven in my life so long and mean so much to me! And finally, at a stressful time in my life, I stumble across TRF and PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT MUSIC AS MUCH AS I DO! :heart: :heart: :heart: I don't say it enough but I love and appreciate you all (if anyone has made it this far!)

Edited by blueschica
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Started at 8 when I started taking piano lessons, following in my older sister's footsteps. Started taking viola lessons a few years after (just like sis). For many years, it was not something I enjoyed because I was much more interested in sports like many boys that age.

 

Around 13, I started self-teaching myself guitar since that was much cooler than piano or viola. But towards my mid teens I switched piano teachers who found material than I could actually emotionally connect with. Towards late high school, I got actually pretty proficient at piano and viola and played in local orchestras. I considered a career in music (again following sis), but decided I didn't have the patience to live the 'starving artist' lifestyle. Also, the amount of practice time for classical music was immense and I didn't enjoy the endless pursuit of perfection. That's where I found some freedom in rock music where you could 'jam'...if it's not perfect, so what.

 

In college, I abandoned all formal training and simply got deeper into self-taught guitar.

 

Through my exploration of rock in my teens, I was drawn to prog which was a nod to my classical training. First, ELP (piano god Emerson), then Kansas (rock with violin/viola...awesome!), then I got ATWAS as a senior in high school on a total whim. I never heard Rush before I bought the album, but the stage set cover sold me. Once Bastille Day kicked on, I was sold for life. Power with key and tempo changes...perfect. They were my first rock concert in 83. Since then I have definite preferences for artists...it's usually total love or total disinterest. When I hear a song, my head is programmed into 'figuring out' how the song is structured. If it's too simple, I usually lose interest.

 

At this point, I have such a disdain for popular music, I don't even play the radio when I drive. I actually enjoy the silence and solitude. There's probably 25-30 go-to artists than I enjoy. Most of the rest are probably 'meh' to 'crap'. I guess I just have picky ears.

Edited by HemiBeers
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Biggest musical milestone in my life: the first time I heard Tom Sawyer on the radio. I was 14 and had been playing drums for a little over a year. Saw Rush on the Signals tour about a year and a half later, and they became my favorite band from that point on. Edited by Rushman2112
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5 musical epiphanies in 50 years:

 

1. Happening across a short tv special "Cheap Trick Live at Budokan" and hearing Surrender. I was in grade 4 and it changed everything.

 

2. Seeing Ravi Shankar. I was in grade 12 and thought I knew about music. Nope. After my mind was blown for 90 minutes they took a short break then came back and killed me. The improvisations were nothing short of magical, and the left-handed tabla player (Kumar Bose?) was incredible.

 

3. Hearing Allegri's "Miserere" at a snowy New Years Eve's party, half-smashed on over-proof rum and stoned on hash and watching the snow fall. I was 17 and I'd never heard anything so beautiful.

 

4. Seeing Richard Thompson solo. Relaxed, fun, intense, and always musical. I'm not a fan of singer-songwriters but this guy is on another level entirely. Stellar guitar playing and incredibly emotional singing. Best "rock concert" I've ever experienced (sorry Rush!).

 

5. Experiencing live music in Indonesia. The sound of all hell breaking loose, played by bored-looking men staring into space, smoking.

 

 

It's nice to have one's musical mind blown wide open. Hearing "Trout Mask Replica" in high school on acid (!) was a fun day. :LOL:

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2. Getting captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Taught me patiance in my listening. and not all music had to be "in the box" and pretty and pleasing to the ear in essence. and that in itself can be perfection.

 

Mick

 

:goodone: :dweez:

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2. Getting captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Taught me patiance in my listening. and not all music had to be "in the box" and pretty and pleasing to the ear in essence. and that in itself can be perfection.

 

Mick

 

:goodone: :dweez:

 

thank you. People think i'm nuts when i spin it. but i swear they are missing out. i play it for pleasure.

 

Stop letting the norm control ya i say. lol

 

(i reallly don't care if they don't get it but that is how i feel.....call me a snob, lol)

 

Mick

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2. Getting captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Taught me patiance in my listening. and not all music had to be "in the box" and pretty and pleasing to the ear in essence. and that in itself can be perfection.

 

Mick

 

:goodone: :dweez:

 

thank you. People think i'm nuts when i spin it. but i swear they are missing out. i play it for pleasure.

 

Stop letting the norm control ya i say. lol

 

(i reallly don't care if they don't get it but that is how i feel.....call me a snob, lol)

 

Mick

 

Captain's great. Patience is key to a lot of music. I personally prefer Safe as Milk, but Trout is probably more important.

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2. Getting captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica. Taught me patiance in my listening. and not all music had to be "in the box" and pretty and pleasing to the ear in essence. and that in itself can be perfection.

 

Mick

 

:goodone: :dweez:

 

thank you. People think i'm nuts when i spin it. but i swear they are missing out. i play it for pleasure.

 

Stop letting the norm control ya i say. lol

 

(i reallly don't care if they don't get it but that is how i feel.....call me a snob, lol)

 

Mick

 

Captain's great. Patience is key to a lot of music. I personally prefer Safe as Milk, but Trout is probably more important.

 

I love most of the cap's work. Trout is not my fav either. for me that would be Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller.

 

Mick

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