What music did you love at the age of 14, and how much do you still love it today?

[Entre_Perpetuo]

So I heard a theory that whatever's popular when you're 14 will inform your own musical taste for the rest of your life. I think that's close but not quite reality. My theory is that whatever music is popular with you (not necessarily popular in general, or at all) when you're 14 (ish) will inevitably become a major influence on your taste for years and years to come, if not for the rest of your life. Personally, I did some remembering, and I realized that nearly every album I first heard when I was 14 years old became my favorite album from that artist for years to come, and has remained in my #1 spot to this day.

 

 

 

 

And here are my personal examples!

 

 

FAVORITES TO THIS DAY:

 

Rush - A Farewell To Kings

~my third Rush album, the first one that I first listened to after turning 14, still my favorite Rush album

 

Muse - The Resistance

~my first Muse album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Muse album

(I also first heard The 2nd Law and Origin Of Symmetry at this age. The 2nd Law eventually found its way towards the bottom of the pile for me, but Origin Of Symmetry has remained my constant #2 after The Resistance, not surprising since I first heard it in the same 2 or 3 month span as all of the following albums)

 

Radiohead - The Bends

~my first Radiohead album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Radiohead album

 

U2 - War

~roughly my first U2 album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite U2 album

 

The Beatles - Abbey Road

~my first Beatles studio album, hear it first when I was 14, still my favorite Beatles album

 

Pink Floyd - Animals

~my first Pink Floyd album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Pink Floyd album

(I would also hear Dark Side Of The Moon this year, later that summer, and it has forever remained my #2 Floyd album)

 

Styx - Crystal Ball

~my first Styx album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Styx album

(I would also hear Paradise Theater this year, about a month later, and it forever clashes for my #2 spot with The Grand Illusion)

 

Yes - The Yes Album

~my first Yes album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Yes album

 

Imagine Dragons - Night Visions

~my first Imagine Dragons album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Imagine Dragons album

 

Mumford & Sons - Babel

~my first Mumford & Sons album, heard it first when I was 14, still my favorite Mumford & Sons album

 

 

INTERESTING CASES:

 

Queen:

 

My first Queen albums were Queen and Queen II which I bought during the summer before I turned 14. I then got Sheer Heart Attack that Fall after I turned 14. None of these three became my favorite Queen album though, as I'm sure most of you already know. That honor went to A Night At The Opera, which I got that following Christmas while I was still 14. I think I had known from the start it would likely end up my favorite if only for Bohemian Rhapsody, so perhaps I influenced my own opinion and did a bit of judging albums by their hits, but it has remained my favorite album of all time to this day, and has been at that #1 spot since the day I got it when I was 14. Before I turned 15 I also got A Day At The Races, which surprisingly fell towards the bottom of my rankings at first. It took some time to grow on me fully, but still sits outside my top 5.

 

Rush:

 

My first Rush albums were 2112 and Clockwork Angels, bought roughly at the same time as my first Queen albums during the summer before I turned 14. As I mentioned above, the first Rush album I got after I turned 14, A Farewell To Kings, became my favorite and has stayed there ever since. However, my next Rush album, Hemispheres, immediately fell towards the bottom of my Rush rankings. I got it on Christmas Day, the same day I got Queen's A Night At The Opera. It could be that I was so enthralled with A Night At The Opera at the time, that I did not give Hemispheres as much credit as it deserved, but it could also be that I simply saw it much the same way I would come to see A Day At The Races a few months later: a bit of a lesser extension of the album that came directly before it. Anyway, here's the real interesting part: if I remove Hemispheres from the data pool for having gotten it on the same day as my favorite album of all time, the next two Rush albums I got became my #2 and #3 in that exact order: Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures. And they are the only other Rush albums I got at the age of 14.

 

Coldplay:

 

Coldplay are a very special band to me and I discovered them at the age of 14. I bought two of their albums at the same time that summer: A Rush Of Blood To The Head and Mylo Xyloto. To this day those would probably be my #2 and #3 albums from the band, not sure in which order. Oddly, neither became my favorite, despite them being my first Coldplay albums and hearing them first at the age of 14. It would be Viva La Vida, which I may not have heard until I was 15 (hard to say exactly) that would take my #1 spot. I attribute this statistical outlier to the fact that Coldplay became very closely tied to my first teenage heartache, and my feelings for the music are very closely intertwined with my memories that part of my life. It's simply not possible to separate them in my psyche, so perhaps that is why I gravitate towards Viva La Vida, a slightly less emotionally charged album for me, as my favorite. On the other hand, it's probably because Viva La Vida is a prog pop masterpiece that sees Coldplay tackling unusual song structures, moody atmospheres, non rock instrumentation, and odd time signatures in a way they never did before and never have since.

 

 

tl;dr answer the question in the title!

Edited February 19, 2022 by Entre_Perpetuo

[invisible airwave]

Pearl Jam

STP

Alice In Chains

Live

Soundgarden

R.E.M.

Counting Crows

Dave Matthews Band

VH - I had Balance on cassette and F word in 5th grade.

 

Haven't listened to Live since Distance to Here or Counting Crows since Recovering the Satellites. Stopped with DMB after Busted Stuff.

 

Right when I turned 15 was when I got into Smashing Pumpkins when Bullet With Butterfly Wings came out. Perfect angsty anthem for 9th grade me who didn't get along with most of my classmates. Oddly enough, Pisece Iscariot came out on my 14th birthday.

Edited February 19, 2022 by invisible airwave

[treeduck]

Yeah most of the same shit plus a ton of other shit!

[blueschica]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Edited February 19, 2022 by blueschica

[treeduck]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

[blueschica]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

[grep]

ACDC, Rush, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Styx.

 

 

Not a lot has changed, frankly. Just more bands.

[treeduck]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

Ooooo nice.

 

Mine is like this:

 

RUSH

Maroon 5

Limp Biscuit

Justin Bieber

Britney Spears

Beyonce

[zepphead]

An older fella up our street introduced me to Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Who. Both of which I still like today.

 

At 14 (1972 - 73) I had the following albums, recently released -

 

David Bowie - Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane

Lou Reed - Transformer

Alice Cooper - Love It To Death, Killer, School's Out, Billion Doller Babies

Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes. (I had turned 15 by 2 days when I bought follow up album Mott on day of release)

Roxy Music - Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure

Slade - Slade Alive!, Slayed? (UK Glam Rock)

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master Of Reality, Vol 4. ( I was 15 when I got Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on day of release)

Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Ash, Pilgrimage, Argus, Wishbone Four

 

Loads more but these stand out for me from back then.

I can honestly say, on a Saturday night when the beer kicks in, I could and do listen to any of the above.

[Rhyta]

Well that's easy, The Beatles, end of story. Revolver was their big album when I was 14 but I had all of their albums, memorized and well played. I listened to (I know :blush:) the Monkees but felt they were pretenders. Rolling Stones a bit but once again, they still weren't the Beatles. I would say the same thing as Becky, listened to top 40 on the radio and enjoyed an eclectic mix of Jefferson Airplane, all the Motown stuff: Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes and Stevie Wonder. Add in Simon and Garfunkel, the Kinks, Crosby, Stills & Nash and The Doors.

 

Later on I enjoyed Seals and Crofts too, Santana, Cream, Spirit, ELO and Credence Clearwater Revival.

 

As you can see, I didn't listen to Rush then, I found them right before I came to TRF in 2011 so they are my faves today but I just tolerated my sister raving about them in the 70's. Now I think I am a bigger fan than she is :D

Edited February 19, 2022 by Rhyta

[Mosher]

I think the truth about 14 depends on your specific interest.

 

Is music the background music of your life? Then what you liked in youth will remain a favorite because of association.

 

Is music a passion for you specifically? Then you'll likely keep adding new sounds forever.

 

I'm in that latter group, so I have never stopped being into new sounds, and I actively seek out new music.

 

But I'm human, so I'm not immune to the affects of association. I'd say my taste in music at 14 is still loved by me, but some of it I'd hate if it was new.

 

So the 14 rule is real for probably most everyone, but It's definitely not the compass for everyone.

 

Here's my 14 greatest loves:

Men At Work

Rush

Def Leppard

Van Halen

Scorpions

The Clash.

 

Three of those I still love, and three I'd simply respect the talent and move on.

 

But since I was 14, I love them all.

 

They had no bearing on what I listen to now, because I look for all music in a very wide net. But they're still important to me.

Edited February 19, 2022 by Mosher

[BastillePark]

Probably whatever was on the radio and since I lived in a pretty rural part of the state it was mostly AM. I did have a few LPs and 8 tracks that my parents had bought me but I didn't appreciate them at the time because I liked harder rock music.

[Principled Man]

Late 1975: At 14, I was moving on from K-Tel records and into buying actual 45's and full albums from bands.

The first full album that I can remember buying was Edgar Winter's They Only Come Out At Night.

 

I also dove head first into the Cult of KISS. :eh: It took me a couple of years to dig my way out of that....

Edited February 19, 2022 by Principled Man

[J2112YYZ]

I was 14 in 1992. A lot of bands I was big fans of then, I still am now.

 

Metallica

Black Sabbath

Alice Cooper

Def Leppard

Anthrax

Megadeth

Guns N Roses

AC/DC

Led Zeppelin

Ozzy

Dio

The Rolling Stones

ZZ Top

Van Halen

 

Was still about a year or so away from discovering Rush and Maiden.

[Nova Carmina]

I agree with the premise: fourteen is the foundation. Things do come and go, though, so it's not quite destiny.

 

I was fourteen in 1984-85, and of the bands I listen to today, I think Rush is the constant. I was really into KISS, but after Asylum, that began to fade. I listened to a lot of Top 40; my first cassettes from the Columbia Record Club included Lick It Up and Synchronicity, Fly On the Wall (as well as Eurythmics, etc.).

 

At fourteen I had not yet discovered the heavy music that was to carry me into my twenties: Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Megadeth, Metallica (I still listen to all of that 85-92/93 stuff). That supplanted a lot of the "pop" stuff (speaking of Asia . . .) I liked when I was fourteen.

 

Later still came Jethro Tull (the influence of a roommate in '89), Pink Floyd (same roommate), The Rainmakers, Yes, etc.

 

And it was just coming to this board encouraged me to embrace Genesis, Nightwish, and some others.

 

I think if I was trapped on a desert island with only the music I chose to listen to in 84-85, there'd be a lot of Rush on repeat!

[pjbear05]

Jezuz K Riest, you're talking 1964 for me! I was barely into music, aside to some singing in junior high school "music" classes. My younger sister, a year and a half older than me, was going buggy over this quartet from Liverpool that were making the rounds. All right, I guess, but the gang of bands that followed in their wake had more of a sound I favored. The Kinks, the Animals, a quintet of persons the music business was referring to as "crude" and "ugly" that "as the old saying goes will 'gather no moss' here" (I will admit these louts had a touch of unwashed crudity to them at the time). Of particular interest to me was a group of 5 from the Tottenham area, led strangely enough by their drummer, fellow by the name of Dave Clark.

 

Around the same time, a bit of a different sound was beginning to pour forth from, of all places, parts of my hometown. Local talents, such as Jackie Wilson were emerging with songs like "Reet Petite". Barrett Strong and an ode to legal tender. A group of singing and shuffling gents called The Temptations, searching for a love they could see. And a singer, writer and producer named William Robinson, who went about under the nickname of "Smokey", who was out and about looking for the love of his life, but being admonished by his mother to not necessarily pick the first apple to fall from the tree-sage advice indeed.

Little did I know that within a few years a new type of music-from various lands, but emerging from a place called "the underground", would set the world on its ear.

[IbanezJem]

That`s late summer 1989 for me, so for sure I was listening to

 

Van Halen, with and without Dave

ZZ Top

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Molly Hatchet

Steve Vai

Joe Satriani

Guns `n` Roses

Tom Petty

 

It`s not a great sign of personal growth that I still listen to them all, with the exception of Sammy VH and GNR.

[blueschica]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

Ooooo nice.

 

Mine is like this:

 

RUSH

Maroon 5

Limp Biscuit

Justin Bieber

Britney Spears

Beyonce

 

 

Lol! You had me for a minute! :lol: Justin Bieber indeed. Plus Limp Biscuit. Fred Durst is a tool, I can't really imagine you listening to them. Apologies if these are your true favorites!

[treeduck]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

Ooooo nice.

 

Mine is like this:

 

RUSH

Maroon 5

Limp Biscuit

Justin Bieber

Britney Spears

Beyonce

 

 

Lol! You had me for a minute! :lol: Justin Bieber indeed. Plus Limp Biscuit. Fred Durst is a tool, I can't really imagine you listening to them. Apologies if these are your true favorites!

:joker:

 

My real top 5 is of course

 

Priest, Sabbath, RUSH, TULL and Purple.

[blueschica]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

Ooooo nice.

 

Mine is like this:

 

RUSH

Maroon 5

Limp Biscuit

Justin Bieber

Britney Spears

Beyonce

 

 

Lol! You had me for a minute! :lol: Justin Bieber indeed. Plus Limp Biscuit. Fred Durst is a tool, I can't really imagine you listening to them. Apologies if these are your true favorites!

:joker:

 

My real top 5 is of course

 

Priest, Sabbath, RUSH, TULL and Purple.

 

:heart: :heart: :heart: Great choices!

Edited February 19, 2022 by blueschica

[treeduck]

I was a lot like today, which was, oh sheesh, almost everything that my sister listened to on Top 40 radio and almost everything I listened to on Album oriented rock radio.

 

Elton John, Allman Brothers, Mott the Hoople (still a fan), Deep Purple, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Traffic, Rush all still hold up well and I listen to them a lot. Rolling Stones of course.

 

Some not as much- Seals and Crofts, America, Jim Croce, John Denver. I still like certain songs but I have to be in the mood.

 

At the time I didn't appreciate David Bowie or Funk/ R &B, which I enjoy a lot these days.

Name your top 5 bands of all time Becky!

 

Hahahahaha, the last 1 is always changing! But I would say, Rush, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Bruce Springsteen (not a lot of love for him on here, I know) , and Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Who keep changing places. (Go figure.). Not even sure if they would be in that order, but that is close. I own a lot of records by those groups. ( I know, you are still trying to figure out why I listened to Seals and Crofts, lol.)

Ooooo nice.

 

Mine is like this:

 

RUSH

Maroon 5

Limp Biscuit

Justin Bieber

Britney Spears

Beyonce

 

 

Lol! You had me for a minute! :lol: Justin Bieber indeed. Plus Limp Biscuit. Fred Durst is a tool, I can't really imagine you listening to them. Apologies if these are your true favorites!

:joker:

 

My real top 5 is of course

 

Priest, Sabbath, RUSH, TULL and Purple.

 

:heart: :heart: :heart: Great choices!

What's your next 5 though?

 

Mine are: Queen, KANSAS, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Uriah Heep

 

And probably the next five would be The Beatles, Van Halen, ZZ Top, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne

[ozzy85]

Age 14 for me was 1980-81... ELO was it for me. My first album was their greatest hits. I bought a couple other casettes that day, but they ended up being inconsequential soon enough.

 

Age 15, however... that's when the floodgates opened. I had a friend who loaned me a couple of Rush albums and some Scorpions. Still love them both. I picked up on Motorhead in high school also. Rush is an amazing band that just keeps getting better to my ears as I get older.

[treeduck]

Age 14 for me was 1980-81... ELO was it for me. My first album was their greatest hits. I bought a couple other casettes that day, but they ended up being inconsequential soon enough.

 

Age 15, however... that's when the floodgates opened. I had a friend who loaned me a couple of Rush albums and some Scorpions. Still love them both. I picked up on Motorhead in high school also. Rush is an amazing band that just keeps getting better to my ears as I get older.

What did you think when you first heard 2112??

[ozzy85]

Age 14 for me was 1980-81... ELO was it for me. My first album was their greatest hits. I bought a couple other casettes that day, but they ended up being inconsequential soon enough.

 

Age 15, however... that's when the floodgates opened. I had a friend who loaned me a couple of Rush albums and some Scorpions. Still love them both. I picked up on Motorhead in high school also. Rush is an amazing band that just keeps getting better to my ears as I get older.

What did you think when you first heard 2112??

Mind blowing.

 

I was loaned Signals (pretty damn good) and 2112, actually. My friend thought since I liked music like ELO, I might like something complex like 2112. Good guess. Game changer. My album collection started in earnest around then.

[driventotheedge]

I turned 14 in October of 1970. Had been fully immersed in The Beatles since that day in February of '64. Was diving headlong into Led Zeppelin and Sabbath as they were still fairly new at the time. Same goes for Grand Funk. Had also already for some time been heavily into Creedence. The Doors, The Stones, Chicago, Allman Bros., Spirit, Jimi, etc.