The Band/Artist That Changed Your Life

Why?


How?


When?



I was 14. I was living a pleasant, if mediocre , existence in a small, rundown, well-past-its'-prime town in the back of beyond. Probably the most exciting thing there was going to 'The Pop Shop' - a sweet/candy shop run by a 104 year old woman - who used to sell you 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p 'glasses' of pop/soda out of used, donated yoghurt cartons. Yeah, I know - weird - but nothing ever happened, it seems. Until I discovered The B-52's.


I remember walking into HMV and seeing the 'Cosmic Thing' album cover. 'Love Shack' had just been released and I loved the single but... up until then, I had never heard of them. Or I wasn't familiar with them. They were just 'some band' on the radio. However, clapping my eyes on that wonderful, colourful, vibrant album cover... something grabbed me. Something drew me in. I *had* to have it. I had no idea how much that album would change my life.


As long as I remember, there was always music - of some sort - in my family. On weekends, my sister and I would run into my parents' bedroom and sing stupid songs at the foot of their bed. My parents played music constantly. Yet, until my early teens, I never had my own musical 'identity'. Nothing that defined ME. Nothing that spoke to me, nothing that I understood instictively. When I bought 'Cosmic Thing', it was game over.


If you want to bring the house down - play 'Cosmic Thing'. If you want no-brainer - yet intelligent, instinctive - party music... play 'Cosmic Thing'. If you want luscious, sunkissed harmonies, sexy grooves and a laidback Summer vibe... play 'Cosmic Thing'. I still remember being a choirboy, standing in the choir stalls, and having the 'Dry County' motif going round and round in my head, endlessly... It drove me mad. Yet I couldn't wait to get home and stick my tape on, drift away and zone out. And every single song... I would wait with anticipation.


I cannot tell you how much I love this band. Or how much they spoke to me, comforted me, rocked me and warmed me growing up. How much I *still* love them. Or how I felt like the lone fan, the only person that understood them, and their aesthetic, as a teenager. Or, at least, knew no-one who remotely liked them as much as I did.


Last week, I achieved one of my ambitions... and now I can die happy. Sad, stupid or deluded as it may seem , I *finally* got to see The B-52's live. I was 14 all over again. I have waited literally over half my life to see this band and I may never, ever see them again. I danced, jumped, shouted and sang my ass off. I managed to get a setlist! And left that gig desperately wanting to hear more. One of *the* best gigs I have ever seen.


So... as a tribute to them, and that night, here's a clip:










Anyway, I don't expect many responses , but what, when and how did you fall in love with the band that changed your life? That you gave up on years ago, maybe? A fleeting romance? Or one that you still have to do this day?






.
[Edited 7/30/08 13:59pm]

It would definately be Prince. As for the how, why, when, and where part, that would be "American Bandstand", 1979. I was in either the sixth or seventh grade, and after years of being called names like gay, queer, or fag without even knowing what the word meant, I finally found out what the word meant. However, the stereotypes that people were associating gay people with were definately not my style or tastes whatsoever.....men that were into nerdy and dorky type things like ballet, symphony, operas, or any damn thing slow and weak. Also men that could easily be overpowered and run off and cry somewhere when they got upset. I knew that even though I preferred the same sex, those weak and dull ass stereotypes didn't apply to me. I liked to throwdown, and I do mean, throwdown hard. None of that waldo type shit for me. And when I got pissed, I wasn't the type to sit up and cry about it....well, at least never in front of anyone that was provoking me. I was the type to get even if it was the last thing I did and had to die trying it.

Anyway, when I saw Prince's ass on "American Bandstand", that whore fit all the gay stereotypes as far as looks and gestures, but that bitch was definately not the dorky classical music listening, weak sissy that let people beat his ass after his violin lesson. That bitch performed a hard ass disco/funk song for his first performance and a hard rock song for his next performance. And his attitude was like he would fuck you up (or have someone fuck you up) if you even looked at him the wrong way. When I saw that mean ass hard jammin' bitch, I said "that's me there".

vainandy said:

It would definately be Prince. As for the how, why, when, and where part, that would be "American Bandstand", 1979. I was in either the sixth or seventh grade, and after years of being called names like gay, queer, or fag without even knowing what the word meant, I finally found out what the word meant. However, the stereotypes that people were associating gay people with were definately not my style or tastes whatsoever.....men that were into nerdy and dorky type things like ballet, symphony, operas, or any damn thing slow and weak. Also men that could easily be overpowered and run off and cry somewhere when they got upset. I knew that even though I preferred the same sex, those weak and dull ass stereotypes didn't apply to me. I liked to throwdown, and I do mean, throwdown hard. None of that waldo type shit for me. And when I got pissed, I wasn't the type to sit up and cry about it....well, at least never in front of anyone that was provoking me. I was the type to get even if it was the last thing I did and had to die trying it.

Anyway, when I saw Prince's ass on "American Bandstand", that whore fit all the gay stereotypes as far as looks and gestures, but that bitch was definately not the dorky classical music listening, weak sissy that let people beat his ass after his violin lesson. That bitch performed a hard ass disco/funk song for his first performance and a hard rock song for his next performance. And his attitude was like he would fuck you up (or have someone fuck you up) if you even looked at him the wrong way. When I saw that mean ass hard jammin' bitch, I said "that's me there".

Imago said:

Rick James- Street Songs, 1981.

I was in South Carolina in the summer of 1981 with my older cousins, and they were playing "Superfreak". That was the coolest song my pre-pubescent ears had ever heard!
When I came home to NJ, saved my allowance, and bought that album. I became a disciple of PUNK FUNK! I learned to appreciate music in a different way...
Back then I believe most of Rick's albums came out in August. I remember that because I would get the new one on my birthday every year. I even got the 12" single of "17" on my 17th birthday!

My love of Rick lasted all the way to the end! "Deeper Still" had 2 grow on me, but I love me some Rick!

Prince- that's another story...

" . . . Say papa, I think I wanna dance! . . ."

prince and bowie, equally.

prince raised the bar in terms of the quality of music i would listen to. if i am a music snob, it's his fault. i quit listening to "teenybopper" music when i discovered his music and realized that there was something exciting to performers and musicians who did their thing with excellence and originality.

bowie just kinda changed the way i looked at everything else: art, gender, sexuality, existentialism, style, literature, experimental music, and probably at least a dozen more things i'm forgetting right now.

The artists that changed me the most:

Prince
Chaka Khan
Me'Shell N'Degeocello
N'Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies)
Erykah Badu
PJ Harvey

Prince and Chaka from very young, the rest 20s on. In ways that would rival one of those orgnotes I send you so let's just cut to the chase and say these are the ones

Hope you are well handsome

onenitealone said:

Imago said:

My Gran would've HATED you.

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Planet Rock - Soul Sonic Force

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_vLzsG2TCU

Dam near lost my mind....

Xmas of 1992
when I got my first compact disc
which was this right here:


New Jack/Jill swing was all the rage
and I just was NOT into that sort of thing
but when Mary J. Blige come out

it was actually before her debut album
when she sang the chorus on Father MC's
"I'll Do For You"... I fell in love instantly
with the voice... the soul... the conviction...

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

vainandy said:

chocolate1 said:


My love of Rick lasted all the way to the end! "Deeper Still" had 2 grow on me, but I love me some Rick!

Rick is my second favorite artist but "Deeper Still" never grew on me and probably never will. If Rick were alive today, I would snatch his wig off his head for that one.

" . . . Say papa, I think I wanna dance! . . ."

Good idea for a thread and very nice opening post. Bravo ONA.

Musta been around '72 or so. I got tix for Little Feat at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago which has great acoustics by the way.

We had great seats in what was called The Dress Circle, right down in front and center.

Although there had been no opening act advertised, we were treated to a band called Osibisa.

I'd never been exposed to African music before at least not played by real Africans.

OMG!This was a transcendent experience. These guys were pure happiness expressing through their music.

I hardly know how to write about it. The music was sooo different to what my 24 year old ears were used to.

Well maybe the music itself was not so different- there were the familiar drums and bass and guitar and keyboards and horns - but the place the musicians were coming from was way different.

I mean, yes, there were songs, but the songs seemed more like an a excuse to be happy rather than show off your songwriting skills.

The whole set was great but it was during the percussion breakdowns that they really got me for the rest of my life.

Every player was a virtuoso percussionist and on quite a few songs they would all put their regular axes down and pick up some kind of shaker or bell or things I'd never seen before and just go to town for 5 or 10 minutes.

It was like they were a soccer team standing around in a practice circle and just hackeysacking the beat back and forth between them. Unbelievable.

You could almost see the beat as if it were an object in space. Of course they were all playing ensemble but one guy would be soloing over the top of it all and coaxing sounds from his instrument that were just mind blowingly unique and complex.

When he was about to finish his piece you could see all the other guys intently focussing on him in anticipation as if to say, "toss it to me, toss it to me."

And then you would see the soloist nod to another member like, "OK, mister log drummer or mister jembe player, or mister cowbell man, it's yours" and boom, the next guy would be seamlessly off with it and making our jaws drop with their skill level.

And maybe that's the thing I think was most impressive and captivating - the skill level. It was on a whole other level.

These guys didn't ever take lessons to become musicians, they were born into a long heritage that goes back generations that as you learn to walk you learn to drum becasuse its so much a part of your culture.

They aren't musicians in the normal sense that we think about. They ARE the music itself. They ARE the drumming. Its so natural it just pours out of them effortlessly.

And all the while just beaming with love and happiness for the music each other and the auidence.

That's the translation of Osibisa- criss cross rhythms that explode with happiness.

So a whole world was opened to me that night and now I have tons of African music in my collection and always go to Africn shows whenever they're near.

Here is a video that has shitty sound but captures the spirit:



And here's one that captures a little bit of the real percussion break shit after around 2 minutes into the vid. Notice how they copped the Isley Brothers Fight the Power bassline and turned it into a somg called Making Everybody Happy. Enjoy! and see 'em if you ever get the chance:


[Edited 7/30/08 17:28pm]

Ace said:

" . . . Say papa, I think I wanna dance! . . ."

Doug E. Fresh

Because until that day I hadn't heard of Hip Hop/ Rap.

It was 1985 when I picked up the single The Show/ La Di Da Di. I was aurally mesmerized by the beat-boxing, the rhyme flow and what he was rappin' about. I was a changed boy (I was 14)...

*I also discovered Prince around this time, but that's another thread...*

Led Zeppelin for me. My older brother used to come home with their albums in the late 70's. I must've been 5 or 6 and i loved their music even then. The album covers left me spellbound, they were so amazing to me. The spinning wheel on Led Zeppelin 3, the cut out windows on Physical Graffiti, the eight page booklet in The Song Remains The Same album. In many ways i wish i was older so i could've experienced the decade that was the 1970's but yeah Zeppelin changed my life. They shaped my musical tastes, i love my funk but deep down i'll always love my rock n roll guitar music thanks to them.

The first time I heard BJORK on August 8th, 1996.
Tron played Headphones for me. Long story but my life changed that day and I celebrate August 8th as my Spiritual rebirth. Thank you, Nathan ~~~ and BJORK

onenitealone said:

Why?


How?


When?



I was 14. I was living a pleasant, if mediocre , existence in a small, rundown, well-past-its'-prime town in the back of beyond. Probably the most exciting thing there was going to 'The Pop Shop' - a sweet/candy shop run by a 104 year old woman - who used to sell you 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p 'glasses' of pop/soda out of used, donated yoghurt cartons. Yeah, I know - weird - but nothing ever happened, it seems. Until I discovered The B-52's.


I remember walking into HMV and seeing the 'Cosmic Thing' album cover. 'Love Shack' had just been released and I loved the single but... up until then, I had never heard of them. Or I wasn't familiar with them. They were just 'some band' on the radio. However, clapping my eyes on that wonderful, colourful, vibrant album cover... something grabbed me. Something drew me in. I *had* to have it. I had no idea how much that album would change my life.


As long as I remember, there was always music - of some sort - in my family. On weekends, my sister and I would run into my parents' bedroom and sing stupid songs at the foot of their bed. My parents played music constantly. Yet, until my early teens, I never had my own musical 'identity'. Nothing that defined ME. Nothing that spoke to me, nothing that I understood instictively. When I bought 'Cosmic Thing', it was game over.


If you want to bring the house down - play 'Cosmic Thing'. If you want no-brainer - yet intelligent, instinctive - party music... play 'Cosmic Thing'. If you want luscious, sunkissed harmonies, sexy grooves and a laidback Summer vibe... play 'Cosmic Thing'. I still remember being a choirboy, standing in the choir stalls, and having the 'Dry County' motif going round and round in my head, endlessly... It drove me mad. Yet I couldn't wait to get home and stick my tape on, drift away and zone out. And every single song... I would wait with anticipation.


I cannot tell you how much I love this band. Or how much they spoke to me, comforted me, rocked me and warmed me growing up. How much I *still* love them. Or how I felt like the lone fan, the only person that understood them, and their aesthetic, as a teenager. Or, at least, knew no-one who remotely liked them as much as I did.


Last week, I achieved one of my ambitions... and now I can die happy. Sad, stupid or deluded as it may seem , I *finally* got to see The B-52's live. I was 14 all over again. I have waited literally over half my life to see this band and I may never, ever see them again. I danced, jumped, shouted and sang my ass off. I managed to get a setlist! And left that gig desperately wanting to hear more. One of *the* best gigs I have ever seen.


So... as a tribute to them, and that night, here's a clip:










Anyway, I don't expect many responses , but what, when and how did you fall in love with the band that changed your life? That you gave up on years ago, maybe? A fleeting romance? Or one that you still have to do this day?






.
[Edited 7/30/08 13:59pm]

prince

it was 1991, i was 13 years old....i saw him performing on tv, and it changed my musical taste forever!!!!

Prince

7:00 Am, November 7. 1979

Pining over a girl who was ignoring me. I was supposed to call her at 7:00 Am on the above mentioned date. Her line was busy, called again, busy.
All the while I'm listening to 'I Wanna Be your Lover' which WENN in B'ham had been playing at 7:00 am every morning for the past couple of weeks.
I heard the words this time and realized this guy was singing what I was feeling.
I went and bought the 45 after school that day and the album at the end of the week and never looked back.

Prince. I met the love of my life and developed a second family because of him. Among other, not as wonderful things....

I'd have to say The Beatles. My older brother was a huge fan, had all their albums and I grew up singing the songs from Meet the Beatles to The White Album My first awareness of who The Beatles were was probably around 6 or 7 years old.

As I matured, the songs and the music grew in meaning for me... as did the importance of the band and it's place in music history.

When my friend Justin and I went to see A Hard Day's Night in the movie theater... we both agreed that they exuded pure joy in their performance and that it resonated 10-fold to the audience. Magic.



(^ fave group in my fave city )

:sympathy bump:

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

DakutiusMaximus said:

On a serious note, when I saw Nine Inch Nails perform in 1994 in Frankfurt it changed me


I became more bold, more willing to feel emotion, etc. etc.
It was like Trent was externalizing everything I felt for me. And after that release of emotion, I took it into my own hands to voice those feelings myself.

What an asshole I became THAT year.

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

It's corny but, when I was in like 8th grade (1998) my then best friend Rachel had just started listening to modern rock music as well as the usual R&B/hip-hop/pop and she was the first black person I knew that was digging what my other friends had always called "white music"

I always credit her for opening my mind to the big wide world of music, and diversity and the two albums we'd always be jamming to were

Garbage's Version 2.0 and Incubus' Make Yourself

these were like my gateway albums leading me to listen to and appreciate just about every genre out there...

Also in 2001 my brother made me a copy of Prince's Hits (1&2)
which lead me to my Prince obsession which ultimately brought me here, where I've learned more about music than I could have ever imagined

thekidsgirl said:

It's corny but, when I was in like 8th grade (1998) my then best friend Rachel had just started listening to modern rock music as well as the usual R&B/hip-hop/pop and she was the first black person I knew that was digging what my other friends had always called "white music"

I always credit her for opening my mind to the big wide world of music, and diversity and the two albums we'd always be jamming to were

Garbage's Version 2.0 and Incubus' Make Yourself

these were like my gateway albums leading me to listen to and appreciate just about every genre out there...

Also in 2001 my brother made me a copy of Prince's Hits (1&2)
which lead me to my Prince obsession which ultimately brought me here, where I've learned more about music than I could have ever imagined