A lightweight thread here, folks. Just want to see where we are all coming from - YOUR generation, that is.
We all had a defining band growing up. In your formative years, who was that band??? The only rules are that you have to pick a band from the time when you were somewhere between the ages of 11 and 17, and they have had to be current at the time - still together and vibrant. For example, at age 34, I can't pick The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, or The Who, even though I may have listened to them a great deal. As such, I doubt any of us will be able to choose Haydn or Vivaldi...
It would be that if CDs were in cars at the time, that would be blaring when you picked up your friends. It doesn't mean you have to still be listening to them today. Heck, you may even hate them now.
I think it will provide a little insight into our backgrounds and a special time of our lives. OK, so let's have some fun with this!
MY choice in my time period(1980 - 1986) would have to be Van Halen, and I don't even listen to them anymore
I was 11 in 1980. As far as I am concerned there are no defining bands from the 80s, and most albums recorded during that decade make my ears bleed. But growing up in England in the 1970s for me Queen was the defining band.
Sometimes I wish I had been born 10 years earlier and lived through the 70s as a teenager.
My time period would be the mid-70's--from 74 through 77. Prior to 74 I was into classical and big band jazz, because I was a trumpet player. Then I discovered sex, drugs and rock and roll (not necessarily in that order, actually it was the reverse). The defining band for me was Queen, specifically Queen 2, the black side. Some of my friends had a tree house--yes a tree house, but it had electricity from a salvaged gasoline generator, two stories with bunk beds upstairs, a fireplace (really!), and a stereo. That's where I first heard Queen 2. We all had motorcycles, and would spend weekends there. I'm rambling, but say what you will about Queen's later material, their first 3 albums ROCKED, but also were unique enough to appeal to someone brought up on the type of music I was.
I was 17 in 1984. It was Jazz. The big thing about the 80s for me was not the hair bands or Eruo-pop. It was Jazz, which experienced a HUGE renaissance. I'm thinking Wynton Marsalis, but my mates and I (we were all musicians) probably gravitated more to Branford. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers probably had the best iteration of that group (Terrance Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller, Lonnie Plaxico, Donald Harrison). Weather Report was also big for my crew.
Wow Smotyka, The Yardbirds!!! Now, that was a band. Reading that sent a chill through me. It must have been wild to see them first hand.
One of my best friends, who is no audiophile always points to Led Zeppelin as one of his. He said when they hit in the late 60s, they were like NOTHING else that ever came before them. That's the kind of thing that propels many of us into this hobby, the lust for music, and the eternal search for hearing it in perfection.
Ashra, are you still in the area? If so, maybe we can hook up? By the way, did you go to Northeast High? Reading The Inquirer article in yesterday's sports section comparing St. Joe's year with Delonte West and Jameer Nelson to Temple with Hal Lear and Guy Rodgers made me wish I was able to see them before. I always hear that when Guy was at Northeast, it was absolutely unreal how good he was.
When I was 11 in 1961 Elvis was singing "Little Sister" and "Marie's the Name of His latest Flame" along with the Everly Brothers and Neil Sedaka and Pat Boone. The British invasion had yet to happen and Dylan wasn't yet on the radar (at least not on mine). Six years later the world had changed forever: Dylan had had his motorcycle accident, America was mired in Vietnam, the Doors were singing "The End" and the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed were singing "I'm Waiting for My Man" and "Heroin". To quote the Grateful Dead (another of my favourite bands) "What a long, strange trip it's been".
Beatles & Stones (of course) Dylan Dead Cream Jeff Airplane (before that Starship nonsense) Yougbloods Moody Blues Jethro Tull Allman Bros. Quicksilver Messenger Service The Band
I've been lucky enough to have heard most of them play at least once (w/exception of Beatles) and my ears are still ringing from some of them (although loudest by far was Mahavishnu Orchestra, w/Quicksilver a somewhat distant second)
Cream The Ventures The Doors Jimi Hendrix-My first rock concert @ age 15 in Berlin, Germany. John Mayall-saw him in Berlin, too! Pink Floyd Led Zepplin Deep Purple
Stuff I listened to myself: Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Devo, Talking Heads. If I had to pick one of these as a 'defining band' for my 11-17 period, it would be Zep.
Stuff I was subjected to by my friends: Supertramp, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel.
I had the privilege and honour of seeing FZ seven times, it was no accident he had the best musicians with him (much like Steely Dan does). Most people think of Zappa and lyrics such as "Yellow Snow" or "Dyna-moe Hum" come to mind, but he was far far more advanced than his hits revealed. FZ won Jazz Album of the Year with "Jazz from Hell" and his work with Philharmonic Orchestras were never recognized. The Broadway show he wrote was brilliant, Thingfish is still a staple on my turntable. Zappa's one cover song that was recorded still stands as a testament to his creativity and skill, you will not find a better version of "Whippin' Post" anywhere, if you haven't bought "Does Humour Belong in Music" yet, get thee a copy asap. I could ramble forever but "Black Napkins" live changed my view of how music should be played. Frank, we miss you.
Good thread Trejla. My choice would be Led Zepplin. I was big into Zepplin. It would have been the years of 1971-1977 for my time period. I still have a 8 track recording of a 4 hour special my local radio station did when John Bonham died. I was crushed September 25 1980. Oddly enough, I don't listen to much Zepplin anymore. I guess I'm getting old.
Since we are expanding the thread, other faves were:
The Stones (yes, they used to be good) Skynard Black Sabbath Pink Floyd Aerosmith (they used to be good too) Deep Purple AC/DC (they still are pretty good)
First, the Beatles and Beach Boys when I was around 11, then the Stones, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Tull, Cream, Mountain, Spirit,and the Who as I worked my way through high school.
1974-80 for me. Seems to be a popular age range so far. Some high school regulars that haven't been mentioned yet: Lynyrd Skynyrd Bruce Springsteen Neil Young Bob Seger Steely Dan Elton John Bachman Turner Overdrive
First some background: My father being a proud Black man who had just finished serving his country during the Korean Conflict (War) knew he wanted to move his young family into a new neighborhood with new schools and a public park and bird sanctuary near by. Northeast Philadelphia developed as a result of 'White Flight'(whites moving out of older sections of the city where blacks could find affordable housing). I did not have much contact with children of my age in the Northeast because of fear of the unknown on the part of my neighbors. The music I listend to was not influenced by anyone in my community until I got to highschool. My parents gave me a radio and much to their chagrin I took to listening to Country music and I loved it. From there I went to Frank Sinatra and then Motown. 45s were the music mode of the day and I listened to songs, not artists. For the ages of 11 through 17 I can remember hearing The Gressroots' Live for Today, The Beatles' Tomorrow never Knows, Nina Simones' Four Women, The Supremes' Reflections of My Mind, Cannonball Adderleys' Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, the Temptations' Ball of Confusion, Blues Magoos' We Ain't Got Nothin Yet, John Lennons' Cold Turkey, the Associations' Requium for the Masses and Creams' White Room. These days I listen to a lot of Avant Garde, electronic, polyphony, contempoary Japanese Psychedelic, jazz and a lot of the music previously mentioned. When I got to highschool I did listen to Alice Cooper but we all have our skeletons (check out "The Ballad of Dwight Fry). It's the music that keeps me together!
I have a different take on this. Saturday Night Fever was definitely the most defining album of my teenage years. I got so sick of it, and anything that had to do with disco, that I became a head bangin' heavy metal dude. Led Zep was #1, followed by Van Halen and AC-DC. I also listened a lot to Ted Nugent. Nowadays, I'm more into jazz and classic rock.
I have to agree with Jeffloistarca. I'm also 42 and I think He hit it right on the head. "The one band that captured my imagination in my early teens was Frank Zappa and the Mothers. Hands down the most talented musician ... and by far the best live show I've seen". Perfectly worded and true Jeff. I also listened to tons of Led Zepellin, Queen and Pink Floyd. I think I have seven copies of Dark Side ..." It's called ADDICTION.
old AC/DC,Metallica was just getting started was looking for "Kill Em All" wasn't in stock they had "Ride The Lightning" nobody else even knew it existed yet which changed very rapidly. Cassette was very convenient then.
I graduated high school in 1972. I was an AM Top 40 listener, as FM progressive radio was pretty much in its infancy, and no one I knew had an FM radio in their cars. Also, these were the days before component stereo (except for a few audiophiles) and listening was done on those big ugly console stereos (more a piece of furniture than an audio reproduction system) or on dinky little portable record players. Phono cartridges were pizo-electric ceramic devices (tracking at 5 to 9 grams...OUCH!) and 45 RPM 7" singles usually comprised the majority of teenagers record collections.
Then, in the late spring/early summer of 1972, like Tommy, I "became aware that year". After my "altered state of mind", I heard two albums that totally changed my perception of music, and forever set my feet on the path of musical and audio discovery.
These two LP's were: 1) David Bowie "THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST..." 2) Jethro Tull "THICK AS A BRICK"
Off to college (U. Miami in Florida) late summer of 1972, and further mind and music expansion. Vietnam, the "generation gap" (to quote L.B.J.), and Nixon's antipathy towards this country's youth were very powerful driving forces to create a genre of music that was ALL OUR OWN....and $5- or $6- concert tickets for major acts didn't hurt, either!
Yes, Lugnut, while it was supposed to be your "one, defining band", I kind of messed that up in translation.
Wow, it's really enlightening to see the diverse group of acts people have lined up with! It sure must have been an absolute blast to flower in the fruitful time of the mid-60s to mid-70s. I see some really seminal stuff there, which had a great impact on my listening.
Anyway, I'll go ahead and break my own rules, and expand my list: Dead Kennedys The Police Grandmaster Flash Run - DMC The Cars Public Image Limited Kraftwerk U2 The Smiths
For me I did not have really one band that stuck out, but these always seemed to be in heavy rotation-
The Cure-Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, Head on the Door Depeche Mode-Music for the Masses, 101, Violator The Smiths-Strangeways Here we Come Siouxie and The Banshees-Tinderbox and Through the Looking Glass New Order-Substance The Replacements Jesus and Mary Chain Skinny Puppy Death in June
I was lucky to grow up with a killer local college station- KFSR 90.7 Fresno State Radio with a cool dj Radio London. Everynight from the age of 11 till I turned 18 I would listen from the time I got home till time I fell asleep.
Monkees, Beatles, Stones, Cream , Led Zep, Grand Funk RR, Jethro Tull, The Who, ELP, The Band , Black Sabbath, T.Rex, Sly & The Family Stone, Motown, Dylan, Johnny Cash. The music that came afterwards has only strengthened my love for these artists. Born in '58.
I'll stick to one band as per your request. Initially I figured it must be the Beatles because of the huge effect they had on my generation. Besides, I was about as big a fan as a anyone. But "defining" being the key word I must go with the greatest American band ever, Buffalo Springfield. Buffalo Springfield and all the groups and individual artists that splintered from them make the Beatles truly seem lightweight. The effect this band had on America from politics to fashion is recognized by very few of my peers. I was so taken by their music that I wouldn't even bother to hose some gal that didn't include them as being among her favorite bands. Well, maybe that's a stretch. ;)
Other honorable mentions include:
The Beatles The Beach Boys The Kinks Cream Animals Dylan The Temptations The Four Tops Smokey Robinson and the Miracles John Mayall Traffic Roy Orbison
i was around 14 or 15 yrs old when i first heard it & thats when it all started for me & hasnt let up yet,the album was miles davis BITCHES BREW,i still like rock music but i find that it has lost most of its former zeal,i can still listen to most of the mothers of invention & also most of the frank zappa collection but for the most part jazz & fusion is the ticket for me,ill always remember the look on all my hippie friends faces when we would listen to music & do a number & i would put some miles davis or john lee hooker on my stereo,they thought i was insane,i wonder how many of them got caught up in the disco era,god remember the disco era.
A six year gap doesn't sound big, but at those ages it spans the gap of music quite a bit, at least for me. On the younger side, Styx comes to mind, on the older side Def Leppard.
I can't believe I spelled "No" -- K-n-o-w. That is what early visits to this site will do to you, I will add Steppenwolf and Grand Funk Railroad to the list.
Color Me Bad's "I Wanna Sex You Up" or Bobby Brown's "Just Dance" are probably symbolic of the late-80's/early nineties emergence of hip hop in mainstream music. I fell under the evil spell back then, only to wake up years later realizing how horribly tasteless I was.
NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" monumental release brought rap into the mainstreem. I'm sure there were other rappers that brought rap into its own (Grand Master Flash, Run DMC, etc), but, for me, NWA introduced Black underground political speach into popular music.
U2's "Joshua Tree" is monumental. Quite possibly the best album made in the late 20th century.
Cream was at the top of the heap. Following was Jethro Tull (e.g., Benefit, Stand Up), Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin -- I still remember listening to their just released first album at a friend's house. There were lots of other great bands like the Animals, the Doors, Chicago, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Osibisa and even softer rock groups (remember Windy?).
Later in life, during college, I discovered the Moody Blues and Pink Floyd. They'd been around in my earlier years but I never listened to them. Makes me wonder who's around now that I'm missing. Good thread. Thanks.
Well Gladys Knight still performs today,so does Patti Labelle,no Pips or Blue Bells.Stevie Wonder,late 60 all the way to the 80s.Bloodstone,Blue Magic,Temptations,Stylistics,Chi-Lites,Dells,Trammps,Main Indgrident all these groupsare still together today.There are so much more,Even SANTANA and MANDRILL.I can keep on,but I'll stop here.
I grew up right in the middle of the thrash wave of the mid/late 80s (I'm 29) - undeniably the most vibrant and explosive period in heavy metal's brief and colorful history. Some important albums that come to mind:
Fates Warning: Awaken the Guardian Celtic Frost: Into the Pandamonium Omen: Teeth of the Hydra Annihilator: Alice In Hell King Diamond: Them Queensryche: Operation Mindcrime Cirith Ungol: King of the Dead Candlemass: Nightfall Forbidden: Forbidden Evil Laaz Rockit: Annihilation Principle Coroner: Punishment for Decadence Helloween: Walls of Jericho
I still listen to TONS of metal(about 50% of my listening) and am still filling in the missing gems I don't have from this era, and finding a few new ones. Thank goodness for Ebay, this stuff can be hard to find otherwise. I vastly prefer the "classic" stuff over new stuff - the 80's for metal were like the 70's were for hard rock - the "classic" period, period!
As Manowar wrote, "Stripes on a tiger don't wash away." We may branch out and try new things, but we'll always have a soft spot for the music we grew up with - especially when you grew up listening to something truly special.
From 11 to 17 ??? From Buddy Holly to the Beatles. Buddy was a big influence on the Beatles. In between there was the Beach Boys and all the surf and car music. But I also remember some off beat stuff for kids my age like Mancini's More Music from Peter Gunn, kinda jazz laid back stuff, I remember that Shelly Mann played on that album. I still can remember lyrics from the late 50's, the 60's the early 70's. Guess that dates me, eh?
Man, I see quite a few I used to own listed here! The four I probably listened to the most, and would consider "defining" in the context of this post would be:
Allman Brothers Band (Eat a Peach and Live at the Fillmore) Derek and the Dominos Santana (Abraxas) [I still enjoy each of those - they simply cannot be replaced]
Others I probably wore out, but haven't seen listed here yet would include:
Steppenwolf (Live) Foghat (Rock and Roll) J. Giles Band (Full House) Yes (Tales from Topographical Oceans-and all the others!) Humble Pie (Rockin the Fillmore and Smokin) Cream (Strange Brew) Aerosmith (Dream On)-[I saw them from row 8 just after release of their 2nd album-what a show!] Robin Trower (Bridge of Sighs)
As a younger member here, I was 17 in 1998. What comes to mind for me and "my generation" Dave Mathews Band, Garbage, U2, Metalica(the black album was always popular when I was in school), Beck(no, not Jeff Beck!), the rap scene was big as well artists including Notorious B.I.G, Puff Daddy, Mace, Lost Boyz, 112, Dr Dre, Busta Rhymes to name a few. Around the same time "pop" music was flourishing with horrible music that was unavoidable, including but not limited to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Shania Twain, N*sync, Backstreet boys, Spice Girls, Hanson(remember "mmm bop" I wish I didn't!) and Ricky Martin. I am going to cry in the corner now, I am ashamed(for the most part) of music that my peers listened to.
I'm 49 and got to experience the "British Invasion" first hand. As far as my "defining" band, definitely The Beatles. Lot's of other bands in the '60s had great music as well, Doors and Steppenwolf come to mind. It was a very exiting time for rock music.
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