When you were 14/15/16 Had the biggest effect on you?
Do you still listen to them today ?
Toyah/Human League/Siouxsie/Soft Cell/Visage/Ultravox/Japan/Duran Duran/Spandau Ballet/ABC/ELO/Howard Jones/Icicle Works and many others.
Yes, I listen to them all frequently - Soft Cell and ABC amongst other older/modern bands/classical/opera tonight.
If you ever enjoyed ABC’s Lexicon of Love the more recent Lexicon of Love 2 is a real grower and just as enjoyable, if not quite as edgy as the original.
All very much of its time, but I guess that’s the point of the question really.
Lexicon of Love is about as edgy as a silk scarf, but no less wonderful for that. I was 16 in 1977 and was an avid listener of ELP, Santana, Yes, Wishbone Ash an so on. Then the Sex Pistols came along and blew that all away. Punk changed my musical life. Would I sit and listen to them now? No.
Is the new version of the 272 going to be at the Bristol Show ?
Just asking because I want to buy the new one for my son.
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What a shame, the songs of my early/late teens have stayed with me and still satisfy me - they may not be high brow music but still evoke memories of youth, fun and better times.
I’m now gravitating towards classical, and perhaps discovering great music from before my teen years - some is popular but boring, some simply enthralling, just personal taste.
Edgy may have been the wrong adjective but a few of the Lexicon of Love tracks have a bit more get up and go/steeliness than LOL 2 which I regard as sublime.
I doubt anyone knows or could tell you in advance.
Great shift of question!
Hard to pinpoint a single one because at the time I was 15-17 (1969-1972) there was such an explosion of good music in the form of rock - heavy, progressive and psychedelic - and I became immersed very quickly.
If I had to pick a single one it would probably have to be Deep Purple Mk2, simply because they were the first band I saw live.
Do I still listen to them? Yes of course as whilst my taste in music has widened a little, it hasn’t changed fundamentally - though not as often as I did then, simply because I accumulated more good music in the years that followed, and of course some albums get aired more often than others.
I was specifically answering the direct question in the post, hence the Pistols. But the bands that followed, such as Joy Division who I saw in 79 and will never forget, and then the post punk outfits such as Gang of Four, the Pop Group, Delta 5 and Au Pairs I still listen to and love today. I can swap between Bach, avant garde classical, jazz, folk, world music and all sorts quite happily. We put on lots of live music and that gets me into all sorts. There’s nothing better than swapping recommendations with musicians and I’m open to most things.
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Unquestionably Bob Dylan, first heard at age 13 on TV in the BBC play “Madhouse On Castle Street” the video recording of which was wiped so that they could reuse the tape! Spent my first weeks wage at age 15 on his first LP, saw him in 66 at the Royal Albert Hall…electric…in more ways than one…and yes I do still listen to him…and buy his artwork.
Chris
That would have been around 1970 for me. At that time I really was hung up on the Beatles then. Think it was the shock of Let It Be and them breaking up that would have dominated most music loving (pop) fans around that time. It wasn’t till another 3 or 4 years before I discovered Bowie and then everything changed.
Black Sabbath and Rush. I still listen to the latter every week, not so much Sabbath thoigh
Beattles, Jefferson Airplane, Roy Obinson, Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin - Big Brother and The Holding Company, The Doors, It’s A Beautiful Day, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Animals, Mamas and the Papas, The Supremes, Sly and the Family Stone, The Temptations, Bee Gees, Buffalo Springfield, Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, to name a few…
The mid 60’s were wonderful, also had two older sisters which covered a lot of music from the late 50’s into the mid 60’s…
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That would have been 1964-66. I guess there were so many great groups - The Beatles, of course, but many others - Julie Driscoll, Kinks, Moody Blues, The Shadows etc. - but the group that really changed my musical interests was The Pentangle, and its various members - well, Jansch and Renbourn anyway. And Davy Graham. Roy Harper. The list is endless.
Punk lost me completely.
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I had the first three Pentangle CD’s on rotation in my car this week, magical music. It was great when you could see Bert or John in the folk clubs never tire of them. If you have the recent ish Cherry Red records Pentangle box set there are three tracks that I recorded on cassette in Guildford from the audience included, sound is pretty rough but it’s a nice souvenir and the box set itself is excellent in sound and value…happy days!
Chris
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I shall look it up. The song that got me into them was Travelling Song, and on the strength of that bought their first LP. Which didn’t have the song on it. But the LP was simply amazing - I’d never heard anything like it, and I loved it.
That’s a great song, yes I was a bit disappointed when it wasn’t on the LP, but what a great recording that album is, stupendous sound, still have my copy with a slight pop in the middle of Bruton Town due to lending it to a girlfriend…never did that again! Do check out the Cherry Red box it was always quite a bit cheaper direct from their website.
Chris
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Mixed influences at that time as I was emerging from a classical music time. The standout influences would be Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Procol Harum.
The thread title asks for a single artist/band so:
14 (1965) Manfred Mann
15 (1966) John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers
16 (1967) The Grateful dead
So lucky to be born when I was!
Will do.
I saw them a few times live - mainly at the Philharmonic in Liverpool, but also in Cheltenham. I was interested in the different fingering styles between John and Bert - the former much more laid back somehow in how he placed his fingers on the fret, and Bert more precise - but both brilliant. Danny added hugely to the group. Terry was great - his drumming always supported and never dominated (except, of course, in his solo breaks). Then Jacqui McShee - wonderful voice (though a friend of mine, Chris Ayeliffe, said that her sister (who he went out with for some time) had a better voice).
When I was 14, I really got into J M Jarre after staying up very late on a school night to watch the Concerts in China which was shown on channel 4, I found it purely by chance, channel hopping which didn’t take very long in those days. I’d heard nothing like it before and was blown away. I still listen to Jarre today although I only like his early recordings up to Zoolook, everything after that I find dull.
I turned 15 and found the Friday Rock Show on radio 1. My favourite band then was Led Zep, albeit a few years after Bonham’s passing. Robert Plant’s solo albums followed. I still give his first two a listen occasionally. I found his later releases not particularly appealing until The Strange Sensation album which I do like, must give it a listen soon. At 16, it was Yes and Rush mainly, my Yes introduction was Owner of a Lonely Heart of course and then soon after I heard Awaken which is still one of my favourite prog tracks. The first Rush track I heard was Countdown on the Friday Rock Show, when T V did an evening of music purely on cd and I’ve been a steady fan since then. Both bands still get played today.