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Do you have a defining musical moment from your early years?

Let me explain.

I grew up in England, mother bringing up 2 unruly louts as a single working mother. Not too common in rural England in 60/70,s and somewhat frowned upon.

Money was not bountiful although we never went without staples and no way mom would let her kids go to school in worn or threadbare clothing so I have no complaints.

So imagine my surprise when I got up on the morning of my 13th birthday to find a bright yellow Decca record player wrapped in a bow with a card on the kitchen table.

Even more of a surprise when I lifted the lid to find 4 singles loaded up in the multi play changer. These were my very first vinyl I could call my own!
Think years of listening to my mom’s albums like Perry Como, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra etc. It’s a wonder I was not scarred for life!

So the singles.... These although long gone I will never ever forget.

Pinball Wizard ... The Who/ Elton John.
In the year 2525 ... Zager & Evans.
Teenagers Mother .... Bill Haley & the Comets.
Purple Haze ... Jimi Hendrix.


Bit of a strange brew but later my mom told me she had no clue and had enlisted the help of a fellow parent who donated these to help her out.

Probably a good thing I do not have them,now as fairly sure they would be worn out as they were played to death.
That was it though, I was hooked and got a Saturday job ( child labour eh?) to feed my addiction. Our local swapshop ( think English equivalent to Pawn shop) always had loads of cheap singles for sale. No idea where they all ended up though tbh.

So that’s my story and my wayward start down the road of rock,n,roll!
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bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,813 posts
 

Hey @ericsch, we probably "inhaled the same smoke" at some Fillmore and Winterland shows (and don't forget The Carousel Ballroom, where I saw The Who perform the "A Quick One" Suite in '68). The Bay Area was a great place to be a music lover in the 60's and 70's, and remains so (Slim's is a great club in SF). The Keystone in SF, Berkeley, and Palo Alto (lots of Blues), The Mabuhay in the Punk era, lots of small clubs and bars with stages and live music every night. I saw Quicksilver in one such in Sunnyvale in '68.

It was (and is) the same in L.A. of course, and NYC, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Austin, Tulsa, Seattle and Portland, dozens of other big cities and hundreds if not thousands of smaller towns. It's great to be an American!

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
One day in grade school, probably 3rd grade, violinist from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra came to our class room. We would be going on a field trip to hear them and he came to tell us all about concert etiquette.

Well, he did a lot more than that. He showed us his violin, talked about how its made and shaped and held and played. Every time he would say something he would tap or pluck or bow a string so we would get it and every time he did it was insane magic how good that thing sounded.

He talked about how expressive and versatile an instrument it is. Then he did something I will never forget. He said, "Everyone close your eyes. Now you are going to hear one violin." And he played this little phrase, sweet solo notes, which all these years later no way I remember what it was, only that it was so achingly beautiful I still get choked up just thinking about it. I mean think of it, third grade, sitting maybe ten feet from a concert violinist. Damn.

Then he said, "Now you're going to hear four violins." And he played another little bit, only this time chords, and damned if it didn't sound like there were four of him.

And then for the next however long it was he let loose. Whatever he played, I don't know, but it was awesome. That close up in a class room, everyone sitting dead quiet, you can imagine the detail, the incredible dynamic range. A well-played violin can tug at your heart strings or make you dance at a hoe down, and this one was doing it all.

Been a close your eyes see with your ears listener ever since.


drmemory62
37 posts
 
When I purchased "The Rolling Stone Record Guide" back in 1978.
I had gotten into heavily into The Beatles when Capital started reissuing their catalog back in the mid-seventies, but TRSRG showed me there was so much more out there which encompassed "Rock Music".  It was the guide that had pictures of the 5-star albums spread throughout the book, so it made easy to find great albums like Love's "Forever Changes" or The Velvet Underground and Nico out on the shelfs.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I listened to Get Yer Ya Yas Out (which had just come out) on the big (big, big) system in a chalet up on Red Mountain in Aspen where Dave Brubeck Quartet would go to practice. The mostly high end Mcintosh Tube system featured quite a few very large speakers and very big McIntosh electronics, a time delay system, grand piano and Joshua Light show stuff, oh, and some kind of monster midrange horn. I recall the garage was loaded with Ducati racing motorcycles. Not that that sort of thing impresses me. 
slaw's avatar
slaw
21,541 posts
 
As a youngster, our family went to visit distant relatives in Kentucky. Walking down into the basement, there it was, a complete wall of vinyl records.

Watching The Beatles first appearance on Ed Sullivan I think must have had some impact.
Playing first chair coronet in the 7th & 8th grade band.

Listening to our family’s Christmas music on vinyl growing up through the Motorola console stereo (had a tube amplifier).

Staying up late as a teenager to listen to FM radio shows
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