What Songs/Bands First Got You Into Music?

[Recky]

hmm, Beatles, Purple, Stones, Quo, Slade , Zep, Billy Thorpe, Lobby Loyd and The Colored Balls , Shylock ....for starters

 

[Hydrazoic Acid]

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Scorpions, Queen, Deep Purple, Status Quo, Bryan Adams, Yngwie Malmsteen

 

[Magic]

My personal musical journey began at age 12, when it was popular to go to the skating rink every weekend. Back then (1972) I remember hearing a lot of Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Elton John, Doobie Brothers, War, and Edgar Winters. Then later, around age 15, it was disco at the rink. K. C. & Sunshine Band, Wild Cherry, Bee Gee’s, Cool & The Gang, Average White Band, and Ohio Players.

my next phase of music was late teens & party girl music. I fell in love with Aerosmith (still my #1 band), Bad Company, Journey, Outlaws, Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Boston, The Cars, Van Halen, Foreigner, Talking Heads, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Triumph, ZZ Top.

the 80’s was pretty much dominated by the bands mentioned above and southern rock. Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, Allman Brothers, Little Feet, Rossington Collins Band, April Wine, Nantucket, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

before I started going skating, I was exposed to hard rock of the 60’s by my brothers. Bands like Iron Butterfly, The Who, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, SteppenWolf, Deep Purple, Free, Blue Cheer, Uriah Heep, and James Gang. Of course, I was very young and had no idea those bands would play a bigger role later in my life.

now, I am a rattlehead. I listen to a lot of heavy music. My personal favorite metal genre is symphonic metal followed by progressive metal.

 

[Rusty Knotts]

I was born in 1966.
Earliest song I remember: Light My Fire - Doors.
First songs I bought on 45: Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly; Light my Fire - Hendrix; I Feel Love - Donna Summer
First song I became obsessed with: Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
First albums I bought in a store with my own money - Frampton Comes Alive & Kinks Greatest Hits
Songwriters that leaked in and influenced me because of my Mom's albums:
Christine McVie
Neil Diamond
Gordon Lightfoot

 

[Nai Noswad]

This was the first disc I bought with my own cash.. Ex-jukebox record from a junk store. Circa... '72?

The Mob - Give It To Me.

 

[dr wu]

Mid to late 60's pop rock including Beatles and Stones

 

[Dan Dorotik]

Kiss. The albums, the lunch box, the T-shirt, the action figures. Singing Doctor Love, Christine Sixteen, Strutter as an 8 year-old kid without any clue (well, maybe a little).

 

[Nai Noswad]

When I actually analyse this question... well it's multi-layered, all those songs like Pickin' a Chicken and Downtown or Windmills of old Amsterdam - they become cornerstones in a memory way and set the stall for what comes next- The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel definitely transcended all age groups and regardless of where or who you were... you became 'pop' aware.. School, friends and older relatives and media influenced me, from Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens... to Lady D'Banville / Yellow Submarine by The Beatles... to While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Without realising it, that snowballed, this is only my recollections and understanding of it, my wife has very little interest in music and doesn't benchmark time or occasions with songs past. Strangely even though a prolific Rolling Stones collector... as a youth their songs didn't present themselves as teenage anthems, where as many by The Who did. Forums like this still act as a stimuli and a place to hear and learn about stuff I missed, ignored or are new on the scene (at least to me)
There's a good few acts I simply don't like and never have over the years- there's more chance finding treasure on Oak Island than me purchasing a Kiss album (sorry!)

 

[Khor1255]

When I actually analyse this question... well it's multi-layered, all those songs like Pickin' a Chicken and Downtown or Windmills of old Amsterdam - they become cornerstones in a memory way and set the stall for what comes next- The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel definitely transcended all age groups and regardless of where or who you were... you became 'pop' aware.. School, friends and older relatives and media influenced me, from Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens... to Lady D'Banville / Yellow Submarine by The Beatles... to While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Without realising it, that snowballed, this is only my recollections and understanding of it, my wife has very little interest in music and doesn't benchmark time or occasions with songs past. Strangely even though a prolific Rolling Stones collector... as a youth their songs didn't present themselves as teenage anthems, where as many by The Who did. Forums like this still act as a stimuli and a place to hear and learn about stuff I missed, ignored or are new on the scene (at least to me)
There's a good few acts I simply don't like and never have over the years- there's more chance finding treasure on Oak Island than me purchasing a Kiss album (sorry!)

No need to be sorry about that. I think getting into Kiss today with all the baggage they've released over the years would be like a ******** prog head getting into Journey without hearing their first album.

Perhaps you will hear their very early stuff and find something you like, maybe not. But artistic taste is such an ethereal thing it's of no good to worry about what others think of yours (not saying you really were doing that).

It kind of pains me to know one of my sons was embarrassed to tell me of his musical taste because he thought it was boring.

The boy likes Jim Croce and Jonny Cash. There is nothing boring about that.

 

[Nai Noswad]

Very valid post!... I do like early Kiss stuff, and was impressed by the album sleeves. Jim Croce was an amazing performer, maybe other members here are similar... it's not the artist... it's the song.
Andy Williams i like - his diction was spot on. Culture Club's first album and early 12" stuff was excellent.
I found myself quite watery eyed the other week as i fully immersed into The Folks That Live On The Hill, by Peggy Lee.