Special thanks to Magister Perverzum for the nostalgic facebook post that inspired this blog and trip down memory lane. YOU are a big part of this list, brother!
Everybody has certain songs, or artists, that completely changed the way they listen the music. I'm talking about songs that, the first time you heard them, struck a previously unstruck chord. These are a few of the songs that shaped my musical taste and gave me faith in humanity:
Please, Please, Please...
I was 10 years old when I heard this song. I was dumbfounded. I was already a music fan, having been brought up on a diet of Aretha Franklin, the Beatles, Van Morrison and James Taylor. but this....this song...made me stop and listen like I hadn't listened before. It was simple and sweet. I was a melancholy kid, so it's no surprise that the Smiths appealed to me. Funny that at 10 I thought I identified with lines like "See the life I've had can make a good man bad.". Maybe it was a foreshadowing of a life to come. Certainly, it was the beginning of a life long obsession with all things Morrissey/Smiths.
Paid in full
Holy shit. This shit hit me like a ton of mu-fucking gold chains. I was hypnotized. This was my introduction to hip-hop and I somehow knew I'd never be the same. The Beastie Boys eventually changed everything I thought I knew (and liked) about hip-hop, but I will forever salute Eric B and Rakim as being the very first to make my head bob.
Fucking Hostile
Don't front; Vulgar Display of Power by Pantera was the shiiiit. THIS was how heavy metal was supposed to be played all along; tight, heavy and pissed! There's no crying in heavy metal; only screaming. When mighty Thor rides a thunderstorm from Asgard, hammer held high, to straight fuck some shit up, this is the soundtrack.
Automatic Rejector
I first heard this song in the only proper way to hear Screeching Weasel for the first time; on vinyl, played on a beat-up, second-hand record player, in a one bedroom apartment I shared with like 12 other people. Punk rock was a lifestyle. It was a poor, angry lifestyle. Screeching Weasel raged against the norm in the best possible way; by not seeming to rage against it at all. They just did their thing. Back when the term "pop-punk" meant something, Screeching Weasel was my favorite band.
Scared of Chaka
On the heels of discovering Screeching Weasel, I went to a show and saw Scared of Chaka. Words can't describe. Fuck all else; if you want to know what Albuquerque summer nights sounded like, in the mid '90s, to one 17 year old miscreant, listen to Scared of Chaka.
Pulp
This song, and this song alone, made me take "Brit-pop" seriously. Jarvis Cocker sings like he has pure sex-juice running through his veins. I was, and still am, in awe that a song this good could be written. Viva Pulp.
Brother Ali & Slug (of Atmosphere)
I was at band practice and the bass player played this during a smoke break. I was all what-the-fuck-is-this-and-why-haven't-I-heard-it-before and he was all it's-brother-ali-and-slug-man---sheesh-get-with-it. I hadn't been as interested in a hip-hop song since hearing Paul's Boutique. Shortly thereafter, Slug was my new favorite emcee and Atmosphere brought hip-hop back into my life. Love to Brother Ali, Ant and Slug.
I love so much music, but these are a few of songs that stand out as having uniquely effected me, in one way or another. I eagerly await hearing the next entry...like love, it usually strikes when you least expect it. Or so I've heard.
Love you, bitches.
-your dirty uncle, ILLER
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