Your musical Road to Damascus moment

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

A musical road to Damascus moment. That single moment in time where the scales fell away from your ears and you heard an artist in a way that changed your perspective on them forever. (get ready for a crow daddy missive!)

 

I have three. Interestingly, these moments involve women dancing. None of this is nearly as sordid as it could sound. Two of them are well past innocent.

 

The first one happened in the fall of 1980 (may have been December).

I was off at college, it was a Friday night and I was suffering from the flu. I had four records set up on my turntable in my room (Bruce Springsteen's THE RIVER and the live Fleetwood Mac album) and was in bed, listening to music and lightly dozing.

My room mate had gone downstairs to hang out with the four freshmen girls in the apartment below us. Nothing sordid here; they were really young (or so it seemed) and they had sort of adopted us. My room mate was a bit of a dog and ended up dating one of them. I was firmly in a relationship with the future Mrs. Crow Daddy (also referred to on this fansite as Downtown), so I didn't have any naughty thoughts.

As I was saying, I was feeling pretty crappy and was in my bed under the covers (7:00 on a Friday night...gives you an idea of just how out of it I was). The last record had ended, and I was about to head more firmly into the land of Winken Blinken and Nod when I heard a light tap on the door to my room. (Jeez, this does sound like a letter to the Penthouse Forums, but I assure you, it couldn't have been more innocent). One of the girls downstairs had been delegated to come upstairs and check on me. She tried to convince me to get out of bed and come downstairs so the six of us could head over to Northgate and consume some hopped beverages. I told her I didn't feel well. She came over and put her hand on my forehead and informed me that I was burning up. She went to our fridge and got me a coke, brought it into my room and asked if I needed anything else before she left.

I asked her to put the last record back on.

It was side one of the Fleetwood Mac Live record. As the opening riff to Monday Morning began, she started to dance. It was a bit of a vision as I was feverish, but I started to hear the ryhthm in the song, heard beyond the poppy lyrics. I developed an appreciation for Lindsay Buckingham's work that day.

 

The second one happened in 2001. I had been slipped a copy of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in late August and I was really familiar with it. The friend who had slipped me a copy indicated he wasn't sure if he liked because it 'has a lot of that Jeff Tweedy noise shit on it". I understood what he was saying, but the chaos and the order that the music pulls out of it hit a note with me. I viewed this record as a Prog Rock album worthy of comparisons to the best efforts of Pink Floyd or Genesis.

In early 2002, a friend dubbed off a mpg of this cool show on the BBC. Later with Jools Holland. He knew I was a big Wilco fan, so he ripped this song off the video and sent it to me.

 

The woman doing the in place hip sway dance at :45 opened my ears to the inherent rhythm and danceability to this song.

 

The last one is really odd. It was sometime in 1995. I was at a gentleman's club (I was there for an old friends sort of bachelor party).

The girls were all enhanced, looked way too young and made me feel sad rather than randy.

After about 45 minutes, one of the girls started to dance to the Toadies Possum Kingdom. WTF? A song about a serial killer showing a body to a prospective victim?

But damn it, the song had a beat. A rhythm. And I could finally see the danceability of the modern 'grunge' music.

 

I have these moments occassionally, the moment where something new hits me. Maybe I have to have something that distracts a part of my attention...but it seems the most common element is women who obviously aren't hearing what I am hearing in a song...and I finally get it.

 

 

 

 

[Moss]

I remember in middle school I saw 2 cheerleaders dancing to "Don't stop til you get enough" and I had to put my back pack in front of me.  Not really the same thing I guess.

[The High Heat]

1999, after learning of Wilco through the first Mermaid Avenue album, I sought out their solo work. I chose to buy Being There over Summerteeth because it was a double CD for the same price as a single, plus I liked the cover. The intro to Misunderstood had me hooked, the first verse had me galvanized. That first minute of that great tune completely changed not only what kind of music I listen to, but also how I experience it.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

I remember in middle school I saw 2 cheerleaders dancing to "Don't stop til you get enough" and I had to put my back pack in front of me. Not really the same thing I guess.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I remember in middle school I saw 2 cheerleaders dancing to "Don't stop til you get enough" and I had to put my back pack in front of me.  Not really the same thing I guess.

not really

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

guess this is the wrong crowd for this.

[anthony]

I had an epiphany of sorts with respect to Radiohead.

 

(... a quick aside: I had a friend who was convinced Paul did not REALLY convert. The theory is that as a staunch anti-christian, Paul realized he couldn't win. So he adopted the 'cant beat em, join em' tactic. He made up an epiphany, joined the ranks and led them down the path that he wanted. If you look at it, biblical Paul was much stauncher and stuffier than touchy-feely hippie Jesus. Paul joined the team and subsequently led the team away from all the love stuff towards Westboro territory. Anyway, I digress ...)

 

My Radiohead epiphany came at the car stereo section of a Big Buy (or Circuit City; don't recall). The little room had a top shelf system blasting "There There" (recently after the release of the record, this was) and I just happened to walk by and was blown away by the sonic textures. I was a casual RH fan at that point. I had bought OK Computer when it came out, but it never really clicked. But hearing the crisp, clean and loud rendition of "There There" on a top of the line stereo in a sound proofed little room, I got it.

 

Oh, I see what you did there, Thom, et al. You have to REALLY LISTEN to Radiohead. Causal listening and radio singles won't do it. That opened the flood gates for me and I have been a big fan ever since.

 

I am sure there are other little moments, but that one sticks in my brain, for some reason.

[Moss]

guess this is the wrong crowd for this.

 

Aw, I was just joking around Crow.  Most of the time when this happens to me it's because of lyrics.  Believe it or not "what a fool believes" is a good example.  I was out on for a jog with the tunes playing and that song came on and I really listened to the lyrics which I guess I had never done.  I found them incredibly moving and clever and liked that song way more than I ever had before.

 

Same thing happened with Beds are burning when I was a teenager.  I had heard the song but did not pay much attention.  Then found out what it was about and listened to it closely one night laying in bed with headphones.  A much more moving experience.

 

And I was only half kidding about my previous post.  I still like that Michael Jackson song to this day. 

[remphish1]

Sigur Ros Ageatis on my dads expensive stereo. Turned it up loud and felt like I was standing in front of a 747 on a runway!

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I had an epiphany of sorts with respect to Radiohead.

 

(... a quick aside: I had a friend who was convinced Paul did not REALLY convert. The theory is that as a staunch anti-christian, Paul realized he couldn't win. So he adopted the 'cant beat em, join em' tactic. He made up an epiphany, joined the ranks and led them down the path that he wanted. If you look at it, biblical Paul was much stauncher and stuffier than touchy-feely hippie Jesus. Paul joined the team and subsequently led the team away from all the love stuff towards Westboro territory. Anyway, I digress ...)

 

My Radiohead epiphany came at the car stereo section of a Big Buy (or Circuit City; don't recall). The little room had a top shelf system blasting "There There" (recently after the release of the record, this was) and I just happened to walk by and was blown away by the sonic textures. I was a casual RH fan at that point. I had bought OK Computer when it came out, but it never really clicked. But hearing the crisp, clean and loud rendition of "There There" on a top of the line stereo in a sound proofed little room, I got it.

 

Oh, I see what you did there, Thom, et al. You have to REALLY LISTEN to Radiohead. Causal listening and radio singles won't do it. That opened the flood gates for me and I have been a big fan ever since.

 

I am sure there are other little moments, but that one sticks in my brain, for some reason.

 

That brings to mind my Radiohead moment.

 

I was picking up my daughter (Magic Kristen) from College on her Thanksgiving Break. D-man was with me (he was too young to drive). Magic had me put KID A into the cd player and while I sped through the pitch black Central night, I was transfixed by EVERYTHING IN IT RIGHT PLACE. It was actually a bit surreal and, while not quite the totally transforming moment, it is a moment that certainly sticks with me.

[howdjadoo]

After years of gathering dust this:

 

 

 

 

 

[Cat]

 

TMBG posted this the other day, I have loved the Smiths since I was a teenager, but listening to the music without Morrissey singing made me realize what a truly amazing guitarist Johnny Marr is. I guess Morrissey's persona overshadowed the music for me. I noticed someone commented on the video basically saying that if the music was released without Morrissey's lyrics, it would have been considered the best of the 80s, and I wholeheartly agree.

[bleedorange]

The moment I first thought of when I saw the thread title is a little broader in scope.  As a teenager, I was mired in early- to mid-'90s country (although, I still defend some of it to this day).  That was all I listened to.  In fact, I remember a school assembly/talent show in high school were a student-formed band played Pearl Jam covers.  I had never heard those songs before in my life. 

 

I slowly started listening to stuff outside my country realm, but never really embraced anything.  This includes bands that I consider essential now (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam) and bands that I'll never listen to again (Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Matchbox 20).

 

That all changed my freshman year of college when I bought Odelay. From the opening chords of Devil's Haircut, I was instantly hooked.  And it only got better from there.  My eyes and ears were opened wide after listening to that album because I finally became aware of what music could be and the many different directions it could go in.  That album has informed my tastes ever since and opened an era of musical exploration for me that has not ended.

[calvino]

 

 

 

1981 - About 9 yrs old -  listening to the above record on a daily basis, over and over again - while looking at the album, being amazed by the images and the music. Kiss looked tame compared them. Soon traded off my Kiss records to my cousin for his only Stones record (Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass - another great record to look at while listening). Went all down hill (or up hill) from there.  Remember posing in family pictures (much to the chargin of the p's) like a Rolling Stone.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

The moment I first thought of when I saw the thread title is a little broader in scope.  As a teenager, I was mired in early- to mid-'90s country (although, I still defend some of it to this day).  That was all I listened to.  In fact, I remember a school assembly/talent show in high school were a student-formed band played Pearl Jam covers.  I had never heard those songs before in my life. 

 

I slowly started listening to stuff outside my country realm, but never really embraced anything.  This includes bands that I consider essential now (Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam) and bands that I'll never listen to again (Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Matchbox 20).

 

That all changed my freshman year of college when I bought Odelay. From the opening chords of Devil's Haircut, I was instantly hooked.  And it only got better from there.  My eyes and ears were opened wide after listening to that album because I finally became aware of what music could be and the many different directions it could go in.  That album has informed my tastes ever since and opened an era of musical exploration for me that has not ended.

 

Nice...you have a definite lynchpin

[moxiebean]

 

September 1982. Up until then I was a casual listener of late 70's--early 80's FM rock (Styx, Kansas, Skynyrd, etc.) - this album opened the floodgate to music that changed my life.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

For me it was the guitar solos on Astronomy Domine by Pink Floyd and Inca Roads by Frank Zappa. I was all of 14 or 15, and I'd heard things by these guys on the radio (Money and Time from Floyd, Dancing Fool from FZ), but these songs were lead tracks on albums that ended up being life-changing. It was like a door opening. I walked through, and never came back.

[Vacant Horizon]

1983, my parents were hosting some church youth group thing and the brought a bunch of records.  this one guy played Jump by VH and was mouthing the words.  Oh man, that was it!  So the first record I bought was the Jump single.  I had started listening to music in the late 70s early 80s, but it was kids stuff.  Although, my mom got me some Olivia Newton John single and I played the shit out of that.

 

Another one was when I was on some cross country trip to a race.  i was in 8th grade and the high school kids in the back were listening to the Dead.  at that moment i just wanted to hear garcia play his guitar forever.  i became a dead head :-)

 

Another one was in the early 00s.  i worked with a dude who was really into prog rock.  i used to give him shit about it because at that point i hated yes and genesis etc.  Well, he gave me Close to the Edge and it blew my mind.  Thus began my love affair with prog new and old.

 

 

Great Topic!

[smells like flowers]

For me, I think it was REM Murmur.  There were albums I loved before that one (okay, Duran Duran RIO comes to mind), but Murmur felt real in a different way.  It wasn't on MTV -- I didn't like it because the guys in the band were cute (hell, I didn't know what they even looked like), but everything changed after that.  1983 (ninth grade).  Hmmmm...

[Fritz]

Walking into a record store having decided to buy a Grateful Dead CD even though I had never heard any of their music before. I picked an album (from quite a few) at random and asked the guy behind the counter if I could listen to it. Box of Rain came on and I knew this was it. I bought American Beauty and was hooked. That was maybe ten years ago.

[RaspberryJam]

A friend and I talk a lot about this.  I have many of them.  When I was 19 or so, driving south on RT 12 in upstate NY, Wharf Rat was on, the hair stood up on the back of my neck and tears came to my eyes.

 

It comes often and I'm always in search of it.  I catch moments of it in the car, at concerts.  Sometimes it'll last an entire concert (Wilco, Pines Theater, 2007; Dawes, Infinity Hall, 2012; Blitzen Trapper, Arch St Tavern, 2012 just for some recent ones), and when that happens, the feeling will last for days.

 

As long as that keeps happening, I'll keep listening!

[uncool2pillow]

Replacements - Hootenanny... Punk Rock that was FUN.  Not dour and depressing and monotonous.

 

Bob Mould - Workbook... No album seemed more fated to affect me at a particular time and place in my life.  Even though I'd been a big Replacements fan for about 43 years when this came out, I never explored Husker Du.  Workbook absolutely floored me.  Lush, aggressive, personal, melodic, intimate.  

[Oil Can Boyd]

In the early to mid 1980s probably half the music I listened to was the Dead.  Another 35% was a mix of Dylan, the Beatles  and the Stones.  The remaining 15% was "current" stuff that I listened to with a particualr group of friends - Replacements  REM, Talking Heads.  One day I came home and my roommate was playing Husker Du's Flip Your Wig and it blew me away.  

[ih8music]

I was 17 when the radio station I liked at the time (Live 105 in SF) used to do "trippin' Tuesdays" where they'd play 3 songs from the same band. On this particular day, they played 3 from the Replacements -- Alex Chilton, Can't Hardly Wait & I'll Be You. Up to that point, I had heard (and liked) each of those songs individually... but when I realized they were from the same band I had to check them out. Needless to say, I became a huge fan...

 

the next one came much, much later in life (embarrassingly so) when I finally got around to checking out The Minutemen's Double Nickles on the Dime. I had never heard something so fresh, innovative, unique and fun -- and it was about 20 years old at the time! Really opened up my eyes to checking out bands that people whose musical opinions I respect keep talking about.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I've had many of these moments. On a semi-related note, I was driving my three-month-old daughter to daycare yesterday and had disc 2 of The Beatles playing in the car. She started cooing at the exact same moment the baby babbling sound effect cuts in on "Revolution 9."