Your musical Road to Damascus moment

[tinnitus photography]

I can distinctly recall three watershed moments that proved as key entry points into music forms I'd previously ignored.

 

 

 

1 - Reading Byron Coley's 1994 article on John Fahey was a major discovery point for me. Fahey unlocked a whole new realm of music that I'd been unaware of...damn, it makes me sad thinking about Spin used to be a good read.

 

Through the beauty of the intarwebs, you can read it here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZURL7ud3IwsC&pg=PA63&dq=John+Fahey&hl=en&sa=X&ei=O2BlUfX2I-OV0QHCr4DwAQ&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=John%20Fahey&f=false

 

 

2 - I also read an article in the Sunday Boston Globe about Sun Ra that Bob Blumenthal wrote, early 90s...i recall heading out my door and to Tower Records, where i bought 3 or 4 cds and started another fantastic exploration...i mainly stuck to the Impulse! roster but also found plenty of interest in the BYG/Actuel stuff, as well as the genre that is John Zorn.

 

 

3 - I was never a metal fan (Blue Öyster Cult was about as far into metal as I went, aside from what I heard of Black Sabbath on the radio), but Boris started getting non-metal attention (likely due to this review) and i saw the band a few months later. safe to say, my mind was blown wide open, and Southern Lord became a portal in which to dive into the deeper end of the pool. 

 

[jimtweedy1977]

 

 

 

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.

I discovered this and the Beatles on 8-track that my dad had.  I listened to those two eight tracks over and over.  I can't stand the Stones beyond the 70's, but their London years records are superb.  

 

got turned onto Eagles with 'One Of These Nights' on vinyl.  The intro to the title track just blew me away, with the vinyl going around.  It lent to the spooky vibe of the song.

 

With Radiohead, it was The Bends that got me intrigued.  Every song on there was just superb.  I listened to that album over and over. 

 

R.E.M. got me intrigued with a Mike Mills tune, 'Texarkana' from Out Of Time.  I love the beginning of that song, it gives you the feeling of being on the open road.  I wasn't so much impressed with Out Of Time, but it did make me curious about their earlier input.  After that, I really got into Fables Of The Reconstruction.  Seeing them live sealed the deal.  Which got me into Wilco...

 

seeing them open for R.E.M. in '99 was an eye-opener.  I did not even have any of their albums at that time, but I was sold on their performance.  

[choo-choo-charlie]

No great story, but I think I'm finally "getting" this one: