The other day a trend on social media began which asked people to list ten albums that made a lasting impression on them from their teenage years. It got me thinking in general about the music that’s truly “blew me away” over the years and maybe even changed my life. I was originally going to put this into one post, but the first eight years of my life have already taken me an hour to put together, so I’ll be breaking this up into a series of posts.
“Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven
I’m not trying to get fancy here. It’s just that one of my earliest music-oriented memories is of my mother playing the piano during the day while my father was at work. This is one of two pieces I remember her playing… the other I would know by ear but the name escapes me. The beginning of the piece is also something she showed me how to play, which probably makes it the first piece of music I ever played myself, unless it was “Chopsticks”. Okay, it was probably the latter, but still this one had a much bigger impact on me.
“Midnight Confessions” by The Grass Roots
This was one of two singles I remember owning when I was about five years old, the other being “Heartache Tonight” by The Eagles. I remember playing this single over and over. That piece of vinyl with the rainbow colored “Dunhill/ABC Records” logo on it is so vivid in my mind. I can’t think what it might have been that attracted me so much to the music. I listen to it today and hear the tambourine-like hi-hats which I love. The dynamics of a song that change from a lone-bassline to an ecstatic chorus and ending. I’m not sure why, but it’s stuck with me my entire life.
Suzi Quatro
To be honest, I remember the album cover more than the music! I would sit there in that orange velour chair wearing my dad’s headphones which hurt my ears and had to weigh about ten pounds… and just stare at the front and back covers. Was I going to end-up like these greasy guys with hair coming-out all over, making creepy faces, chugging smelly beer? Why’s that guy got his hand down his pants?!? And what’s is about this girl that’s making me feel funny… she’s scary! And, what’s a “48 Crash” or a “Glycerine Queen”?!? Does an “Official Suburban Superman” wear a cape and can he fly? I listen to the music today and it seems unfortunate to me that it appears they were able to write great intros and verses, but none of the choruses have sharp hooks and tend to fall flat. Still, when my dad bought me an LP picture frame and said I could have any record in his collection, there was no doubt which album I was going to ask for!
“The Banshee” by Henry Cowell
In Kindergarten music class, there were two pieces of music that the teacher played for us that made a lasting impression on me. The first was this experimental piece by Henry Cowell. It scared the shit out of me, especially when the teacher described to us what a banshee was… I was sure one was hiding in the dark corners of the classroom, waiting for me. And the idea of playing the inside of the piano was so crazy. It’s no surprise that the avant garde would attract me to this day.
“In The Hall Of The Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg
This was the second piece of music from my Kindergarten year that really impressed me. The teacher told us the story about the boy Peer Gynt sneaking into the mountain and falling in love with the goblin king’s daughter and being chased through the dark halls, crying out for his mother and causing the mountain fall down behind him. It was so scary to me and the music was so perfect. Again, it was an indication of my future love of horror and supernatural things. Whenever our music teacher let me choose what piece of music to listen to, it was a hard decision between “The Banshee” and “In The Hall Of The Mountain King”.
That’s all for the early years. More to come.
© 2024 0degreesK