Musical First Steps

As we age and grow, so does our musical pallet (hopefully). It can be a fun exercise to look back at the years gone and realize how much our musical tastes have changed over the years. This entry will be a list of firsts to my own musical highway, it's amazing to see what used to be grand landmarks have blown away with the winds of time; now just tumble weeds.

First Cassette: Bullfrogs and Butterflies

This was a gift from my aunt at some age in my distant youth. She was also my God-mother so I guess it makes senses that she purchased me this Christian themed Kid's album. I remember listening to the cassette quit a lot, so much so that my brother and I actually had my mom buy Vol. 2 and maybe 3. I can't remember the majority of this work, other than the chorus of the title track and that there was some song about Noah on there. Doing a little research into this album I was surprised at how popular it has remained, still available for purchase at your local Christian book store even though it was first recorded in 1978. Also surprising is that 60's singer-songwriter Barry McGuire is the narrator of this album in addition to performing and writing the title track. Barry sang the amazing protest anthem "Eve of Destruction", but I guess he found God somewhere along the way...shame. Next time I go home I should seen if this gem is still mixed among my Mom's old cassette tapes.

First Cassette I purchased (with money my mom gave me): Rhythm of the Pridelands

The Lion King was a huge movie when I was a kid, back in the days before Pixar when Disney was still cranking out epic and amazing animated features. My elementary music teacher, Mr. Sneider, played a few tracks for us off of this cassette and I forced my mom to buy me my own copy a few days later. Mr. Sneider was actually a really bad-ass teacher, and it may have been because of his class that I enjoy such a great variety of music (he introduced me to hip-hip, rap, jazz, classical, and so many different types of music). Anyway, this cassette is bad-ass and I've actually listened to it as recently as two years ago. The very African opening track, "He Lives In You", still keeps me coming back, though I'm not sure I've ever made it through side 2. The first CD I bought with my own allowance money I believe was Vince Guaraldi Trio's excellent A Charlie Brown Christmas album. I was a huge Peanut fan and would pretty much buy anything with Charlie Brown and Snoopy on it, leading me to purchase and appreciate at Jazz musician at an early age.

First CD I Purchased (with my own money): Johnny Cash Super Hits

At the grand age of 14, I entered the work force and because I had absolutely no bills, I bought whatever my heart desired. For the first time I began to actually purchase music I enjoyed and even bought a brand new CD player to spin them on. This is the first CD I bought with  my Pig Farm money (yes I worked at a Pig Farm), and it's pretty much what it says it is; ten of Johnny Cash's best songs. My father got my brothers and I hooked on the Man in Black, and after this CD we began listening to his new albums with Rick Rubin. I told my Dad that Johnny Cash was going to come out of touring retirement and I would get to see him live. He disagreed and was sadly correct. I bought this great CD (still have it) at a Fleet Farm, the same day I bought my CD player, CD spinning holder, and pack of burnable discs. The CD player had a built in CD burner which allowed me to make my first batch of Mix CDs before we got a computer. Those were the days.

First new release I purchased (with my own money): Steers & Stripes

For a long time the radio, and the mix Cds I had cobbled together from my mom and dad's music collection kept me pretty happy musically. But working long hours all summer at the Pig Farm listening to nothing but Country Music had also made me a big fan of Brooks & Dunn. When their new album came out in April of 2001, my 15 year old self promptly went out and bought it at a K-Mart. It was the first new release I ever bought and one of the first times I went to a stores music section knowing exactly what I wanted. The album is great with a monster patriotic lead off "Only In America", and my additional favorites "Go West" and "Ain't Nothing Bout You". Man this nostalgia really makes me wish I had seen Brooks & Dunn on their farewell tour over this past summer. Those two sang a ton of great Country Hits.
 

First CD I Knew All the Words to: Waking Up the Neighbors

As a kid, you're at the mercy of whatever music your parents are into for car rides. Most of the time my brothers and I cruised around with my mom and that meant listening to Classic Rock Radio and plenty of Bryan Adams. On long road trips my mom would put on Adam's 1991 album Waking Up the Neighbors and the whole car sang along knowing every line (this is the CD with the Robin Hood theme song). The same goes for Adam's next two albums So Far So Good and 18 till I Die, we knew every song by heart. I was a little disheartened to learn as I grew older how many people fucking hated Bryan Adams (I had no idea he was Canadian), well fuck them, the dude is a pop genius in my book. If he ever stops doing his acoustic tour, I think I'm gonna have to take my mom to see him in concert; relive old times. Besides Adams, we also listened to a strong dose of Cher's 1989 album Heart of Stone; the first four tracks of that album are fucking gold.

First Proclaimed Favorite Song: "Cover of the Rolling Stone"

I vividly remember getting on the bus one day in either third or fourth grade and thinking to myself, "Self, what is your favorite song?" I was alarmed to find I really didn't have a favorite song. Feeling everyone needs to have a favorite, I forced myself to pick between the only two songs my mind was able to come up with in that moment, Dr. Hook's "Cover of the Rolling Stone" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti". Obviously the former was the superior choice, and I proclaimed it my favorite song. Since than the song has stayed with me, I rock out to it whenever it comes on the radio, and was pleasantly surprised when Rob Zombie used it as his opening song  in concert a few years back. Getting this pic of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show actually on the cover of the Rolling Stone Magazine in 1973, I was happy to find out that Shel Silverstein wrote the song. Fucking aawesome.

First Soundtrack Song: "Strange Things"

People love music, you're never going to find a person on this Earth that doesn't (and if you do immediately kill them, most likely an alien in disguise). Because of our vast love of music, it becomes part of our lives and at certain junctures in our lives a particular song can help us cope with a situation or sum up some emotion. I do this quit often actually, when in certain moods or mindsets I crave to hear a particular song. The first time I can ever remember forcing myself to listen to a particular song at an exact moment, was the day my mom, brothers, and I left Colorado. It was a very painful and emotional day, saying goodbye to my entire world. I was eleven years old preparing to deal with a new existence; new friends, new home, new state, new neighbors, etc. To make matters worse, my parents had just divorced and my father was not coming with us to Oklahoma. We said goodbye to him that morning not knowing when we'd see him again. With all this swirling around in my young mind, I took over the car radio putting in one of our Disney Classic CDs. I skipped straight to "Strange Things" the Randy Newman song from Toy Story. In that fragile moment, the song summed up exactly how I was feeling.

First Artist I Worshipped: Willie Nelson

My father was a big Willie Nelson fan, so the old Texan' music has been floating around in my atmosphere for some time. Around the age of 14-15 thought, I became a devout. It was the summer my father's father died, and I can remember driving down to see him at the nursing home The Red Headed Stranger playing on my Dad's truck radio. Now I already liked Willie a lot, having already memorized most of the album Willie Nelson's 16 Biggest Hits, but after I heard The Red Headed Stranger run through two or three times (I made sure it stayed in the CD player) with it's authentic western atmosphere, simplistic composure, and hard raw emotions, I was left spellbound; hungry for more. I tore through Stardust and several expanded Greatest Hits compilations, loving the work of this true outlaw. I can remember a month where I listened to the Willie Nelson duet compilation Half Nelson endlessly, having a new favorite track every few days and running my CD player locked on repeat for hours. My love for Willie has not wained much over the years, and I can finally attest to seeing his brilliance in concert. This musical step has certainly remained, and besides, what good road trip isn't kicked off with "On the Road Again"?

Album That Changed My Life: Anthology: Great Days

I fucking love this album with every fiber of my being. If I could choose the one and only album mankind was left with following the martian invasion, this would be it. This album means so many different things to me all at once, besides summing up a large chunk of the songwriting genius that is John Prine. There is probably an alternate dimension where a version of myself exists and has never heard this album. I do not want to meet that fellow, he is most likely a psychodic and violent imbecile with no real clue how the world operates. I do not even know where to begin unpacking this holy grail. It taught me the importance of lyrics and songwriting. John made me open my hears to what a song is actually saying, before Anthology I never could appreciate artist like Dylan or Pink Floyd. It made me pay attention to separate instruments and realize how complex a good song can be woven together. I could finally hear the bass, guitar, piano, flute, or whatever other instrument happened to be on a track; before that they all just streamed together to me, unnoticed. There are no throw away songs or filler. Every song is wondrous and singable to the average listener. The tracks are funny, cynical, heartbreaking, honest, complex, obvious, and vastly imaginative all while wearing a mischievous Mid-West grin. The album reminds me of my father (without whom any Eustice would know his amazing work), my brothers, my girlfriend, and all of my own Great Days. Really big foot print here.