...I didn't start really obsessing about music until I was 8. before that, I was preoccupied with willy mays, peter pan, and vampires. around 1972, though, I suddenly fell under the spell of am radio.
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10 embarrassing musical loves (1972-2003)
by cactus
I was born in 1964, but I didn't start really obsessing about music until I was 8. before that, I was preoccupied with willy mays, peter pan, and vampires. around 1972, though, I suddenly fell under the spell of am radio. I flipped out over early 70s staples like "the train they call the city of new orleans," "brandy," "horse with no name," "naturally (alone again)," and so on. these songs seared themselves into my growing brain, and even now I love these songs for their transportive effect on me. my parents bought me a close-and-play record player, and I started buying 45s at thrifty. "gypsies, tramps, and thieves," "junk food junkie," and "the streak" were some early buys. but then I branched out, thanks to the oak creek (wi) public library's modest and patchwork media collection. here, then, are 10 early musical fetishes, some of which are now fashionable once again.
1. harry chapin. my first live concert. I went with my parents. I thought he was hilarious, and he did lots of spinal tap-like jokes about rock music that I found very cutting edge. he also did a few weird al-like parodies that had me rolling.
2. styx. my second concert. I loved them, as all kids in the midwest were required to. a lot of my pals were into reo speedwagon, but I thought they were "pussies." why I did not think the same of styx, I have no idea. I liked a lot of the midwest rock, though, like foghat, little feat, and cheap trick. I also loved the doobie brothers.
3. genesis. my first tentative steps toward prog-rock began with these nerdy and rich brits. from there, I went whole hog, overdosing on yes, rush, supertramp, moody blues, and steely dan. I started to feel slightly elitist in my new junior high musical tastes, and looked down with scorn upon my nitwit friends and their stupid kiss records. around this time I also absorbed black sabbath and alice cooper, both of which blew my little dome. but genesis was my main drug.
4. flock of seagulls. when new wave hit, I was ready. I saw flock of seagulls on their first tour for $4. I also flipped out on adam and the ants, though not as much as darby crash.
5. OMD. I loved all the early crappy synth bands like OMD, tears for fears, thompson twins, and ministry (the early synth-pop with the faux brit accents).
6. visage. gradually, in high school, I started really connecting with the new romantic movement, which included visage, spandau ballet, duran duran, japan, abc, heaven 17, haircut 100, and many others. I even had a dorky haircut and used to dress like the bands, despite the fact that I was also a jock in high school, and was dealing with my headbanging football pals. they used to call me "devo."
7. tangerine dream. from new wave I jumped to krautrock lite. I loved tangerine dream, and other fusion groups like klaatu and jean-luc ponty, whom I saw in concert 3 times. little did I know that can, neu, amon duul, vandergraf generator, cluster, and kraftwerk were just around the corner, but at that time, I thought tangerine dream were the shite.
8. vangelis. I was also suceptible to lighter new age dreck like vangelis, jon anderson, rick wakeman, patrick moraz, and all the other yes members' solo projects. when vangelis scored big with "chariots of fire," I thought he had sold out.
9. 10cc. still one of my faves. very strange pop group. I also loved godley and creme, the post-10cc recordings of the main two gents. I often have a hard time convincing people of their greatness, but that's the basis of smugness, I suppose.
10. slim whitman. I have no explanation for my love of his yodeling, but it started as a joke in high school, and me and some of my pals even went to see him in concert once, and the, as fate would have it, he rocked out, and we loved it, for non-ironic reasons.
finally, someone on the debate team in high school started feeding me tapes of bad brains, x, dead kennedys, the germs, black flag, and die kreuzen, and it was all over for me. I got a decca guitar and tossed my soul to satan quicker than judas or robert johnson. the rest, as they say, is cliche.
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