30 Day Music Challenge – #1 : First Band You Remember Listening to
No surprises here.
I was born in ’92, and luckily, into a family of music lovers. My father is one of those people that believes that there is a right time for certain kinds of music, and just because there is great music waiting for you out there, it doesn’t mean you’re ready for it. I used to hate Eric Clapton for the longest time, before I eventually came to my senses. Now he’s my musical security blanket, if you will.
Anyway. The first band I remember listening to? The Beatles. The Glorious Beatles.
As a kid, I used to keep singing From Me To You ( except I’d say, “Just call on me, and I’ll send it along – With love, from you to me”. Hey. I was four.) Also, A Hard Day’s Night, Can’t Buy Me Love and Ticket To Ride.
I still love The Beatles. Every few months, I go through a phase where they’re all I can listen to. The one after I watched Across The Universe (brilliant, this) lasted the longest. The movie helped in a way, because let’s face it, their discography is exhausting to comb through. But once I got into “discovery-mode” , I couldn’t stop.
So, let me make this easy. A list of my favourites –
- Because [Abbey Road]
- Blackbird [The Beatles – White Album]
- Eleanor Rigby [Revolver]
- Happiness Is A Warm Gun [The Beatles – White Album]
- Hey Bulldog [Yellow Submarine]
- I Am The Walrus [Magical Mystery Tour]
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds [Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band]
- Oh! Darling [Abbey Road]
- Penny Lane [Magical Mystery Tour]
- Revolution [The Beatles – White Album]
- Something [Abbey Road]
- Strawberry Fields Forever [Magical Mystery Tour]
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps [The Beatles – White Album]
These guys are one of those bands that have a sound, and yet – don’t have a sound. By that, I mean that you can always tell when it’s The Beatles playing, even though they’ve gone through so many different phases, musically, that there’s something in there for everyone. Really. All you have to do is be patient enough to find an album you like – and once you do, let me assure you, their songs refuse to get unstuck. They’ll play on loop inside your head. Even now, after all these years, when I know every word, every guitar twang, every drum beat – I still go around humming one of their songs days after I happen to hear it playing somewhere.
Also, I’ve found that the “Once a Beatles fan, always a Beatles fan” really does seem to hold true.
Eternal, indeed.
13 responses to “30 Day Music Challenge – #1 : First Band You Remember Listening to”
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Green Paw-Paw 
If I had to rattle off Top 5 Beatles songs: Because, Don’t Let Me Down, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Why Don’t We Do It in the Road, and Hey Jude obviously
Argh. I forgot Why Don’t We Do It In The Road!
Awesome song choices! I love the Beatles too, have their whole discography, and also have most of their albums they released as solo artists afterwards (except Ringo….hhaha). I love their whole catalogue really, though particularly Abbey Road, Revolver and the White album. I think with Abbey Road they all wrote some of their best songs on that, Paul with Oh Darling and Golden Slumbers, John with Come Together (one of the only songs he ever played as a solo artist too, interestingly) and George with Here Comes The Sun and Something. Ahhh.
Can you tell I’m a Beatles fan, hahahaah?
It was hard narrowing them down, I wanted to put down lots more, but. Well. I saw how long the list was. 😛
And I agree, even though there’s really good stuff on the other albums as well, I love those three the most. 🙂
[I cracked up when I read the “Except Ringo, haha” bit. Poor guy. :P]
Yeah, I think they wrote something like 230, 240 songs? Not a small list to choose from, hahaha. And when you think Paul McCartney has written 25-30 odd albums since then, prob with another 10-15 songs on each one…that with the songs he contributed to the Beatles must add up to 400, 500 odd songs. Not many artists have done that in their lives, I imagine! 😛
That is cool we agree on which albums are the best, hahaha! I think a lot of people like those ones though. 🙂
And yeah…poor Ringo. BUT he was the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine, at least when I was a kid. I mean, that’s kind of cool. I’ll try one of his albums one day….maybe.
Somehow, I’m not as huge a fan of their albums as solo artists as I am of them as a band.
And I forgot Magical Mystery Tour! I didn’t like the album as much as a kid, haha, but I love it now. 🙂
I didn’t know Ringo voiced Thomas the Tank Engine! But then again, I hardly watched the show. If you do listen to his stuff, let me know. I’ll applaud you, and send you a certificate of…bravery. 😛
I must admit I feel the same – they did their best work when they were all together. I think as solo artists they’ve had their ups and downs, and have good albums and terrible albums. I think McCartney has been amazing since about 2005 and his album that year, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (which for me is the best thing he has done since The Beatles), but since then he’s released about 4 or 5 albums that have all been great. But McCartney’s stuff in the 80s was awful hahaha. I liked the band that George Harrison formed, The Travelling Wilburys, in the late 80s with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynne and I think it was Tom Petty? They were really good, even if they only released 2 albums.
Yeah, I quite like the Magical Mystery Tour. The only album I’m not huge on is Yellow Submarine – the first few songs are great, but the second half is a bit…odd. hahaha.
As for Ringo, I do know he released an album a year or two ago, so he’s still at it. I am tempted to try it, just to see. I have surely bought worse albums, I would imagine…. 😛
Tom Petty. 🙂
I have issues with Yellow Submarine, as well. And I’m not a huge fan of Sgt. Pepper’s. Like it, but not a fan.
“He’s still at it”? HA! *clutches stomach, laughing* It’s extremely funny how you’re trying to be diplomatic. 😛
I like this. It’s only the first day, and this thing sparked off a detailed music conversation. 😀
Haha so you know Travelling Wilburys too…damn you have good taste in music, hahaha! 😀
Yeah a lot of people are funny about Sgt Pepper’s…probably because it wasn’t much of a group project, and it’s kind of where the major division in the band started to happen. In later albums I think that tension actually added to the music, but no so much on Sgt Peppers.
Hahaha, well, I don’t want to make fun of Ringo until I’ve heard his solo stuff! 😛 But I do suspect there’s a reason why he doesn’t have any famous songs from his solo career.
And you’re right, it is cool how quickly this has sparked off a conversation. I am looking forward to doing my answers next month…though it is going to be hard to decide in a lot of cases. 😛
You do, too. 🙂
I think with Sgt. Pepper’s, it’s just that I haven’t listened to it all that much and for some reason, I don’t feel like fixing that.
And this is hard. I’m starting to see what you had to go through with your book challenge. It’s only the second day, and in some cases, so many bands fit the bill that it’s hard to narrow it down to one or two. In other cases, I’m coming up with nothing!
Guess that’s the point, though. At least I’m sifting through all my music again. This is fun. I can’t wait to see yours. 🙂
Hahaha yep, it is really hard. But like you say, it is a lot of fun to go through all your old music too, and hey, if you have to mention more than one or two bands in some cases, go for it! It’s your idea, ultimately! I mean, there were some cases where I know I had several entries for some of my book challenge posts, and nobody seemed to mind!
This is fun, and a really great idea! I am looking forward to getting started myself, although I really need to sort out my music collection first – I have cds everywhere and all in the wrong place too (I don’t alphabetize them or anything but I at least try to keep albums by the same bands together). 😛
The Beatles rooock. Once I got a Beatles #1 Hits or something and played it over and over again, and ’till this day it still rings in my head at random or not some random times. Always beware of people who claim not to like them.
That’s nice, right music for the right time. I’m from 92 too, what kind is the right one for now?
My dad is a classical music all the way. Don’t think he reckons there’s too young for Mozart – and they, too, cling to my ears from time to time. Especially since that’s all he plays at his car 😛
Yes, they tend to do that, don’t they? 🙂
I have this habit of bursting into songs at random when someone says something that’s part of a song, and more often than not, it ends up being something by The Beatles. And then it’s stuck in my head, and I have to keep listening to them over and over again.
What are you listening to now? I’m music hunting at the moment, I’d love trading favourites with you. 😀
And Mozart! Quirky genius. Dad’s responsible for most of the music I listen to, which is why he started playing classical around the house when he thought I was old enough to appreciate it. Also, we used to sit and watch Tom and Jerry together. So many classical pieces in there!