AC/DC-Back In Black
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Pearl Jam-Jeremy
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Pink Floyd-Hey You
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Tesla-Modern Day Cowboy
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Taking these out of order
The Wall came out when I was in 7th grade. I was not yet a fan of popular music, so I didn't know anything about it, but "We don't need no education. . ." was all over my school. After I got into popular music, I bought a 45 of whichever the most well known part of ABITW is. But that's it. Don't like Floyd at all, but that song was a part of my very early popular/rock music education.
Pearl Jam's
Ten came out during a very transitional phase both in the music world and for me personally. Obviously, metal was trending down and grunge was bursting onto the scene. The earliest grunge I heard wasn't labelled as such, and the songs from
Ten were generally considered to be metal, although there was obviously something different about them. I dig "Jeremy" and some of the other songs on
Ten. It's the only PJ album I ever bought. For me personally, my long-time band broke up in late 1991 because our drummer and his wife moved out of the area, and the guitarist and I didn't have the energy to go through yet another drummer search. Not a good time for me at all.
I was introduced to AC/DC by "For Those About to Rock." MTV played a video that I guess was made with live footage over the studio version of the song. The guitar intro drew me in instantly, and the pyro and cannons impressed 14 year old me. I wasn't a huge fan of the vocals, though. I don't remember when I first heard "Back in Black," but I know that it was at a time when I still thought Brian Johnson was a terrible singer. Eventually, his voice grew on me, and both of these songs are all-time classics -- I much prefer FTATB, though. When I first learned to play bass, my instructor had me start with "Back in Black," so it holds a small special place in my heart for that reason.
I generally don't think much of Tesla, but "Modern Day Cowboy" kicks ass, and it's one of those songs that I tend to forget about until someone randomly brings it up, and I say, "oh yea...that's a really good song." I always felt like it got somewhat overlooked because of the "other cowboy song": Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive."
Bon Jovi-You Give Love A Bad Name
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Led Zeppelin-Whole Lotta Love
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I HATED "You Give Love a Bad Name" when it came out, but now I dig it, although I don't go out of my way to listen to it. Just a fun song.
In 6th and 7th grade (1978-80), kids were putting "Led Zeppelin" on their Pee-Chees and otherwise decorating them with music stuff. I wasn't yet into popular music, but I wanted to be "cool." Unfortunately, I didn't know that "Zeppelin" had two "p's," so my plan backfired big-time. I didn't really start getting into LZ until the mid-80s. I worked at a Baskin-Robbins in a local mall, and the manager was a big fan of 70s rock. I went through one of those phases where I went back and bought all of the old albums. I even read the (since discredited) biography
Hammer of the Gods. "Whole Lotta Love" was awesome...at first. Eventually, the middle section got excruciatingly boring. So many better LZ songs out there.
Tolerant of Fool in the Rain? Jeez, that is only the best song on the record.
True, after I'm Gonna Crawl, In The Evening, Carouselambra, South Bound Suarez, and All Of My Love. (I haven't forgotten Hot Dog, but I might give you that one).
Ugh..."I'm Gonna Crawl" is awful. "Fool in the Rain" is really good.