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"Your finest moments in music"

Whether it be the first song you ever really loved, the best gig you ever saw, the first time you played an instrument and thought 'wow, I can do this' or even the first song that made you cry. Just moments involving music that you remember, that make you feel something. Here's a few of mine:

1) The first time I saw Muse live - absolutely ******* rocked my ass' off. Hot, sweaty, stinky and tired, but I've never been so into a live geetar band in my life. This occasion was the first time I ever crowd surfed, and while atop the raging surf, gestured to everyone that I was ROCK.

2) Walking back from my (now ex) girlfriend's house after the first smooch, listening to a compliation MiniDisc I made. First song that came up was Al Green, Let's Stay Together - never has a song felt more fitting than it did for that walk home.

3) Bouncing like a mental case watching Basement Jaxx live. Shove your poncy Chemical Brothers and Leftfield (I've seen them both and was underwhelmed), watching Basement Jaxx evoked a feeling in me that I never thought I had - I love to dance, and dance I did, along with about 80,000 other people in a field. Quite simply, a feeling that can't be beat, and that no drug can ever come close to replicating.

4) Forming a 'band' with mates. I, like you, was young once and formed a 6th Form group at school with a few pals, including forum favourite monkey_man. Yeah we were a bit sucky, but I've never enjoyed playing music as much as I did with my boys a few years back. Occasionally we'd do an inspired bit of music just out of nowhere, but never managed to record any of it, so no one believed us, of course. I still play guitar now, and reckon I've got at least one top album up here *taps head*

5) Realising I can sing, if just a little bit. I can't hit the high notes properly, and find the low ones a struggle, but if the song you want me to sing is mid-range, I'll belt it out like a spastic. You'd probably think I suck, but singing infront of a crowd (which I now do at Karaoke every Wednesday) is a pretty fine feeling, especially when you probably don't even have the kahunas to talk to half of the people in the room.

Okay, now your turn. I could probably think of more, sadder ones maybe, but that's a dark road and I don't wanna go down there. Impress me with your tales of music.

1) First time I heard a Crows song, back in 1994 or 1995, can't remember :-D But I heard my brother playing the album August and Everything After, and whenhe went out I nicked it, stuck it on and Round Here came on. I fell in love with it on the second chord and I've loved it ever since. I can't pick a favouite Crows song but this one will always be slightly more special than the others.

2) A few years ago, I was going through my brothers massive CD collection and came across Ok Computer the title interested me a bit so I took it upstairs and put it on. I listened and liked it a lot. Let Down and Karma Police especially. Loved it. Then it got to No Surprises...

3) Downloading Lifehouse - Sick Cycle Carousel as recommended by Gaz. I loved that song and dammit I still do. I listened to that song ona loop for 7 hours straight and still I'm not bored of it. And the most amazing thing about it? There's nothing particularly special about it to me. Nothing at all but yet I still love it.

4) Listening to The Riverflow by the Levellers at 6 years old. I liked it a lot then, then a couple of years ago I found Levelling The Land on tape behind the drawer thingy in my room, it'd been there since 1995. I had no idea what it was when I put it on but remembered instantly. Still love that album and that song.

4) Another Horsedreamers Blues on Counting Crows Recovering The Satellites album. I hated this song at first but one night I was feeling depressed and stuck RTS on. I lay on my bed tears welling up in my eyes listening to RTS, totally absorbed in the music and in my thoughts. Then Another Horsedreamers Blues came on and my hand instinctively went to the Skip Track button but stopped. I listened to the song and I liked it. When it finished I went back again and listened to it again. I've loved it ever since.

5) Going through a very upsetting and nasty patch aged 11. The only thing that kept me going through it really was Counting Crows music. August and Everything After, Recovering The Satellites and This Desert Life. Most people think of me as a Crows obsessive just because I like the music. Not so. It means everything to me. Because of that year when it was the only thing that really kept me going. No one will ever understand quite what they mean to me. "Maybe this year will be better than the last"

6) Finding the 12 minute version of Round Here in Paris, 1994. If there were only 3 songs I could keep with me the rest of my life it would be this, No Surprises and We're Only Love. Because all of them mean so much to me and they are all so bloody special to me.

7) Crying at No Surprises while being very down and lying in bed one night. I suddenly realised that that song described me absolutely perfectly. "This is my final fit, my final bellyache, with no alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises no alarms and no surprsies, please?"

8) Glastonbury 1997 (I think. Wasn't actually there (dammit) but I was watching the TV coverage, Counting Crows were playing. They started doung a cover of Live Forever by Oasis, then halfway through they slowly changed it into a slowed down version of Long December. That moment had me smiling like an idiot. The transition was absolutely perfect and it just filled me with so much joy watching 1000's of people listen to my favourite band's (probably) best moment.


Done. Far too much Counting Crows there, but they really do mena that much to me. Sad isn't it? :-)

Craw wrote:
> 1) Playing the Millennium Stadium on NYE 1999 supporting the Manic
> Street Preachers. Umm.. what can I say..? NYE, 67,000 people, free
> bar, carpeted stage, a rider bigger than my monthly tescos shop, a
> chance for thousands of people to hear music I wrote. Oh an then there
> were the aftershows, drugs and the loose women.

---------
You lucky, lucky, lucky git

Very cool though :)

What's name of your band?

For starters, I used to like the album Homework from Daft Punk and still do. 5 years of listening to the album hasn't bothered me at all.

YEA! Number one for me had to be playing at the square - we messed up a bit and stuff, but it was such a rush after we'd come off and I was all sweaty and still half blinded by the lights; and in a complete daze because the last half an hour had rushed by in an adrenaline-fuelled blur. Yeah, ROCK! *bill & ted style air guitar*

Seeing Muse at Reading this year was fan-bloody-tastic, really amazing, was right at the front near the barrier, it's drizzling but the crowd is so hot and sweaty you can see the steam rising from above everyone's heads, shimmering with pretty colours from the stage lights - it was kinda euphoric, just for that one hour/50mins or whatever, not a single other thought in my head except the music, and "wow", bouncing around like a complete mentalist despite being achy-tired and soaking wet, not a worry in the world. Cor I've gone all tingly... I think they won the Kerrang award for best live act or something, and do they ever deserve it!

There's probably loads of others that I can't think of just now, but maaaan, isn't music just the best thing ever? Life would be alot worse without music. Infact it's funny how much of a bearing it has on life, what you're feeling, who you are, what you feel, how you express yourself, etc. Cool topic, cheers for that, as it's made me remember some great stuff.

Listening to my mates' band totally kicking @$$ at the school's Battle of the Bands.

1) Most of my life I couldn't understand music at all, well, had only heard stuff off Radio 1, all the crap they feed. My friend's band was playing, went for them, and heard them play Paranoid Android live, which was the first time I heard it. I was utterly blown away, at which point my friend told me that Radiohead play it a little better, so I went and borrowed albums and here I am today.

2) Hearing Great Gig in the Sky on Echoes. I lost my memory when I was younger, and things like smells, sounds etc bring back memories very distinctfully. I bought my Dad Echoes for Christmas, I listened to it too, loved it, and Great Gig made me almost cry, hearing the first few notes sparked everything off in my head... amazing.

3) Pink Floyd in general, really. The past year has been very hard, and has forced me to come to grips with myself as a person, and what I truly want to be. It's helped me to become the person I am now, the person I do want to be. And Shine on you Crazy Diamond rules. And so does Dogs, which more people should hear.

4) Getting the Clutch cd from Goatboy, you rule. Hearing Sinkmelow for the first time was fantastic. Still rules to listen to now. 7 Jam and Tim Sult vs the Greys, oh yeah.

5) I'm still waiting for this one.

Mouldy Cheese wrote:
4) Going to some townie party and changing from thier 'Pure Ibiza
> Groove 2001' to Pure Rock Fury. Nuff said.
----

ROCK.
ROCK ROCK ROCK ROCK ROCK

1) Playing the Millennium Stadium on NYE 1999 supporting the Manic Street Preachers. Umm.. what can I say..? NYE, 67,000 people, free bar, carpeted stage, a rider bigger than my monthly tescos shop, a chance for thousands of people to hear music I wrote. Oh an then there were the aftershows, drugs and the loose women.

2) Pearl Jam at Cardiff International Arena 6th June 2000. The gig was superb, but this isnt about that. I was working in one of the offices in Cardiff International Arena when Pearl Jam came to play. Me and my girlfriend managed to sneak into the arena during PJ's soundcheck. We were the only 2 un band-related people in there and it was simply stunning. An hour long gig to an audience of 2.. just one of those moments you never forget. Later that night they rocked 6,600 more people.

3) Watching Super Furry Animals from the stage at the Millennium Stadium in 1999. Seeing 67,000 bouncing up and down to The Man Dont Give a Fudge. Awesome. And watching Gruff playing his heart out on a tiny drumkit during Nite Vision. Then going to his house for a party afterwards.

4) Kyuss at the Camden Underworld some time in 1994. Just one of those tiny intimate gigs that you cant explain. Good times, great music and lots of dancing.

5) Being in the audience for a Later With Jools Holland. Sounds a bit poncey but the night we went Metallica was playing. Met the band, had our photos taken with them, had an argument with Lars' wife (not being funny but she gets to see them every day - I'd waited 10 years for that moment so she could just shut the fudge up) and came home with a flourescent green Metallica plectrum. And Jaymz did an acoustic version of Mama Said which I believe was the only time ever. Oh yeah then there was Horace Andy, Donovan, The Beautiful South and Catatonia playing. But they were crap. Well apart from Cerys' boobs.

In no particuler order...

1) Listening to OK Computer for the first time. I don't like that album, and I don't think I ever will. But the first time was late at night, lying (sp?) in bed, absoultely exhausted, and completely focusing on the music. It was prety much the first time I managed to lose myself in a piece of music, and the lyrics to Karma Police really did change my perception of myself.

Radiohead still suck, though.

2) Improvising along with a live 1994 Counting Crows bootleg the other day. Now, I can only play 4 chords on my acoustic, but I just kinda made noises that went with the music Crows were playing. It was just like...yeah...I rock. I'd done the same thing before (to Metallicas ReLoad), but that was only with my rather old air geetar.

3) Yesterday, lying (sp? again) on top of a pillbox next to a river, watching as the sun set, listening to Dark Side Of The Moon, writing the lyrics to Anna Begins on a girls arm. Also, listening to the same album, completely mashed at someones house.

4) Going to some townie party and changing from thier 'Pure Ibiza Groove 2001' to Pure Rock Fury. Nuff said.

Probably more, but as they don't spring to mind right now they can't have been that special.

1) First gig, Oasis at Finsbury Park. Everything about the day was brilliant, probably the best day of my life.

2) Going to one of my best mates first gig, they played brilliantly, crowd loved them and everyone was happy.

3) RBS telling me to download a song by a band called the Counting Crows, "you may not like them" he said, how wrong he was :D.