By-Tor.com

Here in England we have 'Radio 1' which is the eldest, most popular and mainstream station available. Of course they pander to the teenage/dance/hip-hop market but as the only alternative is local radio I tend to listen to it in the van at work.
One female dj has a feature entitled 'Life Changing Moments' where one has to submit a song that defines a paticular life changing moment. The majority of chosen tracks tend to be inane bland pop but the tales behind each song often touches the heart. Often the song serves as an introduaction to a new gene or is simply present at say, the birth of a child. This led me to ponder my own life changing song but as we display depth here I thought we could maybe choose an album of life changing importance. Doesnt have to be Rush just a tale to share.

One such moment that forever sticks in my mind was when I discovered Soundgarden for the first time. I was familiar with some early singles but read a great deal about the then new 'Batmotorfinger' album. I found a vinyl copy at my local record store and asked the elderly woman assistant to please play the opening track. Of course the woman (unbeknown to me at the time) began playing the first track on side two 'Searching with my good eye closed'. For those unfamiliar with this classic, it has a loooong intro that quietly builds and builds, complete with a silly voice that made me feel just as silly waiting for the song. The woman simply stared and still the song hadnt begun. feeling uncomfortable the song kicked in, despite the build to what I thought was going to be an up-tempo rocker, the song just exploded into the coolest mid-tempo goove ever. What a song, what a moment.
Subsequently I played the album for months and months. This kinda heralded the beginning of my grunge phase (mother love bone, pearl jam, temple of the dog, alice in chains etc) but I will neve forget the first time I heard the album...in a shop acompanied by an old woman .

Not an album, but one song.

My mother died suddenly and unexpectedly on August 31, 1999 at the age of 54.

My family and I were devastated. We loved her very much, and miss her everyday. We grieved long and hard.

Fast forward to 2001. U2 releases All That You Can't Leave Behind. I started listening to the song Kite. And I just started crying and crying and crying, but in a bit of a different way. For some reason, I was okay with it. I was coming to grips with my new reality.

I want you to know,
That you don't need me anymore.
I want you to know,
That you don't need anyone, or anything at all.

I heard my mom's voice speaking to me. You can do it, you'll be fine. Move on and be happy.

Who's to say where the wind will take you?
Who's to say what it is that will break you?
I don't know, which way the wind will blow...
Who's to know when your time is coming 'round?
I don't want to see you cry.
I know that this is not goodbye.

So Kite marked the end of my active grieving for my beloved mother, and the the "restart" of my life. My work, my daughter, my wife, my friends, everything. It meant the world to me. I'll always love that song, even though I still cry when I hear it.

Now that has touched me ER.
My Best Friend of thiteen years passed away six years ago (motorcycle accident) and for some reason I began playing the one album I've ever owned by The Counting Crows 'August and Everything After'. It is truly a wonderous thing that music can lift one in such a fashion.

Ogg wrote:Now that has touched me ER.
My Best Friend of thiteen years passed away six years ago (motorcycle accident) and for some reason I began playing the one album I've ever owned by The Counting Crows 'August and Everything After'. It is truly a wonderous thing that music can lift one in such a fashion.

Yes it is.

August and Everything After is a fucking great album, BTW.

Step out the front door like a ghost into the fog,
Where no one notices the contrast of white on white...

Still sends chills up my spine.

Sorry about your friend, and thanks for the thread.

Sorry fo your loss ER. I can't imagine losing my mom at such a young age. I hope you take comfort in knowing she is in a far better place. My song would be Boston's Don't Look Back. I was going through my divorce at the time and I heard that song on the radio and that was the turning point for my grief. I have not looked back since. I always smile when I hear that song.

Obviously there are not many that have had life changing musical moments . Ged, it's been a little lacklustre here of late...

I've got some... they're just so personal...

I share ER's feelings about losing a mother at an early age. I think I was 28 when my mom passed away back in '91. That very night though, I had a pretty amazing experience which put me completely at ease with her passing... so much so that I was the only family member that didn't cry at the funeral. But, since the experience didn't involve music, I didn't write about it in here.

Rush have been some of my best friends musically since 1979. But my really life changing musical moments mostly revolve around the band Yes.

ElfDude wrote:I've got some... they're just so personal...

I share ER's feelings about losing a mother at an early age. I think I was 28 when my mom passed away back in '91. That very night though, I had a pretty amazing experience which put me completely at ease with her passing... so much so that I was the only family member that didn't cry at the funeral. But, since the experience didn't involve music, I didn't write about it in here.

Rush have been some of my best friends musically since 1979. But my really life changing musical moments mostly revolve around the band Yes.

When I was a kid I listened to Drama until I wore the grooves off. I know that's not one of their more popular ones, but I still hear "I am a camera" in my head from time to time...

Sorry Ogg, but with all that has been going on in my life, when I read this thread, I told DutchRush that I couldn't handle it right now. Too emotional. But, man! There are many. Perhaps later I will go into some of them.

Heh, Drama is the one Yes album I never purchased.