In 2020 my then-13yo daughter started really branching out in her musical taste. She came downstairs one weekend and asked, "Have you ever heard of My Bloody Valentine??? They're incredible." And so I described to her first time I ever listened to their masterpiece Loveless around the same age as her. She asked what other bands/music shaped my taste growing up, and so I made her a playlist I called "100 Songs That Changed My Life."
These were not necessarily my favorite 100 songs of all time. But each of these songs had a story, and I could tell her exactly what I was doing when I first listened to each song, and also where they led me musically afterwards. I ordered the playlist chronologically, starting from the time that 6yo kid in Spain watched Queen perform Radio Ga Ga on TV during the Live Aid concert.
I just looked back at that playlist. Sure enough, Three Days by Jane's Addiction is on there. But what struck me was not that it was ON the list; it was the music on the list that was chronologically BEFORE that song vs AFTER that song.
BEFORE Three Days, you see a kid discovering rock and roll, going back to the "classics" (zeppelin, hendrix), and even dipping into early 90s alternative. But, these were largely songs that were on mainstream radio and had heavy MTV rotation.
AFTER Three Days, it's no longer songs from the local pop/classic rock station. It's not prime time MTV. It's now indie labels. It's different genres. The "classics" that are on there are from edgier artists like Lou Reed, Bowie, Velvet Underground, etc.
I challenge you to find a band where every single one of the members is so uniquely talented as in Jane's Addiction. Yes, everyone knows Dave is a guitar god, but Stephen and Eric are also one of the most underrated rhythm sections in rock IMO. And Perry in his prime is in the conversation for top 10 frontment of all time.
But what really makes them important for me is that they weren't just a great rock band, they were one of the bands that made me seek out not just what was GOOD, but what was UNIQUE.
🙌🏼
👍👍👍👍
👍👍
I 100% agree with this.
In 2020 my then-13yo daughter started really branching out in her musical taste. She came downstairs one weekend and asked, "Have you ever heard of My Bloody Valentine??? They're incredible." And so I described to her first time I ever listened to their masterpiece Loveless around the same age as her. She asked what other bands/music shaped my taste growing up, and so I made her a playlist I called "100 Songs That Changed My Life."
These were not necessarily my favorite 100 songs of all time. But each of these songs had a story, and I could tell her exactly what I was doing when I first listened to each song, and also where they led me musically afterwards. I ordered the playlist chronologically, starting from the time that 6yo kid in Spain watched Queen perform Radio Ga Ga on TV during the Live Aid concert.
I just looked back at that playlist. Sure enough, Three Days by Jane's Addiction is on there. But what struck me was not that it was ON the list; it was the music on the list that was chronologically BEFORE that song vs AFTER that song.
BEFORE Three Days, you see a kid discovering rock and roll, going back to the "classics" (zeppelin, hendrix), and even dipping into early 90s alternative. But, these were largely songs that were on mainstream radio and had heavy MTV rotation.
AFTER Three Days, it's no longer songs from the local pop/classic rock station. It's not prime time MTV. It's now indie labels. It's different genres. The "classics" that are on there are from edgier artists like Lou Reed, Bowie, Velvet Underground, etc.
I challenge you to find a band where every single one of the members is so uniquely talented as in Jane's Addiction. Yes, everyone knows Dave is a guitar god, but Stephen and Eric are also one of the most underrated rhythm sections in rock IMO. And Perry in his prime is in the conversation for top 10 frontment of all time.
But what really makes them important for me is that they weren't just a great rock band, they were one of the bands that made me seek out not just what was GOOD, but what was UNIQUE.
PS - playlist can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0AnA6gNCix8W2jXYnxb1yk?si=05c454c0a6834c0b
So well said