*First* experiences - phew - far too much memory flowed under the bridge for that. I remember the first time I smoked dope (it's OK officer, it was over 25 years ago), and my friends gave me a book of Escher drawings to read and put "Careful With That Axe Eugene" on the stereo. Quite an effective combination, if a little lacking in the joy and elation department. Likewise at age 13ish, hormones raging, I seem to remember that "Without You" was deeply powerful and emotion- wrenching. Ahem.(posted 8746 days ago)But really moving stuff, hmmm...
There are definitely bits of music or performance which are so perfectly formed that they give me a kick of elation - the best kicks being from playing the music, for those of us who are lucky enough. With recorded music, these are not so much first or one-off experiences as repeatable ones, resources I can call on to fire up a good vibe.
Some bits still have this power over me despite a decade or two of regular use, and a few of the best memories of gigs carry a feeling of having been present at something unique and magical.
EG:
The sequence of tracks in 5/4 on the first side of "Time Is The Key", by Pierre Moerlen's Gong, and the percussion on "Angel's Egg" by the original Gong. Some of the drum fills are so exquisitely perfect they curl my toes. OK, I admit it, I'm weird - I felt the same listening to Clive Bunker drumming for Gordon Giltrap at Glastonbury circa 1980.
On "I can see your house from here" by Camel, there's a bit in the middle of "Wait" where Kit Watkins and Jan Schelhaus swap Moog solos. It's very short, but it just carries me away.
Pat Metheny's "Last Train Home" - the whole track is a thing of beauty, and my (remaining) hair stands on end when the vocals come in.
"Cinema Show" instrumental section by Genesis, live version on Seconds Out with Bill Bruford. (This, of course, was back when 'orrible Collins was still a musician behind a drum kit who sang a bit, before he became a big star and started wingeing at the piano and screwing money he doesn't need out of session musicians who do
.) Must agree with Grae above about "Small Hours", and about Davy Spillane - next time you're driving into a sunrise, put on the beginning of "The Storm" REALLY LOUD.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo on their first UK tour. (1988?)
Another gig - "Discipline" - the new version of King Crimson. When they first got together ('82?), the Fripp/Bruford/Belew/Levin lineup did a small tour under the name "Discipline", before they reassumed the King Crimson name and called the album "Discipline". It was seriously under-rehearsed but that made it better, watching players of that class jamming and playing off each other. Humbling, and inspiring.
Almost anything by Stephane Grappelli, for the sheer infectious joy and exhileration of it.
"Small Blue Thing" by Suzanne Vega - a perfect love song.
"The Queen and the Soldier", also by Suzanne Vega - a perfect man-and- woman song.
"Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel - a perfect casting-off-the-weight song.
"Man and the Deer" - a perfect man-and-nature song, I think, though I haven't heard it for years because my tape of it died and CERTAIN PEOPLE HAVE YET TO SHARE THEIR DIGITAL REMASTER OF IT WITH THE REST OF US. You know who you are.
And finally, the Here & Now band, late one night in a Liverpool club circa 1980. They ran over time and the management pulled the plug, but the band came back onstage and sang a song called "Where the little mushrooms grow", a capella harmony, with no PA or lights.
Magic.
nik