The song that made you want to play.

[FleshOnGear]

When I was little I remmember spinning dads Abby Road album and loved Sgt Pepper Movie and the Yellow Submarine Movie but I was still listening to Burt and Earnie albums at the time lol. Yea Andy and the Police were terrific. Andy is a brilliant player. Seems like he doesnt get as much credit amongst players maybe because hes not as in your face? Seems like every band Im in I try to get them to play "Every Breath You Take" but I always get shot down.

I was a big fan of music at a young age. The Police was a favorite when I was 7. I remember seeing Sting on the video to Every Breath You Take and thinking he looked so cool playing that stand up bass. Synchronicity was the first or second LP I ever bought. But the Police didn’t kindle my interest in guitar, for some reason.

So weird that hes gone. Never pictured him as the opioid type and then bam hes gone. So young.

Yeah, tragic. There was a bad string of musician deaths for a few years. Bowie, Prince, Petty, Cornell…

 

[Rocktane]

Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else
Kiss - Alive (whole album)

 

[80sTone]

The Hellion/Electric Eye. Still inspires me

 

[Redguitar]

When I was in Jr HS, I went to bed one night with the radio on. Then I heard "Working Man" for my actual first time. I sooo had to get an electric geetar. It took awhile to fall asleep that night.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Black Dog by LZ.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

By 1975 I had absolutely wanted to learn how to play a great many of the songs I was listening to..
Judas Priest’s Sad Wings of Destiny the last straw .

Thanks
Mitch

 

[mickeydg5]

All of them but obviously not enough.

 

[saxon68]

For me it wasn't a song, but a couple albums.

Beatles Magical Mystery Tour helped me discover I wanted make music. Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath made me want to play guitar.

No Rest for the Wicked and Ride the Lightning made me want to become a rock star.

How close did you get to the rock stardom?

I got to open for Pauly Shore on his university tour in the very early 90s, and my old band mates say we opened for AIC but I don’t remember it, that was a blur period though!!

For me the song that made me want to play was Scorpions “Rock you like a hurricane” video on MTV. Perfect solo to this day! Man I wanted a white explorer. Never got one, but I’ve got my purple explorer!!

 

[Rokinroller]

Jimi Hendrix ... Foxy Lady ... and , All along the Watchtower . That got me hooked . Bought first axe in 1973 .

 

[FleshOnGear]

How close did you get to the rock stardom?

I got to open for Pauly Shore on his university tour in the very early 90s, and my old band mates say we opened for AIC but I don’t remember it, that was a blur period though!!

For me the song that made me want to play was Scorpions “Rock you like a hurricane” video on MTV. Perfect solo to this day! Man I wanted a white explorer. Never got one, but I’ve got my purple explorer!!

That would be a good thread on its own. My band got to open for Mastodon and High On Fire a few times each. Once opened for GWAR. It felt pretty badass at the time, but it’s funny, looking back, at how far we were from stardom.

 

[jeffb]

Made me want to play? It was Chuck Berry on TV when I was just a little kid. I goofed aroud for years learning cowboy chords, and my brother taught me Eagles tunes and stuff like that.

Made me get serious?

A buddy of mine- his Dad worked for the Govt and was always travelling the world, especially to Japan (he was some kind of scientist). He would always bring back "import" albums and my buddy would record them to tape and give me a copy. I went over one day after school to his house to see what his Dad had brought and he had this new album. It had just released like a week before overseas.

For whatever reason he spun track #3 on the 1st side (needle slip? IDR) . And the rest is history.

Timestamped for the song.

 

[SkyMonkey]

I used to be heavily into Gothic Rock as a youth.
Phoenix by The Cult was the first song I thought 'Yeah, I could play that'. Rhythm only though.
I had another mate and we both started playing guitar at the same time, but he was the Lead guy.



After a few years we moved on to thrash, and Slayer's Jesus Saves was THE MOST FUN to play together.

 

[JohnH]

It's a good question! I loved lots of music growing up, but wasn't particularly wanting to play a guitar, until I was given my first one in 1976, age 16.

So I'll pick Boston 'More than a feeling', though it was years before I could start to play it myself.

 

[tschrama]

All along the watchtower!

 

[Midnight Blues]

I'd have to say it was a whole album, this one:

I bought this when it was released in May of '71. It was Frampton's playing and the picture of him with that GORGEOUS Les Paul on the album that made me want to play and get a Les Paul like his.

Honorable mention goes to Mark Farner and his playing on this album:

 

[circles]

This one pushed me over the edge:

 

[jeffp]

Smoke on the Water was the first riff I learned to play. But Neil Young was my inspiration to play, I started with Heart of Gold.

I started with Heart of Gold also. I remember very well. Those were the days!

 

[paul-e-mann]

I started with Heart of Gold also. I remember very well. Those were the days!

Yeah man, I remember the day I decided to buy my first guitar, summer of '80 I took the bus into town and bought a new Yamaha F335 acoustic which I still have to this day and a paper chord book, I sat down and learned all the major and minor open chords in a week and learned Heart of Gold on that last day. It was like I was in heaven!

 

[aikiguy]

I was 9 when I first started learning how to read music and strum but I took a few years off and learned how to drum. I was in drum corps.

One of my friends from corps was a guitar player and since I could noodle a bit, we always talked. He ended up showing me the opening riff for Number of the Beast…. I was hooked. The rest is history.

 

[Tatzmann]

Hendrix cast the line and hooked me, Iommi
pulled me ashore.