Bands you didn't discover until you were "older"

I would say Rush. I was listening to Top 40 radio in the mid '60s to early '70s and also my older sister's Beatles, Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, etc record collection. As the '70s progressed I was listening to FM radio where I heard Mott the Hoople, ELO, Man, etc. I had a friend who introduced me to Pink Floyd, King Crimson, ELP, Moodies, Zappa etc. (this was prior to Dark Side taking off. Boy was I ever surprised hearing "Money" all over the radio after hearing "Saucerful..", "Echoes", "Atom Heart.." I thought the Floyd were just a weird but interesting English cult space rock band.) Anyhow, I got a job and started filling out my record collection with most of these bands, and became something of a completist of Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Pretty Things, Move, Yardbirds. And then got into blues and '50's rock and rockabilly. Got into Slade in the nadir of their career because my favorite station played "Gudbuy T' Jane" just once and I was sold. Then I pretty much gave up listening to music on the radio, because my favorite FM station (KSAN San Francisco) had gone country and I couldn't relate to anything on the radio the few times I would turn it on. I never cared for MTV so rarely watched it. This is how I got through the '80s. In the early '90s I went heavily into classical music and then around 2000 I was starting to listen to classic rock in the car. I was looking around for something new to get into and I liked "Spirit of Radio", "Limelight", "Freewill" when they played them, so I went out and bought "Different Stages", the "Show of Hands" VHS, and couple of greatest hits CDs just to check them out. Then I found out that the band was in limbo because of Neil Peart's family tragedies. I thought I'd never hear anything new from them. But, like Slade, they bounced back and I've been a fan since. I especially enjoyed the "Feedback" EP they came out with in 2004. It had cover versions of all the sorts of stuff I was collecting back in the '70s, like Cream, Yardbirds, Who, Buffalo Springfield, Love, Blue Cheer. I know "Feedback" is not appreciated by a lot of Rush fans but I got a big kick out of it.

 

Big Star

 

A bunch between 30 and 40, some of which are now my favorites...

Steely Dan
Little Feat
T Rex
Traffic
Dr John
King Crimson

Those are probably the "biggest" in terms of major artists

 

Dixie Dregs (because of Steve Morse being in DP)
Joe Satriani (Liked his first couple albums, but heard nothing since. Enjoyed his segment on TMS so bought the box set = awesome!)
Roxy Music (Bought a couple Bryan Ferry solo albums used and loved them, so bought the Roxy box set)

 

I could rattle off a lengthy list of bands that I didn't discover until I was old, primarily just because I hadn't been exposed to them before (Family, the Small Faces, the Pretty Things, various Italian progressive bands and Brazilian Tropicalia acts). Two bands that I did sort of know about but didn't come around to appreciating until my mid to late 20s: The Band, who were just a little too rustic and rootsy for my younger self, and the Beach Boys. In the case of the latter, though I liked some of their songs, I couldn't quite jibe with their sunny, clean cut image, songs about surfing and cars, etc. It wasn't until later that I got indoctrinated into the Cult of Wilson and was able to view their music in a new light. They have since become one of my all time faves.

 

For me too.

 

Im still experimenting a lot with bands that I didn't listen to growing up. Some of the ones I "discovered" since the age of 30 are: Kansas, Thin Lizzy, Outlaws, Poco 1976 - 80's output, Cheap Trick, New England, America, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Tull, Yes, Uriah Heep, Allmans and VERY recently Dan Fogelberg.

One guy who I would have been embarrassed to say was in my collection in the past is Leo Sayer....His first and 3rd albums (Self titled/Another year) sound like early 70's Elton John clone...they are excellent and highly recommended to fans of Elton 71-75 era.

Band I REALLY wanted to like but don't is Deep Purple and the early Rainbow stuff. (Love Joe Lynn Turner Rainbow/Deep Purple albums...sacrilege I know)

Band I would most recommend others to try....If your a fan of Seger/Petty/Billy Joel/Springsteen type music I would strongly suggest you try the MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (You Cant Fight Fashion/Heartland/Greatest Hints/North Coast/MSB/Inside Moves) albums. These guys should have made it big...not just in Ohio/Western Pennsylvania. I think Michael Stanley has one of the best voices in Rock n Roll History and he's a great songwriter too.

The Search continues.....

 

Family is one of those bands that I have read about, but have never tried, because it wasn't cheap to try them, and I didn't want to try them blindly. One of those cases where one familiar song would have made a big difference.

Not that I haven't tried bands blindly before. But I'm a little less adventurous now, if for nothing else but time and budgetary reasons.

 

Iron Maiden.

I was born in 1960 and grew up with heavy rock. Loved all the usual suspects from the Purps to the Sabs to Zep. A bit later from Aerosmith to Montrose to Priest to Scorps to Thin Lizzy to UFO. You get the drill, I know this stuff is right in a lot of you guys' wheelhouse.

I finally figured out that Maiden are part of that same continuum. Almost missed it.

 

I pushed the classic rock artists onto our four sons when they were young and they have in turn put me onto
"Social Distortion", "Dropkick Murphy's", NOFX along with Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros to name a few.
From being a Beatles only kind of listener to being introduced to Punk Rock is very cool. Great talented bands.

 

I was 34 in 2004 when I first got heavily into the Kinks.

 

Family was kind of a natural fit for me, slotting in nicely with a lot of other bands that I like, somewhere in between psychedelia (particularly on their debut) and progressive music (and have been mentioned as a seminal influence for bands like Yes and Genesis). They're often compared with Traffic, though they have their own distinctive, diverse sound. Chapman's voice takes a little getting used at first, though I've grown to love him. The 2014 remasters were a big improvement over the last batch, which no-noised the life out of them, and are available at fairly reasonable prices, last I saw.

Of course, you can always go for a sample on YouTube to see if they're something you might go for. It's much easier to avoid costly missteps on blind buys these days.

 

I never warmed up to the Grateful Dead much. Heard an album, Axiomoxa, or something like that back around 1970 and didn't care for it. Great cover though. There were a few songs I heard over the years I thought were not bad, but never cared to own a Dead album.Then about a year ago, someone whose opinion I respect wrote about how much he likes their debut album. So, I was curious. I usually like great band's debuts. You get 'em when they're young and hungry, the basic essence of them before they get too successful and full of themselves ;-) Listened to a few samples, surprisingly liked what I heard and decided to take the plunge and buy the CD. Really like it. Has kind of a garage feel/sound to it. A blues album. Jerry Garcia is one helluva guitar player.
So...bought my first Dead album at the grand young age of 60. Better late than never.

 

i am not that old but whats funny is I already grew up with the older bands everyone here talks about so much....so for me, as I get older I discover more NEWER bands that have a tendency to slip through the cracks. case in point would be The Struts....or some current death metal.

 

Big Star (see avatar)
Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry
The Cure

 

Yes, you are right about YouTube allowing one to sample things for free. Sampling things like Family are good for that, because I've never come across Family on the radio, for instance.

This may sound crazy to many of you, but YouTube is still new enough to me that I forget about its existence, and as a result this is a great suggestion for me.

 

I grew up in the '60s but didn't get into the Beach Boys till the late '90s. I was aware of them, of course, but never really listened much and didn't own any of their music. Actually, it was Brian Wilson's solo album, "Imagination," that did it. I liked it so much that shortly after acquiring it I went out and bought "Pet Sounds" and was entranced.

 

I knew about Spiritualized since '97, when it was impossible to buy Select, NME, et al, and not know about this album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space which was getting rave reviews everywhere. I did not feel compelled to check them out.

As I'm writing this, on what's nearly the 20th anniversary of this album, I'm listening to it for the first time. Ever.

The end of "The Individual" has left me stunned, and "Broken Heart" is emerging.

It makes me question the last 20 years of my life, and what other dumbassery I need to put a full stop after.

 

There are many bands I didn't like back in the day that I warmed up to when I got older. It's usually required a catalyst to find my way in: The Who Sell Out, Rush and BeeGees documentaries, KISS Alive, Led Zeppelin II (and reading the history of their concerts). I guess the pattern is: I never liked "harder" rock bands until I was in my 40s, then opened my ears to new experiences. I was more serious about my listening growing up, so it's fun to relax and just enjoy stuff now, even if it's not as intellectual or arty as my usual listening habits. Late bloomer?

 

Toots and The Maytals ...

 

Love/Arthur Lee fortunately I saw them 3 times before Arthur passed. In San Francisco Bimbo's 365 Club, Fillmore and think Great American Music Hall (with the Zombies)

 

Zappa was verboeten in our house. A "bad influence" of my brother's had turned him onto it, just as he was discovering weed, and this guy also brought underground comix into our lives. Suddenly this young gentlemen ("He was a nice boy - he used to cut the grass.") started wearing only leather and denim, carrying his guitar everywhere, and starting to use lines from Freak Out! in polite conversation. Oh, AND arguing with Mom and Dad.

Only after Flo & Eddie had been exorcised from the teenage rockin' combo and Frankie had gotten out of that wheelchair, did he finally make it onto FM radio in Indiana proper. A brush with the L.A. Philharmonic ("Hit it, Zubin") and a photo with his parents in Life magazine, had taken the edge off my parents' reservations, but nothing had prepared me for hearing "Montana" over my new Pioneer receiver in junior year. This must be how Roseanne Connor felt when Darlene started wearing black and beating up on boys ("Calm down, it's not the devil, it's just...weird...").

Oh, I also got into Lewis Taylor and October Project too late to enjoy their work while they were makin' it, but, that's just because this little website I'm addicted to, sent me their way..

 

Grand Funk. I was a little kid when they were in their heyday, but man - amazing stuff.

 

Artists from the 1960's or 1970's that I didn't discover until my 40's or later:

1. Hawkwind
2. Rory Gallagher
3. Man
4. Ash Ra Tempel
5. Agitation Free
6. Budgie
7. Camel
8. The Groundhogs

 

I became a fan of these acts in my 30's:

The Stranglers
Magazine
Groundhogs
Vashti Bunyan