In the beginning, I had no defined tastes. As with all things in a child's life, there is Nature, and there is Nurture. Also with many things in my life, there is my Dad to blame/thank. I pause here for a few minutes to figure out which of the aforementioned should come first...

The first album (that wasn't, by definition, children's music) I asked for was "The Miracle" by Queen. I got the LP for a birthday, I deduce it was my 11th, and I remember that "I want it all" was the first single. Considering it was 1989 and what I now know, it seems that the song was a bit of an anthem for the times, but all I was concerned with was the guitars. Power chords, power suits, power lyrics, that Freddie power smile, I was already fist pumping. I also recognised the humour and innuendo in the lyrics, especially on "Party" and "Khashoggi's ship"

"...everybody drank my wine,
if you get my drift..."

Yep, even at 11 I had a fair idea what he was on about.

At the time I write this, I figure I haven't listened to this album in at least 10 years, but upon googling it I find I can remember at least the chorus line to all bar a mere few of the tracks. I think my favourite was the final track "Was it all worth it?" with it's trademark Queen choir vocals and rising movements, but finishing with a feedback fade-out.

Around the same time there was an influence from a kid at school. It was an influence that had previously been responsibly for a Danish teen in LA to get together with a lanky blond and start one of the greatest rock bands of all time. At this point I had no idea of any of that, I was too busy being introduced to Heavy Metal, particularly bands like AC/DC, Twisted Sister and Def Lepard. I was interested, but not too interested. 

I started getting a bit of "Video Hits" on Saturday mornings after the cartoons ran out over the next few years. I recall the pop icons of the time, the likes of Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer and Paula Abdul before people knew she was famous. Also there were the rock-light bands that got some airplay, like Aerosmith ("Janie's got a gun"), Poison ("Unskinny Bop") and Faith No More.

"Epic" was Faith No More's first big hit, but it was the other single "Falling to Pieces" which got my attention, hidden midway thru a pop compilation album. I had bought the album for the recently mentioned pop acts, but the shredding guitars and pronounced bass had me hooked straight away. When I found "Epic" on a new compilation album I was hooked. It would take almost ten years for me to rediscover Faith No More, longer for me to hear the complete album "The Real Thing", but I never forgot where it started 

Guns 'n Roses were big when I was in my last years of Primary School. Terminator 2 came out in 1991, and along with it came "You Could Be Mine". I got a tape of "Use Your Illusion II" for Christmas of 1991, and consequently played it constantly.

The first CD I owned, and interestingly the first CD to be played in my parents house, was "The Spaghetti Incident" by Guns n' Roses. It must have been the summer of '93/'94. The second was a particularly forgettable Australian compilation CD, which is still around the place somewhere, but which I choose to ignore forthwith.

The next album of note that I purchased was "King for a Day... Fool for a lifetime" by Faith No More. Once again the catalyst for my interest was a music video, that being for the first single "Evidence", but the depth of music I found within reminded me of "Epic" from years before and firmly held me as a fan.