Musical meme

Sometime back, a friend visiting from the UK made a comment about my CD collection that got me thinking about how and when I've heard something distinctly different compared with what I was listening to around that time.

Usually friends, television or a good review/recommendation puts you on to a band but occassionally you discover something yourself - I know it's really only the illusion of discovery but it's still exciting to be one of the first of your social circle to be listening to a particular sound and to introduce others.

So this is a music meme, list your five self discoveries in the order of most recent to oldest discoveries with bonus points for official websites and links to videos (official, pirated or dodgy camera-phone concert footage).

My top five self discoveries are:

1. 2003. Meshell Ndegeocello. I first heard Ndegeocello's Peace beyond Passion at a cafe in Newtown, Sydney. This album remains one of my top 10. Stunning voice, incredible bass player with funk-style titrated directly from Bootsy Collins. Check out Leviticus: Faggot

2. 1988. Living Colour. Unbelievably, I was introduced to Living Colour while watching Entertainment Tonight - that tacky US entertainment show of an entirely beige palette. Nonetheless, they previewed a band reputed to be the first Black heavy metal band (I'll let others argue that point). Classic tracks include I want to know (from the Vivid album) and Fight the Fight (from Time's Up). This link is to a live version of Open letter to a landlord.

3. Mid '80s. The The. I first heard the album Infected (really cool people knew the earlier albums Soul Mining if not Burning Blue Soul) and was hooked. Here's a great link to, I think, a recent live gig - about a third of the way through is the very song I first heard, Heartland (lyrics here).

4. Mid '80s. Robbie Robertson. First heard on Radio with Pictures, Karen Hay was the host so it can't have been much after the mid '80s (1986 I think). Somewhere down the crazy river remains one of my favourite tracks.

5. Early '80s. Waterboys. Ok, this is a little outside the rules I set 'cause I stole a video tape from my brother without realising what was on it. I first heard This is the Sea - can't find that but can find A Pagan Place.