When I Was 15. Music and Memories

[ClutcherofStraw]

I was 15 when Misplaced Childhood was released. Although a Marillion fan from the beginning this album has a special resonance with my early adolescence. The Fish Farewell To Childhood gigs in Dalkeith and Glasgow will live long in my memory Anyway this album aside, what was your album that meant so much as a 15 year old? I`ll start things off with

This album is about me and my mates. Kevin emigrated to Australia a few year ago now. Alan and I lost touch then came back together when Rush returned to touring in the in the early 00s in the UK. Our first forays into alcohol and trying to sneak into pubs were around this time. Going to various gigs. Couldnt catch a cold, never mind a girl. Alan played guitar, but all me and Kevin could do was play fresh air instruments. He was Neal Peart and I was Geddy Lee. Haha. I could ramble on more, but you get the idea.

[Lauri]

When I turned 15 the biggest thing for me was that I got the permission to drive a moped! I lived in the countryside in a little village and everything was far away so it made my moving a lot easier. The vehicle was similar to this one in the picture:

Musically top three to me that year was Come An’ Get It by Whitesnake, Pleasant Dreams by Ramones and Killers by Iron Maiden. However above that top three was this one:

Life was so simple and easy then although it didn’t feel always that way. I spent most of my time listening to music and cruising my moped with my best friend who lived in the same village. I still listen to those same records and I still see that friend of mine from time to time. Those were priceless days!

Finally, here’s me at 15!

[Andyboy67]

I was a bit of a lad when I was 15 and was locked up in a detention centre for a year . . . .
Can we move on to when we were 16 ?

[ClutcherofStraw]

What about, " When I Was In My Youth " and you pick the year?

[Rikg2005]

When I was 15 I was heavily into the cure/duran Duran/abc/tears for fears and many other new wave-new romantic bands.
Messing about in school and about to have meet my first love…
It was all about mucking with my mates and buying tapes and vinyl…
Got my first job in the local butchers and was on 97p an hour!
Was dreaming about playing bass or drums in a band and I remember hating Marillion!!I thought they were just another long haired boring metal band(still not a metal fan;)
Good times and innocent ones:))

[Arcade]

No. I wanna hear about when you were 15!

Going to have a go at this thread when I’ve got more time tomorrow! Just trying to remember what I was into around that age!

[ianash]

When I was 15, I was discovering the joys of rock and metal sneaking into the local pub’s back room and blasting Ace of Spades and Zep’s Rock and Roll out of the decrepit juke box they had(only 2 rock choices on it).
Musically for me it was Maiden, Ac/Dc,Pink Floyd,Quote and the newly released Misplaced Childhood!

[Zazabi]

1989!
When I was 15, my favourite hobbies were buying LP’s, recording tapes (I’d spend hours drawing band logos on the sleeves) / listening to music, playing table football and pool when I should have been at college.
At the time there was a group of us meeting outside college and getting into a bit of mischief, playing loud music, barbecueing on the beach and trying strange substances and all that while listening to Pink floyd and The Cure
I was an occasionnal backing singer in our occasionnal band() , still have that poster advertising a gig at our college.
I was into Pink floyd, Marillion, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Genesis, Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac and introduced to the likes of Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi. I was playing Def Lep’ Hysteria and Pyromania to death.
I was also a big fan of U2, Depeche Mode and Simply Red at the time.
Happy happy times

[Mik]

No really significant memories of events from when I was 15 - my time at school was nothing special, no significant girlfriends, I hadn’t really started going to gigs…But music (the recorded variety for now) was the be all and end all - all I was interested in, and all I spent my money on.
Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock Show.
Kerrang
Crappy hand-me-down stereo systems
I did have a great Sunday morning paper round - a lot of distance, but not too many houses - which gave me time to listen to my Walkman. Just really getting into rock (having been a little Elvis fan up until about 12 or 13), progressing from being a Status Quo obsessive, and this year saw the release of ‘Script…’ and ‘The Final Cut’ which were the two albums I couldn’t get enough of.
I have clear memories of exactly which road I’d be on for ‘Script…’, which road for ‘The Web’, ‘Chelsea Monday’…becoming wonderfully lost in the world of the lyrics; lyrics that were like nothing I’d ever heard… (I can also still see the brown & white WHSmith cassette I’d recorded it onto).
It was the same with the Roger Waters stuff, too, really - musical worlds you could just become completely engrossed in for 45 minutes. I’d never heard anything like it, and I was hooked. I never really got into what you might call prog other than that - Marillion and Floyd were all I needed, and that remains the case.
For less ‘deep’ music, I was getting into Whitesnake, Purple, Def Leppard (Pyromania was out this year), but this really was the year that Marillion and Floyd caught hold of me (and they’ve still not let go!)

[brother95]

I have no memories at all when I was 15:probably dreaming of a beautiful life made of big cars,lots of bills and women (everything I don’t have now )… more seriously,I guess I was bored at this time;listened to music a lot but nothing in particular (radio mostly) but I was at the point to have my first and only music love at first sight during some holidays but that’s another story

[Arcade]

I’m afraid I’m the same Anthony. Tried to remember anything notable that I was into at that age, but I was just into some of the bands that I’ve carried with me into adulthood. First ones I really got into in my early teenage years were Marillion, Big Country, The Icicle Works and The Kinks. No surprises really. U2, Simple Minds, The Waterboys, Hothouse Flowers, REM all came a little later, as did my continuing love of singer/songwriters such as James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne etc.

It was a couple of years earlier, perhaps aged 13, when I had my first major eye-opening into music and how it could transport me. Namely MISPLACED CHILDHOOD. - I can’t put into words how much effect this had on me and how many memories are tied up in that album. Can remember taking the cassette of the album away with me on several family holidays and listening to it in the caravan with my earphones on. Such incredible imagery. I’m pretty sure I didn’t understand a lot of the concepts and meanings at the time, but it was the poetry that really appealed to me. Chalk hearts melting on a playground wall. Still feel 13 listening to that album.

…Do remember one of my first loves when I was 15/16 though. She was in Art class. Her name was Samantha and she had flaming red hair. She was into Marillion and the Little Angels.

[Mwelljester]

My memories of being 15 are a litlle vague. The few things I do remember are, when I was in 3-4th year at high school, we were usually allowed to wear any clothes we wanted, more of becoming a young adult and expressing one self. Needless to say most of us took to this like a duck to water. Myself Wearing either My Green Combat Jacket covered in patches and Embroidery of all my fav bands including of course Marillion, or else my Bikers jacker(the one with Square Padded shoulders) signed by Steve Harris of Maiden
Other memories are of Going to the Glasgow Barras to get bootleg tapes and posters, and frequenting numerous record stores(23rd Precinct, Old Virgin mega store where I bought a Mace from the Stone age/medieval del) on the track for Various Maiden imports and Bootlegs, yes it was the proverbial Weans in a sweet shop, you just couldn’t get enough of it, the buzz was amazing when Saturday’s came around
And probably the most defining moment for me was, one night in my mates(Stevie Blades) later guitarist of Trade winds then Excalibur now a session Musician, both of us sitting there listening to various albums fro Motorhead, Sabbath then the one that blew me away “Script for a Jester’s tear” nothing was ever the same after that…

[Arcade]

Great stuff Rab. C’mon, show us yer mace!

[Mwelljester]

Long time gone now, I am afraid Paul, gave it away to one of my mates(Now Deceased) as part of Mural for his Wall.

[Arcade]

Lauri, you look older there than you do now. What’s going on?

[Andyboy67]

The facial hair !!

[SteveE1966]

At 15 years old it would be 1981/82 for me. Born and brought up in Pontypridd, South Wales.

I think i’d just grown out of riding my bike and skateboard, and spent as much time as possible listening to music with friends. Rock and metal was my thing with it being a pretty good year of releases (Motorhead - Ace Of Spades / Iron Maiden - Killers / Ozzy - Diary Of A Madman / Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengence / Saxon - Denim And Leather / Scorpions - Blackout / Rush - Moving Pictures / AC/DC - For Those About To Rock / Kiss - Creatures Of The Night).

Nearly every school lunchtime was spent with a walk into town to look through all the albums in Rainbow Records or the second hand shop, and on a weekend it would be a train ride to Cardiff and Spillers Records.

Went to my first gig in '81 seeing Motorhead in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The first of many concerts with Maiden, Priest and Ozzy close behind. From around 12 years old i’d done loads of different paper rounds, and basically anything i earned went on music. Thinking back through my life, the amount of money i’ve spent on music and concerts !!!

I love most sport and football took up lots of my time (i’m 2nd from the left in the back row).

At 15, pubs were still just off limits (but not too far around the corner - yet another drain on my income throughout my life) so it was a case of flagons of Strongbow in the park on a Friday night, the occasional mushroom when in season, and some overnight camping so that you didn’t go home wasted.

And of course there were girls

[SteveE1966]

[budapest6]

ClutchStraw That is hilarious i am an Aussie and i must admit Power Windows is still a gem of a record and to this day still enjoy their music, recently bought R40 a 4disc box set you all have great tastes in music. Although i am a little older my faves in any order are The Doors,Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles,Rush,Sabbath,Deep Purple,
Pink Floyd,Yes,Styx, and Marillion. In relation to Marillion there are 2 versions which one do you prefer “Fish” or the other singer hmm?

[Zazabi]

Just came across this pic, at that time I was more into table football than studies.
Me and my best mate Seb who I met again a couple of weeks ago after many years not seen