Musical tastes from cradle to grave (and inbetween).

[Charlie Jefferson]

(re-titled and re-posted because my wife said the original was too ridiculously pretentious)

I'm just a few years shy of 50 and have noticed how my tastes in music have broadened as I get older. No great revelation there, I suppose. But I started to think how my tastes have evolved in let's say five year cycles since being 5 years old.

Here goes:

5-10 : The Wombles, ELO, Queen, T-Rex. The latter three soaked up from older sibling source.

11-15: The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Who, Deep Purple, Sabbath, The Eagles and towards the end of that phase, Costello,Joe Jackson and John Fahey (via my guitar tutor)

16-20: Joy Division, New Order, Kraftwerk, Led Zep, The Fall and most of all The Smiths. Plus lots of Neil Young

21-25: In addition to The Smiths & New Order, mostly Steely Dan

26-30: SST bands (Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Firehose) infinitum, Fugazi, Black Flag ,solo Moz.

31-35: rediscovered The Beach Boys beyond the 20 Golden Greats LP fondly remembered from childhood, Pavement, Wilco, Smog, Will Oldham in various incarnations, Belle & Sebastian, beginning a huge devotion to Bob Dylan

36 to now: it's all gone all over the place thanks to greater acquaintance with Messers Zappa and Beefheart. They seem to have been the launch pad for so many disparate sounds ranging from Mississppi John Hurt to Bela Bartok, Joseph Suk, Thomas Ades, Schoenberg, Richard Strauss and Tom Waits.

These are just trends and I've missed out stacks of bands I love but this is the framework of my evolving preferences.

How has yours mutated over the years?

 

[paradiziac]

Kid: The Goodies, my dad's early 70's hits on a tape recorder, William Tell overture

Teens until now: Classical > Mainstream pop -> metal > thrash > punk/grunge > indie > "world music" > Dance and some hip hop > Avantgarde/experimental...

Basically I listen to pretty much everything. After metal/thrash I just heard more and more different kinds of music and never really went off any.

I like most of the bands mentioned in the OP.

Peelie and Kershaw were inspirational, Giles Peterson was the last one on Radio 1 with any taste IMO.

 

[idc]

5 - 13, nothing really

13 - 30, rock, prog rock and punk with Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Yes, Bowie, Sex Pistols, Damned and The Ruts featuring a lot.

30 - 43, finally branched out to include Brit Pop/Indie and Trip Hop with Blur, Massive Attack, Elastica, The Talking Heads and Faithless the main bands

44 to now, the world of music properly opened up with Spotify and the main genres to add to the above are Post Rock, Soundtracks and Minimalism. Plus the existing genres expanded, for example to traditional English prog add Scandinavian.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Mid 70s: The Sweet

Late 70s - Early 80s: The Specials / Adam & The Ants / Exploited / Discharge / Anti Pasti / Ruts / Stiff Little Fingers / Dead Kennedys

Early - Mid 80s: Stiff Little Fingers / Dead Kennedys / U2 / Big Country / The Cure

Mid - Late 80s: The Cure / Bauhaus/ Love & Rockets / Wonder Stuff / And Also The Trees / Talk Talk / Iggy & Stooges

Early 90s: The Cure / Talk Talk / Pixies / Nick Cave

Early - Mid 90s: The Cure / God Machine / Red House Painters / Catherine Wheel / Loop / Spacemen 3 / Young Gods / Cranes

Mid - Late 90s: Super Furry Animals

Then I discovered Soul and Funk and all sorts of different music, so no more favourite bands, just anything good.

Still listen to a lot of the above, minus all the dodgy goth stuff and U2 and Big Country.

 

[Macspur]

First artists to attract me to music in early teens were The Carpenters and John Denver.

Late teens Eagles, America, Bread, Stephen Bishop Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carly Simon and Dean Freadman.

In my 20's and 30's found soul... Luther Vandross, Alexander O'neal SOS Band, Anita Baker.

In my 40's and now 50's come full circle really, back to good singer/songwriters... Lisa Hannigan, Laura Veirs, Kate Walsh, Ingrid Michaelson, Ben Howard and folkies like Cara Dillon, Kate Rusby, Bill Jones. Plus, enjoy likes of Elbow, Coldplay, Athlete

.

Also found myself getting into Jazz artists like Melody Gardot, Stacey Kent Pat Metheny.

Quite Honestly, like most genres now... still struggle with Opera though.

Cheers

Mac

 

[CnoEvil]

... still struggle with Opera though.

Cheers

Mac

....listen to some Irish country, and then opera won't seem so bad!

 

[jonomd]

primary school years (other peoples music) Abba, boney m, beegees,blondie

Early teens BA robertson, Meatloaf,10 cc, John Denver and as above

Later teens Def leppard, bon jovi, and 80's pop/rock (generally chart sounds)

Early 20's Dire straits, U2, simple minds, Big country, Tom Petty , Bruce springsteen and as above

About 25 Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Steve earl, Emmlou Haris, Byrds The eagles, Poco and as above

After about 30 really anything that took my liking that I heard from varions sources and some classical, singer songwriter.

In 2006 got a yamaha hard drive recorder and stuck the lot. Like to set to random and play anything from the music i have. Once I have it i keep it and play to this day.

Many more artists that what i have mentioned. It continually grows.

 

[John Duncan]

Not sure I can remember the ages, but it kind of went:

Elvis, Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Abba, Carpenters, Sweet, The Osmonds, Queen, Rush, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Gary Moore, Sabbath, NWOBHM (Saxon, Maiden blah), Genesis, Marillion, Gabriel, American Rock (Journey, Heart, Toto), Angsty American singer-songwriters in comfortable shoes, Folk, Americana, Country.

Some have remained with me. Especially Abba, obv.

 

[lindsayt]

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

 

[Gusboll]

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

Remind me to not to come round your house! ooher.

 

[simonlewis]

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

Remind me to not to come round your house! ooher.

:shame: What i was thinking cannot be put in print. :silenced:

 

[Paul.]

0-12 Queen and Meatloaf

12-14 Ace of Base (what can I say, grew up in the 90's)

14-16 Happy Hardcore

16-18 Hardcore Techno + Old school

19-20 Progressive House (precursors to Trance)

20-22 Breaks

22-24 US Punk (Offspring, Green Day etc)

25-26 Lots of Tori Amos + Kate Bush, with Lots of Drum and Bass (dark and nasty Renegade Hardware sorta stuff)

27-30 Girly Vocals, Breaks and Rock. BT, U.N.K.L.E, 65DaysOfStatic, Hybrid, Imogen Heap, still loads of Tori Amos.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

Not a list of your babysitters I hope

 

[matthewpiano]

My first records at the age of 8 included Abba Greatest Hits, Dvorak New World Symphony, Holst The Planets, the early Queen albums, Byrds Play Dylan, and The Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats. From then on my tastes continued to develop and widen eventually encapsulating an exploration of the Western Classical tradition, bands like Steeleye Span, Moody Blues, BJH, Strawbs, Magna Carta, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project and artists including Kate Bush, Elton John, and Ralph McTell. I was also listening to musicals including Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Les Miserables. Jazz started to seep in when I was a student at 6th form, playing in the college Swing Band. At this point I discovered Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davies and Louis Armstrong, the last of whom has become one of my biggest musical loves over the years. At the same time as this bands like Lightning Seeds, Oasis, Blur, Strangelove, Ocean Colour Scene and U2 were part of my listening too, alongside a continued love for the older bands and western classical music I'd always listened to. It was probably about this time I got heavily into Neil Young after hearing 'Harvest', and a friend introduced me to the music of Billy Joel too. The same friend helped to renew my enthusiasm for Les Miserables and we would often sing the confrontation scene in the music room.

At University my classical listening developed again to encapsulate 20th century French music (Milhaud, Honegger etc.) as well as more of the output of Bartok, Schoenberg, Berg and Webern. My love for the music of Chopin also developed increasing intensity resulting in my writing my dissertation on recorded performance practices in his piano works.

Since then I've kept an open mind and I've heard a huge range of music. I've been to lots of live performances and been fortunate enough to see both classical performers (Alfred Brendel, Emma Kirkby, BBC Phil, Halle, Evgeny Kissin, BBC SO, Howard Shelley, Martin Roscoe, The Lindsay Quartet, Bernard Roberts, Dufay Collective amongst many others) and plenty of others (including Barclay James Harvest several times, Blackfield, Pineapple Thief, Elton John, Sting, Moody Blues, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Battlefield Band, Ralph McTell, Roger McGuinn, Eagles, CSN, America, Strawbs, Jethro Tull, Richard Thompson, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Van Der Graaf Generator etc.) live. I enjoy hearing really good new music too and adore Midlake, Radiohead, Muse, Blackfield, Pineapple Thief and many other younger bands/artists.

I love music and I hate labels and boundaries. To me good music is good music whatever the genre and this is also reflected in my own playing which has covered big classical works as well as jazz and pop/rock. I hope my tastes will always be this wide.

 

[Alec]

From cradle to grave would include the bits in between anyway wouldn't it?

Anyway:

8-12/13 ish - Cliff, Elvis, other 50s, 60s, 70s stuff.

12/13/14 ish - Guns 'N' Roses, Chilli Peppers, Body Count, Thunder, Metallica, Nirvana, Faith No More, Levellers, influenced by siblings and school friends.

16 (1994) - Started to get into Green Day, Bad Religion, Offspring and sundry other "pop punk" bands. Dabbled in heavier stuff like Sepultura.

This was also the start of The Prat/Eclectic/Pretentious years; buying music in order to have a large, diverse collection rather than because I liked it. I won't slag off the bands. It was all useful in a way.

Discovered Oasis around 17ish. Sampled various Britpop acts thereafter. Pulp and Radiohead stuck more than others but only by a whisker.

Still buying Green Day and Bad Religion. Didn't start to get into REM until around my mid 20s; they were only in my peripheral vision before. I heard Monster when it first came out but ended up gettin rid. Didn't get another copy years. Might have had Automatic before too, actually.

Early 20s, Elliott Smith, Blind Melon, Buckley. Some Dylan, Cash...

In the last couple of years, Beth Hart andvarious single songs, rather than artists as such.

This is necessarily from memory, not really taking account of overlaps, and dependant on my mood and what I want you to know. Though as I cop to Cliff, I hope you'll accept I'm being honest as I can.

In order to tell you what I listen to today, I'd have to post my post listened to songs in WMP. Though in reality I've always listened in that way, started with taping comilations of the best bits of my CDs. So I guess I've only listed what i feel is most definitve in some way, and the bands I liked the most material by; there's no point saying "and this song, and that one...". I'd be here all day.

 

[fr0g]

0-20's Madness, Specials, Cure, OMD, chart music

20s-30's Marillion, Genesis, metallica, slayer, morbid angel, sepultura, Malevolent Creation, Morgoth, Death, Pestilence, Faith No More

30's-present day FSOL, Orb, Orbital, Boards of Canada, EF, Explosions in the Sky, Sickoakes, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lights out Asia, Helios, Stars of the Lid, September Malevolence, Black Dog, Echaskech, CHRIST, a bit of classical.

Lots more.

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

by the way, if that was the only music, I wouldn't have got into Hi-Fi at all!

 

[Macspur]

0-6 Jonathan King :silenced:

7-14 Gary Glitter :rockout:

15-23 Culture Club :cheer:

24-33 Michael Jackson :dance:

34-44 George Michael :O

Remind me to not to come round your house! ooher.

Really made me chuckle, thanks.

 

[plastic penguin]

Tricky one for me. Because my siblings are so much older than me I've influenced by too many to mention, and a lot of those early influences are still being played today. So struggle to give a (very brief) briefing:

60s pop and rock; Motown; Stax

Early 70s: Mud; Bowie; Roxy Music; Dr.Feelgood; Sensational Alex harvey band; Cockney Rebel.

Mid-late 70s: Soul, Funk, Disco; Punk/new Wave

80s-today: Bands influenced by the above; Throw in some Crowded House, Muse, Cooper Temple Clause, Adele, Joss Stone and few little know acts... that's it in a nutshell.

Ah, and a mix of Jazz and dance hall music influenced by my parents.

Most, if not all, I still happily play today, governed, of course, by the right mood.

 

[Anonymous]

My dad bought me my first record when I was 5 - Hippy Hippy Shake by the Swinging Blue Jeans. I still have it!

Up to the age of 11, I listened to the usual stuff in the charts, I remember the Beatles, Mary Hopkins, the Tremaloes

From 11 to 14 I was more interested in playing football!

15 to 18 it was David Bowie, Led Zep and a bit of Genesis. I went to my first pop concert at this time - Be Bop Deluxe at Malvern Winter Gardens.

At Uni it was the time of Bruce Springteen, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Dylan, Blondie and Elvis Costello.

In my 20's I was listening to Peter Gabriel and many of those who helped me through Uni.

I bought my last LP at this time - Meat is Murder by the Smiths

In my 30's and 40's I started to branch out into Classical Music. I love Mozart and Bach. You can dance wildly to Bach! I still get a massive high from listening to a Beethoven symphony - very loud! One of the best and most exciting concerts ever was Mahler's 2nd performed by the BSO.

In my 50's, Ive discovered the joys of simple, beautiful, heart-felt music from lesser known female artists - Laura Veirs, Laura Gibson, First Aid Kit, The Pierces, Cat Power, Emiliana Torrini, Joan as Policewoman, Joanna Newsom, Karine Polwart, Tina Dico to name a few. I still love recent Dylan and Paul Simon. Delta Blues is a recent discovery too.

The fact is I love music , live and recorded. I still go to festivals, now with my teenage kids, and I believe the music being made today is better than ever.

It's been a life-long companion.

 

[char_lotte]

I started listening to music from an early age ....pretending really just copying my Dad with a pair of headphones as he listened. Brought up on Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Can, John Martin ...and all things disco and funk...The Undisputed Truth and The Bar Kays. Teens involved everything in the 90's...Jesus Jones , Galliano, US3 and lots of dance / house etc. Now.....anything but mainly electronic and ambient. Love the memories that music can give.

 

[chebby]

John Martin ...

Quality! I saw John Martyn in a live performance here in 1980 at a local hotel around the time 'Grace & Danger' came out.

Only about 250 of us crammed in there. "Johnny Too Bad" was astonishing (he was sobre or very near sobre that night and was really on top form) and I have never heard anything like it since. Wall to wall professional Bose PA, huge mixing desk etc. And fantastic effects from that Echoplex.

 

[char_lotte]

John Martin ...

Quality! I saw John Martyn in a live performance here in 1980 at a local hotel around the time 'Grace & Danger' came out.

Only about 250 of us crammed in there. "Johnny Too Bad" was astonishing (he was sobre or very near sobre that night and was really on top form) and I have never heard anything like it since. Wall to wall professional Bose PA, huge mixing desk etc. And fantastic effects from that Echoplex.

That would have been wonderful to have been there. It's a crying shame he is no longer around. Solid Air and Grace and Danger are two I enjoy.

 

[Alec]

Wall to wall professional Bose PA...

Oh dear

 

[Macspur]

My dad bought me my first record when I was 5 - Hippy Hippy Shake by the Swinging Blue Jeans. I still have it!

Up to the age of 11, I listened to the usual stuff in the charts, I remember the Beatles, Mary Hopkins, the Tremaloes

From 11 to 14 I was more interested in playing football!

15 to 18 it was David Bowie, Led Zep and a bit of Genesis. I went to my first pop concert at this time - Be Bop Deluxe at Malvern Winter Gardens.

At Uni it was the time of Bruce Springteen, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Dylan, Blondie and Elvis Costello.

In my 20's I was listening to Peter Gabriel and many of those who helped me through Uni.

I bought my last LP at this time - Meat is Murder by the Smiths

In my 30's and 40's I started to branch out into Classical Music. I love Mozart and Bach. You can dance wildly to Bach! I still get a massive high from listening to a Beethoven symphony - very loud! One of the best and most exciting concerts ever was Mahler's 2nd performed by the BSO.

In my 50's, Ive discovered the joys of simple, beautiful, heart-felt music from lesser known female artists - Laura Veirs, Laura Gibson, First Aid Kit, The Pierces, Cat Power, Emiliana Torrini, Joan as Policewoman, Joanna Newsom, Karine Polwart, Tina Dico to name a few. I still love recent Dylan and Paul Simon. Delta Blues is a recent discovery too.

The fact is I love music , live and recorded. I still go to festivals, now with my teenage kids, and I believe the music being made today is better than ever.

It's been a life-long companion.

Will be checking out some of those heart felt artists on Spotify... just discovered Laura Veirs myself.

Cheers

Mac

 

[John Duncan]

From cradle to grave would include the bits in between anyway wouldn't it?

Anyway:

8-12/13 ish - Cliff, Elvis, other 50s, 60s, 70s stuff.

12/13/14 ish - Guns 'N' Roses, Chilli Peppers, Body Count, Thunder, Metallica, Nirvana, Faith No More, Levellers, influenced by siblings and school friends.

16 (1994) - Started to get into Green Day, Bad Religion, Offspring and sundry other "pop punk" bands. Dabbled in heavier stuff like Sepultura.

This was also the start of The Prat/Eclectic/Pretentious years; buying music in order to have a large, diverse collection rather than because I liked it. I won't slag off the bands. It was all useful in a way.

Discovered Oasis around 17ish. Sampled various Britpop acts thereafter. Pulp and Radiohead stuck more than others but only by a whisker.

Still buying Green Day and Bad Religion. Didn't start to get into REM until around my mid 20s; they were only in my peripheral vision before. I heard Monster when it first came out but ended up gettin rid. Didn't get another copy years. Might have had Automatic before too, actually.

Early 20s, Elliott Smith, Blind Melon, Buckley. Some Dylan, Cash...

In the last couple of years, Beth Hart andvarious single songs, rather than artists as such.

This is necessarily from memory, not really taking account of overlaps, and dependant on my mood and what I want you to know. Though as I cop to Cliff, I hope you'll accept I'm being honest as I can.

In order to tell you what I listen to today, I'd have to post my post listened to songs in WMP. Though in reality I've always listened in that way, started with taping comilations of the best bits of my CDs. So I guess I've only listed what i feel is most definitve in some way, and the bands I liked the most material by; there's no point saying "and this song, and that one...". I'd be here all day.

This was something of a revelation to me. I always had you down as a grumpy *old* man.