Most, if not all, of my best friends in life have embraced different forms/styles/types of music.
The music ranged from Jazz to Classical to some Rock and others...even some more classic, early country.
Do you enjoy various music styles or are you more focused on a type or two?....And how/where does the music of this season fit in? I find Nat Cole doing Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song" comes very close to nearly everything I love about music.
And I have gotten over people thinking the title to that song is "Chestnuts Roasting"....I no longer have the urge to burn down their tree...mostly.
I tired of the usual audiophile warhorses a while ago. I have "best" pressings of many- I devoted time, attention and money to acquiring those before prices got completely nutty and clean playing copies were harder to find.
Thanks to a tip from someone who is very into "prog" rock, I got turned onto spiritual jazz and bought as much of it as I could find based on research- some of it is obscure-private label, some on Strata-East and a few other collectives from the period, fetches big money. Only a few have been reissued: Bobby Hamilton’s Dream Queen is definitely worth buying. Cut by BG from the tape, allegedly. The OG is crazy money.
I also listen to early heavy rock that is now labelled as "proto-metal." Some of it is obscure. I listen to a lot of different stuff. I’d say my weakest area is opera, since it is staged and I don’t attend the live performances. I have thousands of good quality classical records that I only occasionally pull out: I dumped over 12k records before I moved in 2017 and since then, have been acquiring things I want. Most of it is older. Some reissues. I’m not big on "audiophile" for the sake of it, especially when I’ve had multiple copies of the same record. I’ve done shoot outs. Sometimes the older copy is better, sometimes, the standard reissue kills. Part of this depends on how much the record has been reissued--many times, the copy I’m buying was a one and done- may 1,000? I dunno.
I’m always open to hearing something new. Part of it is a question of time- and access is key.
I listen to a wide range of music. Everything from Mahalia Jackson to Lamb Of God. What I don't like is "quirky" music that can lack skill... musically or vocally. An obvious example would be The Sex Pistols or other punk or post punk bands,. B-52's/Ramones/The Clash/Talking Heads and Lou Reed are examples of music I have little or no interest in.
Started off as a ProgRock teen, made fun of " Opera"....and Punk...and Rap
......moved to San Francisco....hung out at Caffe Trieste( a beat caffe, with an Opera Jukebox)... Learned to love Opera,...went to Art School with Punks, and learned to appreciate their angst and expression......was baffled at first when a friend gave me a copy of Bitches Brew....but absorbed it after a month....and swung hard into Jazz.......saw Don Cherry at Keystone Corner....and began my " World Music Explorations".....which takes me to my fascination with Okinawan harmonies......and early Korean folk/ shamanistic songs, reinterpreted by bands such as SsingSsing....and LEENALCHI..........check them out on YouTube....
Live at the Fillmore West - The Allman Brothers Band
Tosca - Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Steffano, La Scala
As an aside, I’ve gotten much more into opera lately since I wound up with $200 store credit at a place that sells complete operas on LP for $0.95 each. They’re kind of a crapshoot as to condition but enough of them are excellent to keep me going back
I am 70 years old and like punk, post-punk, 'indie', intelligent metal, roots and dub reggae, some hard rock, some 'pop' for sure, some hip-hop. I don't dislike classical music as long as it's instrumental. But I don't much care for jazz, country, blues, however great those genres are for people who appreciate them. Just not to my personal taste. No Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Boz Scaggs, and such for me, either.
I just like a great song, sung by a good or better singer, played by a good or better band. Is that too much to ask? ;-)
In the first cubicle of my LP racks are albums by Curtiss A, ABBA, AC/DC, Roy Acuff, Arthur Alexander, Mose Allison, The Alpha Band (T Bone Burnett, David Mansfield, and Steven Soles), Dave & Phil Alvin, Al Anderson (pre- and post-NRBQ), The Animals (before Eric Burton became psychedelicized), Joan Armatrading, Asylum Choir (Marc Benno and Leon Russell), and Mike Auldridge (master dobro player).
My taste is all over the board. Genres I do not listen to are metal, alternative rock, industrial, classical (I do enjoy OST's), free jazz, rap (except for Run The Jewels). Most everything else is on the menu.
My listening sessions usually begin with '50s-'60s lounge music and muzak, bluegrass, classic country, and hawaiian. Transitioning to indie rock, indie pop, shoegaze, new age, folk, celtic, polka, world music. Finishing with disco, dance, ambient, psychedelic electronic.
I am right there with @snsI listen all day every day and love all but the so called New Country. Really love the Blues and living in the Chicago area have seen all the greats.
Interesting topic. I listen to music pretty much every single day of the year. Whether driving, working, or going to sleep at night I find music a most relaxing and healing experience. I listen to many different sub genres of progressive rock. I’m very much into the progressive rock genre. This includes the Classical, Symphonic, Eclectic, Heavy, Psychedelics/Space, Rock Progressivo Italiano, Extreme Prog Metal, Post Progressive, Neo, Crossover, Folk, Jazz/Fusion, Canterbury, Experimental, Blues and Protoprog subgenres etc.
There’s never a lack of progressive rock releases as it takes in so many different forms of music and mixes this with rock in a progressive nature. One could say this is a progressive recipe to begin with. Another important recipe in music is the lyrics. Lyrics are very important in order to hold my attention. I find history, emotions, life experiences, love not sex, battling evil with good, God, good experiences as well as unfortunate, science, ethics, culture, and fictional topics abound in the music I listen to. This is very important.
Music can take on a life of its own that will transform the listener into a whole new sphere. Sadness can be turned into joy or further felt and expressed with the help of music, for example. I’m sure everyone has experienced music lifting one’s Spirits. I find music with lyrics full of substance much more alluring and satisfying. Music can also be educational. Many bands I listen to speak of life experiences, history or science in their lyrics.
The sound waves music produces can also lift one’s Spirits. The opposite can happen too. I find a good balance of music is important as I don’t like or want to be in too much of one musical mood. I listen to extremely happy as well as extremely sad music. What’s important is how the music moves me. Like food I need a good balance. I do like dark music as well as light. I’m talking shades as well as moods and subject matter. I do not listen to nor like what’s called explicit lyrics. I find swearing offensive and uneccesary. This doesn’t mean the subject matter cannot be dark. Life is full of ups and downs. Music can and does reflect life. People use music to express themselves. This is so important and has been true since we first started banging rocks together..
I want to thank the original poster for bringing up this topic. I’ve always loved music. I can remember hearing my father play The Beatles and Deep Purple as a young child. Then my Uncles and bands Ike Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis(Peter Gabriel fronted.), and Jethro Tull. Also the radio and bands like King Crimson, Jimi Hendrix, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. I loved music the moment I heard it and had a particular taste immediately. Never did I like the music of the moment. I was always a Prog and Classic Rock lover. The punk, disco and new wave fades etc did nothing for me. I’m in no way putting down anyones particular preverance for musical genres. Just commenting on how music is ingrained in my DNA.
I played the guitar growing up. I wasn’t in any way that good at it. Still, the guitar gave me a sense of belonging to something. Music takes on a life of its own. I wrote many songs and the music I wrote was an extension of myself. I miss playing the guitar. I was also in a band for a very short time. We had so much fun. Music was so important during those formative years of life. Music is something all children can benefit from. It’s very therapeutic.
Well, I was going to get into more of the different bands I now listen to. Instead I delved into a little bit of everything. I’ve been through a lot in life and this continues, such is life. Music is healing and helps me get through the ups and downs of life as well as providing a healthy way of passing the time or adding to the time. An all around good outlet and continuing experience. Happy Holidays to all. I could start a whole new topic on Christmas music and how hearing this reminds me of growing up and family. There’s a magic to Christmas music all its own. Peace and Good Will to all.
do you mean that Consciousness exists at many levels and what we call "taste" (ego-centered "likes and dislikes") exists at one level ?
Yes we dont know generally, because we are not enough sensitive, what we really love....It takes a life history for our mind to mature and know ourself...
"Taste" are like crocodile habit to eat, they come with our body physiology and habits history...We cannot only live with our natural taste and habits... Our consciousness exist at least on 2 levels...
do you mean that you are regarding music from the perspective of Consciousness (the aspect of you that is not limited by the ego’s preferences? )...
Yes... But you must remember that all musical forms exist already in an history, which reflected an history of consciousness itself...
Then exploring Australian aborigenal music or Scriabin is exploring our own consciousness levels...
It is impossible to constraint ourself to "like" some new music...But we can permeate ourself with history, cultures, meanings and opening our own mind to new levels of listening and new level of consciousness...
Gong music, or Kurt Weill , or Bach, or sufi music etc all is part of the human soul....
We can use music for our pleasure but also to explore ourself....
Music is so powerful and save for the last 30 years was vastly underestimated in his power to transform soul/heart/body....Except by genius like Bach, Beethoven, Scriabin among others that use it to really transform human consciousness...After shamans, Hildegard of Bingen, buddhist monks, sufis, and many others
For example, two people could both perceive the same constituent aspects of a complex wine yet differ in terms of whether it appealed to them or not. In other words, they are noticing the same sensory aspects but are affected differently by them.
I’d like to better understand what you mean, when you say:
"The musical evolution reflect only the general evolution of an individual, because music is not about "taste" so much , it is about the levels of perception....
Music is not REDUCIBLE to wine tasting and preferences...
Music is mirror of mind and consciousness... Wine tasting chemistry reflect and mirror ONLY the body physiology and individual history...
Music is NOT sound but THROUGH sound...
Some music are like mathematics, it ask for some new mind level operation...
Some music are like spiritual experience it ask for a new connection of body and sound and a new connection between heart and meaning....
Tastes are important and habits too.... But making ourself open toward the higher level of meaning and perception is the way to transform ourself, and no more ONLY pleasure ourself...
It is a bit like sex and love. sex is great, but sex habits are nothing compared to love....
Music is not pleasurable sound no more than love is only sex....
But i like pleasurable sound and i have my taste...
I only observe that in ly life at some point i discovered new way to connect to sound and new way to perceive music...
Then yo ask you in a word: taste exist on ONE level, perception exist on MANY levels....
Educating ourself CHANGE our perception level, and enlarge our original taste to new one...
I wish you the best and thank you for your interest....
Perception, as I see it, has little to do with assigning "value". Perception is simply utilizing awareness-- noticing what is present.
On the other hand, "Taste", as I see it, is a spontaneous internal physiological/emotional response to what is perceived.
For example, two people could both perceive the same constituent aspects of a complex wine yet differ in terms of whether it appealed to them or not. In other words, they are noticing the same sensory aspects but are affected differently by them.
I'd like to better understand what you mean, when you say:
"The musical evolution reflect only the general evolution of an individual, because music is not about "taste" so much , it is about the levels of perception....
There is not so much "taste" in music really, only level of perceptions with some preference ..."
I must say that these studies illustrate well the general tendency to stop all interior evolution by the age of 30....
Many people are already "dead" or fixated in their evolution by 30 years of age....
This is why music is almost all a "nostalgia" business...
Yep, taste in movies, visual art, tend to be set by about the same age, with a bit more flexibility.
And since I have almost zero nostalgia connected to music, I remain open to new music. Music I listened to during my youth, either lives or dies in my mind, based entirely on its musical merit. I don't care how great the times were for me when I listened to specific recordings, if they don't hold up with regards to those attributes I mentioned in my previous post.
I constantly see on other music forums (stevehofflman), people claiming there is no good music made anymore. When the fact is, I have trouble keeping up with all the new, great music being released. I guess that is a first world problem.
Not to mention, the constant new threads there, about The Beatles, Stones, Dylan, CSNY, etc, etc.
To begin with, there have been several good studies that show, that the vast majority of people’s tastes in music are set by the time they are 30.
We have almost the same taste....
I must say that these studies illustrate well the general tendency to stop all interior evolution by the age of 30....
Many people are already "dead" or fixated in their evolution by 30 years of age....
This is why music is almost all a "nostalgia" business...
The musical evolution reflect only the general evolution of an individual, because music is not about "taste" so much , it is about the levels of perception....
There is not so much "taste" in music really, only level of perceptions with some preference ...
To begin with, there have been several good studies that show, that the vast majority of people’s tastes in music are set by the time they are 30. People listen to the music that was their favorite when they were between the age of about 14 and their mid 20’s, with a bit more new music for a few more years.
I have been told by some, that I have eclectic tastes, and by others, that I am closed minded. I am in my early 60’s, to give some context. And I am always in the hunt for new music.
My issue is, I only enjoy music that has most of the following attributes: very high level of musicianship, complexity, broad range of emotional content, (usually) long form structure, does not follow verse>chorus>bridge>repeat format.
Music that does not have the above, tends to bore me. I can’t force myself to enjoy music that does not fit the parameters I like in music.
Music genres and subgenres that fit my parameters, are:
Jazz (fusion, post-bop, jazz-metal, chamber-jazz, M-Base, avant-garde) Classical (mostly post mid 20th century, avant-garde, contemporary, some minimalism, spectralism, serialism) Prog (avant-prog, technical-metal, Zeuhl, classic era, prog-metal)
I can easily go from listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra (fusion), to Arnold Schoenberg (12 tone classical), to The Contortionist (technical-metal), to Univers Zero (avant-garde prog) in the same listening session.
I also have a bit of a growing interest in blue grass, and Indian classical music.
I am willing to listen to pretty much any genre of music with an open mind, but if it doesn’t have the above listed attributes, chances are I won’t enjoy it.
I have pretty much no interest in: pop, mainstream rock, rap, hip-hop, country, blues.
When I was younger, music appeared to be an enormous playground awaiting exploration.
As I've aged, however, it's become very evident that the size of the playground is somewhat of a moot point, given the fact that my capacity for approaching and appreciating unfamiliar music is not only a significantly limiting factor but deeply ingrained. The origin/foundation of aesthetic preference is mysterious, whether we're talking music, food, poetry, dogs, cars, furniture or sexual partners. I watched a video yesterday by a guy who loves canned mackeral sandwiches. . . but even more than mackeral sandwiches, he loves the bones, which he sets aside and hordes as a special treat. What's normal to him appears bizarre from my perspective. And no doubt, vice versa.
I'd like to be able to assert that I'm open to anything but it's simply not true. The fact is, I avoid entire genres.
I suppose what it comes down to is, I'd simply rather spend my listening time playing stuff I know will give me the maximum of pleasure.
This doesn't mean I've stopped discovering artists I like, however. It just means I tend to look for them in genres I already enjoy.
For me, music is an important part of life, a way to relax and unwind, cheer up, get aesthetic pleasure. But I always listen to different music, rock, pop, classics, it all depends on the mood. It happens that I don’t listen to music for a couple of days, just because I don’t want to.
Lets just mark out the last 2 live concerts I saw in 2019........ . King Crimson 50th in Oakland Ca.( they played "Fracture" for their only time in N.America that year)........................and BTS.........the #1 kpop boy band.....whose song " Mic Drop"...is as good as any Rock Anthem of the 70s......
if it ain't rap or new country, i can dig it at least a bit. there was this old cat named major "mule" holley who had a contrabass voice, he was a string bass player and could sing down low in unison with his instrument, unlike slam stewart who sang an octave higher. it was an almost eerie effect that, when frank sinatra first heard it, made him grin ear to ear.
For me music is literally the soundtrack to life. The pieces that hit me like a ton of bricks and hook me forever always instantly take me back to when I first heard them or had a memorable experience such as when I first heard Mazzy Star - Fade Into You in the flagship Tower Records in NYC (sadly no longer exists) when it first came out or when I saw Trentemoller play live solo on the xylophone Miss You at The Ogden in Denver or when for the very first time ever I heard Jeff Beck play Cause We Ended As Lovers. I wanted to drop on my knees like I saw god standing in front of me. That was incredibly the first time I had ever heard that song. All I can say is wow. Speaking of which, just the mention of Moby by me yesterday brought me back to him. I find his ambient and his club/rock powerful. His cut Harbour with Sinead O’Connor on 18 & 18 B-sides blows me away every time I hear it and the engineering is excellent. She is such a talented person with a tortured soul. I could keep typing for hours, but there’s what is front of mind for me at this moment. Matt
@Parker65310- thanks for that. I may get a copy, I'm far less deep on digital than I am on vinyl. I purged about 12,000 record when I moved and did another purge more recently-- largely to make room for, you guessed it-- more records! But, I do have the ability to play an SACD if the compilation you mentioned is available in that medium. For files, I'm rather limited by my DAC to standard Rez. Part of it is precisely what some others mentioned- I know there are diehard opera fans, I just found it hard to get my head around, great performances notwithstanding. best, bill hart
Thrash/death/black metal, blues, rock, 60s’ rock, country. some 80’s fast techno (rave music) 1812 overture on my CV D9’s’ some classical through my Energy rc-70s’
iPod for light drinking listening. its on shuffle: john denver kreator tank autechre foghat donovan riot internal bleeding venom humble pie the band grateful dead living death pat travers john winter abba (when wife home) GBH
anything,and everything.
Some 80’s rap, not on iPod. The neighborhood, life, political stuff,not the newer garbage.
Pretty eclectic lol. I struggle with country music as well as corporate pop music, and don't like jazz but, aside from that I love Die Antwoord to Bach, Pink Floyd to Sex Pistols, Christopher Cross to Tool, Broadway musicals to The Proclaimers, The Who to Gogol Bordello. Hundreds of CDs and now thousands of tunes and hundreds of artists in TIDAL.
I have this debate all the time with my audio consultant. He listens to god awful music (in my not so humble opinion) because it was recorded well and sounds great on the systems he demos. I listen to the musician and their music whether it was recorded in 1928 or 2020. How can I not listen to Blind Willie Johnson's Dark Was The Night (Cold Was The Ground) and not be moved. I can only take Jack White's music in limited doses, but I sure like him as an artist, musician and love his business models. Yep, the recent classical releases on Analogue Productions are inspiring as well. Then again, save those 36 minute Dark Star's from bootleg tapes for when you are in the mood - because that was a band made in shangri la! Those Dark Star versions are like Keith Jarrett's live solo piano work - you just never know where it will lead you.
Anybody see that article in TAS a few issues back about the three types of music listeners? It was a great article that sums us up perfectly. I'll see if I can find that article again.
I've been enjoying a lot of female vocalists lately because they sound so good on my system. Some recordings are from the 1950's.
BUT, my collection has no room, none, for rap and hip-hop. That is not music. Bad Poetry to boring syncopated drum solos - best description yet.
Probably half my enjoyment of opera is following the actors as they move around on the stage. Left and right. Forward and back. It's an audiophile thing. :-P
With opera you really don’t need to understand the words, but to listen to an entire opera I do feel one must know the story and it is then still enjoyable not knowing the language. I levitate for sure more to compilations where I’m comfortable just feeling each piece. Pavarotti’s voice was truly a planetary treasure. I saw him in the last phase of his performance live at the acoustically “not as bad as other arenas” Denver Pepsi Center and was absolutely astounding with the breadth of his vocals. His stage presence was by far the largest I’ve ever witnessed. Which reminds me of the first time I saw Tony Bennett - from the “halo” balcony at The Denver Opera House (Ellie Caulkins Opera House). Acoustics there are incredible. As part of the encore, Tony had the house turn off all mics and he sung “Fly Me To The Moon”. What a moment in life to remember. It was truly for me a “religious experience”. Both experiences literally brought tears to my eyes. Not an easy feat :).
Check out the outstandingly engineered and my go-to opera compilation classic and see what you think... “Pavarotti - 24 Greatest HD Tracks” in the 24 bit/96KHz version.
I mentioned I do enjoy opera, and this conversation reminds me that I should clarify something about that. I enjoy recordings of *performances* of operas. I'm not a huge fan of records that are just recordings of opera[tic] music.
That's nothing against parker's recommendation here. I imagine it's great. The conversation just reminded me that *my* opera taste is a bit specific.
@whart ... your comment “I’ll listen to anything once. I’m not much for opera largely out of ignorance.” caught my eye. Check out the outstandingly engineered and my go-to opera compilation classic and see what you think... “Pavarotti - 24 Greatest HD Tracks” in the 24 bit/96KHz version. It brings tears to my eyes whenever I play it. It’s best at higher volumes :).
Well, let's just open up Pandora's box a have a look inside to see if there are any toys in the attic shall we? I enjoy a broad range of music which begins with mostly prog. rock but also includes such things as singer songwriter music like the livestream concert this weekend from Ariane Lydon to without a doubt the absolute best version of Leonard Cohen's Halleluja I have ever heard from any artist anywhere by a guy from Minneapolis named Andrew Newton. The guy just understood the song.
From there we can move to British folk which includes music from one of the best female singers of all time, Sandy Denny and Fotheringay. Then on to electronic music from artists such as Brian Eno, Redshift and Wave World and piano from Phillip Aaberg. I don't really care too much for traditional jazz but I consider Patricia Barber to be one of the most creative jazz artists alive today. I also enjoy music from Andreas Vollenweider.
I like guitar shredders such as Buckethead and Slash but also Tony Levin, Adrian Belew and the Oracle himself Mr. Robert Fripp. I also can't leave out Robin Trower. I like blues but don't really listen to it much. A little Keb Mo and of course Mr. John Lee Hooker. I also enjoy female vocalists from Janice Ian to Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos and Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith and Bonnie Raitt. I'm equally as comfortable with anything from Acoustic Alchemy to Alice in Chains to Southern rock and jam bands. What I don't care for is Rap, Hip Hop, Traditional Jazz, Opera, Pop and Country......although I like The Band. That ought to be enough toys to keep one busy for a while!
PS. Did I mention world music such as Afro Celt Sound System and Aurora? ;-)
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