So, how exactly have your musical tastes "evolved" throughout your years?

[Tupac]

I remember the good ol' days as a wee lad when I was first started listening to music. At about age 11, about the only "band" I really knew of was Eminem, whom I thought was the pinnacle of musical depth. Hoooo boy. Then, at 12 when I began Middle School, I went through my mainstream stage. I went to a new school and wanted to fit in with the "cool" crowd. It consisted me listening to whatever was "cool" at the time, which was mainly singles with T-Pain, Akon, and those tards. Then, at 13, I went through my Nu Metal phase. That included Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Hawthorn Heights, Bullet for My Valentine, and System of a Down.

It wasn't until 14 that I reached the mental status that I call musical enlightenment. It means that you finally stop caring about what genre it is, how old it is, or whether it's cool or not. You begin to listen to all genres and have no favorites, just enjoying everything.


So, how have your tastes evolved? Do you think they are still evolving?

[taylor93]

I hate when people start a thread and it gets ignored so I'll contribute.

Actually my experiences in music were very similar to your's in the aspect that I listened to alot of Eminem when I was younger and I listened to whatever was considered "cool" in middle school and some of high school (I'm 18 & recently graduated). As time goes on though I care less and less what is considered cool and now I actually can't stand alot of the mainstream pop crap that plays on the radio today. I gotta say I'm really into Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet for My Valentine, and Three Days Grace lately. And now some Breaking Benjamin.

Even more recently I've started listening to Dream Theater again. My dad plays it all the time and but I never really listened to it through middle school or alot high school because prog rock isn't "cool". I really started listening to lots more stuff lately because as I've matured (still have more to go) I really care less and less what is cool or considered in. That being said I listen to alot now. Classic rock, metal, hard rock, prog rock, jazz, classical music, country occasionally, etc. I just won't listen to most (but not all) pop and practically all rap/hip-hop. (just a personal preference)

[Jhengsman]

The older I get the more I am listening to what I heard in high school in the late 70s. "Gotta have more Funk"

[emor]

Let's just say that I'm glad I didn't get a "favorite band" tattoo in my younger days. (shudders)

[Quickie]

Good thread. I have been around a wee bit more than the OP and my tastes have stayed fairly consistent. I graduated HS in the mid 70's and I loved Grand Funk, Santana, CTA, EW&F, Yes, Springsteen and so on.

I think I have "grown" by listening to a more diverse range of music now instead of being so narrow minded. I like some rap, Eminim especially as I believe he has great talent and does not sample (copy) old songs and call them his.

Dream Theater is also a good band as well as Spocks Beard. I love progressive rock. I think very few musicians can go that route as it's quite complicated in its composition.

I like Lady Gaga, but she's just a Madonna light to me. Her outfits are always amusing however.

[Duckwater]

I mostly listened to hip-hop as a child, and classic rock/metal throughout my teens. Now I listen to nearly every genre but the majority is Funk & Jazz.

[fmoore200]

Good thread

As a young child my father was into classic rock, although I don't think it was called classic at the time. My mother was throughout her life a fan of pop music.

I lived with my grandparents as a teen and remember fondly (now, not then) of early Saturday mornings hearing early rock and roll from the 1950's being played while the house was being cleaned.

In high school I became a huge fan of improvised classic rock, particularly Cream. This lead me to one day pick up "the shape of jazz to come" by Ornette Coleman and an album by thelonious monk and art blakey. Needless to say, I didn't understand what I was listening to, but I was hooked.

As an adult I have played and listened to a great deal of salsa, merengue, bachata, and Latin rock. Also I have always been into hip hop and rap.

[JeffBTZ]

I'm in the same boat as the OP as far as age (senior year in HS)

I never was into pop, rap etc, but I do appreciate some of it. The Roots are one example of this.

I started off being into Green Day, Blink 182, and other bands as well as some Christian groups such as Sanctus Real and Switchfoot (which I still like... Jon Foreman is a beast of a musician). Then when i started playing guitar, I became obsessed with Satch and Vai and the likes. That was due in part to the fact that I was jamming with a friend who was a phenomenal lead player and had absolutely no problem playing any song you could throw at him. (I recall watching him play Satch Boogey like it was a piece of cake... amazing technical player.)

After I figured out that while that music is amazing technically, it didn't really fit that new instrument I started playing called "bajo" as well, so I got into more blues and early rock. Now I listen to a decent variety including blues, jazz, funk, hard rock and metal (albeit rarely), some classical, folk, some pop, and whatever is on the radio when I'm in someone else's car. A large portion of what I listen to is "alternative" such as Cage the Elephant, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, House of Heroes, Arctic Monkeys, and others. I also have been getting into some post-rock lately.

I would say that I listen to a fairly broad spectrum of music, but I still tend to stay away from radio pop and rap save for a few specific artists.

Great thread.

[OPBASSMAN1994]

I never fit in. My first favorite band in middle was Styx, followed by the Police, then I discovered Rush, and I've just gone up and backwards in time from there!

[cracked_machine]

Playing guitar in my teens I started off liking the usual Green Day, Nirvana rock type stuff. I got more interested in bands like Sonic Youth and the Pixies.

But then bands like The Jesus Lizard and RHCP got me more interested in bass.

I listen to lots of different types of music now (not just rock), but I'm always on the lookout for the weirder underground indie bands from the 90's that I missed the first time round (Thinking Fellows 282, Shudder To Think, etc...). I guess they remind me of younger times.

I will admit though that if I come across something that bland and soulless I will dismiss it off hand. Which can make me a jerk to some people I guess.

[funkinbottom]

Back in the pre teen/teen years (graduated high school 1972) I listened to a variety of stuff as we didn't have a bizilion sub genres. There were really only a few. Early funk, soul, blues were kinda lumped into r&b and most everything else (including allot of English blues bands John Mayall & blues breakers, fleetwood mac, and county rock etc) were generically called rock. And then all that was not hip (to us) was top-40. So a bit different back in those times.
As of today I'm mainly into the funk.

[Papa Dangerous]

When I was the tiniest of life, the most music I recall listening to is Celtic music on my grandmothers stereo every weekend. Unfortunately, on long car rides, I had the pleasure of listening to a lot of Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and the Supremes. (seems like typical mom music..) I have to admit that now I do like some Kenny Rogers songs, I occasionally bust out singing Jolene by Dolly, and the Supremes are good.

So in elementary school (about 6th grade), I listened to some rap (Eminem, TuPac, Biggie, Jay Z, Naz, Big Pun, and my favorite BONE THUGS AND HARMONY) and a lot of alternative (now being called "grunge" xD ) So Alice in Chains, Nirvana, STP, Chili Peppers (I know not grunge), Beck, and sooooo much Weird Al Yankovic. I have to admit, my rap taste was decent. I then began my journey (about 7th-8th) on to Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, and Black Sabbath. That evolved (somehow) into the Nu Metal/hard rockish almost wanna be like metal-esq culture (Korn, System of a Down, Godsmack, etc) in the High school frosh year. Then into punk (Always liked the Ramones, but got heavy into the Misfits and G.G. %*(#ing Allin!) Around this time I also got into a group called Clannad which is all Celtic, Trance type of music. Seachran charn Tsiail is a top one song that is currently set as my alarm. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone

Then one day, when browsing Kazaa Lite for some music to download I stumbled upon a song called "Gravy Train" allegedly by Pink Floyd. I fell in love. It was the most complete, perfect, and powerful music I have ever heard of in my life.... only took me about a week to realize that it was not the right song title (Have a Cigar). At that point, Floyd was jam, despite always listening to the same songs, The Wall songs (pts 1-3) as a single track. Wish You Were Here, Have a Cigar, Welcome to the Machine, Brain Damage, Time, Money, and may just a few more. That was about 15 years old, about 9 years later, Pink Floyd is still my favorite band.
Around 15 I also picked up my first place and my buddy taught me a song, I think it was by Finch called What It is to Burn or something. I fell in love with the instrument. I remember playing that song, Brainstew, 7 Nation Army, and trying the national anthem for the longest. A bit later on I discovered slap from my friend, and my life was blow into a million pieces that I needed to recollect very very quickly just so I can try out this technique. I kinda went a bit overboard and all I would do is slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop slap pop pop lol I never learned rhythm for it.. I just wanted to be so fast it that I got the skill under my belt. It provided a bit of a wow factor, but not much of the groove factor.
So I discovered funk around this time, and it took me a bit to really open up and find the good stuff: Graham, Bootsy, Brown, and even some Wooten. I listened to, but never followed Jaco, Jamerson and such. (I still haven't and should get on that after this post) In college I discovered Jazz. So of course Bird, Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans and that whole George Russell theory, Charles Mingus, and the likes.
I guess around 15 or 16 or 17 I really started opening up to Classic Rock. I always had loved so many songs of the classic, but it was always geared around the big names of classic rock; The Stones, Beatles, Hendrix, Zeppelin. Took me a moment to discover the Byrds, Crosby, Still, Nash, and Young, Donovan, Cream, (I know these are big names, but not to me at the time)
I remember in my high school theory class, I talked mentioned Iron Butterfly to my teacher - a bad ass dude that almost reminded me of Uncle Jesse without the whole moral aspect. He played in a blues band that did a show at B.B. Kings and it was the greatest day of his life being able to play on King's stage. He looked at me so surprised and said "No one in all the years I have been teaching here has anyone ever mentioned Iron Butterfly." I felt I had his approval from that day out xD. I immediately when home and had to find more Iron Butterfly (outside of In A Gada Da Vida). So Flowers and Beads, Mirage, and a few others became a common song to me, but I haven't listened to in a while... (*adds note in to do list*)
I have learned over the years that it does not matter what you like, but more WHY you like it.

Let ye without guilty pleasures cast the first metronome.


Sorry for long post.... I keep editing the information lol To be fair, the OP asked " How exactly (have) your musical taste 'evolved'." So I in turn tell you all the story of my life. xD

[Papa Dangerous]

Originally Posted by Tupac

l" crowd. It consisted me listening to whatever was "cool" at the time, which was mainly singles with T-Pain, Akon, and those tards. Then, at 13, I went through my Nu Metal phase. That included Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Hawthorn Heights, Bullet for My Valentine, and System of a Down.

Is that what people are calling Nu Metal these days? I understand SOAD, do not know Scary Kids, but Bullet and Hawthorn? I guess my Nu Metal music days must be considered Old Nu Metal now xD

[Roy Vogt]

I even listen to and enjoy Opera sometimes. Go figure!

[Kipaste]

Well, let's see.. The first album I remember listening over and over was funky kingston by toots and the maytals. I was four or so. Still own the very vinyl.

Before reaching teen years, I was mostly listening to rock; pink floyd etc. - mostly because that's what my dad owned and naturally I didn't have any money. Also copying cassettes was a big thing so we copied everything we could whether we really liked it or not. I remember that the offspring, bob marley and stevie wonder were the ones I wore through. Probably many others too.

Then came metal and classical and the idea of starting to play music. So I did and learned metal stuff by myself for a year or two. I sort of think back to that era as foolishness: nothing wrong with liking metal or classical but I did it the way 13 year olds do stuff ie. I became ridiculously one sided and almost fanatic with music. Year later I started taking lessons and the first song my teacher gave me as homework was Jaco's come on come over. And then the musical understanding thing started reallly to develop. Quite quickly back to reggae, trip hop, some pop stuff, rock, acid jazz, funk.. And I'd really like to thank my teacher for force feeding me some hip hop back then. Otherwise, it would've probably missed a whole lot of absolutely great music for several more years. One of my favourite genres these days..

Now close to fifteen years later I find some solace in thinking that there are no bad genres or even necessarily bad music. Instead there are people with differend life experiences, obsessions, prejudices and tastes that sometimes inhibit them from understanding what's good in certain styles of music. I still can't stand trance techno or pantyhose metal (you know, the dungeons and dragons lyrics and fast guitar solos)
but I do like to think it's my problem, not a problem with the music itself. And even with that said, I still say that I haven't heard a genre of music without anything I like about them. With some stuff the stuff I don't like overpower the bits I like.

[colcifer]

Mine have only gotten more diverse.

[Papa Dangerous]

Originally Posted by Roy Vogt

I even listen to and enjoy Opera sometimes. Go figure!

There is some great Opera out there. I love, for the musical side of it, the tunes that came out of the Italian Romantic period. Puccini, Rossini, Roselini, Verdi, and the likes. Mio Babbino Caro is my favorite Aria, along with the aria from Carmen.

For the story aspect of the Opera, despite them mostly being in a foreign language - Italian, German, British....... xD I love the tales based on Greek Myths. Dido and Aeneas, Orpheus in the Under World etc. Great Stuff!

[hrodbert696]

Let's see.. born in 1970, I'm 40 now (bday in November).

First album I bought with my own money was the Flash Gordon Soundtrack by Queen, more because it was Flash Gordon than because I knew anything about Queen. A couple of years after I borrowed, or probably pretty much stole, my sister's copy of Yes' 90125 and was thoroughly hooked. Spent the rest of my teen years tracking down their 70s albums and Yes has been my official favorite band for life.

Otherwise, through the 80s, I was into a lot of New Wave and Techno stuff. Cars, Police, Howard Jones, Art of Noise, Tangerine Dream, Kate Bush, Genesis, B-52s, Rush (which was pretty New Wave sounding in that phase). I also listened to a lot of Amy Grant -- back then, before she went mainstream, her bread and butter was piano ballads but she would experiment with a lot of different sounds and genres, which made her albums fun.

About the end of the 80s as I left high school and went to college, I got pretty sick of the pop and rock music that was around, picked up my parents' Kingston Trio albums and got into a lot of folk, the 60s stuff and Celtic. I was majoring in theater studies and listened to a lot of Broadway stuff and swing. That lasted several years past graduation -- I think there must have been a five-year period or more that I hardly bought a single new album.

Then, late 90s or so, gradually started getting into pop and rock music again. Just trying to catch up and listen to whatever I like since then.

[Aussie Player]

They haven't really.
After 40 years, I like some of the new gear but the playing leaves me cold, the songs are not interesting enough to buy the cd's and everytime I listen to an older band I hear more in talent, tone and music than anything within the last 25 years or so.

Just me, but I am very happy with my decisions.
When I leave a band, the new punkies (as I call them) in their 20's or 30's usually say, "Boy you leave a big pair of shoes to fill". Its a compliment really, but is is only based on my older Jack Bruce style of playing where I like to put fills in low spots and drive root notes where the melody is flowing.

If it doesn't please my ear, I won't play it.

[Ironderby]

i started off about 11, my sister told me that nobody in big school likes metal. i ignored her and listened to what i thought was metal: My chemical romance, green day, and a bit of disturbed. i then listened to Guns 'n' roses, iron maiden, pantera. Now at aged 16 i listen to an immense variety from Deathcore, Death Metal, Jazz and Pop/Punk to Classic Rock, Glam Metal, Metalcore and Bluesy Metal