Personal Listening Influences

Mr Peabody

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St. Louis, MO, USA
I was thinking how magazine articles sometimes talk about artists that influenced a genre, for example, Jimi Hendericks is often talked about amongst others as Influencing Rock and future guitarists.

Than I got to thinking about hearing things that took my musical interest in new directions.

Maybe not immediately due to my age, I was only in 5th or 6th grade and got my hands on some 8-track tapes, among them were Herbie Hancock and Santana, those grooves and percussion I really got into and stayed with me.

My dad was a big Country fan I still listen to the older more traditional Country.

Growing up, and even now for the most part, my core listening was Rock but my interest has expanded tremendously over the years. I think the point where I heard Topaz by Journey is what got me into more Fusion and paved the way later into more traditional Jazz. Plus a friend some time later played Al Dimeola's Elegant Gypsy album for me, that was big for me.

I do like Metal and Hard Rock. After Grunge I didn't really hear about too much new Metal. I don't really remember how I found bands like Tristania and Nightwish but that got me off into that splenter of Metal genre, whatever you want to label it as. Some years later via Sirius, internet etc. I began to discover he "new" breed of Metal bands, In Flames, Bullet For My Valentine, Mastadon , FFDP, etc.

Sorry for the length but I could go on. I'm sure we all have some. What are yours?
 
My folks were music lovers. Big band, crooners even Lawrence Welk. I don't remember not listening to music. I grew up in a small rural town. A number of the kids I went to school with were first generation to my state. The folks had come west during the dust bowl and depression. So I was exposed to early country music. Hank, Ferlin Husky, Little Jimmy Dickens, Cash.
My grandmother tried to develop a love for oprah and classical music. She took me to a number of plays and performances. Didn't work. I was already going in the direction to rock and roll and blues music.
I have branched out into jazz, and various other forms over the years also.
 
I listen to everything from metal, rock, pop, fusion, jazz to classic and opera.

Nowadays it’s mostly jazz, 50s-60s jazz on vinyl is my thing. But I am also interested in the more modern influences. First of my three most typical listening sessions is jazz all out on vinyl, new stuff I’ve bought, jazz favorites like Thelonius Monk, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Illinois Jaquet, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, and many, many more.

I do play guitar for my own pleasure, and to the detriment of my neighbors. Started off with classic, folk, bit of flamenco, and got into jazz. Rock has been there all along. Therefore I do have a keen interest in all kinds of guitar music.

Therefore, the second one is browsing through the noisy and genius guitar stuff from AC DC, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and more modern heavier stuff like Avenged Sevenfold, Amaranthe, some Nine Inch Nails, Foofighters, System Of A Down, but also Metallica, Megadeth, Rage Against the Machine etc. And of course, Stones, Eagles, and other classics.

Third one is a mix of classics, opera, and everything acoustic based on mood. Or then I just go and explore Tidal and my digital or analogue collection, and what others post on Sharks.


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My dad owned McIntosh tube amps a TT and Reel to Reel in the 50s. His stuff looked cool then and still does today. But he liked country. In the 60s he watched Hee Haw on TV and we had to watch it too. I wasn't 'a picking or a grinning' in those days.

In the 60s-80s I had friends and my brother who all liked Rock. That's what I grew up with. We went to mind numbing concerts. Rock, Rock, Rock ... College years were all Rock.

Later I developed a taste for more detail in my musical experience. Classic rock still has it place, but female vocals and jazz were now 70% or so of what I enjoyed the most.

I now look at music differently - more as art (which most of it really is) - instead of child throwing paint all over a room (my early years perception of Rock). I now more-so appreciate those that have the gift of giving us music. It's a lot of work, and some of these artists are absolutely amazing.

Today I enjoy and appreciate all the details in the music and the audio equipment that can best demonstrate every last ounce of it to my ears.
 
We definitely have common ground in Rock/Metal

I listen to everything from metal, rock, pop, fusion, jazz to classic and opera.

Nowadays it’s mostly jazz, 50s-60s jazz on vinyl is my thing. But I am also interested in the more modern influences. First of my three most typical listening sessions is jazz all out on vinyl, new stuff I’ve bought, jazz favorites like Thelonius Monk, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Illinois Jaquet, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, and many, many more.

I do play guitar for my own pleasure, and to the detriment of my neighbors. Started off with classic, folk, bit of flamenco, and got into jazz. Rock has been there all along. Therefore I do have a keen interest in all kinds of guitar music.

Therefore, the second one is browsing through the noisy and genius guitar stuff from AC DC, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and more modern heavier stuff like Avenged Sevenfold, Amaranthe, some Nine Inch Nails, Foofighters, System Of A Down, but also Metallica, Megadeth, Rage Against the Machine etc. And of course, Stones, Eagles, and other classics.

Third one is a mix of classics, opera, and everything acoustic based on mood. Or then I just go and explore Tidal and my digital or analogue collection, and what others post on Sharks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I am 70, and now listening to my Metal playlist. I added two new Metal albums today from HDTracks. However, during the day I was listening to Classical. Metal, for me, is a beer and nighttime event. I also occasionally listen to other genres during the day, but it has been Classical for a few months.
 
I like Classical as well. We used to have a Classical station, I'd listen at work and if I heard something I really liked I'd note the time of day then check their website to see what it was. That's pretty much how I started my small Classical collection. The piece has to keep my attention. I like concertos a lot, as well as many Russian composers.

If you haven't heard this before you might give a listen to early Epica, an interesting blending of Classical and Metal. Also, way back the first album, to my knowledge, Engwie Malmsteen, Rising Force, pretty much all instrumental and I'd call that Classical Metal. Unfortunately, his later albums they try to fit him onto the "hairband" cookie cutter but that first album is incredible.

I am 70, and now listening to my Metal playlist. I added two new Metal albums today from HDTracks. However, during the day I was listening to Classical. Metal, for me, is a beer and nighttime event. I also occasionally listen to other genres during the day, but it has been Classical for a few months.
 
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