Why do we like certain types of music?

[CatBus]

I think this kind of mirrors what happens with friends. I think all of the really special, lifelong friends I made were before my late twenties. Its not like I haven't met new and interesting people since, and its not like the general quality (or lack thereof) of people on the planet has changed significantly. I just think that I am less receptive to making new friends now than I was during my teens and early twenties. I think the same applies for music in some ways.

Nikhil

Wow, great connection!

And now that you mention it, nearly all of my "older" friends who still keep up with modern music are 1) single and 2) not "settled down" in a particular city or career. They also still make newer friends.

[tomsi42]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention:

Here's why I think musical nostalgia "works": you only remember the good stuff and you forget the bad stuff. When you listen to today's music, it's the same ratio of good-to-bad as in the past, but your memory filters out all the bad stuff so it just seems worse today.

When people get all nostagic about the music of the 80's, they're thinking about how much they still enjoy the Violent Femmes or the Pixies or whoever their favorite band was. They forget that when you turned on a radio in the 80's, you were much more likely to hear Night Ranger or Loverboy.

Aah. Loverboy! Had an LP of those - never bought the CD though....

I am not sure, but I feel that there were a higher ratio of good music (versus the "crap") before. My musical era should have been the 80's but I have a lot 70's music, some from the 90's and even less from the last few years! Of, course at 45, I am too old to be taken seriously

[probedb]

I'm not sure I can explain why I like what I do. I love everything from Opeth's most melodic acoustic stuff from Damnation through to the 13 minute wonder that is Deliverance. I also love math-core type stuff from bands like Converge and The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Then again I also like simple, heavy riffs from the likes of Lacuna Coil to the Flamenco influenced Breed 77.

Then I go off in a random direction with the likes of Tom Waits!

I dunno why I like it I just do That's about as technical as I can get

[peejay]

Aah. Loverboy! Had an LP of those - never bought the CD though....

I am not sure, but I feel that there were a higher ratio of good music (versus the "crap") before. My musical era should have been the 80's but I have a lot 70's music, some from the 90's and even less from the last few years! Of, course at 45, I am too old to be taken seriously

No way are you too old to be taken seriously, particularly where music is conerned. Mate, once Scissor sisters took 'Comfortably Numb' to the cleaners and came back a few threads short, I knew I was right (and you too).

[chinablues]

I cannot say I particularly like one type of music or another exclusively. I have found though a few factors that influence what I listen to & what I purchase. These are not specifically 'likes or dislikes', but are nevertheless related to what I listen to. In no particular order: Serious system upgrade - any time I do this, I listen to a lot more music. This also pushes me to spend on new music too, often branching into a new style of music. When I moved from records to CD's around 84/85, I bought a lot of classical music which I still enjoy at times. Classical music is of course timeless, so never really goes out of fashion. My more recent upgrades about a year ago, prior to coming to China, I've bought a lot of blues & jazz. Location where I play the music. I used to live in a 'single family home' in North Virginia, now I live in an apartment in Beijing. In the one, loud music worked for me, in the second, I cannot really crank up the volume. (I have a Velodyne DD15 Subwoofer here, sitting doing virtually nothing). Some music lends itself to loudness more than other types. George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Stevie Ray Vaughan & the like, I don't think I've really cranked up here in China. Played a lot of Patricia Barber though. Time of day. In the day, I'll listen to anything. At night, I'll pick what I'm listening too. Bette Lavette right now (10.30pm). Inebriated or sober. After a few drinks, especially on a Friday night I'll go into some heavy rock played at ear splitting volume. But again, not in China. How many times have you wondered what the volume was doing cranked up that far on a Saturday morning! (Couldn't have been me)

I buy periodically from Amazon (they deliver to China) and when on an overseas trip will always try to listen to new stuff on the audio channels. Found Lauren Ellis & Liz Wright there for eg. I guess I only really expect about 50% of blind purchases on Amazon to work for me, but that's OK. I'll also buy stuff that other folks recommend & then wonder what was wrong with them. No doubt one day we'll leave China & move somewhere, but who knows where (currently we're homeless). I have space in the house to listen to loud music plus space in the garden to build a Koi pond on my list. My wife will likely pick the continent we live in.

Dan

[tomsi42]

No way are you too old to be taken seriously, particularly where music is conerned. Mate, once Scissor sisters took 'Comfortably Numb' to the cleaners and came back a few threads short, I knew I was right (and you too).

Now that is one cover I don't want to hear! Especially as Comfortably Numb is is one of my biggest favorites.

Tom

PS. Thanks for nice words mate.

[Khuli]

Now that is one cover I don't want to hear! Especially as Comfortably Numb is is one of my biggest favorites.

You said you had a load of stuff from the 70's - you might appreciate the disco feel! :P

[tomsi42]

You said you had a load of stuff from the 70's - you might appreciate the disco feel! :P

No problem with disco - I Don't Feel Like Dancin' is good fun.

But messing with Pink Floyd is sacrilege

[adamslim]

But messing with Pink Floyd is sacrilege

No such preciousness for me, at least where Waters/Gilmour vehicles are concerned - Pink Floyd died in July this year, after kinda being haunted for about 40 years

[tomsi42]

No problem with disco - I Don't Feel Like Dancin' is good fun.

But messing with Pink Floyd is sacrilege

Now I have heard the Scissor Sisters version of "comfortably numb". And it was bad. Really bad. They totally missed it. We had a party yesterday so it was the right time to test it - but no one liked it. We listened to a Gregorian version of the same song as well - no good.