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Path: utzoo!decvax!tektronix!reed!soren
From: soren@reed.UUCP (Soren Petersen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: progressive rock mavens
Message-ID: <2116@reed.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Nov-85 02:19:41 EST
Article-I.D.: reed.2116
Posted: Thu Nov  7 02:19:41 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 02:04:21 EST
References: <866@decwrl.UUCP> <527@scirtp.UUCP> <2000@pyuxd.UUCP> <1640@uwmacc.UUCP>
Reply-To: soren@reed.UUCP (Soren Petersen)
Distribution: na
Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Lines: 75
Keywords: Yes taste
Summary: 

>In article <2000@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes:
>
>   Used to listen to a lot, pre-college days (ca. 1976):
>     Yes, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep.
>
>   Listened to a lot in college (1977-1980):
>     Yes, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Todd Rundgren, ELP, Johnny Winter,
>     Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Camel.
>
>   Listen to a lot since college:
>     King Crimson, XTC, Brand X, Warren Zevon, Beatles, Todd Rundgren,
>     Johnny Winter, Peter Gabriel, various guitar albums like Fripp &
>     Summers' two LPs.
>
>   Since I also am intrigued by musical taste and how it changes, I wouldn't
>mind seeing more discussion on this topic.
> - Joel Plutchak
>   {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster
>Can you say "opinion"?  I *knew* you could!


Here, anyway, is my list.

The Stone Age
Beatles, Rolling Stones, ELO, Doors, "San Francisco bands"(Jefferson Airplane,
Quicksilver Messanger Service, etc.), Monkees. . .

The Iron Age
Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, The Who, Steely Dan. . .

Recent
All the new stuff,
currently Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Smiths, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions,
Husker Du, "Paisley Underground (Three O'Clock, Rain Parade, Green On Red,
Bangles, etc.)" R.E.M., X, New Order,[I could keep this up all night]. . .


As for change of taste, I started out listening only to the Beatles, then
to people mentioned in books about the Beatles, the rest, as they say,
is history.  For a couple years in high school I got really into listening
to stuff with headphones in rooms with just enough light to ponder the lyric
sheet, but that got old after a while (especially because, even then, I still
couldn't figure what the hell they were talking about).  The sudden big
change, came about when New Muzik (remember the Human League,  and Soft 
Cell, and "Sweet Dreams", and. . .) and MTV hit the cover of Time and
Newsweek and I realized that music could be coming out in the present and
still be good.

As for what I used to like, I hardly ever listen to any of the Progressive
stuff I used to listen to except maybe the occasional Yes Album.  I
don't play the Beatles or the Doors much, but that's because I know them
so well.  I don't listen to ELO at all (I only did in the first place
because someone said they sound like the Beatles), however I do like
the Monkees a lot, and one reason I like Paisley Underground groups
is because they sound so much like what I used to listen to. . .

It is interesting how tastes change.  I appear to have gone full circle
in a lot of ways, from listenning to nothing but pop, to being contemptuous
of the very idea of commercialism, to my current respect for good pop well
done which  netpeople, as a rule, tend to dismiss overly quickly to their
loss.  I stopped being very interested in Progressive music largely 
because it didn't really mean much to me, personally.  Vague obscurities
about the human condition are all very well, but to me anyway, aren't
as interesting as specific examples of human conditions which I can in
some way relate to on a personal experience.  "Girl Afraid"(the Smiths) a simple
two-minute song about a failed pick-up packs more insight into humanity
then all two records of *Tales Of Topographic Oceans.*  There are, of
course exceptions, *Aqualung* for example, but as a rule, most Progressive
music is esoteric garbage, no matter how pure the motives of the people
involve, while some of the most commercial stuff around (The Squeeze,
for instance), is artistically and emotionally satisfying.  In other words,
don't knock them just because they want people to understand them.  

				Have a Nice Day
					Soren Petersen