Music
I guess everyone's taste in music changes as they grow older. Mine perhaps less so than most.
I have never been much of a trend follower ~ though I did latch onto some "scenes" (which will be covered more in "Groups").
In my early days I listened to the songs being played by my elder sister and brother. The former was into The Beatles, Cliff Richard, etc., and the latter preferred The Kinks and a good mix of Prog Rock. I have to admit to not really getting a lot of the Prog Rock sounds ~ particularly when it went far too much up its own arse ~ however, to this day I still love listening to some King Crimson, Floyd, Focus or Wishbone Ash. The music was generally good and very technical, but the performers ~ particularly the "middle-class music school dropout" variety ~ just tended to take it a little too seriously for my liking.
In my early teens I remember loving Slade, The Sweet, T-Rex, Roxy Music, and other Glam Rock bands. They were simply fun, and very good "terrace" music. Everyone of my age used to listen at 6pm on a Sunday night to the one-hour chart show, to see who was in the top ten ... particularly who had reached No.1. That was an event back then ~ unlike nowadays, when artists who want to be chart toppers only really need to have a few thousand downloads and they're there.
I will admit to loving Disco for a while ... particularly during the Saturday Night Fever and Grease times. Some Disco music was superb in the right location, i.e. at a dance/disco, but it never really became something I'd want to listen to outside that setting. Tracks like Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" remain classics. And this led me to investigating Soul music further, and so I discovered the sounds of The Supremes, Four Tops, Wilson Pickett, etc. These at least you could listen to any time.
I did follow Rock 'n' Roll for a while, for two reasons: firstly, my father being a shoe worker who was able to ensure we were all well shod with "spoils" or "rejects" (i.e. the ones with a little scuff on them they couldn't sell, so workers would get them at knockdown prices ... the days of perks, eh!) and there was a time when the best he could get were all beetlecrushers; and secondly, because the people I was mixing with at the time were into it.
However, when Punk Rock started up, I was there from the beginning. I loved the ethos ~ that Rock 'n' Roll was dead and Punk was here to liven up the music scene. (I was obviously no longer mixing with the same people!) I remember seeing XTC at Kettering Central Halls ~ only a few dozen people turned up and they had their own trouble-making followers to add a little spice to the evening. They were damned good though.
Then the Two-Tone revolution came along ~ to coincide with Thatcher's worst doings. This kindled a life-long love of Reggae, Ska, Bluebeat, etc., whilst giving another outlet to the love of Soul.
So, ultimately I like anything that takes my fancy without feeling I have to pander to any trend. Though, saying that, there's not too much I could even name that has been released since the mid-90's (other than something I might have used for my music quiz). I think it's most indicative of my general taste that the CD's in my car comprise: Uriah Heep “Salisbury”; King Crimson “In The Court Of The Crimson King”; Yes “Close To The Edge”; David Bowie “Aladdin Sane”; Simon & Garfunkel “Greatest Hits”; Iron Maiden “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son”; Deep Purple “Machine Head”; plus a 3-CD compilation of The Rolling Stones, The Early Years. Occasionally one of these will be replaced, but they form the basis of the accompaniment to my driving experience.
