This isn't a history of all music - just a history of the music that I have listened to. I loaded a bunch of CDs onto my iPod and as they are going through on the shuffle I am noticing that not all of my old CDs are that interesting anymore. So I looked at my old stuff and deep into my memory to bring you this archive of Jeff's musical interests. Most is probably not that surprising while some is downright shameful and hard to talk about. (I decided to break this into two parts since it was getting to be too long)
As a kid I really didn't have much musical taste. My first record was (I think) something like "Mickey Mouse's Parade" or something. At 2 years-old I didn't really get to choose, but I remember digging the hell out of it and maybe marching around the living room like I was in a marching band. There is even a slight possibility that this still exists in one of my parents' collections.
The lack of choice is what really defined my first 10 years as a music listener. Since my parents preferred Lionel Richie, Neil Diamond, and Michael Jackson that is also what I preferred. I feel like these days kids start liking music earlier than 10, but whatever. So there is a distinct possibility that all of the lyrics to Lionel Richie's "Dancin' on the Ceiling" are buried somewhere in my subconscious. Also, this was when we got our first stereo (we will always refer to my brother and I since, as twins, we never get separate "big presents" until much later in life). That stereo was an 8-track player and the only tape we had was Billy Joel. It was a dark time, but it got darker.
The one very positive music decision I made early in life was Beastie Boys. My brother and I had License to Ill (on vinyl) shortly after it came out. So you would think that things would only turn right from here. Not so fast my friend. Beastie Boys led us to KIIS FM, which led us to the absolute shit that Top 40 stations play. This includes C&C Music Factory, Color Me Badd, and I even think that either myself or my brother might have encouraged my mom to buy New Kids on the Block before we knew what that meant. I'm going out on a limb to say that it was my brother. Ask Amanda why I think this.
Strange enough, almost at this same time, I was getting into other music that would lead me closer to my own taste. My first black friend (I know it sounds bad, but I grew up in the 909) introduced me to NWA. He also introduced me to the idea that some kids call their parents by their first names as he always called his mom "Joy" and not mom. He also turned out to be a douchebag later in life. After that I found a short-lived love for late 80s / early 90s hip-hop. Granted, my parents would only let me have MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice and the Fat Boys, but I would go to the homes of my friends with less restrictive parents to listen to Slick Rick, LL Cool J (he cussed a little back then), 2 Live Crew and a little Public Enemy. I kind of stuck to this rap thing, but also ventured a little into alt rock.
This was about the time that KROQ only played the Smiths, The Cure, Depeche Mode, and other music for closet homosexuals as well as their counterparts - Oingo Boingo, Violent Femmes, and Jane's Addiction - bands whose fans would later produce our current EMO kids. Since I never like any of these shite bands I pretty much avoided KROQ like the plague (but was still listening to KIIS for some reason.) This would lead to my rock phase where I listened primarily to glam-type bands (Warrant, Motley Crue, Skid Row) who would lead me to Guns N' Roses, who would be the last "metalish" band that I ever listened to - it just wasn't my style. However, this is also the time that I got my first CD - Too Much Joy's "Cereal Killer". Too Much Joy is still probably my favorite band although I'm sure most people have never heard of them. In any case, they helped me realize that I like a little more mellow version of rock in most cases. This is also where I found one of my true loves in music - but that's for Part 2.
Part 2 sneak peak: 90's rock, grunge, punk, ska, jazz, electronica, up to today.
2 comments:
My first purchase of music was a cassette from Vanilla Ice. I saved my money, went into Sam Goody and bought it. I even remember getting it at the old Pasadena Mall (now Paseo). I'm ashamed.
Good Post. I got the Color Me Bad tape from a friend in chemistry class when we did a Secret Santa exchange. The very first tape (I stuck with tapes way longer than I should have.) that I bought with my own money was Warrant, the first record, not the one with cherry pie. I'm looking forward to the part two in which you realize that your history of music is broken into two phases the time before you realize the Creedence Clearwater Revival is the greatest ever rock band and the the time after in which you come to this realization and the world is suddenly a better place. I mean thats how everyone's musical history goes, right?
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