@JohnPhilpin good point, I also sometimes wondered what’s really meant by a „thumbs up“. I read somewhere that this is also a cultural and age thing… younger people seem to think of a 👍 as being rude and rather use ♥️. A simple response might clarify that 😉 But… I don’t really care and are quite amused by this whole discussion. Remembers me of „I want my battery percentage in the status bar! … Are you crazy!?“ 😉
@JohnPhilpin also, I literally never heard of Jeff Beck until today and now feel like the dumbest person living under a rock, thinking of myself as kind of a music-lover and rock-knowledgeable. Oh, the embarrassment!
@hutaffe Nobody can ever have heard of everybody - don’t beat yourself up :-) What part of the rock world do you enjoy?
@hutaffe that is another related issue that we lose sight of in the 'like button' wars. If a picture is worth a thousand words ... it is clear that we no longer grok what those are ... so we have our own shorthand for our assumption ... which might not be what the reader was saying ...
@JohnPhilpin It's just surprising sometimes how some really famous people slip through 😉 I listen to all sorts of music, mostly Indie-Rock though. Maybe that's why I'm no expert in everything or anything 😉
@hutaffe ok .. favorite question of mine … what is the soundtrack of your life?
Three artists or albums or songs that form the foundation of the ksoundtrack of your life’.
@JohnPhilpin wow, that‘s a tough one! I wrote about something similar last summer. I will have think about this again… 🤔 There are some other important bands for me. But what about the soundtrack of your life 🙃
I do like Weezer - but they have yet to get onto my lists - which remain a WIP.
For my 'soundtrack' - I wrote this to someone recently ...
A few years ago - it was easy
- Pink Floyd
- Genesis
- YesToday I am a little more specific, which paradoxically allows for more variety and is very inclusive ...
- Steven Wilson
- Roger Waters
- Peter Gabriel
BUT - the real reason for the question is an attempt to rapidly unpack where that person is musically. I am a big fan with likes that spread across decades and despite what that list MIGHT imply a very diverse taste ... but i don’t want to bore people. So if the answer is (say)
Beatles, Rolling Stones and Hollies OR Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles OR Eminem, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy OR ...
.. well you get the picture - it is a very different resulting conversation than if they respond with something like
Lou Reed, Spandau Ballet and Theolonious Monk
A list like that reveals different genres and decades and the not so common names suggest they might be deeper into music than the passing radio listener that likes 'both kinds of music'.
That said - I do recognize that although my list does at least span decades - there is a genre consistency that you think might suggest that I am firmly in the 'prog camp' - which I am - but not exclusively. One final nuance of the 'the soundtrack' is that the names that come out are often the foundation of someone's taste ... but like all good foundations - what gets built on top can be very varied.
Hope that helps :-)
@JohnPhilpin I've been thinking about your question since I saw it yesterday... and have concluded that you are wrong. Just three? Madness.
"Wrong? How dare you sir and might I say 'good afternoon'"
Wanders off to find glove with which to smite.
@JohnPhilpin All I can see are the other important artists from my life gearing up to pummel you. No discarding shall pass in this house!
@JohnPhilpin Thank you so much for this. This might actually be one of my favorite conversations around here 🙃! And I still owe you an answer 😉 It took me some time to nail it down and listen to all the music, but here's my try to answer what the soundtrack of my life could be.
@hutaffe @JohnPhilpin oh this is a great question and thoughtful response! Might have to noodle on this myself..
@hutaffe Thankyou for such a considered and GREAT response. Love it. And guess what? You have in turn inspired me.
When I wrote my rather long winded explanation I named ‘three from the past’ and my “current three’ with a short overview.
I am now writing more around by that transition … that will lead to how I explore music … which is unpacking some great memories that I have started to detail using AlbumWhale.
I like AlbumWhale, because it is all about albums and that is the format I have always been drawn to.
This is one list I have started … you will notice that though the albums featured might be bands, the focus is the specific individual that went on to influence my taste in many ways over the years. You will also notice that there isn’t any name that has appeared in the last 15 years or so … that is not because there aren’t new artists that I have found and am listening to, but none … yet that have emerged and shaping other new discoveries. Part of that is because it takes time to onboard a new artist, get really acquainted with their catalogue .. watch as new music appears .. and get introduced to others …
But there’s more … picking on one random example of seeming omission .. Roland Orzabel and Tears for Fears … there are a couple of duds in the catalogue … but on the whole, they don’t put a foot wrong … but he ain’t on that list. Why? Because despite loving his work, he has never moved me on and exposed me to new music … and that is the point of this list.
More to come … but another list is in the making … the first of my ‘lantern list’ went up just yesterday … Steven Wilson. Hoping this will contribute to a small appeasement of Mr. @simonwoods (because there will end being a lot more than three … and this is just in my foundational genre!)