Narrow minds?

[superfrank]

My problem is in my experience, most people following perfunctory, generic pop-rock are completely musically close-minded, and dismiss anything different at will.

Following on from this quote, I'm just wondering here: how varied are people's musical collection on here?

Looking at the exchange and best album threads, most people seem to listen to a lot of (what I'd call) rock music. I don't think people are so narrow though so let it out. What do yez like?

Me, I like a lot of different types of music.

I'd say my favourite genre is funk. Stuff from the 70's mainly like Parliament/Funkadelic (later), Ohio Players, Bootsy, Zapp, Kool & The Gang, early Prince, Marvin Gaye, Cameo, Curtis Mayfield and a lot of the Salsoul acts.

I also like hip hop alot and, lately, I've got into 60's psychedelic rock like The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, early Funkadelic and Jefferson Airplane. I also have a great interest in Fela Kuti, Brazilian music, jazz and dance.

I've never been one for indie but what would you call Arcade Fire and The Coral?

Despite all this, my favourite artist is David Bowie, even though I've never liked his contemporaries.

I consider myself open-minded, although I can't stand punk or heavy metal.

So what are the rest of yez like?

[ken foree]

from beach boys to james brown, horslips to hototogisu. what's not to like. there's too much music to not enjoy it all

[jebus]

I'd say most people, especially over the age of around 25, would listen to a variety of music in fairness. I've gone through so many phases with what I like I've ended up with a real hodge podge of a CD collection.

Up until about 21/22 I would have mostly listened to indie alright, mostly Britpop to be fair with a few American bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Lemonheads, Weezer etc. thrown in with the usual suspects (Beatles, David Bowie, the Clash and all that). After that a few friends of mine I met when I moved down to Cork for me into some hip hop, I wasn't mad about it, but acts like Outkast, Arrested Devolpment, A Tribe Called Quest and their ilk led me to get into Motown and the acts that would have got their breaks after the Motown breakthrough (Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Issac Hayes and others). Since then I've gone through my brother's extensive reggae collection and found artists and bands I love from that (The Maytones, Toots and the Maytals, Horace Andy), classical music (Chopin above all else, but others too), and I have realised in the past four years that dance music has resurrected itself since the mind-90s when I drifted from it. In the past two years I've started listening to African music more and more, have only really listened to the essentials like Ali Farke Toure and Amadou et Miriam, as well as some best of africa CDs, but I plan to start hitting into that more in the coming months and years

[John83]

I have some classical, classic rock, electronic downtempo, and a hodge podge of other stuff. I'd agree with Jebus - anyone over a certain age has sampled several genres.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Whenever I'm asked what music I like I just say that that there's too much to mention or write `various`.
As you know sf, if someone were to ask me to compile a list of my top 10 favourite albums and a list of my top 10 favourite songs it could take me years ....I have the list here beside me right now.

I do consider myself open-minded and if I somehow stumble across a band on the net through friends or anything then I usually try and listen to plenty of their music. I don't believe that any music is rubbish, although some boybandy stuff can get on my nerves.

EDIT: At the moment I've got 5 songs lined up on youtube (if I were to do this again tomorrow the following could be very different though) -
Augustana - Boston, Evanescence - My Immortal, Mariana's Trench - Alibis, John Mayer - Heart Of Life and Christophe Beck - Close Your Eyes

[sligoman]

I don't decide what music I like by their catagory, I judge by whether I like the song or not.

[stann]

There does seem to be some very narrow minded types alright. Their loss ultimately.
With me it'd be easier to list the stuff I don't like, there's not much of that.

- Jazz. The only genre I truly hate, except the odd bit of light dixieland that can go down quite well in the right pub on a Sunday afternoon, and strangely enough Bitches Brew by Miles Davis, that a friend bet me one time that I'd love and he won.
- Most of the more modern metal is also without any redeeming feature, particularly, but not solely, the 100-notes-a-second fretboard wankery espoused by the likes of Whingey Malmsteen. Axe solos in general are pretty sad, but this stuff!
- Pop music created by committee would be another one. Boy bands (though would The Monkees be an exception?), X-Factor winners and losers, some girl bands. Most of it is harmless but some is poisonous.
- Some of the really full -on ravey dance music leaves me a bit cold.
- James Blunt.

Within the genres I really do like there are many acts I don't know (you can't listen to everything) and some I've just taken against for some reason (Radiohead).
My knowledge of World music is criminally small, but increasing slowly.

[tetsujin1979]

I stuck the library from my iPod onto nutsIe ages ago.
Check it out here and judge for yourself: http://www.nutsie.com/playlist/Music/20546

[Pauro 76]

Suppose like most others, a bit of variation in my playlist. Genres I avoid like the plague:

Gangsta rap, R&B,, classical (but ok in small doses), general male solo artist types (James Blunt, James Morrisson and the bland likes), hardcore ravey dance, out and out pop, cheesy pop, girlband/boyband, X-Factor wannabes..

then again think that’s the same with most people. Heaviest album on my iPod, Slipknot ‘Iowa’. Album that’s on it that I really don’t want anyone to know about, Snow Patrol ‘Eyes Open’. But I cogged it for free in my defence...

[noby]

I'll listen to any type of music, as long as there are four skinny white guys with guitars. Except ones with left-handed bassists. That's a big no-no.
I make certain allowances - one member can be either non-male, or non-white, or non-skinny. Sometimes all three if I'm feeling very daring.

I also have classical cds that came free with the Sunday papers, but I never listen to them - they're just for show.

[Lionel Ritchie]

I'll listen to any type of music, as long as there are four skinny white guys with guitars. Except ones with left-handed bassists. That's a big no-no.
I make certain allowances - one member can be either non-male, or non-white, or non-skinny. Sometimes all three if I'm feeling very daring.

I also have classical cds that came free with the Sunday papers, but I never listen to them - they're just for show.

Ah I thought I was the only one who squinted suspiciously at the south paws. Though shouldn't your four skinny white guys have a non threatening androgenous thing going on as well?

[Billsthoughts]

To me narrow minded would be saying certain artists are only liked by people who know nothing about music. There is plenty of that round here. Id give anything a go but wouldnt listen to something just for the sake of it. Just so I could say "oh I love a little bit of african music" or something similarly silly.

[superfrank]

Whenever I'm asked what music I like I just say that that there's too much to mention or write `various`.
As you know sf, if someone were to ask me to compile a list of my top 10 favourite albums and a list of my top 10 favourite songs it could take me years ....I have the list here beside me right now.

I think that was about two years ago, Stevy...shameful.

[TonyD]

I like both types of music, Country and Western.

Nah, seriously though, I suppose some people would class my tastes as narrow. I generally have a thing for melodic guitar bands. Not into rap or dance music at all. Heavy Metal just reminds me of Spinal Tap. Among some of my favourite stuff would be Trash Can Sinatras, Teenage Fanclub, early REM, Beatles, Elvis Costello,Stars of Heaven, Billy Bragg, Crowded House, You Am I, Belle and Sebastian, Guided by Voices, Pixies. All white guitar bands I know, but what can you do ?

[paul_oshea]

I always laugh when people say I am open minded I listen to anything, and then go but i cant stand heavy metal

Listen to everything to be honest, like a lot of classical stuff, but its not something you listen to whilst at work, so finding the right time to listen it can be hard i.e. sitting at home chillaxing(i dont read books if i did, i'd listen to a lot more of it ). Like some country as well, probably the usual stuff to be honest. I like a bit of dance, more so the classics, I wouldn't be too up on it to be honest. I hate house music, but i think that has a lot to do with living over here as much as anything else(you cant avoid it and its crap). Like pretty much everything, even a bit of the likes of satriani and that instrumental stuff. My preferred taste would be rock/heavy metal. I dont mean the killers/all that crap skinny jeans type "rock" i mean proper rock, none of that homo-erotic rock of the late 90's and current bands.

[noby]

I always laugh when people say I am open minded I listen to anything, and then go but i cant stand house music. [sic]

[Neish]

I regularly listen to:

Rock(Ie Led Zep, Ac/Dc, The who etc)
Indie
Reggae
Ska
Soul
Hip Hop(But not pop/chart hip hop)
Punk
Singer Songwriters(Ie Bod Dylan, Tom Waits Neil young etc)
Dance/Electro (Groove Armada, Chemical brothers etc)

I also ocassionaly listen to stuff like the Dubliners and some classical music(really like Ludovico Einaudi's stuff)

[Dodge]

So how does generally not liking a genre of music make you closed minded? If you give a song./band/album a chance, thats open minded for me. I've listened to heavy metal. The fact I think its pretty much 100% tripe isn't being closed minded, its just having taste.

Oh and I've at least 2 Britney Spears songs on my mp3 player. Most of her stuff is cack obviously but give me Toxic over 99% of stuff released in the last 10 years.

If forced to pick a favourite genre I'd go with Late 60s/early 70s soul.

[paul_oshea]

I always laugh when people say I am open minded I listen to anything, and then go but i cant stand house music. [sic]

well done noby, i was hoping someone would spot the irony

Everyone says they are open-minded when it comes to music, but really they aren't, that was my point

[paul_oshea]

I regularly listen to:

Rock(Ie Led Zep, Ac/Dc, The who etc)
Indie
Reggae
Ska
Soul
Hip Hop(But not pop/chart hip hop)
Punk
Singer Songwriters(Ie Bod Dylan, Tom Waits Neil young etc)
Dance/Electro (Groove Armada, Chemical brothers etc)

I also ocassionaly listen to stuff like the Dubliners and some classical music(really like Ludovico Einaudi's stuff)

I'd put myself in near the exact same category as that.