How My Musical Tastes Evolved Over the Years (High School, College, and Beyond)

Writer's Note: This is a Chapter of my Memoir that I'm currently writing about my first few decades of life. This Chapter describes how my music changed and evolved by meeting new people in different surroundings and being exposed to their musical tastes. Being open and interested in new music has helped develop my eclectic musical tastes today. Unfortunately, I have no photos of concerts in the 20th Century. So several 21st-century concert pics will have to suffice.

High School Music

During high school, my musical collection consisted of artists like Jimi Hendrix, Uriah Heep, Mott the Hoople, Alice Cooper, and Black Sabbath. That was all I knew and listened to, especially among my friends from Lake Park (Racine, Wisconsin). Not too eclectic, not sophisticated musically, although I figured college would expose me to many other genres.

My First Concert in High School

During high school, I attended my first concert in Milwaukee, which featured the J. Geils Band and Z.Z. Top. J. Geils opened and played well for almost 60 minutes. Because they weren’t top billing, they must be inferior to Z.Z. Top.  Although they were musically more diverse and were tight as a band, my focus was on the boys from Texas. Z.Z. Top played well, but lacked the intensity and spirit of the opening act. As a novice, I resorted to what I considered a convincing argument, convincing myself that the last band to play had done the best job. Reputation is everything. Within weeks of the show, I had some casual and brief conversations with other concertgoers who said that J. Geils stole the show, even though they had opened the concert. I suspected that, but since this was my first concert, I assumed the headline band would be better. Au Contraire. A lesson learned: don’t take every play, concert, gallery showing, and movie at face value. Think objectively, individually, and critically, and let your senses guide you in assessing how well you enjoyed the performance.

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

At the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, I spent my first year of college living across the hall from Joe and Ted. These two individuals could not be more different from each other. Different politically, musically, and culturally. Joe was empathetic, serious, and genuine, and would often discuss with me the possibility of voting for Jimmy Carter in the November 1976 election. He loved Elton John and primarily played Elton’s music when he had the chance. His favorite Elton John albums at the time included Honky Chateau, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, The Captain and the Kid (also known as The Brown Dirt Cowboy), Rock of the Westies, and Madman Across the Water. I never loved Elton the way Joe did, but I did appreciate many of his songs. I also learned that Elton didn’t write lyrics, so he needed a partner. Significantly early in Elton’s career, someone handed him envelopes of prospective lyricists, and one of the envelopes contained poems by Bernie. Elton was then sold on Mr. Taupin, who has collaborated with Elton on hundreds of songs and has written the lyrics to most of John’s songs.

Jon Anderson in 2019 (of Yes), along with his band.

Ted was the other person who roomed with Joe. When I first met him, he was wearing a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt, so I initially had a good idea where his music tastes lay. Ted had long, brown, frizzy hair, parted in the middle, and typically wore cowboy boots, even when wearing shorts. His standard belt buckle displayed a man peeing in public -- very classy! Along with Lynyrd Skynyrd, he loved Rush, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and AC/DC. He was not shy about opining on many of his convictions, many of which reminded me of a hillbilly. However, he was from Wisconsin, so I didn’t know what to think. I guess he’d be considered a Wisconsin hillbilly. I didn’t mind much of Ted’s music, but much of that I had listened to in high school. I was interested in broadening my musical tastes, so I tolerated much of Ted’s music. Even though I often didn’t agree with his opinions, he was fun, entertaining, and charismatic, so I sometimes spent time with him.

Musical Influences in Dorm Life at UWEC

As a sophomore, I moved on to the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and stayed in the dorms for one year. One guy down the hall was heavily into punk rock, so I’d often hear the Sex Pistols, The Knack, and other groups blaring from his room during 1977 and early ’78. I never took to this genre. Was it too angry? Did it lack musical charm and warmth? Was it too English? I'm not sure, but the music never spoke to me; it was tolerated, but more often avoided. To be fair to me and the music, I gave that unique genre some listening time before moving on. 

One of the first groups I was exposed to was Steely Dan. My sister had purchased their album Can’t Buy a Thrill in high school, and I had heard some of their popular songs on the radio, but not their entire albums. As time went on in the dorms, I began to explore other Steely Dan albums: Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, and The Royal Scam. When you hear and see the same music by multiple students and friends, it often begins to resonate with you.

While at Eau Claire, I often had limited resources, but I wanted my music to be a part of my collection. Having a cassette recorder, I was able to create my music. Electronic stores on Water Street in Eau Claire would sell ten blank TDK cassette tapes for $30. Each cassette tape allowed you to record an album on each side. Therefore, I could record 20 albums on one case, so it was an inexpensive way to expand my music collection. I stumbled upon a few record stores that allowed you to borrow a relatively new album for up to a week for one dollar. Therefore, I was able to record 20 albums on these tapes for approximately two dollars each (at the time, brand-new cassettes were between six and seven dollars). Additionally, the recording on those TDK tapes was of superior quality to the manufactured cassette tapes. When I had only pocket money left, I’d plead with my other dormmates to let me borrow their album for a Saturday recording session. As things evolved during college, I spent less time in electronic stores and more time rummaging through a plethora of albums from my friends and dormmates. 

My dormmates next to me regularly played Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon. I never appreciated them at the time, never spending the time to understand this phenomenon until many years later. Others on the wing played Heart, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Boston, Linda Ronstadt, and Fleetwood Mac (Rumors). Having delved deeply into this group's music, I was exposed to new tracks from their albums, some of which resonated with me. In a way, walking down dorm wings, especially on Friday through Sunday, felt like an FM radio station. Each room blasting music could be seen as a different radio station that you may sample.

It would be incomplete without listing several other albums I often heard in the dorm. Boston’s first album was released around the time I had entered college, and some students couldn’t get enough of it. I thought it was pretty good, but I realized it was necessary to purchase this album since it was being played regularly. I also wondered why they put so much of their good music on their first album. I would have spaced out the content more to increase its length and maintain its popularity. Kansas and ELO were also often played, and for two reasons, I wasn’t inclined to buy their music. One, it was so common that I didn't feel the need to possess something that most other male students had. Two, the music was Okay, but it didn’t reverberate with me enough to invest in their music.

Pet Sounds tour with Brian Wilson in 2016 (May he rest in peace).

During the late 70s, the majority of two-person rooms contained a stereo system. This typically consisted of a turntable, speakers, and an AM/FM amplifier. This was years before laptops, iPads, and streaming music. This was also years ago, when excellent musicians could make a living producing music instead of having to go on the road to perform. For those without such a system, it was unusual and odd that someone wouldn’t have music blasting from their room. Some students also had a cassette tape to play and record albums. As I mentioned, having a cassette recorder provided more flexibility when enlarging their music collection. One thing you didn’t see in the dorms were 33 rpm records; those were sometimes found in junior high or high school rooms, but didn’t exist in college. No one was going to play a three or four-minute song and then flip it over and hear the other side. I think those individuals would have been ridiculed and laughed out of the wing.

Post-Dorm Life at UWEC

Once I left dorm life, I’d move around to different houses each semester to find new living quarters. One housemate I had was Paul, and he exposed me to Frank Zappa, The Kinks, and Yes. He especially loved Frank Zappa, and although I initially disliked Frank’s music, it seemed to grow on me. He was a musical genius, and his lyrics were something you’d rarely hear on the radio. It was crude and often vulgar, yet in a way, entertaining. Frank was someone who did his own thing and didn’t look back. I respected Frank for that, even though some of his music wasn’t something you could play in the car when driving your mother around town. I think many listeners of Frank’s music were young and felt alienated and disenfranchised, looking to Frank’s music as an outlet and a form of rebellion.

In January 1979. I moved in with Dave, Brad, and Bruce on 119 Broadway Street in Eau Claire. I was fortunate to find a place so close to the university only days before the start of the spring semester. I also became good friends with Dave and Brad during that semester. Brad and I shared the upstairs bedroom. He has since reminded me that I’d insist on playing Breakfast in America by Supertramp before bed. It’s essential to note that at this stage in my life, many audiophiles would love and support a band regardless of its level of popularity. In fact, some of these audiophiles would shun their musician’s music if it became too popular. I understood their musical philosophy, but perhaps made an exception with Supertramp. Supertramp had created some incredible music before their hit album, Breakfast in America (Crisis, What Crisis?, Crime of the Century, and Even in the Quietest Moments). However, Breakfast in America was Supertramp’s best seller and had a popular vibe to it, but I remained a committed fan. So, getting back to getting ready for bed, Brad would start one of Breakfast in America and then flip the vinyl over for side two if I were still awake. Unfortunately, I never remembered this, but at the time, this album was like a lullaby helping to ease me into a restful night of sleep.

Brad and Dave introduced me to John Prine, Steve Goodman, The Flying Burrito Brothers, David Bromberg, Pure Prairie League, Emmy Lou Harris, Nicolette Larson, Bonnie Raitt, and many others (country rock, Americana, country-folk, and bluegrass rock). In the late 70s, Reggae was becoming quite popular, and they exposed me to early Reggae musicians such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh. One mistake I made many years ago was turning down the opportunity to see Bob Marley in concert in Minneapolis (late 1970s) shortly before he died in 1981. It was an unfortunate decision on my part, and it was so sad that such a Reggae genius passed on at such an early age.

Gordon Lightfoot in 2017 (May he rest in peace).

Brad and I used to have discussions about how different artists laid out their music on an album. He insisted that many artists meticulously planned the placement of each song on an album. In other words, artists attempted to create an album that flowed seamlessly from start to finish. Because I made many playlists from blank cassettes, I’d sometimes skip certain songs on a given album or compile my list of the band's “greatest hits instead. During these discussions, I knew he had a valid point, but I sometimes customized things to my liking. We agreed to disagree, but years later, my perspective has shifted slightly, so I sometimes look at how an album was arranged instead of just “playing the hits.”

While in college, my older brother, who had also graduated, influenced my musical tastes. Indeed, he also influenced me with my folk and lyric-intensive type of music. Think Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, and Nash (CSN), and Gordon Lightfoot. He wasn't as much into rock and roll, which wasn’t an issue since I was exposed to that genre plenty of times while living in the dorm. Living not too far from Canada in Wisconsin, it seemed that many Canadian artists had influenced him, and eventually, they influenced me too.

It would be incomplete to discuss my experience with Disco Music. Along Water Street, with all the watering holes, this street in college only produced one Disco bar. Most of my friends would repeat their disdain for Disco, but surprisingly, we'd sometimes find ourselves in that bar. Were we hypocrites? Probably. However, that's where many of the beautifully dressed coeds with perfectly coiffed hair would hang out. Besides, I accepted most of the music, although it wasn't my favorite, it was music you could crazy dance to. I'd never purchase this type of music, but sometimes the Disco scene would suck us right in.

My Sisters Exposed Me to Their Music

While in high school and college, my two sisters and I were never on the same track musically. They listened to Carole King, Carly Simon, Harry Chapin, and Seals and Croft. Some of the albums by these artists included vocals, so I couldn't say that I never listened to several tracks while reading the lyrics. However, I was more rebellious and needed more rock, more bass, and more percussion in my music. I will say candidly that some of the artists' songs resonate with me today. I'd never go out of my way to listen to a song or two by Carly or Carole, but if I hear such a song at the health club or when selling a product through an advertisement, I'm often reminded of the early years.

The personalities of Specific Musicians Drove me away from their Music

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the musicians and artists I was introduced to during my time in college. If a band is great, that doesn’t necessarily mean I will listen to them or support them. There’s more to my support than how a band sounds on an album. Are they assholes? Are they jerks? What’s their reputation in the music business? For example, it would be unfair to say that the group Lynyrd Skynyrd didn’t produce some great rock and roll music, especially during the 1970s. However, I never could get to a point where I’d own any of their music. First, many of my dormmates who listened to this music weren’t exactly friendly people, so I wasn’t inclined to be a fan. Secondly, this group, from the 1970s until beyond 2000, incorporated the Confederate flag into their stage presence. Three, they were not happy with Neil Young’s song “Southern Man,” which critiqued how some black people were treated in the South. Lynyrd Skynyrd took offense at this, having been raised in the South. Just to be clear, I’m not being dismissive of Southern Rock as I dug The Allman Brothers Band, but they were hipper and their personas weren’t the “angry type” like Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Greta Van Vleet in 2023 (my daughter's birthday present to me).

Two more musicians come to mind. Ted Nugent was hard to ignore. He was a terrific guitar player with a one-of-a-kind voice. However, he was wild and often outspoken, which drove some fans away from his music, including me. Again, made some interesting music over the years, but something about his persona drove some astute fans away, regardless of his talent.  The other musician is Lou Reed. I never dug his music, but even if I had, I didn’t think much of him. He was known for his cruelty and contempt for others, things that are hard to ignore. His combative nature made it highly challenging for bandmates and record executives to ignore or excuse this behavior.

Musical Exposure Post College

While in Europe, especially in Germany, I was again exposed to other music, which eventually expanded my musical perspective. Many young people in Europe loved a great deal of the American and English music created during the 1960s and 1970s. Think Yes, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Kinks. Many also liked rock and folk music sung in their native language, which certainly didn’t surprise me. However, their collection also included jazz, which surprised me. Additionally, I was exposed to the works of Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, and Louis Armstrong. My initial reaction was relatively neutral, but deep down, I knew it was necessary to be exposed to a genre that might expand my musical horizons. Unlike many young Americans, many of the young Europeans I met were passionate about classical music. It didn’t matter whether it was Chopin, Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven; their collection of music included many composers from earlier centuries. Again, being exposed to genres outside of my current genre at the time eventually expanded the scope and breadth of my genre.

Exposed to Popular Music in Europe in the 1980s

As I mentioned earlier, when you live with a group of people or travel internationally, you are inevitably exposed to new music. While spending two years in Europe in the early 1980s, I was introduced to musicians and bands that weren't common in the States. For example, musicians such as Mike Oldfield, Leonard Cohen, Nena Hagen, Boney M., and Sade. I was never exposed to these musicians in my neighborhood or through friends and dormmates in college. Traveling and living in Europe gave me that opportunity. I don't regularly listen to all of these musicians today, but I appreciated the chance to decide for myself.

How My Musical Tastes Evolved Over the Years (High School, College, and Beyond)