Suzanne's Soundtrack Sunday
It has been mentioned here many times that my musical preferences were shaped in part by what my siblings would play on the stereo. I was very young when I was immersed in the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel catalogs, and it is hard to recall a time when there wasn't music of some sort playing.
My oldest brother had control of the stereo for a good bit of time after he'd returned home from his four years in the Marines. He'd amassed quite a record collection while overseas and the artists were quite eclectic. Then, add to it the fact that he worked at one of the most influential nightclubs on Long Island and his future wife worked for a record label, and well, there are artists that I heard that most people said "who?" and soon after, that would be the most popular act around. (the Police, for instance)
While my sisters tended towards Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jackson Browne and CSNY, my brother would play Kansas, Rockpile, George Thorogood, Janis Ian, Blondie and the Police. He was an equal opportunity audiophile, equally enjoying straight ahead rock and folk.
Most of it was appreciated on my part, but there were a couple of albums that would drive me from the house, most notably Joan Baez. Don't get my wrong, I respect the woman for her contribution to the music scene, but that voice was like nails on chalkboard to me.
This morning, a classmate and I met at a local Starbucks to complete our statistics homework together, something we've done before. The Starbucks chain likes playing music in their stores that is also aired on their XM channel. It is an eclectic mix, as I'd walked in to primitive bluegrass and within minutes, I was hearing XTC's "Senses Working Overtime", and then "Fly Away Home" (which Jenn did NOT enjoy), some Elvis Costello, Everything But the Girl, Alison Kraus and others less familiar. Several songs inspired comment back and forth between us, some caused us to laugh (especially when this one song elicited my comment "what the hell is dying in those speakers?"), but I heard a familiar guitar intro and exclaimed "Oh crap, I cannot stand Joan Baez!" as the warbling began.
That song got about 12 bars in before an entirely different song began, and we soon saw an employee coming out of the back room. Clearly, he did not appreciate Joan Baez, either, and Jenn and I both laughed at how it isn't a generational difference.
At least not this time...
My oldest brother had control of the stereo for a good bit of time after he'd returned home from his four years in the Marines. He'd amassed quite a record collection while overseas and the artists were quite eclectic. Then, add to it the fact that he worked at one of the most influential nightclubs on Long Island and his future wife worked for a record label, and well, there are artists that I heard that most people said "who?" and soon after, that would be the most popular act around. (the Police, for instance)
While my sisters tended towards Pink Floyd, Genesis, Jackson Browne and CSNY, my brother would play Kansas, Rockpile, George Thorogood, Janis Ian, Blondie and the Police. He was an equal opportunity audiophile, equally enjoying straight ahead rock and folk.
Most of it was appreciated on my part, but there were a couple of albums that would drive me from the house, most notably Joan Baez. Don't get my wrong, I respect the woman for her contribution to the music scene, but that voice was like nails on chalkboard to me.
This morning, a classmate and I met at a local Starbucks to complete our statistics homework together, something we've done before. The Starbucks chain likes playing music in their stores that is also aired on their XM channel. It is an eclectic mix, as I'd walked in to primitive bluegrass and within minutes, I was hearing XTC's "Senses Working Overtime", and then "Fly Away Home" (which Jenn did NOT enjoy), some Elvis Costello, Everything But the Girl, Alison Kraus and others less familiar. Several songs inspired comment back and forth between us, some caused us to laugh (especially when this one song elicited my comment "what the hell is dying in those speakers?"), but I heard a familiar guitar intro and exclaimed "Oh crap, I cannot stand Joan Baez!" as the warbling began.
That song got about 12 bars in before an entirely different song began, and we soon saw an employee coming out of the back room. Clearly, he did not appreciate Joan Baez, either, and Jenn and I both laughed at how it isn't a generational difference.
At least not this time...
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