What are your musical preferences before Pink Floyd?

[jimfisheye]

Before getting turned on to Floyd eh?

I got turned on to Pink Floyd kind of late. Already in junior high school around 1979.

Beatles
Black Sabbath
Ten Years After
Incredible String Band
Neil Young
Led Zeppelin
Nazareth
Yes

Then Pink Floyd
(I'd obviously heard some Wall cuts around 1979. Meh. A friend played me Piper at the Gates of Dawn and then side 2 of Meddle and that was that!)

Genesis and King Crimson followed.
(I'd heard the "MTV Genesis" first. "Paper plate, paper plaaaat!" The real thing was sure different!)

[Blatch]

My musical tastes were shaped a lot by my dad playing classic rock radio on car rides back in the 2000s. I found that stuff to be a lot more enthralling than the lame, derivative Disney-centric pop that was available. I didn't really have a favorite artist back then, but dad has always liked Bob Seger. He also frequently complained about songs he thought where too repetitive, often when the chorus is repeated over and over again. I think that complaint caused a reflexive reaction in me and made me seek out more complex, flowing music.

The other major event that shaped my musical tastes was going through my parents' old LPs and discovering Relayer by Yes. When I put that on, my mind basically exploded several times. It was music that went beyond being a disposable thing that you listened to and could sing along with; it was an entire journey in the span of forty minutes. From there, I begun to listen to more progressive rock, but I didn't really get into it outside of the core Yes and Pink Floyd albums. Much later, I discovered the world of RoIOs and really in love with Yes. But after listening to their live shows for a long time, I felt like they repeated themselves too much and played the same handful of songs note-for-note in every performance. So I took a closer look into the Floyd, downloaded a few of their shows, and shortly after listening to 1972-09-22, I knew I was on to something special.

The thing is, my musical tastes have evolved even more since I joined this website. I've tried to seek out other progressive bands, dipped my toes into jazz fusion, and then discovered the Grateful Dead, whose jammed-out live catalogue makes our band's style of improv look downright crude. They might be my favorite band now, but I don't think the Floyds will ever drop below #2. And besides, I'll always go back to the well to grab some more PF sources.

[Sokkamom]

As a kid, it was a lot of southern rock from my dad (Allman Brothers, Skynyrd), and new wave/pop from my mom (Bangles, GoGos, for some reason Styx greatest hits). When I was 12/13, I really got into Springsteen and Rush (still am huge on them). Mid-way through high school, I got into Minus the Bear and then Porcupine Tree, which of course was my connection into Animals and PF. I still listen to everybody though, plus a ton more